Newsletter 7 – October 2005

Intermodal Show, Bilbao
Shanghai Members Meeting and AGM
Working Group developments and progress
Two Surveys: Fleet Size and COA Feedback
Membership

1. COA at the Intermodal Show, Bilbao – 8-10 November 2005

The COA will be exhibiting on Stand D49 at the Intermodal 2005 show, taking place in Bilbao from 8-10 November 2005.

Both Members and non-Members companies are welcome to visit the stand - and, of course, to use it as a meeting-place. Refreshments will be served, and there will be information about COA membership, the Shanghai conference and Working Group progress and initiatives.

Thanks to the following companies for sponsoring the Exhibition Stand:

Gold Sponsors

- Capital Lease

- ICSB

- XINES

Silver Sponsors

- Blue Sky Intermodal

- Bureau Veritas

- CMC International

- Informa

- Intermodal Equipment Associates (Martec, Van Doorn and Gavan)

- Sea Box

For further information about Intermodal 2005, click on www.intermodal-events.com

2. COA Members Meeting & AGM, Shanghai – 8/9 December 2005

Delegate registrations are already being received for the COA Members Meeting in Shanghai, taking place at the Crowne Plaza Hotel, Shanghai on 8/9 December 2005. To assist with planning, please send in your registration forms as soon as possible.

The Conference Programme, Registration Information and Registration Form are all available on the COA website, or by clicking here.

The preliminary programme is outlined below. There will be three Keynote Presentations, while the Working Group Sessions will be divided into parallel break-out sessions. The COA’s 2005 AGM will be held on Friday 9^th December 2005 at 09.00.

Day 1	Thursday 8 December 2005	Day 2	Friday 9 December 2005
10:00 10:30 10:35 10:45 11:30 12:00	Registration & Coffee Introduction from the COA Secretary Welcome: Michael Callus, Chairman Keynote Speaker (1) WG update and introduction Intermodal 2006 & the COA - Presentation by Informa	09:00 10:00 10:15 10:45 11:15	COA Annual General Meeting Break Keynote Speaker (2) Refreshments WG reports - Container Logistics - Safety and Security
12:15	Lunch	12:45	Lunch
13:30	Working Group Meetings (Sessions A & B to be held in parallel) - WG A: Container Standards - WG B: Quality Management	13:45 14:15 14:45 15:30	Keynote Speaker (3) AQIS Container Flooring Compliance With AQIS approval, CSIRO has the responsibility of analysing random samples of plywood container flooring for compliance with AQIS guidelines. The latest findings of the CSIRO study will be presented WG Review - Summary of WG findings - Implementation plan Conference Summary
15:30	Refreshments	16:00	Conference Concludes
16:00	Working Group Meetings (Sessions C & D to be held in parallel) - WG C: New Materials - WG D: Repair Standards	17:00	End of conference Reception
19:00	Evening River Cruise and Dinner *Kindly sponsored by Capital Lease*

Presentations

Members wishing to make presentations in the WG sessions should contact the Secretary (secretary@containerownersassociation.org). All presentations have to be approved by the COA Board before the Meeting.

Sponsorship

Member Companies are invited to maximise their profile at the Shanghai Meeting by benefiting from one of a range of Sponsorship Opportunities. Capital Lease is kindly sponsoring dinner on the evening of 8 December. For further information about other sponsorship options, please contact the COA Secretary.

3. Working Groups

Progress is continuing with the COA Working Groups.

Container Standards

A draft version of the COA Standard Leasing Company Specification is now being prepared; this should be ready in the next few weeks and it will presented to Members at the Shanghai Members Meeting in December.

New Materials

Flooring – Members will have received a message in the last few days concerning container flooring systems, asking for Members comments, feedback and information. We would very much encourage you to contribute any information that you have to assist in the publication of the 2^nd Edition of the Report.

Container Logistics

Standard Lease Contract - This WG has been created from the previous Container Interchange WG. Its next project is the development of a COA Standard Lease Contract, based on the BIMCO contract document. Many shipping lines are now increasingly requesting a standard leasing document from lessors, and this will be of great assistance to lessors and lessees alike.

Quality Management

Code of Acceptance - A standard Code of Acceptance for dry containers is now being reviewed by members of the Quality Management WG. A standard process for audit of depots is now being tested and reviewed. A standard process for inspection at reefer container factories is also currently being reviewed by WG members.

Repair Standards

Methods and Processes - This WG was established to monitor acceptable and industry normal repair methods and processes; to develop and maintain industry standard repair standards for all container types; and to liaise with the Container Standards Working Group to ensure repair standards reflect the needs of all recommended container specifications.

Safety and security

Monitoring requirements - Also following Amsterdam, this WG was established to monitor international security requirements to ensure that container specifications reflect these needs; to work with the Repair Standards WG to ensure that safety is not compromised; and to monitor and work with other safety and security related organisations to ensure that Members are kept abreast of these issues.

Companies wishing to participate in WGs, and contribute to their work, should contact Bill Brassington (Bill.Brassington@geseaco.com)

4. Two Surveys

During the course of the next week, COA Members will be invited to participate in two surveys:

- COA Members Fleet Sizes: COA Members represent a major share of the world container market. In order to quantify the share more precisely, a survey of COA Members’ fleet sizes is to be carried out. A questionnaire will be sent to Full Members in the next few weeks.

- COA Feedback: At the beginning of next month, the COA will celebrate the first anniversary since it was officially established in Copenhagen in November 2004. To help the COA Board and Secretariat evaluate Members’ opinions about the progress of the Association, we will be inviting feedback and comments. Your response will be both helpful and appreciated.

5. Membership

COA membership continues to grow, with the figure now standing at 60 members. New members who have joined since September include: Super Rack Shipping, Thermo King, Jindo Corporation, Kronoply and Informa. A full list of members can be obtained by clicking here.

Companies who interested in joining the COA can find a Membership Application Form on the COA website (www.containerownersassociation.org) or contact the Secretariat (secretary@containerownersassociation.org)