The Baltic Exchange in London where the FONASBA office
FONASBA’s 2014 Annual Meeting in Gothenburg elected a new Executive Committee and two new members and also reaffirmed the Federation’s commitments to its core values
and activities.
After completing her term of office, Marygrace Collins of the USA handed the Presidency to Glen Gordon Findlay of Brazil. Thanking Mrs. Collins for her leadership of the organisation over the past two years, Mr. Findlay said that he was looking forward to taking the association forward and building on its increasingly influential role as the voice
of the international ship broking and ship agency sectors. Elected to support Mr. Findlay as President Designate was John A. Foord, FICS, of the UK. Full details of the new Executive Committee are provided below.
FONASBA’s increasing global coverage was further enhanced at the meeting with the election of AANTA, the Angolan ship agents association, to Full membership and Agent Plus, a river shipping agency based in Serbia, to Associate membership. Welcoming both
organisations to the Federation, Mr. Gordon Findlay said that FONASBA would further expand its global reach and at the same time ensure the ship agent and shipbroker
continued to be better recognised and valued as vital components of the global shipping sector by legislators, policy makers and the wider maritime community.
FONASBA also continues to strengthen its relations with other industry bodies. Just prior
to the Gothenburg meeting FONASBA entered into a reciprocal membership agreement
with the International Port Community Systems Association (IPCSA), which then joined
other Club members BIMCO, INTERTANKO, ITIC and the Shipbrokers’ Register at the
Gothenburg meeting.
In terms of policy actions, FONASBA’s European Committee ECASBA again expressed its
concerns about the adverse impact on European short sea and coastal shipping of the
Sulphur Emissions Control Areas in the Baltic and North seas on 1st January 2015.
Disappointment was also expressed at the failure of the fourth European port package to
provide any tangible measures to enhance port service provision. ECASBA’s engagement in
discussions relating to the introduction of the Union Customs Code will also be enhanced
for the coming term with additional resources being made available to allow for full
participation in this ongoing and vitally important dialogue.
Delegates to the Chartering & Documentary Committee plenary discussed FONASBA’s
ongoing project to update and expand its current suite of standard documents, with a new
proforma agency agreement being the first to be revised. The delegates also endorsed the
new ITIC post-fixture clause for use in clearly identifying the correct recipient of all
operational messages following conclusion of a charter. Delegates also enjoyed two lively
and interesting panel discussions on the tanker and dry cargo broking sectors.
The Liner & Port Agency Committee, whilst fully supporting the concept of mandatory
weighing of containers, also expressed its concerns at the lack of readiness of member
states ahead of the introduction of the relevant measures in 2016. FONASBA is therefore
recommending that all its member associations remain in close contact with their national
marine authorities. The likely practical impact on ship agency and port operations in
member states was also highlighted.
FONASBA EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE 2014-16
President Glen Gordon Findlay (Brazil)
Executive Vice President Botond Szalma (Hungary)
President Designate, Chairman of the Liner & Port Agency Committee
John A. Foord FICS (Great Britain)
Regional Vice President for Africa Aziz Mantrach (Morocco)
Regional Vice President for the Americas Javier Dulce (Argentina)
Regional Vice President for Asia Takazo Iigaki (Japan)
Regional Vice President for Europe,
Chairman of ECASBA
Antonio Belmar da Costa (Portugal)
Vice President for Education Capt. Jakov Karmelic (Croatia)
Immediate Past President Marygrace Collins (USA)
Chairman of the Chartering & Documentary
Committee
Fulvio Carlini FICS (Italy)
Co-opted Members: Gian-Enzo Duci (Italy)
Dr. Alexander Geisler (Germany)
Waldemar Rocha jnr. (Brazil)
About: FONASBA
FONASBA is the only organisation representing the global ship agency and ship broking
professions. Established in 1969 it now has members in more than 50 countries, including
all major maritime and trading nations. Its remit is to “promote and protect the
professions of ship agency and ship broking worldwide”, a task which it undertakes
through dialogue with its member associations and its consultative status with IMO,
UNCTAD, UNCITRAL and the World Customs Organisation, as well with the European
Commission and other regional bodies. FONASBA also enjoys reciprocal memberships with
the Baltic Exchange, BIMCO, INTERTANKO, the International Port Community Systems
Association, indemnity insurer ITIC and the Shipbrokers’ Register and works closely with
all other maritime sector bodies, both internationally and in Europe. www.fonasba.com
