Admiralty Lawyer & Attorney

BIMCO

BIMCO is the world's largest, and one of the oldest, private shipping organizations. It was formed in 1905 in Copenhagen, Denmark to discuss the problems being faced by the shipping industry in northwest Europe. Since 112 people met in 1905, BIMCO has grown into the world's largest private shipping organization.

BIMCO was founded on the principles of goodwill and understanding since cooperation was seen to be the solution to all of northwest Europe's shipping problems. Now, with ships and vessels being much larger than probably anyone in 1905 could imagine, those principles still exist to help the shipping industry through the good and bad times.

The original meeting in 1905 was the Baltic and White Sea Conference which was designed to standardize freight rates for moving lumber and trees around the Baltic and White Sea areas. In 1909, membership was expanded to include shipping interests from the rest of the world as well as brokers in order to make the association more inclusive. After World War One, P&I Clubs became members. They brought with them valuable insurance and legal assistance. In 1920, owners of sailboats were included in the organization as there were still a number of sailboats employed in the "tramp trade".

The name of the Baltic and White Sea Conference was changed to the Baltic and International Maritime Council. The name change reflects the growing international flavor of the organization. Today, BIMCO memberships are found in 120 countries with over 900 owners. These 900 owners represent 14,000 vessels which amounts to roughly 65% of the total cargo capacity worldwide.

If you or someone you know has been hurt on a ship either through employment or leisure, there may be legal options available to you. Contact the Admiralty Lawyers of Williams Kherkher at 1-866-950-9000 to discuss these legal options and to schedule an initial consultation.