José Gonzalez new chairman of YoungShip Belgium

 

José Gonzalez succeeds Keshia Janssens as chairman of the maritime youth organization YoungShip Belgium. "It is important to listen to young professionals so that we get an even better picture of what is happening in their sector," he says.

YoungShip Belgium is a non-profit association aimed at bringing together young professionals (up to 39 years old) from the maritime and port world and organizing networking activities. On Wednesday, February 21, 2024, the association kicked off the new year with the first board meeting and the biennial presidential election. José Gonzalez was unanimously elected as the new chairman by the board of directors. He takes over from Keshia Janssens, who will take on a more active role as chairwoman of YoungShip International.

Listening

"I am pleased to have been given the opportunity and trust of my fellow board members to take on the role of chairman," says José Gonzalez. "Looking to the future, we want to reach even more young people with a view to diversity," he says.

"It is important to listen to young people so that as a board of directors, we get an even better picture of what is happening in the maritime sector," he emphasizes. "What are the current topics that interest them, what challenges are they facing, and what do they need? By organizing networking events and activities, we provide young professionals with the opportunity to meet, catch up, but also to share ideas and stimulate innovative thinking, which ultimately contributes to the development of the broader maritime industry."

DEME

Like his predecessor Keshia Janssens, Gonzalez also works in the dredging sector. Since 2017, he has been employed by the Belgian group DEME. In his current role, he serves as lead category manager in corporate procurement.

International YoungShip originated in Norway in 2004 and has since spread to several other countries. Belgium started with five board members in 2018. At present, the Belgian association has around 300 members with a core group of about 60 members. The estimated number of members worldwide is around 8,000 in 36 countries.

YoungShip International has gained considerable experience and credibility in the sector through its various departments, increasingly acting as an interest group. To represent the viewpoints of young professionals, YoungShip aspires to become an advisory body to the International Maritime Organization (IMO) of the United Nations. YoungShip Belgium is also represented at the international ministerial conference on the welfare of seafarers, which will take place on March 8, 2024, in Brussels. Keshia Janssens, chairwoman of YoungShip International and member of the board of directors of YoungShip Belgium, will speak there about the attractiveness of the sector.

Stronger together

Due to its great success, the second edition of the youth congress Young Antwerp Anchorage (YAA) will take place on May 30, 2024, at the KAVA Congress Center in Antwerp. The event is organized by four different youth network organizations, namely YoungShip Belgium, Young Forward, Jong Voka/Alfaport Voka, ASV The Next Generation.

Ocean Film Tour The next event of YoungShip Belgium is the anniversary edition of the film festival for ocean lovers 'Ocean Film Tour'. This will take place on March 26, 2024, at the Zuiderpershuis. More information and registration can be found on our website.

 

Source Flows © Julie Desmet


Programma Portilog 2022-2023 online

Dear YoungShippers!

You are never too old to learn. As such we promote eveyone to keep learning. Our sponsor Portilog is specilised in trainings and their offer for 2022-2022 is online. Registrations are open for our members.

You can consult the digital brochure via the link.


Renewed sponsorship by Portilog in 2022

Looking forward to another year working together!

We are delighted to announce that we have recently renewed the sponsorship agreement with Portilog.

Portilog is an independent training provider. Thay stand for "hands-on port-related and logistics training".  They offer specialized courses focused on shipping, freight forwarding, customs and logistics and other closely linked subjects in the ports of Antwerp, Ghent and Zeebruggge.

Their courses range from security (PFSO) over Customs, chartering, IMDG, financial and law-related subject. Anything you can imagine needing in a maritime job!

As YoungShip Belgium, we are very happy to be able to present a training provider to our members. Learning is growing and as young potentials, we can only profit from that. Thank you Portilog for the continued cooperation!


First sponsor 2022: Channel Sailing

We are very proud and happy to announce our first sponsor for 2022!

Thanks to Channel Sailing we will be racing our YoungShip regatta again this summer! So looking forward to that summer breeze combined with the excitement of a regatta!

Channel Sailing is a chartering company of sailing yachts based in Knokke-Heist and Cadzand, who go by the motto “we go the extra nautical mile for you”. After several years of working together, we can vouch for that!