BIMCO – the practical voice of shipping

At BIMCO, our mission is to be at the forefront of global developments in shipping, providing expert knowledge and practical advice to safeguard and add value to our members’ businesses.

Our vision is to be the chosen partner trusted to provide leadership to the global shipping industry.

BIMCO is a membership-based non-governmental organisation with offices in Copenhagen, Singapore, Shanghai, Athens and London. Our members range from the largest shipowners in the world to small local port agents and law firms.

As the largest direct entry shipping organisation with over 1,900 members in more than 130 countries, our membership represents 60% of the world cargo fleet measured by tonnage – the weight of the unloaded ships. Our ambition is to help build a resilient industry in a sustainable future whilst protecting world trade by helping to manage the risk to our members, and therefore shipping, in a changing world.

We support our members by enabling a level playing field for shipping, delivering useful tools and advice for the industry and by promoting standardisation and harmonisation. We utilise our core strengths in delivering contracts and clauses, shaping practical regulations, and providing business support services to help the shipping industry navigate to a sustainable future.

For BIMCO to continue to lead the way, just as we have been doing since 1905, we have set five strategic priorities which identify how we will help to create value for our members and society at large.

Trusted leadership

Our leadership position in the industry is well established, and we use our voice and exploit our skills and expertise to provide unique value to our members, regulatory bodies, governments and wider society. We engage at flagship events both inside and outside of the maritime sector and advocate for our industry with the regulators whilst educating the general public.

World-leading contracts

Our aim is to always be able to offer our members and the wider industry a standard BIMCO contract or clause that meets their commercial needs. BIMCO contracts are the most widely-used in shipping and our portfolio contains more than 350 contracts and clauses. More are added whenever there is a need. A key factor in the design and distribution of our contracts is ensuring they are fit for purpose in an increasingly digitised future.

Practical global regulation

Our regulatory work supports our goals by providing the basis for transparent and non-discriminatory standards for the shipping industry: a level playing field. From our London office near to the International Maritime Organization (IMO), we use our recognised IMO consultative status to advocate for our members in the international policy-making arena. Reduction of greenhouse gas emissions from shipping and the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals form the basis for the strategic agenda of the IMO – and we provide our expert advice in pursuit of feasible and practical solutions. Safety and security are high on our agenda too, as we drive the development of guidelines and standards that improve the safety, security, and efficiency of shipping. BIMCO members can access comprehensive information about technical issues, security warnings, ice information, port information, cargo databases and the BIMCO Shipping KPI platform.

Expert knowledge and information

We offer expert advice industry insight and facilitate opportunities for sharing knowledge and best practice. Members receive regular insight and information from our in-house experts and have exclusive access to hands-on guides and a dedicated helpdesk for contractual issues. The BIMCO website contains a wealth of information dealing with the day-to-day operations of shipping companies and our expert analysts offer unbiased and independent insight into the development of the shipping market. We also offer a range of training courses which provide practical knowledge and skills to support participants in their daily business.

Organisational excellence

As an international organisation, we make use of the latest technology tools to stay connected with our members, our committees and our own global team. From our offices in Copenhagen, Athens, London, Singapore and Shanghai we deliver world-class customer service to our global membership and customers. As an organisation, we are committed to reducing our environmental footprint and we champion diversity, equality and inclusion in all that we do.