Cyprus’ own Thomas Kazakos, Secretary-General of the International Chamber of Shipping (ICS) since June 2025 has been featured in Lloyd’s List prestigious annual One Hundred People ranking, a definitive guide to the most influential figures shaping the maritime industry.
Putting Kazakos in 36th place, Lloyd’s List notes that “Under its new secretary-general, trade tensions, decarbonisation and seafarer welfare are the association’s top priorities for 2026.”
The publication also noted that, “As shipowners’ main voice to governments, the ICS has plenty to grapple with as trade tensions continue and the divides over green shipping play out at the IMO.”
In an interview with Kazakos accompanying the listing, Lloyd’s List noted that he had had a busy first six months on the job, with the Secretary-General talking to publication just after visiting nine cities in eight countries via 18 flights over the preceding five weeks where, “he had mainly been talking with members and governments in Asia about what to do after October’s International Maritime Organization Net-Zero Framework shock delay.”
As Lloyd’s List noted in its interview with Kazakos, he said his top priorities for 2026 were reversing the erosion of the international regulatory framework that enables trade, followed by decarbonisation and seafarer wellbeing.
This would necessitate staying close to governments and international regulatory bodies to make sure they took the right decisions where shipping was concerned, the interview continued, adding that “Kazakos was disappointed at the one-year delay of the NZF adoption vote, and said the ICS would continue to push for a carbon price that worked for the industry.”
Lloyd’s List reported that the ICS had submitted a plan for a simple carbon price, “which had the support of industry in years past, but didn’t get much traction from member states this year. Yet parts of that mechanism made it into the eventual NZF regulation, and the ICS will remain active in the technical talks as countries seek to break the deadlock.”
It also noted that before the extraordinary MEPC meeting, several major shipowners broke cover to oppose adoption of the NZF.
“Kazakos said policy disagreements within the ICS’s membership were nothing new for the 120-year-old association, and would not hurt its ability to advocate for shipowners.
He said the IMO was still the right organisation to regulate shipping’s greenhouse gas emissions, since the alternative of overlapping regional taxes would be much worse,” the article continued quoting Kazakos as saying, “Time is ticking and we need to make good use of it.”
The first Cypriot to hold the position of Secretary-General of the International Chamber of Shipping, this is Kazakos’s first appearance in the Top 100. His predecessor, Guy Platten, appeared in the Top 100 in 2022, 2023 and 2024.
As Lloyd’s List pointed out, Kazakos was Director-General of the Cyprus Shipping Chamber for 30 years before taking the top job at the ICS. He has also represented Cyprus on the ICS board, and at the European Community Shipowners’ Association.
In a recent interview with GOLD for the magazine’s annual edition dedicated to the shipping sector, Kazakos, among other things, said, “Shipping is global by nature. It relies on a level playing field and cannot operate effectively under fragmented rules. Differing political priorities risk creating overlapping or even conflicting regulations. This would not only complicate compliance but also raise costs and undermine efficiency. Our position is clear: global rules are the only way forward. The IMO remains the best forum for building such rules and ICS works to bridge approaches from all IMO representatives. While political differences persist, there is a shared recognition that shipping needs certainty. Over time, I believe that priorities will converge because all stakeholders rely on the same global trading system. Fragmentation helps no-one.”
Click here to view the interview in full.
Also read: Cyprus gaining global recognition in shipping, Kazakos says, as he takes the ICS helm
Also rea: Thomas Kazakos receives honorary award and reflects on a lifetime of service
