BIMCO年会在新加坡举行

BIMCO President sums up in Singapore

主席卡达奥先生在他的主席报告中称，这是“一场特别的会议”。

It was,said BIMCO President Yudhishthir Khatau as he commenced his President's Report in Singapore on 25 May,'a very special meeting' being the first Annual General Meeting of BIMCO since 1930.An annual meeting would give the members a better opportunity to discuss current affairs and would also help BIMCO 'to stay in touch with its membership and move with the times'.Market conditions,had been challenging since the previous meeting in Vancouver in 2011,while a long list of difficult and costly regulatory initiatives posed more problems.The optimism of 2011 had been overtaken by a series of unforeseen events across the globe which had mostly affected the shipping markets in a negative way.A record delivery of newbuildings and low scrapping levels had contributed to freight rates 'hitting the bottom' and high volatility and challenging market conditions have continued well into 2012.But on a positive note,harsh market conditions are not uncommon and patience will be called for,while new opportunities might be expected to arise.The President noted that in addition to the very difficult market conditions,BIMCO remains engaged with important issues challenging shipping.On the subject of piracy,this remains high on the agenda with the situation in the Gulf of Aden,off Somalia and deep into the Indian Ocean serious,with evidence of copycat crimes elsewhere.Challenges in the past year came thick and fast,with the sharpest ever collapse in shipbuilding orders coinciding with lower freight rates and owners having to focus upon green issues,emissions and environmental legislation that increases costs and demands on the industry.Emphasizing the importance of communication technology for contact and dialogue in an association with a global membership,Mr.Khatau reported that BIMCO's ambitious IT project of integrating and upgrading its business support systems was continuing.The President commended the Secretariat staff for their loyalty and hard work and the way in which the BIMCO Chiefs have taken ownership of the change process which will sustain BIMCO's position within the shipping industry.