News

Westminster is entering a new political chapter as Andy Burnham prepares to become Labour Leader and, in turn, the UK’s next Prime Minister, with a major Cabinet reshuffle expected to follow. The Chamber is closely monitoring potential changes across government. Alongside this, we continue to engage actively across Westminster and Whitehall, including with MPs, ministers, advisers and officials, to ensure shipping’s priorities remain clearly understood.

The UK Chamber of Shipping is concerned by the latest disruption to commercial shipping in and around the Strait of Hormuz, which poses serious risks to seafarers and to the stability of global trade.

The UK Chamber of Shipping, Nautilus International and the RMT have jointly published new guidance to help shipping companies deliver effective safety familiarisation for seafarers before they begin work on board.

Welcome to the Environment Round-Up, your quarterly review of key environment updates, events, and developments from the past three months at the UK Chamber of Shipping. This edition covers Chamber activities from April to June 2026.

The UK Chamber of Shipping welcomes the publication of the latest ICS Maritime Barometer Report for 2025–2026 and encourages both Chamber members and the wider industry to consider its findings.

“Commercial shipping is no longer simply an economic service operating in the background. It is strategic infrastructure.”

That was a central theme of discussion at the latest Maritime Leaders Forum at Trinity House on 29 June, where UK Chamber of Shipping CEO Rhett Hatcher joined industry, defence and policy leaders to explore the role of shipping in supporting the UK's resilience, security and economic prosperity.

Collaboration across industry, academia and government will be critical to delivering maritime decarbonisation. That was a central theme of the UK National Clean Maritime Research Hub's annual assembly, held in Durham on 24 and 25 June, where Policy Director Francesco Sandrelli and Policy Advisor Ellie Lovejoy represented the UK Chamber of Shipping.

For the shipping industry, the ocean is not just where we operate – it is fundamental to the movement of global trade and people, and to the growth of economies around the world. Therefore, understanding and protecting that environment is a shared responsibility, and one that continues to grow in importance as shipping navigates the future.

With the UK Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) for maritime due to come into force in less than two weeks, the UK Chamber of Shipping has continued intense engagement on behalf of members, including raising outstanding technical concerns with officials, highlighting continued challenges of the scheme for industry and in developing resources to support members’ preparations ahead of 1 July.