Held at the Hilton Hotel, Amsterdam– Monday 27 November 2018
Meeting Report
Over 120 delegates participated in the 20th COA Members Meeting in Amsterdam on Monday 27 November 2018.
A wide range of topics relating to the container shipping industry generally – and the work being undertaken by the COA in particular – were discussed throughout the day.
Members may download copies of the presentations from the COA website. Please find below a Report of the Meeting:
- The Meeting was opened by Patrick Hicks, COA Secretariat, who welcomed participants, introduced the agenda for the day.
- He asked all participants to ensure that they read and complied with the Anti-Trust Guidelines which are in place for all COA Meetings
Keynote Presentations
- The first Keynote presentation was given by Renzo Hoefnagels (Managing Director – Global Head of Intermodal) and Arnout Buschenhenke (Strategy & Business Development) ABN AMRO. They reviewed the global economic developments and impact on global shipping, giving an overview of global economic trends and different economic/trading scenarios. They explained the impact of these economic changes on the container shipping market. They also took the opportunity to introduce “Glassbox” – a new concept combining such technologies as blockchain and the Internet of Things, aimed at improving the transparency and accessibility of the logistics chain.
- The second Keynote presentation was given by Mark Bennett, Principal, Bennett Consulting, who reviewed Container Industry Developments. He looked at the recent mergers and acquisitions – and indicated how the changing market conditions affect the Container Industry. He also looked at the Container Manufacturing: Prospects for 2018, with an update on Waterborne Coatings – 6 months on.
- The third Keynote presentation focused on the Industry Guidelines for Cleaning of Containers. Brian Rysz Senior Global Equipment Manager, Maersk Line, gave a Report of the Meeting in Shanghai of the International Plant Protection Convention (IPPC) meeting (COA representation on behalf of the Shipping Industry). Lars Kjaer Senior Vice President World Shipping Council Development of COA Pest Contamination Guidelines, based on extracts from CTU Code, as a means to promote CTU as a practical alternative to IPPC.
- The final presentation focused on the Hanjin Line Bankruptcy – 1 year on. Nigel Stribley, Director, Blue Sky Intermodal, reviewed the benefits of co-operation between lessors to recover containers, the lessons that can be learned and discussed the next steps?
Break-out sessions
- After lunch, the conference divided into two parallel sessions
- Parallel Session A focused on key technical issues:
- Paints
- Flooring
- Cargoworthy Standards
- SOC Acceptance Criteria
- Reefer Containers
- IT Systems.
- The COA presented a number of draft COA recommended guidelines and reference documents
- Parallel Session B focused on Flexitanks. The Meeting included discussion on:
- COA Flexitank Quality Management System;
- Shipping Line perspective on Flexitank Shipments;
- Review of Flexitank Rail Impact Testing Procedure;
- Technology developments.
- There was discussion on the COA Code of Practice, the FQML, Audit procedures and the Certificate of compliance
Final Plenary Session
- The final session focused on “New Projects for the COA: IT and New Technology”
- This was an Open Forum, an opportunity for participants to discuss how the COA should broaden its profile and continue to provide a service to its Members
- Discussion items included IT opportunities and the application of new technology in the container industry.
- There were also reports of the Work Group Sessions
- The final presentation focused on an update on the COA’s projects and activities programme for 2018, including the event schedule for 2018
- The Conference closed at 17:30 and it was followed by a post-Conference Networking Reception for all Participants.