The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) should focus on regulatory reforms, according to members of the tripartite shippers' councils.
A tripartite shippers' delegation, which attended an OECD regulatory reform workshop in Paris earlier this year, helped the gathering focus on the need to do more work on the effects of common pricing and the impact of discussion and stabilisation agreements on shippers and shipowners.
'With the first phase of the workshop now completed, the tripartite shippers' delegation will be submitting a follow-up communication that supports the OECD's continued work on this issue,' said Hong Kong Shippers' Council executive director Sunny Ho.
The group consists of the US National Industrial Transportation League, the Japan Shippers' Council and the European Shippers' Council.
Its meeting, held in Haifa, Israel, last week, was attended by shippers' councils of Hong Kong, Thailand, Canada and Singapore, and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, which endorsed the joint declaration.
Mr Ho said the tripartite submission would urge the OECD to consider carefully various topics as part of its study, including immunity and pricing in international ocean shipping, entry and exit from trade routes, carriers' financial positions, industry cost structures and cost trends, market concentration, activities of discussion agreements and the role of technology in reducing costs and increasing flexibility.
Mr Ho said the tripartite members agreed to pursue a strategy that would allow continued co-operative efforts to make changes to rules to enhance competition in maritime transport.