WELSH STEPS DOWN AS HEAD OF EUROPEAN SHIPPERS’ COUNCIL

WELSH STEPS DOWN AS HEAD OF EUROPEAN SHIPPERS’ COUNCIL    Chris Welsh, the long-time secretary general of the European Shippers’ Council, has stepped down.
   He has taken a new position as head of campaigns with the Freight Transport Association, the British member of the Brussels-based European shippers’ federation.
   Andrew Traill, head of European affairs at the Freight Transport Association, has been named acting secretary general of the European Shippers’ Council pending the appointment of a new secretary general.
   It is expected that Welsh’s successor will be named at the forthcoming meeting of chairmen of the European Shippers’ Council in April.
   Welsh leaves the European Shippers’ Council after several active years during which the organization has played an influential role reducing the power of freight conferences, convincing the European Commission to start a review of carriers’ antitrust immunity, increasing the cooperation between the ESC and other international organizations of shippers, and working with airlines and ocean carriers on common performance indicators.