This article was first published in the Spring/Summer 2016 issue of International Cruise & Ferry Review. All information was correct at the time of printing, but may since have changed.
Building on relatively modest origins in the US in 1976, Interferry is now recognised as a trade association with global influence – not least through consultative status at the International Maritime Organization (IMO). All the same, we recognise that there is still work to be done before we can claim to be the voice of the worldwide ferry industry.
The current reality is that 78% of our membership is from Europe and the Americas, leaving only 22% from Africa, Asia and the Pacific. A dedicated recruitment campaign to address this imbalance has become a major priority – and it starts in earnest this year with our 41st annual conference in Manila in October.
Since 2000 only three Interferry conferences have been held outside Europe and the Americas – Gold Coast, Australia, in 2002, Hong Kong in 2008 and Dubai in 2012. Our last Asian venue before this was also in the Philippines. That was back in 1999, so our return to the region will not be a moment too soon – and there are literally millions of reasons to be back.
Sweden’s Shippax organisation has estimated the size of the global ferry industry at 2.2 billion passengers per year. This includes three million in central Asia, 35m in the Pacific, 110m in Africa, 304m in the Americas, 798m in Europe – and a staggering 933m in SE Asia. What an opportunity for Interferry!
So what is the strategy? Over the years we have learned that there are two primary ways to recruit new members – word of mouth and attracting people to attend the conference. Word of mouth works best in regions like Europe and America, where Interferry already has a critical mass of members, but this is not the situation in Asia so our focus needs to be on the conference.
In awarding the 2016 conference to the Philippines, we were exceptionally fortunate to have an innovative, forward-thinking operator to be the Interferry president and host of the event. Chet Pastrana, founder and head of Philippine Archipelago Ferries, was an ideal candidate. His company is an industry leader, having introduced the first ferries to have been purpose-built for the Philippines – modern, safe, efficient, medium-speed ro-pax catamarans.
The challenge before us now is to develop a speakers’ programme that will be of compelling interest to operators and suppliers not just from Asia but from around the world. In this respect we are delighted to report that Korea’s Kitack Lim, who took office as the new IMO Secretary-General in January, has accepted our invitation to be the keynote speaker during the opening session on 17 October.
We regard his attendance as doubly significant. In the first place, it’s a particularly attractive chance for our existing and potential members in Asia to meet him close to home. Furthermore, for many years Interferry has worked closely with the IMO to help improve ferry safety in developing nations, notably in SE Asia. Last year we were jointly involved in a special conference on the subject in Manila in April and a follow-up regional seminar in Malaysia in October. Since then we have initiated discussions with the IMO technical cooperation division about staging another regional seminar. The Secretary-General’s presence at Interferry 2016 will undoubtedly help to ensure that the relevant countries are made aware of the opportunity to participate in a further seminar on such a vital issue.
The speakers’ programme will certainly address the vast scope that exists for the expansion of ferry services in SE Asia. Most existing services are domestic but there is huge potential for linking countries like the Philippines with Indonesia and Malaysia. Delegates will also want to know about potential threats that may impact their business.
Through our growth strategy, we hope to ensure that the world beyond our traditional recruitment hunting grounds will no longer be uncharted territory for Interferry delegates.