Representing the Interests of European Ship Supply - OCEAN is vital for our industry!

A contribution from the Chairman at the launch of the new OCEAN website + logo

With the launch of the new OCEAN Website and a new, modern OCEAN logo, the European Ship Supply Organisation marks its entry into the 2nd decade of the 21st century.  The Chairman, Mr. Ericson reflects on the work of OCEAN so far and future projects.

I sometimes get funny looks when I tell people that what we are doing in OCEAN dates back to the US constitution,” said OCEAN President Stefan Ericson when www.shipsupply.eu met him for an exclusive interview one day before the launch of the new OCEAN Website at an exclusive event in the European Parliament.

The objectivie of the interview was to enquire about the role of OCEAN. Quoting the US Constitution, namely: "Congress shall make no law … abridging … the right of the people peaceably … to petition the Government for a redress of grievances,” President Ericson added: “That’s what OCEAN does”.

Having worked many years on the OCEAN Board, the Swedish President considers the work OCEAN plays in showing European legislators in Brussels the impact their ‘regulation frenzy  will have on the ship supply business. “With OCEAN, we can coordinate structure and organise our dialogue with key European decision makers. We pool our resources – this makes economical sense to me,” he told www.shipsupply.eu.

Mr Ericson als  pointed to the uniqueness of the Brussels’ machine which boasts more than 2,600 interest groups; 27 permanent representations to the EU; 200 offices of regional representations; more than 350 companies and banks and more than 150 consultancy offices: “Don’t forget,” he says, “nowadays more than two thirds of all national legislation has its origin in Europe and issues of interest to ship supply, like customs legislation, is mostly decided at European level. Today, having a European voice is more important than ever before".

Mr Ericson is supported by Vice-President Alfredo Tosato from Italy and a Board of national associations which meets twice a year. Furthermore, the group has two active working groups on customs and veterinary affairs. OCEAN gets administrative support from the ISSA office in London while its lobby efforts are conducted by its office in Brussels. OCEAN is invited to participate in all major committees and groups relevant to the ship supply business. This includes Customs Affairs, veterinary Issues, legislation on excise duties and maritime security.

“OCEAN brings about tangible results which reduce our costs and make our day-to-day operation faster and easier. The two secretariats in Brussels and London work well together and this united force strengthens us. Our Working Groups bring about the technical expertise necessary for our work with the European administrations. The future of European ship supply is in good hands thanks to the work of OCEAN,” the President said. ■