The Global Shippers’ Forum comprises organisations that represent shippers (retailers, manufacturers, wholesalers) and their freight transport interests. These organisations come from all around the world, and their number is growing:

 

Angola Australia, Austria, Bangladesh, Belgium, Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Canada, China, Congo, Cote d'Ivorie, D.R. Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Fiji, Finland, France, Gabon, Guinea Conakry, Hong Kong, Israel, India, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Macau, Malaysia, Mali, Netherlands, NIger, Nigeria, Norway, New Zealand, Pakistan, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Singapore, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, Thailand, Togo, United Kingdom, and USA.

 

The Global Shippers’ Forum originally comprised the European Shippers’ Council, the Japan Shippers’ Council and the US National Industrial Transportation League, under the name ‘Tripartite Shippers’ Group’.

 

Formed in 1994, the Tripartite Shippers’ Group (TSG) met annually around the globe to discuss issues of topical importance and make known its views and recommendations to both government and industry decision makers. They issued “joint declarations” at the conclusion of each annual meeting, which presented the TSG’s positions on a wide variety of subjects including, but not limited to: economic deregulation of the freight ocean liner industry; calculation and implementation of ocean carrier surcharges; maritime cargo liability reform; congestion/infrastructure; and, supply chain security.

 

By 2005 the shippers of Asia and Canada were being represented within the TSG through the Asian Shippers’ Council and the Canadian Industrial Transportation Association, and others were about to join. There were no longer just three trading blocks being represented, but many more, some of which were major global economies in their own right. Therefore, at its annual meeting in September 2006, Antwerp, the group changed its name to the Global Shippers’ Forum (GSF).

 

In 2007 the GSF was joined by Shippers' Councils and similar organisations from West and Central Africa within the Union of African Shippers' Councils (UASC).