News

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.

More than 200 guests from across government and industry gathered at Edinburgh’s iconic Signet Library this week for the UK Chamber of Shipping’s Summer Lunch, which spotlighted Scotland’s major contribution to UK shipping and the central role maritime will play in driving growth, resilience and the energy transition.

This week, our Safety Culture Conference 2026 brought together maritime leaders, regulators, insurers, training providers and safety specialists together in Glasgow for discussions and insight sharing under the theme of "Building a Culture that Learns and Lasts".

The British Tugowners' Association’s 91st AGM, Annual Conference and Gala Dinner brought the towage sector together in Liverpool on 6–7 May, setting a clear direction for the future of operations, safety and skills. With strong engagement from operators, associates and partners across the maritime landscape, the event focused on how the sector can strengthen practice, respond to emerging challenges and position itself for the opportunities ahead.

Our Policy Directors, Francesco Sandrelli and Katrina Ross, presented the UK Chamber's work on the UK Emissions Trading Scheme (UK ETS) and FuelEU Maritime at a Lloyd's Register industry briefing on 12 May. Bringing together industry and technical experts, the team examined the implementation emissions regulations and their implications for shipping, ahead of the UK ETS entry into force from 1 July 2026.

Our Policy Manager, Ferry & Cruise, Ilias Bafounis, recently participated in the second CLIA UK Cruise Tourism Summit, in Newcastle. This event brought together leaders from the cruise, tourism, port and destination sectors with government stakeholders, to foster dialogue on the future of cruise tourism in the UK. Hosted at the Port of Tyne and onboard Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines’ Balmoral, the summit offered a valuable platform to showcase the sector’s growing impact for the UK economy and visitor landscape.

Ahead of the UK Chamber's event "Setting a course for Growth" taking place during London International Shipping Week on 15 September, Director of External Affairs, Stef Kenyon takes a look at what our new, ground-breaking, research will explore about the UK's competitiveness as a global centre for maritime business:

This month, over 80 delegates from across the UK’s towage and maritime sectors gathered in the iconic Belfast Harbour Commissioners’ Office for the British Tugowners Association (BTA) Annual Conference and AGM.

“Safety culture isn’t a box to tick, it’s a habit to build.” That sentiment echoed throughout this year’s Safety Culture Conference in Newcastle. With the theme Building a Culture that Learns and Lasts, the 1.5 day event brought together maritime professionals, educators, investigators, and human factors experts to take a candid look at the state of safety culture across the industry.