The shipping organization faces the consequence of the EU having in a short time span manifested itself as the trendsetting international legislator within climate, and establishes an office in Brussels, WPO learns.
Bimco is currently establishing an office in Brussels and expected to announce its address and staff sometime in the second half of the year, WPO learns from a number of sources.
Bimco is one of two global shipping organizations broadly representing the industry, with the International Chamber of Shipping (ICS) being the other, and both have as such traditionally leaned towards supporting rules and regulations being decided on a global level in the UN’s International Maritime Organization (IMO).
But with recent years’ developments, it has become clear that the European Union has taken the lead position when it comes to the comprehensive task of reducing the shipping sector’s CO2 emissions and bringing them as far towards zero as possible by 2050.
EU has taken over initiative
According to observers, the decision to set up shop in Brussels should be seen in this light, since legislative efforts in the IMO are dragging out, while the EU, right now, has two decisive legislation endeavors on their way regarding CO2, one being to include shipping in its Emissions Trading System (ETS) and the other being to demand a gradual reduction of fossil fuels on individual ships as stipulated by the FuelEU Maritime initiative.
Both were presented last summer as part of the major energy package Fit for 55, and work has been underway since in the European Commission, European Council and, most recently, in the European Parliament. They are set to enter force at the turn of the year.
Several shipping organizations already have offices in the EU capital. One is the European Community Shipowners’ Association (ECSA), which represents 19 European shipping organizations, another is the World Shipping Council (WSC), the lobby organization of the container industry.
ECSA’s membership circle, in particular, has called for increased speed in the efforts of the Brussels office when it switched former Secretary General Martin Dorsman in October last year with Sotiris Raptis, who is meant to profile European shipping better within the EU system.
Bimco is headquartered in Bagsværd north of Copenhagen, Denmark.
