INTERTANKO has been the voice of indepen-dent tanker owners since 1970, ensuring that the oil that keeps the world turning is shipped safely, responsibly and competitively.

Membership is available to non-oil com-panies and non-state controlled tanker own-ers. At present, independent owners operate some 80% of the world's tanker fleet and the vast majority are INTERTANKO members. The organisation has 245 members, whose combined fleet comprises 2,050 tankers totalling 155 million dwt, which is 70% of the world's independent tanker fleet above 10,000 dwt. INTERTANKO's associate membership stands at 290 companies with an interest in oil and oil shipping.

The strong support that INTERTANKO enjoys allows it to speak authoritatively and proactively on behalf of tanker operators at international, regional, national and local level. It is also able to maintain a 25-strong secretariat and a network of 14 committees and four regional panels that co-ordinate an extensive work programme that comprises more than 50 agenda items.

Governments and shipping regulators have taken a closer interest in tanker ship-ping in recent years. INTERTANKO has responded by establishing, strengthening and maintaining relationships with legislators on all levels, working with them to ensure a fair and equitable distribution of the responsibili-ties and liabilities involved in carrying oil by sea. Underlining its commitment to represent-ing its members where key decisions are made, INTERTANKO opened offices in Singapore and Washington DC in 1999, in addition to its principal offices in Oslo and London.

Within the shipping industry itself, INTERTANKO participates in discussions within the International Maritime Organisation and the International Oil Spill Compensation Fund. In addition, it has consultative status at the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development.

As long as oil drives the world, tankers will play a vital role in distributing it to where it is needed. And as long as tankers are vital to the distribution of oil, INTERTANKO's members will ensure that they are safe, clean and cost-effective.