“The visit confirmed the high priority given to maritime issues and underscored the importance of constructive cross-border cooperation to ensure fair competition and a level playing field in global shipping”, says Director General of the Danish Maritime Authority, Brian Adrian Wessel, who has just returned from Washington D.C., where he met with a number of U.S. maritime counterparts in his capacity as Chair of the Consultative Shipping Group (CSG).
Every year, the CSG Chair meets with U.S. authorities and maritime stakeholders to discuss shipping policy issues and initiatives. This year, the Chair met with the U.S. Department of State, Maritime Administration (MARAD), U.S. Coast Guard, Federal Maritime Commission and the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative to address a range of key topics and to present the CSG’s position.
The meetings included discussions on how to ensure fair competition and resilient supply chains, and the dialogue highlighted the importance of finding common solutions at a time when complex challenges affect international shipping.
There was a shared understanding of the need for international regulation and a common ambition to strengthen efforts to address insufficient compliance with international rules in shipping. Current U.S. maritime initiatives were also discussed, including proposals for general port fees on foreign vessels. From the CSG side, it was emphasized that unilateral national measures in a global and highly integrated sector such as shipping risk creating fragmentation and distorting competition, and that predictable and consistent framework conditions are essential for resilient supply chains.