The World Shipping Council (WSC) today announced the launch of its Cargo Safety Program, an industry-led initiative to detect misdeclared and undeclared dangerous goods in order to prevent ship fires, protect crews, vessels, customers’ cargo, and the marine environment.

The World Shipping Council (WSC) released a new report summarising deficiencies found in government cargo inspection programmes, reviving a vital data series that the International Maritime Organization (IMO) discontinued last year. 

“What we’re seeing unfold in the Red Sea is shocking and unacceptable. Seafarers are being killed while simply doing their jobs," WSC President & CEO Joe Kramek said today in response to attacks on commercial ships in the Red Sea over the past few days.

"The World Shipping Council extends its deepest condolences to the families of those who have been lost, and our thoughts are with all those affected. These are devastating, deeply felt losses for the global shipping community."

The World Shipping Council (WSC) has released its annual Containers Lost at Sea report, showing that 576 containers were lost at sea in 2024. While this represents an increase from the record-low 221 containers lost in 2023, it remains well below the 10-year average of 1,274 containers lost annually, underscoring continued industry progress on safety and prevention.

The industry bodies of the Cargo Integrity Group expand on their concerns relating to cargoes that can catch fire and cause significant damage and casualties under certain conditions. Circumstances created by an alignment of mistakes, oversights, or failed controls can turn a minor incident into a major event.

On this World Ocean Day, we celebrate the immense value of the Ocean – a source of life, food, energy, and biodiversity, and a vital ally in the fight against global warming. The Ocean produces half of the world’s oxygen, and as the world’s largest carbon sink, absorbs a quarter of all CO₂ emissions. It sustains communities, supports economies, and literally keeps world trade afloat – carrying the ships that deliver 80% of everything we humans need. 

New analysis from S&P Global, released today by the World Shipping Council, highlights the critical role of the liner shipping industry in the U.S. economy.

The report independently quantifies the annual impact of the liner shipping industry - across key metrics including GDP contribution, employment, wages, sales activity, and government revenues.

World Shipping Council (WSC) is happy to welcome Emirates Shipping Line (ESL) as a new member of the Council. WSC represents over 90% of global liner shipping capacity, working with policymakers and stakeholder groups to shape the future growth of a socially responsible, environmentally sustainable, safe, and secure shipping industry.

The World Shipping Council (WSC) today voiced serious concerns regarding the port fee regime announced by the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR), cautioning that the measures could undermine American trade, hurt U.S. producers, and weaken efforts to strengthen the nation’s maritime industry.

The World Shipping Council has welcomed an unprecedented global agreement at the International Maritime Organization (IMO) today, as a critical next step toward shipping decarbonization.
Following a contentious and difficult debate, the IMO reached agreement on a measure to be finalized and adopted in October. The measure establishes a GHG fuel standard and framework that, if adopted, will require continuous reductions in GHG fuel intensity beginning in 2028 with ongoing reductions over the next two decades. IMO is poised to move forward on a topic that has evaded legally binding standards in many other fora for decades.

World Shipping Council President & CEO Joe Kramek welcomes the U.S. administration's plan to rebuild American shipbuilding through strategic public-private investment, workforce development, and targeted incentives to rebuild shipbuilding capacity. 

“We want to work constructively with the administration on its efforts to revitalize the U.S. maritime industry,” Joe Kramek said. 

The International Maritime Organization (IMO) is on the cusp of striking the world’s first global carbon pricing deal for any industry. “If that happens, it’ll be a major milestone for climate policy and a turning point for shipping,” said World Shipping Council President & CEO Joe Kramek.

To succeed, the measure must help bridge the price gap between fossil fuels and cleaner alternatives, including zero and near-zero (ZNZ) fuels. That’s essential to drive investment in green energy and fuel supply, and to build the economies of scale needed to reduce cost over time.

The World Shipping Council (WSC) today expressed its support for the United States Trade Representative’s goal of building a vibrant U.S. maritime sector, while expressing its strong opposition to the proposed fee on port calls for Chinese-built vessels, and fleets that contain Chinese-built vessels or have vessels on order from China, saying it would aggravate inflation for U.S. consumers and businesses, threaten jobs, and have especially negative impacts on U.S. farmers and other exporters.

In a joint statement, Eurogas, Europe's leading gaseous energy trade association, and 33 organisations from across the global renewable gas supply chain, have called on the European Commission to urgently address barriers preventing their full recognition in the Union Database (UDB).

The World Shipping Council (WSC) today released new research that shows both renewable-capable vessels and renewable fuels could be available to meet EU 2030 targets, but that the price gap between fossil and renewable fuels is the major barrier to making decarbonisation a reality.

As a global shipping hub and major supplier of traditional maritime fuels, the European Union risks being left behind if it doesn’t put serious investment and political commitment behind the Clean Industrial Deal announced today, says the World Shipping Council (WSC).  

We’re encouraged by the progress made at the IMO this week ahead of the MEPC 83 meeting in April, WSC Vice-President Environment and Climate Bryan Wood-Thomas said.

Brussels, Belgium, February 10, 2025 – The close collaboration between ocean carriers, customs authorities, law enforcement and regulators have led to successes in disrupting drug trafficking through containerized shipping. To build on this momentum, the World Shipping Council (WSC) convened its first-ever “Technology Day” at the World Customs Organization (WCO) headquarters in Brussels on January 30-31, 2025. This milestone event reinforced the deepening cooperation between industry stakeholders and government agencies in advancing security technologies to combat illicit trade.

Brussels, January 29, 2024 — The World Shipping Council welcomes the balance between sustainability and competitiveness struck in the European Commission’s Competitiveness Compass released today, that will form the basis for the EU’s Clean Industrial Deal.

Ahead of World Customs Day 2025, the shipping, logistics, and trade industry has issued a joint statement calling for customs reform that keeps pace with the growing complexity of global trade.