International Chamber of Shipping develops and promotes shipping industry best practices and guidance through a wide range of publications and free resources that are used by ship operators globally.
You can download most publications from the list below for free and purchase the paid-for publications from our ICS bookshop.
The Tanker Safety Guide (Liquefied Gas), fourth edition, is the definitive industry guide to support gas carrier operators conduct safe and efficient operations. This comprehensive guide, a carriage requirement under the national regulations of many flag States, has been fully updated to align with the latest edition of the International Safety Guide for Oil Tankers and Terminals (ISGOTT 6).
Provides a unified inspection and repair criteria to help all parties maintain the integrity and cleanliness of containers when in their care. Revision 3 includes special provisions for the inspection and removal of pest contamination.
This comprehensive ship recycling guide is designed to equip shipowners and crew with the necessary knowledge to ensure a safe and sustainable recycling process when the ship reaches the end of its life, in compliance with the Hong Kong Convention which enters into force in 2025. It covers everything from the development and maintenance of the inventory of hazardous materials (IHM) while the ship is in service, through to preparing the ship for recycling and the sale of the ship.
This ICS publication is the comprehensive and definitive guide to the MLC. The revised fourth edition addresses the wide range of MLC provisions including the 2022 updates, which will enter into force in December 2024.
This publication provides guidance on how to combat drug trafficking at sea and to recognise the signs of drug use and dependence among crew members. Considered the leading industry publication on the topic, this 2023 - 2024 edition has been fully updated by industry experts to assist shipping companies, Masters and officers, to help prepare, prevent, protect and how to respond when faced with drug trafficking and drug abuse at sea.
This modern and practical medical guide from ICS has been written and reviewed by an international group of maritime medical practitioners and experts with many years' experience of working with and training seafarers and fishers. It can be used on board all ships and fishing vessels, anywhere in the world, and in onshore safety departments, medical assistance centres and training institutions who support seafarers and fishers.
The IMO International Convention on Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping for Seafarers (STCW) regulate the training and certification of seafarers and forms the basis for standards of crew competence that are enforced worldwide. The Convention also regulates watchkeeping arrangements on board merchant ships, including watchkeepers’ minimum rest hours. The fourth edition of Guidelines on the IMO STCW Convention sets out the obligations for shipping companies and includes guidance on how to ensure compliance on board.
The ICS Diversity and Inclusion Toolkit for Shipping has been developed to create awareness and inspire change in the strategies, policies and practices that will enable the maritime industry to meet the needs of the diverse seafarer community. It provides descriptions and definitions; provides ways to assess the current needs of diverse communities and identify gaps in services, policies and practice; and makes suggestions on how to fill these gaps.
This new publication from ICS guides readers through the first step on the route to decarbonisation: preparing for compliance with the IMO regulatory framework, and in particular, the 2021 amendments to MARPOL Annex VI. It sets out plainly what the key regulatory changes are for shipowners, operators and managers and explains in detail the full range of additional technical and operational requirements which ships must now comply with.
This Industry Guidance is specifically aimed at clarifying the exchange of information between shipowners and suppliers through the supplier’s submission of the Material Declaration (MD) and the Supplier’s Declaration of Conformity (SDoC). It will assist shipowners and suppliers in understanding and complying with their obligations with respect to MD and SDoC under the Hong Kong Convention (HKC) and EU Ship Recycling Regulation (EUSRR), reducing the administrative burden for shipowners and suppliers, and ensuring the provision of accurate information necessary for the maintenance of the Inventory of Hazardous Materials (IHM).