Nikolaus H. Schües takes over as BIMCO president

Written by Nick Blenkey
Nikolaus H. Schües, CEO and owner of Reederei F. Laeisz, is the new president of BIMCO

Nikolaus H. Schües, CEO and owner of Reederei F. Laeisz, is the new president of BIMCO

At its general meeting in Hong Kong today, BIMCO, the world’s largest shipping association, elected Nikolaus H. Schües, CEO and owner of Reederei F. Laeisz, as its president. Moving into the role after two years as president-designate, Schües is BIMCO’s 46th president and is the first German national to hold the position since 2011. He takes over from Sabrina Chao of Wah Kwong Maritime Transport Holdings Limited, who has completed her two-year term.

“I am honored to be elected president of an organization that represents over 60% of the world’s tonnage at a time when the task of decarbonizing our industry is becoming increasingly urgent,” says Schües. “One of my key priorities over the next two years is for BIMCO to be a strong force within the area of digitalization and optimization of shipping. I believe it is crucial that we focus on the solutions that can help us advance today, and not fall into the trap of focusing exclusively on the right fuels of tomorrow. Our industry has digital solutions ready to go, which can cut our carbon footprint now. I see tremendous potential in helping the industry implement such solutions and making shipping greener in the process.”

Nikolaus H. Schües joined Reederei F. Laeisz, which celebrates its 200th anniversary next year, in 1993. He is a member of the presidential committee of the German Shipowners Association, deputy chairman of the UK P&I Club, a member of the Norwegian Hull Club Committee, and member of the board of directors of the Schutzverein Deutscher Rheder.

“The shipping industry is trusted to move about 90% of world trade, and one of BIMCO’s most crucial roles is to support the industry, so we can decarbonize without disruption to global trade,” says Schües.

BIMCO presidents serve a two-year term. To ensure organizational continuity, the president-designate sits on the board for two years before being put up for election as president. The outgoing president remains on the board for an additional two-year term as immediate past president after which past presidents are ex-officio board members.

At the general meeting, Paul Pathy of Fednav International Ltd, Canada, was elected as president-designate.

Categories: News, Shipping Tags: , , , , , ,