Both bodies are currently led by Greeks who are keen to expand the areas of cooperation and the further alignment between them in a bid to give shipping a united voice. Ways of doing this have been under discussion for sometime and topped the agenda when Bimco president, Anastasios Papagiannopoulos and ECSA president, Panos Laskarides met in Athens recently.
“ECSA and Bimco have supported each other in the past but there is a desire by both associations to further improve and deepen our cooperation”, said Laskaridis, after the meeting.
“We discussed the key issues currently concerning the shipping industry such as environmental legislation, both at the European and international level, including CO2 emissions from shipping and the global limit for sulphur that will be effective from January 2020.
“We also discussed the worrying developments in world trade in addition to the very topical issue of migration and merchant ships’ involvement in rescuing operations,” he said.
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Papagiannopoulos, said: “It is crucial the shipping industry speaks with one voice at the European and global level. That’s why an even closer relationship between Bimco and ECSA is in the interest of both organisations.”
He added: “The strengths and capabilities of both organisations need to be combined in policy discussions that will steer the future of the shipping industry. When discussing the short, medium and long-term measures to reduce the GHG emissions from international shipping, industry has to be united.”
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