European Community Shipowners' Associations

The European Community Shipowners' Associations (ECSA) is the voice of the European shipping industry.

Founded in 1965 under the name Comité des Associations d'Armateurs des Communautés Européennes (CAACE), ECSA promotes the interests of 19 member associations of the EU and Norway. As a trade association, ECSA strives for a regulatory environment that fosters the international competitiveness of European shipping.

ECSA works through a permanent secretariat in Brussels, a board of directors and a number of specialised committees and working groups.

ECSA’s current President is Philippos Philis, its Vice-President is Karin Orsel.

The organisation is recognised by the European Institutions as the representative body of the European shipping sector, and is registered in the European Commission’s Transparency Register for Interest Representatives since 23 June 2008.

ECSA’s strategic priorities are:


 * Climate and Sustainability
 * Trade
 * Competitiveness
 * Internal Market
 * Innovation & Digitalisation
 * Human Element
 * Safety
 * Legal Affairs
 * Taxation
 * Better Regulation

Member Associations
Source:

(in alphabetical order)


 * Belgium: Royal Belgian Shipowners' Association
 * Croatia: Croatian Shipowners' Association Mare Nostrum
 * Cyprus: Joint Cyprus Shipowners' Association
 * Denmark: Danish Shipping
 * Estonia: Estonian Shipowners' Association
 * Finland: Finnish Shipowners' Association
 * France: Armateurs de France
 * Germany: Verband Deutscher Reeder
 * Greece: Union of Greek Shipowners
 * Ireland: Irish Chamber of Shipping
 * Italy: Confederazione Italiana Armatori
 * Lithuania: Lithuanian Shipowners
 * Luxembourg: Fedilshipping
 * Malta: Malta International Shipping Council
 * Netherlands: Koninklijke Vereniging van Nederlandse Reders
 * Norway: Norwegian Shipowners' Association
 * Portugal: Associacao de Armadores da Marinha de Comercio
 * Slovenia: Slovenian Association of Shipowners
 * Spain: Asociacion de Navieros Espanoles
 * Sweden: Swedish Shipowners' Association

Many ECSA members are also members of the International Chamber of Shipping (ICS).

The European shipping industry
The European shipping industry controls 39.5% of the global merchant fleet. This amounts to 810 million deadweight tonnes or 550 million gross tonnes and 23,400 vessels.

Shipping is a valuable economic and geopolitical asset of the European Union. In 2018, it delivered €54 billion to the EU's GDP. This translates into €78,000 GDP per worker, compared to the EU average of €63,000. Its direct economic impact is significant, with 685,000 persons employed in both sea- and land-based jobs in the same year. Taking into consideration the indirect and induced impacts, the total economic impact of European shipping amounts to €149 billion and 2 million jobs. For every €1 million GDP the European shipping industry creates, another €1.8 million is supported elsewhere in the EU economy.