InterManager, the international trade association for the ship management industry, has pledged to put ‘people’ at the center of its focus over the next year.
Addressing this year’s Annual General Meeting (AGM), at the Lloyd’s building during London International Shipping Week, InterManager President Gerardo Borromeo said: “Without a doubt the human element, our global maritime professionals, will remain at the front and centre in InterManager’s activities and projects over the next 12 months.”
He outlined a comprehensive program of activity for the next year with topics to be covered including best management practices, seafarer health and wellness, enhanced maritime communications and an examination of the administrative burdens onboard ship.
The President outlined the work InterManager has carried out over the past year on behalf of its members. He highlighted the key role the Association played in the International Maritime Organization’s symposium on The Future Of Safe Shipping where it chaired the important session on ‘safety and the human element’. He vowed to continue to strengthen InterManager’s role as a stakeholder at the IMO and encouraged members to communicate any industry questions or concerns to InterManager Secretary General Kuba Szymanski who can rely them through the appropriate channels.
Commenting on the apparent decrease in pirate activity in the Gulf of Aden, and the corresponding increase off the coast of West Africa, Mr Borromeo urged members to remain vigilant in high risk areas and do all they can to comply with Best Management Practices (BMP4).
“As ship managers and crew managers, this is the area where we can certainly make the most difference,” he said. “While there is no hard and fast rule on management styles, our commitment to the concept of Best Management Practices has to be the ‘Holy Grail’ as far as any ship manager or crew manager is concerned.”
He also directed managers to aim high when implementing the Maritime Labour Convention, which has been described as the ‘Magna Carta for seafarers’. He told members: “The MLC as a standard is not a target to aim for, but provides starting points from which to begin. There is nothing that prevents any quality ship manager or crew manager from promoting higher standards of crew care and welfare for their own purposes and in order to differentiate service levels across the board.”
The President was delighted to announce that over the past four years InterManager membership has risen by more than 50% to currently stand at 103 members.