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60 Years

History

I
t hardly seems 10 years ago that the ISSA great and good ISSA found itself with a strong role to play in helping its
gathered in Copenhagen to celebrate the Association’s members and the industry at large come to terms with the

Golden Jubilee.situation they were in and create a framework where quality

And what an auspicious occasion it was. Danish Royalty had to be put irst and members had to start seeing their
was present to witness the opening of the Convention which invoices paid on time.

was well attended by ISSA representatives from around the ISSA set to work on a number of very important initiatives
world. Ship suppliers stood together proud in the knowledge that set out to put ISSA members ahead in the quality stakes.

that their much loved association had survived, and indeed The ISSA Quality Initiative was immediately seen as a great
prospered during the half century and was in a strong position opportunity for ISSA members to set themselves apart from

to represent their interests for another 50 years.their competitors in the market place while the Green ISSA
And what a tough task that would prove to be as since then, initiative did a lot of good work in raising awareness about

theshippingindustryhasbeensubjectedtoitslongestperiodof packagingandwastecontrol. ISSAalsostartedtowork
inancial crisis with the effects of massive vessel over tonnaging and more closely with organisations such as InterManager and

a downturn in the global economy dramatically driving down vessel the World Customs Organisation and also underwent a
signiicant change in its own governance with the setting up
freight rates. All sectors of the shipping industry chain have been
affected with ship suppliers inding themselves having to work even of a nine-member Executive Board under the chairmanship

harder to pay their bills; to get their bills paid by their principals; and of the President , with a 44-member ISSA Assembly which
to survive what were, and still are, very demanding times.meets once a year.

So when did it all begin?

On 3rd October, 1955, the was Sweden. This must have been relented and became a member. ISSA’s

International Ship Suppliers Association something of a disappointment to those aims as set out in the statute were:
was formally founded by the early pioneers, especially as the main

representatives of the four member reason for the Swedish reluctance1. to promote the economic interests
associations – Belgium, Fed Rep of was apparently fear ‘of competitionof the ship suppliers

Germany, Finland and The Netherlands.of a fundamental nature’. In the words 2. to promote contacts with
By a curious irony Denmark, the host of the irst annual report published a and discussions between the

country, in which all the early general year later: ‘According to the Articles of organisations of ship suppliers
assemblies were to be held, was not a Association (which by now had been concerning questions of

signatory. Work was in progress to form drawn up) there is no possibility forcommon interest
a Danish Association but it would be the ISSA [sic] of wielding any inluence 3. to establish contact on an

some time – in fact 1958 – before the in respect of the question of the international level with

preliminary work on such a foundation international competition and such an organisations of shipowners
was completed and Denmark could attitude would be contrary to the aims about the relationship between

become a member of ISSA.of the Association.’shipowners and ship suppliers
Another absentee which had It was to be another ive years 4. to represent ship suppliers at an

attended the original meetingbefore the Swedish Associationinternational level

18 The SHIP Supplier 60th Anniversary Edition 1955-2015