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Foreword

Dear ISSA Members and Maritime Colleagues

W
elcome to another new year you can have an advertisement show

which I hope will start, at the when a visitor comes onto your port
very least, to reveal those page. We believe this is a signiicant

elusive green shoots of recovery in the business development for Members. If
shipping industry.you would like to advertise simply e-mail

Certainly the year has not started the ISSA Secretariat at the usual address
well for those in the bulker or box trades secretariat@shipsupply.org

with the benchmark Baltic Dry Index Our much-heralded Project Watchdog
trading at historic lows.– the credit information and debt recovery

Our 2016 ISSA Register of facility – is continuing its developmental
phase but I am conident this will be rolled
Members has now been published and
distributed and shows the continuing out to Members quite soon now. We will

rising trend in the overall membership keep you posted on a launch date.
number. Some areas of the world are As many of you will be aware, our

faring better than others as far as ship industry recently lost one of its towering
supply is concerned but we do continue igures - Alan Kotz from the USA - who,

to see signiicant growth even in these despite a brave ight against illness,
dificult market conditions.passed away last month. He was the

Work is well under way in Dubai ISSA Assembly Member for the USA for
for our 61st ISSA Convention & Trade very many years and made a signiicant

Exhibition to run from 31st October contribution to the Association and our
industry. He will be greatly missed and an
to 2nd November. This year we will
have a dedicated ISSA Exhibition Area obituary will feature in the next issue of

within the Seatrade Maritime Middle The Ship Supplier.
East Exhibition, which attracts a crowd We have made Members aware

of several thousand, so I encourage as of the coming into force on 1st July of
many Members as possible to attend container weighing. Many Members are

and network at this important event. involved in stufing containers and we
Full details can be found at www. have circulated the IMO Guidelines on

issa2016dubai.com – see page 42.the new SOLAS Chapter which cover
We have now launched our revised this important piece of legislation. Its

ISSA Back Ofice System which will be implementation comes as a result of
of interest to buyers and suppliers alike. instances of misdeclared container

This product places the .csv iles in Excel weight which compromises the stability

format and allows you to manipulate the and safety of the ship. If guidelines are
ISSA Ship Stores Catalogue database not complied with then a container will be

and incorporate it into your own back refused entry to the port.
ofice purchasing system. Full details are European Members will be aware

at http://shipsupply.org/products-and- that 2016 marks the 40th Anniversary
services/back-ofice-system. We believe of the founding of OCEAN (the ISSA

this is an extremely useful product and Committee which handles interaction
has been well received in the past so I do with the EU). I congratulate Dirk Cupido

urge you to review the information and on his election to the Chairmanship of
You can keep up to date with the consider buying it and using it in your OCEAN and wish him and his team every
latest news on the ISSA website at
own ofice-based system.success during their term of ofice.
www.shipsupply.org and send in your
comments and views to the ISSA The ISSA website continues to I wish all Members and our
attract a huge number of daily visitors customers continuing success in a
Secretariat either by phone on +44
(0)20 7626 6236; Fax +44 (0)20 and we have introduced advertising on challenging environment. u
7626 6234 or alternatively email the site which is proving very popular. Abdul Hameed Hajah

secretariat@shipsupply.orgOur Webmaster has arranged so thatISSA President

Issue 68 2016 | The Ship Supplier | 9