The Maritime e-Commerce Association (MeCA) has now launched its own web site. MeCA is a non-profit making consortium of companies committed to promoting and developing e-business and online trading in the maritime sector, with membership open to any company wishing to improve the way it does business with its buyers and suppliers. MeCA promotes the benefits, opportunities and requirements for e-commerce in all sectors of the maritime industry. These efforts will serve to counteract some of the more negative headlines surrounding e-commerce.

Objectives of the association are:

• To harmonise, evolve and promote common standards across the e-commerce sector. This includes developing language and technical standards, as well as protocols for interoperability between systems.
• To co-operate in marketing and educating the industry about the benefits, opportunities, and requirements for e-commerce in all sectors of the maritime industry.
• To develop a business code focusing on legal aspects and ethical guidelines of e-commerce.