For the first time Bulgaria will welcome the annual OCEAN Board meeting and OCEAN Customs and Taxations Working Group meeting. The event will be hosted in Sofia on 26th and 27th April by the Bulgarian Ship Suppliers Association – BSSA. BSSA is the only non-government organization in Bulgaria, which unites and protects the interest of Bulgarian ship supply companies. The OCEAN Board meeting will be attended by the NEW ISSA President, Mr. Saeed Malik who kindly accepted OCEAN’s invitation.  
The European Ship Supply Organization (OCEAN) was established in 1976 with the aim to provide optimum business climate for the European ship supply companies and to enhance the image of the sector as a whole. OCEAN is actively working towards unification of the rules for ship supply activity in the European countries. Brexit is another challenge for the Organization and it is engaged in alleviating its impact on the ship supply companies.
The organization of OCEAN meetings in Bulgaria will provide the opportunity to highlight the advantages of Bulgaria as a ship supply destination and to point the attention towards the challenges of companies in the Black Sea region.  
The Chairman of BSSA, Mr. Alexander Alexandrov expressed satisfaction with hosting the event in Bulgaria: „It is great honour for the Bulgarian Ship Suppliers Association to welcome OCEAN member in our country. For us, this is an important step towards enhancing good relation of international cooperation, and we hope that it will become a tradition to hold such events in Bulgaria in the future”.