INTERCARGO, the International Association of Dry Cargo Shipowners, and RightShip, the leading global ESG focused digital maritime platform, proudly launch the Dry Bulk Centre of Excellence, an independent, not-for-profit industry organisation dedicated to the administration of the Dry Bulk Management Standard  framework.

DryBMS was developed by INTERCARGO and RightShip, with input from experts and stakeholders across the sector, as an industry tool to raise standards and best practices across safety, security, environmental performance, and social welfare in the dry shipping sector.  INTERCARGO and RightShip have worked closely to establish the DBCE to further evolve and disseminate the DryBMS framework.

An independent, not-for-profit organisation entirely separate from its founding organisations, DBCE will be run by an independent management team and will adopt a governance model convened from ship owners, managers, and charterers. This will foster greater cooperation and collaboration between key stakeholders and achieve the common purpose of improving standards and driving operational excellence via active industry participation.

The DBCE Board of Directors will be chaired alternatively by representatives from the community of ship owners/ ship managers and charterers and will have representation from RightShip, INTERCARGO and other industry stakeholders creating a truly collaborative industry initiative.

The DryBMS framework will continue to be accessible to the industry, and, from May 2024, DBCE will maintain a secure portal where ship owners and managers can complete digital self-assessment against the DryBMS framework. Ship owners and managers will then have the optional ability to share the results of their self-assessments with their charterer customers. In addition, DBCE will establish an independent self-assessment audit verification process for evaluating and verifying actual performance against self-assessments. DBCE will accredit independent auditors to its defined standard, whom companies may engage to perform audits of their self-assessments in their respective ship management offices.

DBCE will be led by a newly appointed managing director, Ian McLeod, who commented: “I am delighted to be driving this new initiative. The launch of the DBCE is the next step for the industry in going beyond compliance and achieving excellence, with the support of the DryBMS framework. The welfare of crew, protection of the environment, and sustainable operation of assets form the bedrock of this initiative, all of which encourage companies towards better operational practices. This benefits not just ship owners, but all in the industry. We urge ship owners, managers, and other stakeholders across the sector, to use this tool and to join us on this transformative journey to make dry bulk shipping stronger, safer, and more sustainable.”

Steen Lund, RightShip’s CEO, stated: “It is exciting to be part of a such an important endeavour in lifting standards across dry bulk shipping. DBCE is more than just an administrator for the DryBMS standard; it is a catalyst for collaboration and proactive engagement across the sector. This launch can’t come at a more crucial time – ship owners and managers must be given the resources they need to achieve excellence and strive for zero harm.”

Dimitris Fafalios, Chairman of INTERCARGO, said: “We are collaborating in a scheme that is being developed by the industry and for the industry, which will administer a truly robust standard with the help and expertise of those that the industry relies upon to implement and support it. DBCE’s independence is crucial, ensuring the organisation always works for the benefit of the dry bulk industry as a whole.”