SCARA Christmas Message 2023

Dear SCARA member,

With Christmas upon us and another excellent SCARA annual lunch, already a month ago, the committee felt they would like to send you all a message updating SCARA progress.

Those of you who attended the annual lunch will know what a real success the event was this year with just under 100 members in attendance. Our guest speaker was Jeremy Nixon, now the CEO of ONE Line based in Singapore who gave a very interesting insight into all aspects of liner shipping this year and into the future. If you attended the lunch and enjoyed it, please tell your friends, and ask them to come with you next year and if you did not attend and are thinking about it then the date next year will be Tuesday 12th November 2024 and we would urge you to put it in your diary right now! We’d love to see you.

For 2024 we are also hoping to expand the SCARA regional events as the committee absolutely believes that our aim is to get as many OCL/P&OCL and PONL people as we can at a SCARA event that suits you.

The year will start with an event in Leeds during January. Early March should see an Essex event in Stanford-Le-Hope, hopefully with a visit to London Gateway Container Terminal included. The next Southampton lunch will be 18th April and the annual Golf Day will be on 16th May in Brentwood. A couple of other locations are being discussed for 2024 but should you have any ideas or suggestions please drop any one of the committee an email.

The Committee has seen some changes this year with Chris Evans, Hilary Perring and Fiona Ruxton all standing down. I would like to offer my personal thanks to them for their contribution over the years and their help in SCARA maintaining a strong position 20 years after it was set up. I’d also like to welcome Michael Chapman and Michiel Messchaert to the committee. Again, if you feel that you would like to join the SCARA committee then please let me know.

The current members of the committee are Mary Anthony (nee Costello) (Treasurer), James Baxter, Peder Braendeholm, Michael Chapman, David Charlesworth, David Cross (Chairman), Eleanor Grady (Minute Secretary), Belinda McCormack (Membership Secretary), Michiel Messchaert and Geoff Sharman.

Wishing you all a very Happy Christmas and all the best for 2024 and we look forward to seeing as many of you as possible during next year.

David Cross

SCARA Chairman