BIMCO co-hosts Maritime Single Window symposium at the IMO

Published: 19 January 2023

This week, BIMCO and the International Association of Ports and Harbors (IAPH) teamed up with the International Maritime Organization (IMO) at its headquarters in London to discuss opportunities and hurdles for the Maritime Single Window.

Together, we welcomed Member States, NGOs, shipping, and port communities from around the world, hosting the joint symposium: the “Maritime Single Window 2024 – a window of opportunities”.

The IMO has made it mandatory for all Member States to exchange key data electronically by 1 January 2024 and the maritime industry now has a little less than one year to do the groundwork.

BIMCO’s President Designate, Nikolaus Schües, delivered a welcome address, pointing out the issue that today, a nation and its authorities may operate with 15 windows towards the hinterland, which means 15 windows that the crew need to report into when the ship approaches port. That is exactly 14 too many and the industries must work together towards one window: a Maritime Single Window.

For this to work in practice, broad collaboration and interoperability are needed for the electronic platform to be able to communicate with the hinterland: from ship and port to health authorities, immigration authorities, and customs, to name a few. At BIMCO, we hope the electronic exchange of key data will be done in a standardised manner through Maritime Single Windows world-wide to ensure harmonisation and interoperability, and look forward to continuing to promote and discuss the vast opportunities for one single window.

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