InterManager, the international trade association for the ship management industry, has started 2012 with significant expansion.
In the first month of this year InterManager has welcomed two Full Members – ship management companies Histria and Green Wave – and two Associate Members – international law firm Hill Dickinson and crew communications provider SMART Link.
And building on this momentum, InterManager has appointed Captain Paddy McKnight to the role of its International Maritime Organisation Permanent representative. InterManager was previously represented at the IMO by Svein Sorlie of Wilh. Wilhelmsen Holding ASA, who has now retired from shipping.
Captain William (Paddy) McKnight spent 37 years in the Royal Navy, during which time he Commanded three warships – HMS Shetland (an offshore fishery protection vessel) and frigates HMS Leander and HMS Brave – and was second-in-command of The Royal Yacht Britannia. He was later Captain of the Royal Navy Presentation Team followed by a diplomatic posting as Naval Attaché to Rome, Italy.
On leaving the Royal Navy he spent 15 years as the UK representative at The Japanese Shipowners’ Association which entailed interaction with all the leading shipping trade organisations as well as the IMO. In particular, he was a member of the shipowners’ delegation throughout the genesis and development of the Maritime Labour Convention at the ILO in Geneva. Capt. McKnight was promoted Lieutenant of The Victorian Order in 1985 and subsequently appointed as a Gentleman Usher to HM The Queen in 1999.
InterManager Secretary General Captain Kuba Szymanski said: “We are delighted to welcome Paddy to InterManager’s team and look forward to working with him. He is an industry veteran with the characteristics we believe this position demands and his presence at the IMO will enable us to ensure our organisation is fully appraised of key industry matters and that our members views are suitably represented.”
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Notes to Editors:
• Histria Shipmanagement manages a fleet comprising nine modern shallow draft, high cbm, fuel efficient 41,000 dwt oil-chemical tankers, including two newbuildings under construction at Constanta Shipyard. Future plans include the building of two 50,000 dwt shallow draft, high cubic, fuel efficient eco-design oil/chemical tankers scheduled for delivery in 2013.
• Formed in 1992, Histria Shipmanagement is part of the Histria Group of Companies and encompasses a network of corporate vehicles engaged in ship management, chartering, operation, crewing, repairs and upgrading, technical maintenance and safety at sea for a growing fleet of tankers, bulk carriers and general cargo vessels ranging from 3,000 to 164,000 dwt and totalling an aggregate of more than 650,000 tdw.
• The Romanian-based company was amongst the first European shipping companies awarded the International Safety Management Certificate IMO A 741(18) by Germanischer Lloyd in October 1997. The company has recently updated and restructured its Integrated Management System to give added value to its capabilities to manage a modern fleet.
• Green Wave Shipping Pte Ltd is a Singapore-registered company managing a small fleet of modern stainless steel chemical tankers. The company is a subsidiary of Koyo Kaiun Co. Ltd.
• Hill Dickinson’s international marine, trade and energy practice encompasses more than 100 dedicated marine legal experts based in London, Piraeus, Singapore, Liverpool and Manchester. The practice comprises four teams – yacht, shipping, commodities, and cargo, freight and logistics. Each of the marine teams works closely with an international network of maritime lawyers, marine surveyors, investigators and loss adjusters to provide the complete marine legal service 24/7.
• Hill Dickinson’s enrolment enables InterManager to reacquaint themselves with former member Ian Maclean who has now moved to Hill Dickinson having previously been with Ince & Co.
• Philippines-based SMART Link provides satellite communication for the maritime industry with an estimated 120,000 active subscribers. Backed by telecommunication company SMART Communications Inc, SMART Link serves seafarers in the Asia-Pacific region, Indian Ocean, Middle East and parts of Europe and America and is installed on some 7,500 vessels.
