Summer season is now upon us and I hope many of you reading this will get a well deserved break over the next few weeks.

This week the government announced more unlocking of international travel and we had the good news that France has moved back on to the green list.

It seems international travel is finally opening up and coming off the back of the decision last week with the relaxation of rules around international cruises it finally seems that we are heading in the right direction.

Worryingly we have had recent incidents in the Middle East which have caused concern for the shipping industry. Last Friday we had the tragic incident on board the Mercer Street Tanker where two men were killed following a drone attack. And this week we had a suspected hijacking of the Asphalt Princess.

I was on Sky News talking about these incidents and stressing the need for diplomatic solutions to ensure innocent seafarers are not caught up in the disagreements between states.

Looking forward, the Chamber will be running some great events during London International Shipping Week which takes place between the 13^th and 17^th of September.

On the Monday evening we will be launching our news and current affairs style TV programme, ‘Making Waves: The Future of Shipping’ telling the story of the industry’s transformative journey to a sustainable future. The launch event will take place at the IMO and will be a joint event with the British Ports Association who will be launching their very own film ‘Gateways to Growth’.

On the Tuesday morning we will be hosting our ‘Maritime Trade Global Britain’ event at 30 Park Street which will focus on how modern Free Trade Agreements will benefit the UK and its trading partners.

And on the Thursday, again at 30 Park Street, we will be hosting our ‘Voyage to decarbonisation’ event which will discuss how shipping companies can navigate the most disruptive period in shipping history and head toward a sustainable low carbon future. I am delighted to say that the Shipping Minister Robert Courts will be in attendance and will open the event.

You can book tickets for the launch of Making Waves here, the Maritime Trade Global Britain event here, and tickets for the Voyage to Decarbonisation event here.

Bob