WHEN Şadan Kaptanoğlu was elected president of BIMCO — the world’s largest shipping association — back in May 2019, she knew that the tectonic shifts in shipping would mean a busy agenda. 

A year into her tenure, she is grappling with the industry’s response to a global pandemic that’s wiped over a billion tonnes of trade off the forecasts and created a crewing crisis with tens of thousands of seafarers left stranded at sea as governments struggle to stabilise in the wake of an economic and social tsunami.

But it was supposed to be the environment leading the agenda, so despite the immediate priorities thrown up by black swan events, the BIMCO president now finds herself juggling the urgent responses with the long-term planning that must still be addressed.

Shipping faces a dual challenge, she argues. It must meet the demand of the world’s growing population, with more ships and more voyages, while radically reducing its emissions. Achieving both was always going to require a transformation.

That requires the industry to navigate the difficult process of digitalisation, creating a more efficient supply chain.

And then there are the standard challenges of security, industry representation in an increasingly complex political landscape, innovation, entrepreneurship, safety, shifting trade demand trends, access to finance, transparency… the list goes on.

Shipping’s ‘new normal’ it seems, is going to require agility and multi-tasking from those wanting to survive the storm. 

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