Welcome to this week’s Bulletin.

Monday saw the election of Rishi Sunak as the new leader of the Conservative Party. His subsequent appointment as Prime Minister will hopefully bring stability to what has been a turbulent few weeks in UK politics. At the Department for Transport, Mark Harper has taken over the role of new Secretary of State. The UK Chamber of Shipping President’s reaction can be found below.

At the Chamber this week  we have been working hard on the Seafarers’ Wages Bill alongside members of the House of Lords to ensure that the scope of the Bill remains as originally set out. We achieved a notable success on this and you can read more below.

Our not to be missed Annual Dinner 2023 has also been announced, which will take place in London, at the iconic 5-star hotel, JW Marriott Grosvenor House in the heart of Mayfair. Last year, this event attracted around 800 influential guests from across the maritime industry. Continue to read our newsletter for more information.

Strategic Plan Member Consultation

We are currently undertaking a full review of the Chamber’s Strategic Plan, led by the Supervisory Board. This process is designed to ensure that the Chamber is geared up to capitalise on the opportunities that present themselves in the years ahead and we are delivering on what our members want the Chamber to focus on.

 The first stage of this review analysed key trends in our operating environment and confirmed the Chamber’s core purpose and values. We are now entering the second stage: generating ideas on how to deliver brilliantly against the purpose and capitalising on the strengths and opportunities identified in stage one.  All members are warmly invited to contribute to this process, via a series of small group discussions to be held online.

Each workshop will have a maximum capacity of 12 participants to facilitate an open conversation. Places will be reserved on a first-come-first-served basis – please email Shirley Rice who will register your attendance and share the dial-in details. Dates currently available are as follows, more will be made available in the case of additional demand.

1. Tuesday 1^st November 15:00 – 16:30
2. Friday 4^th November 11:00 – 12:30
3. Friday 11^th November 10:30 – 12:00
4. Monday 14^th November 12:00 – 13:30
5. Wednesday 23^rd November 15:00 – 16:30

As members, your views on our priorities are of critical importance. I very much look forward to your engagement in setting the strategic direction of the Chamber for the coming years.

New Transport Secretary appointed

This week saw the appointment of Mark Harper as the new Secretary of State for Transport.

Mr Harper replaces Anne-Marie Trevelyan as part of the reshuffle following the appointment of Rishi Sunak as Prime Minister. Mark Harper is a former Chief Whip but has now served in government since 2016, and he previously ran for the Conservative leadership in 2019.

The UK Chamber of Shipping President, Graham Westgarth congratulated Mr Harper on his appointment and you can read the Chamber’s full reaction on our website.

The junior ministerial ranks of the DfT are still being appointed and we will share more details on this next week.

As soon as it is clear which minister has responsibility for maritime the Chamber will be making contact to seek a meeting.

Annual Dinner 2023

The Chamber is delighted to announce that the Annual Dinner 2023 will take place on Monday 6 February. The event will be held at the legendary 5-star hotel JW Marriott Grosvenor House, in London, located on Park Lane in the heart of Mayfair.

Tickets are on sale and can be purchased through the Chamber’s website.

This prominent black-tie event in the shipping calendar is a wonderful opportunity to network with colleagues and celebrate recent milestones. Last year this event attracted around 800 influential guests from across the maritime industry.

The dinner is kindly being sponsored by our

Gold Sponsor — Northern Marine

President's Reception — V. Group

Silver Sponsor — Denholm

If interested in sponsoring the Annual Dinner, please contact the Chamber's Head of Membership and Business Development Tony Jerome.

Seafarers’ Wages Bill

The Seafarers’ Wages Bill returned to the House of Lords this week as it continues its passage through Parliament. The proceedings are available to read or watch (from 15:53).

The main focus of this debate for the Chamber had been on a proposed amendment to reduce the 120 calls threshold to 52. The Chamber briefed peers in advance of the debate on the dangers of increasing the scope of the Bill its briefing was referenced several times in the debate. The amendment was defeated meaning it will not form part of the Bill.

The Bill will have its final stage in the House of Lords in the coming weeks before moving to the House of Commons.  

Seatrade Maritime Salvage & Wreck Conference

The maritime industry is evolving faster than ever thanks to recent ambitious plans to decarbonise, digitalise and automate the industry. Risk management is vital in regard to future fuels, safety, salvage and legal considerations.

The revamped Seatrade Maritime Salvage & Wreck Conference connects the dots between shipping, salvage and services.

To stay updated and view the full programme including the speaker line-up, please visit Seatrade Maritime’s website website.

UK Chamber of Shipping Members receive a 20% discount on conference places.

Register your place now by using code: CHAMBER20

UK Chamber of Shipping Shipowner and Ship Manager Members will receive free VIP places by contacting Karen Attia.

 Latest member updates

 Chamber members are reminded that they have exclusive access to a range of updates from the Chamber’s policy experts on a wide spectrum of issues. The latest updates this week include:

·         Agenda items for the Safety and Environment Committee meeting, 14 November 2022

Upcoming events 

Lithium-Ion Battery webinar

 The UK Chamber of Shipping is delighted to partner with our member Waves Group on this ‘Lithium-Ion Battery Carriage: Fire Risks & Containment Measures’ webinar on Monday, 31 October. 

 Last call to register for the webinar is on Monday 31 October. The UK Chamber of Shipping is pleased to hear that over 130 people have signed up for the webinar.

 British Tugowners Association (BTA) Annual Safety Seminar

 The BTA will be holding its Annual Safety Seminar on Thursday 10 November in Edinburgh, at the premises of the Northern Lighthouse Board. We are pleased to announce that the theme of the event is the recovery of persons from the water and that the Maritime Skills Academy has kindly agreed to be silver sponsor of the event.

 Places are limited and filling up fast, so please secure and register your place through the Chamber’s website.

 Maritime Sector Under The EU/UK ETS webinar

The seminar will aim to provide a comprehensive view of the scheme’s structure and current reforms with a strong focus on the trading aspect for new industrials to the ETS trying to navigate the carbon markets.

We look forward to exploring the carbon markets with you on Thursday, 24 November 2022. More details are available here.