International Chamber of Shipping opens Singapore office to deepen ties across Asia-Pacific

September 26, 2025, by Naida Hakirevic Prevljak

The International Chamber of Shipping (ICS), a trade association which represents over 80% of the world merchant fleet, has established its new office in Singapore, the world’s top maritime hub.

As informed, the Singapore office will serve as a regional hub, fostering collaboration on critical issues such as decarbonization, safety, seafarer welfare and the adoption of new technologies.

The new ICS Representative Office, opened with the support of the Singapore Shipping Association (SSA), is located in the central business district of Singapore.

“We welcome the International Chamber of Shipping’s decision to establish its Singapore office, joining other key international organisations with a regional base here. ICS’s presence will strengthen collaboration on priorities such as decarbonisation, digital transformation, and safety standards. These are key areas shaping the future of international shipping and where closer cooperation between industry and regulators can drive impactful solutions for the greater good of the global maritime sector,” Ang Wee Keong, Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) Chief Executive, commented.

“The strategic opening of our office in Singapore underlines ICS’s commitment to working closely with one of the most dynamic maritime centres in the world. Singapore continues to be at the forefront in areas such as bunkering, fuel innovation, digitalisation and decarbonisation, and we look forward to building even stronger partnerships with the industry and authorities here,” Thomas A. Kazakos, ICS Secretary General, highlighted.

“This is an important milestone for ICS as we deepen our ties across the Asia-Pacific region. We are confident that our increased presence and cooperation across this region in will deliver real benefits to our members and to the wider global shipping community.”

The establishment of the Singapore office is said to represent a significant step in ICS’s ongoing mission to support the global shipping industry in the region, following the opening of the China Liaison Office with a presence in both Shanghai and the Hong Kong SAR. In November, ICS will also be hosting a second Global Maritime Trade Summit in Hong Kong.

“It is an honour to take on this role at such a pivotal time for our industry. I look forward to working with our members, partners and stakeholders to ensure that ICS continues to make a positive impact in Singapore and across the region,” Sunil Krishnakumar, General Manager of ICS Singapore Branch, said.

“The launch of the ICS Singapore Branch adds to the vibrancy of Singapore as an International Maritime Centre, joining other esteemed international maritime organisations based here. SSA is delighted to host and partner with one of the world’s principal shipping organisations to support our industry’s standing in the global shipping community,” Teo Teng Seng, President of Singapore Shipping Association, stated.

In related news, the ICS has been vocal on the global levy-based greenhouse gas pricing mechanism that would accelerate the uptake of zero-near-zero GHG emission (ZNZ) fuels in the shipping industry and enable full-scale maritime decarbonization.

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Specifically, the key purpose of this mandatory GHG charge will be to reduce the cost gap between conventional marine fuels and zero/near-zero GHG emission fuels (such as green methanol, green methane including biomethane, green ammonia, green hydrogen, and certified biogenic marine fuels including the biogenic component of some biofuel blends) and, to incentivize the accelerated uptake of green energy sources.

Revenue generated will be used to reward the production and uptake of ZNZ fuels, and the use of ZNZ technologies, whilst also providing billions of US dollars annually to support maritime GHG reduction efforts of developing countries.

Back in 2021, the trade association put forward a comprehensive proposal for the global levy on carbon emissions from ships, in what would be “a first for any industrial sector”.

In April 2025, the IMO member states took a historic step by agreeing to the Net-Zero Framework – the world’s first global emissions price for an entire industry. This was a landmark step towards decarbonizing international shipping and one that the ICS has been advocating for and fully supports.

In October, the IMO is expected to adopt these measures and give details about how these incentives will work. Shipowners and energy producers need certainty on this so they can confidently make investments in cleaner technologies, as per ICS.

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