Helping our members keep world trade moving - since 1905.
Our values
Trusted
Knowledgeable
Relevant
Proactive
Caring
Our vision
To be the chosen partner trusted to provide leadership to the global shipping industry.
Our Mission
To be at the forefront of global developments in shipping, providing expert knowledge and practical advice to safeguard and add value to our members’ businesses.
Facilitating trade is at the very heart of our business, and since 1905, we’ve helped our members keep world trade moving. We make it our business to help our members with theirs.
BIMCO members cover two-thirds of the world's tonnage and consist of local, global, small and large companies. We are an organisation and global shipping community of 2,100 members in 120 countries.
From our offices in Athens, Brussels, Copenhagen, Houston, London, Shanghai and Singapore we aim to help build a resilient industry in a sustainable future whilst protecting world trade. We do this by finding practical solutions for our members to help them manage risk in a changing world.
Film: We ARE BIMCO
Our Strategy 2026 is focused on the day-to-day delivery of our core business: contracts, regulation and expert knowledge. These foundations remain central to how we serve our members and respond to the evolving needs of the shipping industry. By strengthening and integrating these areas, we ensure our work is practical, relevant and directly aligned with the challenges and opportunities our members face. Together, they position us as a trusted leader in shipping, providing clarity, confidence and leadership in a constantly changing world where reliable information may become increasingly hard to identify.
Below are the five interconnected themes the strategy is built around:
BIMCO's ambition is to remain the trusted expert and practical voice of shipping. As information becomes easier to access, trusted expertise becomes more valuable. We must continue to provide reliable, evidence-based insight and represent our members with credibility, authority and integrity.
This theme is underpinned by three principles:
Together, these principles help ensure BIMCO remains a respected and independent voice for the global shipping industry.
Our contracts and clauses are among BIMCO's most important contributions to global trade. We will continue developing balanced and globally accepted standards that reduce risk, improve efficiency and facilitate commerce across international markets.
This theme is guided by three principles:
These principles ensure our contractual work remains practical, responsive and aligned with the realities of modern shipping.
Regulation only works if it can be applied in practice. BIMCO will continue engaging with regulators and international organisations to support globally aligned and operationally workable regulation.
This theme focuses on:
Our aim is not only to provide policymakers with insight into the practical realities of shipping, but also to help members understand what regulatory developments mean for their businesses.
Knowledge remains one of BIMCO's greatest strengths. Members rely on us to turn technical and operational challenges into practical guidance, tools and services.
This theme is centred around:
From contracts and guidance to training and digital solutions, we will continue investing in the expertise that helps members manage risk and succeed in an increasingly demanding environment.
Organisational Excellence underpins everything else we do. To continue delivering value, BIMCO must remain resilient, adaptable and ready for the future.
This theme focuses on:
This means making better use of data, improving how we work and adopting new technologies where they can help us deliver more effectively. AI technology will play an important role as a tool to enable our teams to spend more time applying their expertise, judgement and member insight where it matters most.
