PRESS RELEASE ISSUED JOINTLY BY ECSA, ETF, ICS AND ITF
European and global operators of merchant ships have joined forces with seafarers’ unions to urge EU Member States to take immediate collective action to address the growing humanitarian crisis in the Mediterranean Sea.
At a high-level Arctic Summit, organised by The Economist magazine in Oslo on 12 March, the International Chamber of Shipping (ICS) – the global trade association for merchant ship operators – highlighted important issues associated with the growth of Arctic shipping and expressed confidence in the industry’s environmental performance.
The humanitarian crisis in the Mediterranean Sea is spiralling out of control. EU Member States must act urgently to prevent the loss of thousands more lives, as hundreds of thousands of migrants and refugees seek to escape to Europe in boats that are unfit for purpose and which are largely operated by people smugglers.
Submitted by Australia, Denmark, Finland, Germany, the Netherlands, Norway, Republic of Korea, BIMCO, CLIA, IALA, ICS, InterManager and the Nautical Institute, Maritime Safety Committee, 95th Session, Agenda Item 19, March 2015.
Leaflet prepared jointly by ICS, IMO and UNHCR providing guidance on relevant legal provisions, and on practical procedures to ensure the prompt disembarkation of survivors of rescue operations, and measures to meet their specific needs, particularly in the case of refugees and asylum-seekers.
This shipping industry Guidance was initially published in 2014 by the International Chamber of Shipping (ICS) in response to the large number of migrants attempting to get to Europe and requiring rescue by merchant ships in the Mediterranean. This second edition has been updated to take account of the experience of shipping companies, Masters and crews. It is also is also supported by the following industry organisations: ASF, ECSA, ETF, ITF, CLIA, Intercargo, Intermanager, Intertanko and IPTA.
Speaking at a high level Dialogue on Protection at Sea, hosted by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in Geneva, the International Chamber of Shipping (ICS) has called on governments to address the growing refugee and migrant crisis in the Mediterranean.
Submitted by Croatia, Denmark, Singapore, ICS and INTERFERRY, Sub-Committee on Pollution Prevention and Response, 2nd Session , Agenda Item 5, November 2014.
Submitted by Croatia, Denmark, Singapore, ICS and Interferry, Sub-Committee on Pollution Prevention and Response, 2nd Session, Agenda Item 5, November 2014.
Release of the car carrier ‘Global Spirit’, which was detained for three weeks by Belgian environmental authorities in the port of Antwerp, has been welcomed by the International Chamber of Shipping (ICS), the global trade association for shipowners.