New BIMCO President Heads for Digitalisation
Image Courtesy: Navigate PRThe international shipping association BIMCO has elected a new president, who has set a goal to promote digitalisation across the industry during his two-year presidential term.
In his new role, Anastasios Papagiannopoulos, CEO of Common Progress, informed that he aims to work on three themes, including digitalisation, reducing administrative burden for the ship’s master, and encouraging the successful implementation and effective enforcement of new stronger environmental regulations.
With 2,100 members in more than 120 countries, BIMCO will be working on a range of projects using convergent technologies to pursue the objectives, including applying new advances in software capability to develop a brand new contract editing tool.
“BIMCO is focused on driving efficiency, creating better information and increasing simplification, but all of our work to increase digitalisation across the industry comes with a risk, and in everything – our work on cyber safety and security will remain a top priority, ensuring that our members’ ships are safe, that their seafarers are aware of the dangers and our members’ important information is secure,” Papagiannopolous said.
An administrative burden that BIMCO will be working to lift further through the removal of unnecessary regulations which no longer serve a purpose for the safe operation of ships.
The final objective would clarify the obligations and work to ensure regulations are practical and realistic to implement. BIMCO will help shipowners navigate the Ballast Water Management Convention, by highlighting the key dates and advising on equipment selection and the operational realities. The association will also continue to work with other associations and the IMO to help establish a feasible and practical implementation plan to meet the 2020 global cap on sulphur emissions.
