Baltic and International Maritime Council

BIMCO was founded in 1905 in Copenhagen by a group of shipowners who came together to agree timber freight rates. In 1913, the organisation created the first draft of a standard charter party agreement. By 2016, the organisation had 2,200 member companies. ==Publications==

near Copenhagen, Denmark BIMCO produces industry guidance and publications in partnership with the Witherby Publishing Group. For example, cyber security has come under increased focus in the maritime industry since the IMO required cyber security to be addressed under the International Safety Management Code and in 2019, BIMCO, the International Chamber of Shipping, and Witherbys published the Cyber Security Workbook for Onboard Ship Use. The second edition of the nautical workbook was published in 2021. In 2021, with Witherbys, BIMCO published an updated guidance title on contractual risks entitled Check Before Fixing. BIMCO publishes industry standard contracts for ocean towage, including TOWCON and TOWHIRE which were updated in 2021. The organisation also publishes shipbuilding contracts. In August 2022, in partnership with Witherbys and ICS, BIMCO issued a guidance title for the shipping industry on biofouling entitled Biofouling, Biosecurity and Hull Cleaning. ==References==