The UK Chamber of Shipping is the trade association and voice of the UK shipping industry, representing around 200 member companies. They work with government, parliament, international organisations and others to champion and protect the industry on behalf of their members.
They are one of the principal members of the International Chamber of Shipping. [1] Their headquarters are in Park Street, London. The chamber promotes UK shipping around the world and often acts a source of maritime knowledge to the media.
The body is also responsible for working closely with the UK government, Maritime UK and Maritime and Coastguard Agency.
The official publisher of the UK Chamber of Shipping is Witherby Seamanship. [2] The Merchant Navy Training Board is based at the UK Chamber's offices in London. [3]
The chamber has its origins in 1878 when a national trade body for shipping was formed. The chamber was granted a royal charter in 1920 and went through several names, being known as the General Council of British Shipping until 1992 when its current name was adopted. [4]
Sarah Treseder, a former Chief Executive of the Royal Yachting Association served as chief executive of the chamber between 2021 and 2024, having replaced Bob Sanguinetti. [5] [6] In April 2024, Rear Admiral Rhett Hatcher, former UK national hydrographer and deputy chief executive at the United Kingdom Hydrographic Office became chief executive. [7]
The UK Chamber hosts an annual maritime gala dinner at the JW Marriott Grosvenor Hotel in London. [14] In February 2025, MP Mike Kane gave the keynote address at the 2025 annual dinner. [15]
The International Maritime Organization is a specialised agency of the United Nations responsible for regulating maritime transport. The IMO was established following agreement at a UN conference held in Geneva in 1948 and the IMO came into existence ten years later, meeting for the first time on 17 March 1958. Headquartered in London, United Kingdom, the IMO, in 2024, has 176 Member States and three Associate Members.
The British Merchant Navy is the collective name given to British civilian ships and their associated crews, including officers and ratings. In the UK, it is simply referred to as the Merchant Navy or MN. Merchant Navy vessels fly the Red Ensign and the ships and crew are regulated by the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA), a specialist agency of the UK Department of Transport. British merchant ships are registered under the UK or Red Ensign group ship registries. British Merchant Navy deck officers and ratings are certificated and trained according to STCW Convention and the syllabus of the Merchant Navy Training Board in maritime colleges and other training institutes around the UK.
Southampton Solent University is a public university based in Southampton, United Kingdom. It has approximately 10,500 students (2019/20). Its main campus is located on East Park Terrace near the city centre and the maritime hub of Southampton.
The International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea 1972, also known as Collision Regulations (COLREGs), are published by the International Maritime Organization (IMO) and set out, among other things, the "rules of the road" or navigation rules to be followed by ships and other vessels at sea to prevent collisions between two or more vessels. COLREGs can also refer to the specific political line that divides inland waterways, which are subject to their own navigation rules, and coastal waterways which are subject to international navigation rules. They are derived from a multilateral treaty called the Convention on the International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea, also known as Collision Regulations of 1960.
William James Pirrie, 1st Viscount Pirrie, KP, PC, PC (Ire) was a leading British shipbuilder and businessman. He was chairman of Harland & Wolff, shipbuilders, between 1895 and 1924, and also served as Lord Mayor of Belfast between 1896 and 1898. He was ennobled as Baron Pirrie in 1906, appointed a Knight of the Order of St Patrick in 1908 and made Viscount Pirrie in 1921. In the months leading up to the 1912 Sinking of the Titanic, Lord Pirrie was questioned about the number of life boats aboard the Olympic-class ocean liners. He responded that the great ships were unsinkable and the rafts were to save others. This would haunt him forever. In Belfast he was, on other grounds, already a controversial figure: a Protestant employer associated as a leading Liberal with a policy of Home Rule for Ireland.
The Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) is an executive agency of the United Kingdom that is responsible for implementing British and international maritime law and safety policy. It works to prevent the loss of lives at sea and to prevent marine pollution. It is a subsidiary executive agency of the UK Department for Transport and responsible through the Secretary of State for Transport to Parliament. It is also responsible for land based search and rescue helicopter operations since 2015. Its motto is "Safer Lives, Safer Ships, Cleaner Seas". The organisation is currently led by Virginia McVea.
Sir Robert Ropner, 1st Baronet was a German-British shipbuilder, shipowner, and Conservative Member of Parliament.
Nautical publications is a technical term used in maritime circles describing a set of publications, either published by national governments or by commercial and professional organisations, for use in safe navigation of ships, boats, and similar vessels. Other publications might cover topics such as seamanship and cargo operations. In the UK, the United Kingdom Hydrographic Office, the Witherby Publishing Group and the Nautical Institute provide numerous navigational publications, including charts, publications on how to navigate and passage planning publications. In the US, publications are issued by the US government and US Coast Guard.
A merchant navy or merchant marine is the fleet of merchant vessels that are registered in a specific country. On merchant vessels, seafarers of various ranks and sometimes members of maritime trade unions are required by the International Convention on Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping for Seafarers (STCW) to carry Merchant Mariner's Documents.
Thomas Witherby was the founder of Witherby's, now known as the Witherby Publishing Group, one of the oldest publishing companies in the United Kingdom. In 1740, he opened a stationer's shop at 9 Birchin Lane, London next door to the Sword Blade coffee house. His shop initially sold parchment, paper and stamps. By the time of his death his shop was selling over 11,000 stamped skins annually.
Witherby Publishing Group, formerly known as Witherby Seamanship, is a technical publisher of maritime, nautical and navigation training, reference and regulatory materials. The company is the resulting merger of Witherby Books and Seamanship International in January 2008. Beginning with its origins in 1740 it lays claim to being the oldest independent publisher in the English-speaking world.
The International Chamber of Shipping is one of the world's principal shipping organisations, representing around 80% of the world's merchant tonnage through membership by national shipowners' associations. It is concerned with maritime regulatory, operational and legal issues. Its membership includes over 40 national shipowner organisations.
The Baltic and International Maritime Council (BIMCO) is one of the largest of the international shipping associations representing shipowners. BIMCO states that its membership represents approximately 60 percent of the world's merchant shipping tonnage and that it has members in more than 130 countries, including managers, brokers and agents. BIMCO states that its primary objective is to protect its global membership through the provision of information and advice, while promoting fair business practices and facilitating harmonisation and standardisation of commercial shipping practices and contracts.
The International Convention on Load Lines (CLL), was signed in London on 5 April 1966, amended by the 1988 Protocol and further revised in 2003. It replaced an earlier convention from 1930 with the same name.. The convention pertains specifically to a ship's load line, a marking of the highest points on a ship's hull that can safely meet the surface of the water; a ship that is loaded to the point where its load line is underwater and no longer visible has exceeded its draft and is in danger because its capacity has been exceeded.
ADS Group Limited, informally known as ADS, is the trade organisation representing the aerospace, defence, security and space industries in the United Kingdom. It has more than 1,000 member companies across its sectors, including some of the UK's largest manufacturers, like Airbus, Rolls-Royce, BAE Systems, Meggitt PLC and GKN.
Captain Roy Henry Stanbrook was Chief Executive of the Gibraltar Port Authority and Captain of the Port in the British Overseas Territory of Gibraltar before becoming the Harbour Master of the Port of Melbourne, Victoria in April 2014. His position prior to the 2012 appointment was that of Harbour Master for the Lower District of the Port of London Authority in the United Kingdom. He was succeeded by Gibraltarian Captain Bob Sanguinetti.
Clarkson PLC, trading as Clarksons, is a provider of shipping services, and is headquartered in London. In 2011, Lloyd's List described the company's shipbroking service as the "undisputed heavyweight of the shipbroking market". It is listed on the London Stock Exchange and is a constituent of the FTSE 250 Index.
Michael Joseph Patrick Kane is a British politician who has served as a Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Transport since July 2024. A member of the Labour Party, Kane has served as Member of Parliament (MP) for Wythenshawe and Sale East since 2014.
Helen Deeble CBE is a British businesswoman. She was the Chief Executive of P&O Ferries until December 2017, and was formerly President of the UK Chamber of Shipping.
The Merchant Navy Training Board is a voluntary body responsible for maritime training in the United Kingdom and for the training of the British Merchant Navy. The MNTB are based at the UK Chamber of Shipping office in London and publications are provided by the Witherby Publishing Group.