Hamburg was the venue for the third Directors' meeting of the Club's centenary year. The meeting was attended by Members and their business partners from Germany and also 17 other European countries. A dinner for Directors, Managers and their guests took place at the Grand Elysee Hotel.
The Hamburg meeting was the last to be attended by James Stockdale in his capacity as Chief Executive Officer of SIMSL. Mr Stockdale, who joined the Club in 1978 as an FD&D adjuster, has been CEO and Senior Manager for the last five years. In his speech at the dinner, Club Chairman, Otto Fritzner, spoke of James' achievements in glowing terms and said:
"We on the board have had the benefit of his first rate intelligence, his extensive expertise in the full range of P&I issues, his absolute integrity and unfailing courtesy."
Mr Fritzer made a presentation to Mr Stockdale in recognition of his 31 years of service to the Club. (See image left.)
Mr Fritzner spoke of the importance of German, Italian and other European Members to the development of the Club over more than half a century:
" ...
In 1949 D. G. Neptune line entered five vessels in the Club and in 1952 Herr Franz Stickon of Neptune line joined the Club Board, the first in a long line of distinguished German Board Members. In 1960 Dr. Kurt Von Laun of D. G. Neptune line became the first non-British resident Chairman of the Club. Since that time German shipowners have provided an unbroken line of Board Members and several Chairmen, notable names have included Herren Ahrenkiel, father and son, Herr Erich Ebers, Herr Jurgen Wilhoeft and Herr Herbert Juniel. The Club has benefited enormously from the wise counsel of these men and has often had cause to draw on their Germanic qualities of business logic and resolute determination. Not an easy thing for a Norwegian shipping man to acknowledge!
Currently the club has 24 fleets entered from Germany with a total tonnage of 6 million GRT.
The other mainstay of the Club’s European business has been Italy. Indeed, by 1951 nearly half the Club’s entered tonnage was from Italy. Today that percentage is somewhat reduced, as a result of Club growth elsewhere in the world. Illustrious Italian names that have figured prominently in the Club’s history include Aldo Grimaldi, Achille Lauro, Glauco Lolli-Ghetti and Gian Carlo Zacchello.
In recent years the Club’s European Membership in countries other than Germany has grown steadily and particular mention should be made of Conti Lines and Flamar in Belgium, Colombia Shipmanagement and Marlow in Cyprus, CGM/CMA in France, Polferries in Poland and the European inland craft facility arranged by Post & Co.
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