The International Chamber of Shipping (ICS) met with World Trade Organization Director-General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala in Geneva on September 18 to discuss mounting trade pressures and global shipping. Senior shipping executives from Japan, Hong Kong, Norway, Switzerland and Singapore participated.
Industry leaders argued that there is no formal WTO platform dedicated to maritime trade, which they said is needed to strengthen coordination as threats to free trade grow. They also warned that there is an urgent need to back the International Maritime Organization’s Net-Zero Framework at the upcoming Maritime Environment Protection Committee meeting. Governments might otherwise adopt conflicting national rules, leading to double reporting and overlapping charges on greenhouse gas emissions. Director-General Okonjo-Iweala indicated she would seek ways within her mandate to support adoption of the framework.
The meeting also addressed rising tariffs and new U.S. Trade Representative’s Section 301 port fees. Participants urged the WTO to help maintain a level playing field and to highlight how protectionist measures could disrupt economies reliant on efficient and affordable shipping services.
The ICS also hosted a WTO Open Forum panel examining protectionism, tariffs, fragmentation of the global rules-based order, unilateral climate rules such as the EU emissions scheme being applied to shipping, ongoing Red Sea disruptions, and the growth of a “dark fleet” as an unintended consequence of sanctions. Delegates stressed that shipping remains “out of sight and out of mind” for many policymakers despite the strategic importance of the sector.
ICS add that it may push to revive a “Friends of Maritime Group” among government representatives within the WTO.
A recording of the ICS-hosted panel discussion can be viewed online.
