Europe looks to form ‘maritime cluster’

The initiative was announced jointly today (23 February) by the Community of European Shipyards Associations (CESA) and the European Marine Equipment Council (EMEC). The aim is to give a joint home to all CESA and EMEC members and to invite also additional relevant stakeholders to consider this joining of forces.

According to a statement issued by CESA and EMEC, European shipbuilders and the maritime engineering and manufacturing companies share common interests, concerns and policy objectives. They serve global, highly competitive markets with the highest technology requirements. Under the given conditions, European enterprises succeed based on know-how, innovation, productivity, quality, service and full customer satisfaction. This is only possible with a well-trained and highly motivated workforce and with framework conditions allowing global competition on a level playing field.

The two bodies say that close, effective and trustful cooperation along the maritime value chain is the key to excellent products and mutual benefits. Shared objectives can only be achieved by joining forces. While elaborating the administrative details, the new organisation is to start operation as of today on new initiatives, in particular the renewal of the LeaderSHIP 2015 initiative launched by European Commission Vice President Antonio Tajani.

The Boards of CESA and EMEC agreed to nominate Lars Gørvell-Dahll as first chairman and Bernard Meyer as first vice chairman of the new organisation. Reinhard Lüken (secretary general of CESA) will take the operative responsibility as secretary general of the new body, with Douwe Cunningham (acting secretary general of EMEC) as deputy secretary general. The first general assembly will be held in June 2012.

The statement points out that the European maritime technology industry generates more than €80billion turnover annually and offers employment in high profile jobs for more than 500,000 Europeans. The new association will represent close to 100% of the European shipbuilding industry in 18 nations, encompassing the production, maintenance, repair and conversion of all types of ships and floating structures, commercial as well as naval including the full supply chain with the various producers of maritime systems, equipment material, and services. Eight national associations are already members of both CESA and EMEC.