Access to ships tops convention issues

Access to ships was one of the hot topics raised at the recent 56th Annual ISSA Convention & Trade Exhibition which, for the first time ever, was held at sea.


The problem is a bone of contention worldwide with many companies encountering difficulties since the introduction of the International Ship and Port Facility Security (ISPS) Code.
“In some places you have to pay large amounts of money to take your supplies into the port while in other places people are having great difficulty getting in,” explained ISSA President Jens Olsen.
“Problems can arise when you have to have certification for every person going into the port. The bureaucracy is really increasing and you have to buy the certification in many places, so it is turning into a bit of a money machine.”
ISSA is pressing ahead with its campaign to highlight the issue and will raise it at the IMO Facilitation Committee’s 37th session in September. It is one of many objectives on Mr Olsen’s upto-date ‘Road Map’ which sets out the Association’s aims for the next three years following his reelection as President at the Convention, held on a ship between Copenhagen and Oslo.
The Convention “surpassed all expectations” according to the President despite posing a logistical challenge: “There was a good, constructive spirit surrounding the Convention and since returning I have had a great response which has all been extremely positive,” said Mr Olsen.
It was also the first Convention to be held following the change in the ISSA Governance which saw the former ISSA Board dissolve itself to reform as the ISSA Assembly and the Executive Committee become the Executive Board.
Other re-elections to the Board were Treasurer Alfred Borg, Matti Kokkala, Chairman of the Finnish Ship Suppliers and Abdul Hameed Hajah, Hon. Secretary of the Singapore Association of Ship Suppliers. Rafael Fernandez, Chairman of the Spanish Ship Suppliers, also joins the Board.
Next year the 57th Convention will be held back on dry land in Cadiz, southern Spain from 25th to 26th May and preparations are already well underway.

Source: International shipsuppliers service