The International Chamber of Shipping has widened its free resource library for the global maritime sector, adding operational checklists, a 2025-2026 barometer report, flag-state performance data and carbon-capture research that shipowners and crews can download at no cost.

The expanded catalogue, hosted on the ICS website, groups the materials around four operational pillars: bridge, engine-room and deck procedures; workforce and seafarer welfare; flag-state performance; and decarbonisation research.

ICS has designed the new tranche to complement its four flagship publications: the Bridge Procedures Guide, Engine Room Procedures Guide, Deck Procedures Guide, and the Guidelines on the Application of the ILO Maritime Labour Convention.

What has ICS added to the library?

The latest set covers a broad operational footprint. New bridge-side tools include pilotage, manoeuvring and emergency checklists. Engine-room operators gain permit templates and procedure checklists. A deck self-assessment tool sits alongside the deck procedures volume, and the workforce category now includes guidance on preventing violence and harassment at sea.

Three standalone publications anchor the rollout:

• The ICS Maritime Barometer Report 2025-2026, tracking sentiment and operational trends across the merchant fleet
• The Flag State Performance Table, a benchmarking dataset used by shipowners and charterers to assess registries
• Guidance on Navigating in Areas of Unreliable Satellite Signals, also slated for the next edition of the Bridge Procedures Guide

Which partnerships sit behind the new materials?

ICS has produced several of the documents with established maritime bodies. Promoting Maritime Treaty Ratification was developed with the Comité Maritime International. Rescue at Sea was produced jointly with the International Maritime Organization and UNHCR. Independently commissioned research covers ship recycling and onboard carbon capture and storage — two workstreams the IMO has placed at the centre of its 2050 net-zero framework.

Who is the library for?

ICS has aimed the materials at shipowners, operators, managers and serving seafarers, but has also designed them for charterers, training colleges, flag administrations and classification societies. The chamber said free access removes a cost barrier that has previously pushed smaller operators toward informal or outdated versions of the same checklists.

What does ICS say about the rollout?

Thomas A. Kazakos, Secretary General of the International Chamber of Shipping, said: "Sharing knowledge and promoting best practice across our industry is central to ICS's mission. These free resources have been developed to help seafarers, ship operators and maritime stakeholders access practical guidance on a wide range of topics affecting day-to-day operations and the future of our industry."

He added: "Many of these resources have been created to complement our established publications, providing additional tools that support the implementation of industry guidance and encourage continuous improvement across the sector. We are pleased to make them widely available to help support safe, efficient and sustainable shipping worldwide."

The rollout arrives as owners prepare for a tighter regulatory calendar in 2026, when FuelEU Maritime penalties, the IMO carbon intensity indicator mid-term measures and a new wave of regional emissions trading schemes converge on the same operating year. Carriers that have not yet integrated the relevant checklists into their safety management systems now have a no-cost route to close that gap before the next flag-state audit cycle begins.