The DfT announced the winner of the latest ZEVI funding. In their article, you can also find an introduction to our Value of Shipping report, launched at the start of LISW, from our CEO, Sarah Treseder. If members haven't done so, they can still get involved in promoting our report. We have created a member toolkit with suggested key messages. Download the Value of Shipping toolkit from the member area of our website.

Congratulations to our Policy Director for Employment and Legal, Tim Springett, who last week was elected Chair of the ICS Labour Affairs Committee during the ICS Board meeting.

Meanwhile, this week, our Policy team kept busy with a series of committee meetings and our Accessibility Working Group, all of which you can find out more about below. 

What's new

ECSA Social Affairs Committee

On 14 September, our Director of Policy for Employment and Legal, Tim Springett,  went to Brussels for the European Community Shipowners’ Associations (ECSA) Social Affairs Committee (SAC) meeting. The Committee reviewed the agenda for the Sectoral Social Dialogue Committee for Maritime Transport (SSDC) meeting involving the European Transport Workers’ Federation.

The SAC agreed on an action plan to implement the conclusions of three social partners’ projects: Skillsea (future skills needs of the maritime industry), MapMar (analysis of national systems for collecting data on seafarers in the EU) and WESS (aspects of the working environment in the shipping sector).

SAC members also expressed concerns about the likely impact of the UK’s Seafarers’ Wages Act 2023. Tim explained that the Government planned to hold two consultations, in September and December this year, on the secondary legislation required to give effect to the provisions of the Act.

The SAC also considered the effects of a ruling of an EU Court of Justice that sees third-country visa nationals arriving in ports in the Schengen area and receive exit stamps on their passports only when their ships leave the dock for a destination outside the Schengen area. For more information, please contact Tim Springett.

Accessibility Working Group

The Chamber Accessibility Working Group has already held two meetings since July 2023. The group works closely with the DfT, Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) and the Disabled Persons Transport Advisory Committee (DPTAC).

The DfT has received detailed feedback on the group’s priorities, and a further meeting in December will provide input on the Chamber members’ accessibility survey and accessibility standards for ferry and cruise vessels registered in various flag states. The aim is to provide guidance when planning new builds or retrofitting facilities for passengers with accessibility needs.

During LISW, the DfT emphasised our close collaboration on this work. Contact our Policy Manager for Ferry and Cruise, Kate O'Hara, if you wish to know more or become part of this group.

Safety Culture Conference New Sponsor: UK P&I Club

We are delighted to say that the UK P&I Club has just become our conference sponsor for the event. A UK P&I spokesperson said:

“The UK P&I Club is proud of its long-established support of the UK Chamber of Shipping and the excellent support and advice they provide to the maritime community. As such, we are delighted to sponsor their upcoming Safety Culture Conference in Bristol.”

The theme for this year’s one-and-a-half-day conference on 3 and 4 October will be 'Establishing a Learning Culture', with interactive presentations from experts inside and outside the maritime sector.

The four pillars of Together in Safety - leadership, incident prevention, wellbeing and care and collaboration - will be the sub-themes for the conference.

Other sponsors include Bureau Veritas, Shell, Fathom Safety and Maritime Skills Academy.

British Rig Owners Association Technical Committee

The British Rig Owners Association Technical Committee met on Tuesday and was kindly hosted by the Port of Aberdeen.

The meeting featured industry speakers, such as Pauline Innes, Director of Supply Chain and Decommissioning at the North Sea Transition Authority,  and Andrew Taylor from the Offshore Petroleum Regulator for Environment and Decommissioning. Pauline discussed the evolving landscape of UK Continental Shelf well activity and decommissioning. Whereas Andrew provided insights about managing regulations and inspections of fluorinated gases.

Members discussed the SPS code, North Sea drilling licenses, and lifeboat loading times.

After the meeting, members enjoyed a tour of the Port of Aberdeen, including the newly completed Nigg Bay, witnessing the impressive vessels utilising the new berthing facilities.

Watch LISW Chamber Seminars on Trade and Alternative Fuels

During LISW, the Chamber held two very popular seminars. The first, which took place on Tuesday, 12 September, focused on trade, whereas the second, on Thursday, 14 September, explored the ins and outs of alternative fuels.

The seminars were attended by over 240 people and heard from prominent speakers such as the Maritime Minister, Baroness Vere and the Minister of State at the Department for Business and Trade, Nusrat Ghani MP.

They are now available to watch: Building Resilience Through Trade and  Future and Alternative Fuels.

Thank you to all our speakers who made our Trade event possible: James Baker, Lloyd's List Container Shipping Editor; Laure Baratgin, Rio Tinto Head of Commercial Operations; Steve Gordon, Clarksons Research Managing Director; and Audrey Dolhen, CMA CGM Head of the Europe Regional Office.

Thank you also to the great panellists who held our Alternative Fuels seminar: Sarah Kenny, BMT CEO; Maria Strandesen, Maersk Director and Head of Future Fuels; Mikal Bøe, Founder, Chairman and CEO of CORE POWER; and Mark Darley, Lloyd’s Register Chief Operating Officer.

More Opportunities to Hear About the Royal Navy Fleet Support Programme

Following the launch at LISW, there are further opportunities to hear from the Royal Navy Fleet Support Programme.

Naval Support Integrated Global Network (NSIGN) Ships will support the Royal Navy’s capabilities, including the new aircraft carriers, and will deliver improved availability, resilience and certainty of delivery as well as Naval Base services from 2028.

The NSIGN Market Sounding Phase will continue with an online webinar on Wednesday, 27 September, for those unable to attend the launch at LISW, which will cover the introduction to NSIGN and the scope and ambition of the programme for ships.

This will be followed by a Market Sounding Day on Monday, 9 October, in London, testing the feasibility of their requirements and assessing the way to approach the market. It will then lead to the final stages of the phase, with the release of the Market Sounding Paper (by 27 October) before offering one-to-one sessions with suppliers. All industries can join the events by emailing DESships-NSIGN-ENG-CMRCL@mod.gov.uk.

Latest member updates

Chamber members are reminded that they have exclusive access to a range of updates from the Chamber’s policy experts on a wide spectrum of issues. You can access all your resources through your member dashboard. Latest updates include: 

• ICS Brief for IMO's Sub Committee on Carriage of Containers & Cargoes (CCC9)
• MCA Informal Consultation - MGN 379 (M+F) (Amd 1) - Use of Electronic Navigational Aids
• Members' Monthly Environmental Round-Up: August 2023
• Harbour Towage Panel | 13 September 2023 | Agenda & Annexes

If you haven't done so, don't forget to register for an account.

Upcoming Events

In-person: Safety Culture Conference

The event aims to build on the acclaimed 2022 conference in Liverpool, which focused on the role of top management in determining safety culture. The theme for this year’s two-day conference will be “Establishing a Learning Culture”, with interactive presentations from experts from inside and outside the maritime sector.

Join us in person on 3 and 4 October 2023 at the Harbour Hotel in Bristol.

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Autumn Lunch 2023

The Chamber has just launched its annual Autumn Lunch at the Harbour Hotel in Southampton. There will be an opportunity to ask our President Graham Westgarth questions during our Q&A, followed by a three courses lunch.

Click below to book your table or tickets.

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Introduction to Shipping Course

The Chamber’s Introduction to UK Shipping online course is an engaging online snapshot which will give participants an understanding of how the UK shipping industry operates, the regulations, constraints and current issues.

Participants will learn from a variety of subject matter experts on regulatory, business, political, legal, employment and training in the shipping industry. The course will be up to date with sessions on current issues.

Join us on Monday 25 September.

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Maritime Labour Convention

The Chamber will be hosting an online-only training course on Monday 30 October on the Maritime Labour Convention, 2006 (MLC); how it has come to be the fourth pillar of international regulation for shipping, alongside SOLAS, MARPOL and STCW.

The course will be presented by Tim Springett and Hannah Gilbert of the Chamber.

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BTA Safety Seminar

The Annual Safety Seminar of the British Tugowners Association will take place on Thursday 16 November 2023 at Insurance Hall, London.

The Seminar will examine recent incidents, discuss accident prevention, and hear from tug experts, insurers and investigators. With an audience of tug masters, pilots, marine superintendents, P&I clubs, lawyers, workboat crew, harbour masters and others, the aim is to inform, discuss and share best practice.

The day will run from 0900-1600 with lunch and refreshments provided

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