UK Chamber of Shipping unveils Shipping UK 2026: Navigating the Future

The UK Chamber of Shipping has announced Shipping UK 2026: Navigating the Future, its flagship international conference scheduled for Tuesday, 6 October 2026 at the QEII Centre in Westminster. The event, co-hosted with Riviera Maritime Media, will convene senior representatives from shipping, government, finance, defence, and technology to discuss key challenges and opportunities facing the maritime sector up to 2030.

With geopolitical tensions influencing global trade and shipping under increasing pressure to decarbonize while sustaining secure operations, the conference will explore the UK's role in international maritime policy and its impact on shipowners, operators, and the broader industry. Topics of discussion will include regulation, security, finance, technology, workforce demands, and the transition to greener energy sources, with a specific emphasis on decisions the industry must make in the coming years.

The program will feature keynote speeches, panel discussions, breakout sessions, and plenary debates across two main themes - sustainability, security, and regulation defining the 2030 maritime landscape, and security and innovation focusing on geopolitical risk, war readiness, future fuels, digital transformation, and operational resilience.

Notable speakers include John Denholm, John Stawpert, Virginia Crosbie, Nick Chubb, Nicolas Ponet, and Major General Paul Maynard OBE. The conference aims to facilitate dialogue and shape decisions, partnerships, and investments necessary for a sustainable, competitive, and secure maritime sector through 2030 and beyond.