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Regional Focus

Germany

German AGM hears of

national decline in seafarers

T
he German Shipsuppliers the German association’s work had been market’ had played a major role and
Association held its AGM in very successful. At European level, ship depressed prices and proit. Mr

Hamburg last month, where suppliers were successfully represented Engellandt expected more sales of rum,
in customs and tax matters by OCEAN.old whiskys and gin in 2015.
this year’s keynote speaker Hans-
Hermann Lückert, President of The On the German market situation Association Secretary Thorsten

German Maritime Pilots’ Association, in the ship supply industry in 2014, Harms reported on Customs and
underlined the existing recruitment Mr Engellandt said in his report that tax matters and Vice-Chairman and

problems of young maritime the messages from the annual internal OCEAN representative Wolfgang Sump
professionals in Germany.Association survey were ‘declining’, reported on activities of OCEAN and

He said the demographic change would ‘remain the same’ and ‘growing’.veterinary issues.
lead to serious problems – in former days He said the economic and inancial ISSA representative Ralf-Thomas

land-based administrations, designers, crisis would still be present and lead to Rapp spoke about the ISSA Convention in
suppliers, pilots and other maritime-related negative developments. Some bad debt April, which he attended, saying it was well

companies recruited German seafarers losses because of ship insolvencies had organised and offered all participating
with nautical college education.been reported and price pressures were members great networking opportunities.

This has now changed and todayoften passed from the ship owner to the He added that the new ISSA President,

the number of German seafarers has ship supplier.Abdul Hameed Hajah, would plan to
declined because ship owners are The trend to spend less money was also reorganise ISSA in certain ways and the

recruiting internationally-trained still an issue and customer’s investments German Association would provide ISSA
personnel who are available through the were being postponed so revenues for ship with suggestions and new ideas.

worldwide market.suppliers remained constant.The detailed Association’s annual
Mr Lückert said the German Mr Engellandt said that only catering report of 2014 can be downloaded for

education process should therefore of cargo shipping had developed positively.free at www.shipsuppliers.de u
be developed quickly to provide an In 2014 German ship suppliers

internationally competitive system.had huge demands to cope with new
A total of 45 representatives fromlegislation and other restrictions, 1/ Wolfgang Sump (Sump & Stammer), Vice Chairman
and OCEAN representative; Jens Pfeiffer
34 member companies attended thebesides offering additional services, (Transas Marine); Nadine Kloska (Kloska Group);
Ralf-Thomas Rapp (Becker Marine Systems),
AGM and the Board and Secretary were therefore he said many companies would ISSA Representative; Gunnar Heinemann (Gebr.
unanimously relieved. The 2014 elected not have reduced staff numbers but Heinemann SE & Co); Andreas Albert (Albert);
Kap. Hans-Hermann Lückert (President of The
nine Board Members will stay in until 2017.actually employed more people.German Maritime Pilots’ Association), speaker;
Chairman Frank Engellandt led the In tax-free trade, sales fell in 2014 Lennart Clasen (Holger Clasen); Thorsten Harms,
Secretary; Frank Engellandt (HMS Hanseatic
meeting and said looking back on 2014,in ship supply. The so called ‘parallelMarine Service), Chairman.

16 The SHIP Supplier Issue 65 2015