Helio Vicente is the Director of Employment Affairs at the International Chamber of Shipping (ICS), the global trade association for shipowners and operators, representing over 80% of the world merchant fleet. With over 17 years experience in the shipping sector, he serves as Secretary of the ICS Labour Affairs Committee, responsible for global shipping employment policy and other related matters such as seafarer welfare; as well as the ICS Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DE&I) Panel. Helio is also Secretary to the global Shipowners’ Group at the International Labour Organization (ILO). He previously served as Secretary of the ICS Shipping Policy Committee (SPC) and the ICS Shipping Canals Sub-Committee. Before joining ICS, Helio worked at the Diplomatic Mission of Angola to the International Maritime Organization (IMO), at the Maritime Organization of West and Central Africa (MOWCA), and at the IMO Sub-Division for Maritime Security and Facilitation.

“About 90% of world trade is carried by sea, which equates to 11 billion tonnes of cargo per year, according to UN estimates. The vast majority of seaborne trade also continues to empower the economies of developing nations. Being from a developing country myself, it is certainly a very exciting time to be working in shipping and coordinating our collective efforts to promote policies based on the principles of open markets and fair competition, to those national, regional and international bodies that have an impact on the industry.”

Helio Vicente