Emanuele Grimaldi takes MISA helm as Malta flag nears 100 million gross tonnes

The Malta International Shipowners Association (MISA) has announced that Emanuele Grimaldi will take over as President following its Annual General Meeting, held on 9 October at The Malta Chamber in Valletta.

Mr. Grimaldi, a founding member of MISA and with extensive experience in leading other shipping bodies, succeeds Marily Frangista, who has led the Association since April 2022 and will now serve as Vice President, while Dr John Coustas continues as Secretary/Treasurer.

The transition comes as the Malta ship register has reached 94 million gross tonnes, consolidating its position as Europe’s largest ship register and bringing it closer to the 100 million gross tonnes milestone.

Commenting on his new role, Mr. Grimaldi said: “MISA was established in 2004, on the eve of Malta’s accession to the European Union, out of a shared vision to provide a collective voice for owners and bareboat charterers of Malta-flagged vessels operating internationally.

“I am proud to have been closely involved since its establishment and wish to acknowledge John Lyras, with whom I shared that vision, our fellow founding members and former Presidents Nicky Pappadakis and Melina Travlos for their contributions.

“I wish to pay particular tribute to our outgoing President, Marily Frangista, for her outstanding dedication and the tremendous work she has undertaken, especially over the past couple of years, to strengthen MISA, raise its profile and enhance its international engagement.”

Outgoing President Marily Frangista said: “It has been a great privilege to serve as President of MISA over the past four and a half years. I am delighted that Emanuele Grimaldi, a founding member of our Association and one of the most distinguished figures in the international shipping community, is taking over. I wish him every success and look forward to continuing to support MISA and its work.”

Dr. Claudia Vella Casagrande, Secretary General of MISA, said: “MISA has made important progress in strengthening its role as a bridge between the Malta-flagged fleet and the Maltese authorities, expanded its presence at European and international levels, and broadened its membership to better reflect the diversity of the fleet. We look forward to building on this progress with Emanuele and further strengthening MISA’s contribution to Malta’s maritime future.”

MISA’s two-day gathering, which took place the same week as the Malta Maritime Summit, brought together senior representatives of Government, the Opposition, authorities, diplomats and maritime stakeholders, underlining the Association’s growing reach.

Minister Chris Bonett participated throughout the programme, while Ministers Silvio Schembri and Miriam Dalli contributed by video. International participants included Thomas A. Kazakos, Secretary General of the International Chamber of Shipping (ICS), and Fanny Lossy, Senior Director at European Shipowners | ECSA. European Commissioner Apostolos Tzitzikostas also attended MISA’s dinner on 8 October.

The discussions spanned decarbonisation, competitiveness, international maritime governance, maritime security and the human element. They reflected the pride MISA’s members take in flying the Malta flag and their commitment to its continued success. MISA emphasised the need to strengthen Malta’s wider maritime business environment through closer coordination across Government and continued engagement between the authorities and the international shipowners it represents, while encouraging Malta to make fuller use of its considerable standing and influence as a leading flag State in shaping European and international shipping policy.