Conference Programme 2019
Event Overview
FINDING INNOVATIVE SOLUTIONS IN A CHANGING GEOPOLITICAL AND ECONOMIC ENVIRONMENT
The fifth annual The Maritime Standard Ship Finance and Trade Conference will be held at the Sofitel Abu Dhabi Corniche on 6th November 2019. It will seek to build on the reputation for quality information sharing and networking earned over the past four years.
In 2018 the Conference attracted a high-quality audience of around 150 executives and decision makers from across the industry. They assembled to discuss and debate the key issues and trends facing the shipping and ports market in the Middle East and the Indian Subcontinent, with a particular focus on financial issues. The audience heard from some of the best-known personalities in the business, all leaders in their chosen fields, who highlighted the importance of building partnerships to help accelerate investment-led growth within the industry.
Wednesday 6th November 2019
Conference Programme Outline
09:00
Registration and welcome refreshments
9:30
Welcome by
Clive Woodbridge
Conference Chairman & Editor, The Maritime Standard
9:35
Inaugural Address by
Trevor Pereira
Managing Director, The Maritime Standard
09:40
Keynote Addresses
- H.E. Eng. Ahmed Mohamed Sharif Al Khoori, Director General,Federal Transport Authority- Land & Maritime
- Capt. Abdulkareem Al Masabi, CEO, ADNOC Logistics & Services
- Capt. Mohamed Juma Al Shamisi, CEO, Abu Dhabi Ports
10:10
Session 1: Accentuating the positive – how to take advantage from regional and global trade trends
- The changing world trade order – what lies in store and how can the maritime sector best position itself for long term success?
- China’s One Belt, One Road – tapping into a once in a generational opportunity
- Does oil supply volatility open up more opportunities than challenges?
- Taking a port perspective – where should investment be focused at a time of rapid change and transformation?
- Tanker operators see light at the end of the tunnel
- Container shipping lines’ regional investment decisions start shaping opportunities
- Profitably financing the shipping industry at a time of political and economic change
- Indian coastal shipping – liberalising a market with huge potential
- Inland transportation – using new technology to increase speed and reduce cost
Speakers:
Ali Shehab
Acting CEO,
Kuwait Oil Tanker Company
Chris Peters
CEO,
Eships
Zhang Wei
Assistant General Manager,
Industrial and Commercial Bank of China Limited (ICIC)
Capt. S.R. Patnaik
CEO,
International Shipping & Logistics
Bobby Varghese
Vice President- Financial Strategy,
Abu Dhabi Ports
12:30
Panel Discussion/Question & Answer Session
12:45
Lunch
13:45
Session 2: Developing future proof solutions
- Will the industry turn more to mergers and acquisitions to secure future stability?
- How can shipowners and operators chart a viable course through challenging environmental waters?
- Attracting inward investment – a case study of success
- Digitalisation and AI – is the industry keeping pace with emerging new technology?
- Hyperloop technology – progress report on a potential game changer
- Should the financial services sector be taking a longer-term view of shipping and maritime?
- Multimodal rail and road transport – integrating shipping and port services with landside logistics
- The automotive trades – catering to the needs of a fast-changing sector
Speakers:
Andrew Simmons
CEO,
Global Marine Transport
Vijay Kamath
Regional Head,
North Star Asia Maritime Pte. Ltd. (NSAM)
Nitin Mehta
CFO,
Tomini Shipping
George Giannakis
Managing Director,
StormHarbour
Capt. Harihar Prasad
Managing Director,
McQuilling Shipping Services
Christopher James Thomas
CFO,
ADNOC Logistics & Services
15:15
Panel Discussion/Question & Answer Session
15:30
Refreshment Break
15:45
Session 3 – Breaking down the barriers to greater shipping and finance industry collaboration
- Chinese banks and financial services – presenting exciting new options for regional shipping and ports investment?
- Islamic Finance tools- how can they be adapted to better meet today’s shipping industry requirements
- Does the industry need new financing tools for the next investment cycle?
- What role do specialist insurers and maritime lawyers have in bridging the gap
- Recent newbuilding projects – case studies in good collaboration
- Alternative financing methods – will they usher in a new era?
- Funding new road, rail and inland waterway services.
Speakers:
K. B. Chandramouli,
Director- Shipping, Aviation,
Faber Capital
Richard Briggs
Vice Chairman, EMAC,
Partner, Hadef & Partners
Nabil Azzouz
Senior Manager-Marine,
Abu Dhabi National Insurance Company
Tien Tai
Partner,
HFW
Nijoe Joseph
Partner,
Stephenson Harwood
17:00
Panel Discussion/Question & Answer Session
17:30
Networking Reception
18:00
End
Download the full conference schedule here
WHAT THE SPEAKERS ARE SAYING
Ksenia ZudinovaExecutive Director, Emirates Zone
It was a pleasure to see that the most important people from the industry were here. It was a very good networking event, allowing us to meet new people. This is very important for us and our clients.
Waleed Al tamimiGeneral Manager, Emirates Clasification Society (TASNEEF)
This is the first time I have attended the conference and I was very impressed with the quality level of the attendees and speakers and also the size of the room that allowed so many people to participate today. There were a lot of excellent speakers who gave us a good picture about getting the right finance for your business, which was useful.
Andrew SimmonsCEO Global Marine Transport Capital LLC
The Ship Finance and Trade Conference is always very enjoyable and interesting. Being a finance guy, it’s great to sit and listen to presentations about ports and other kinds of infrastructure projects.
Capt. S. R. PatnaikCEO, International Shipping & Logistics
I found it to be a very good conference, well organised, with excellent speakers and a variety of topics. I would absolutely recommend it to anyone in the business.
Tien TaiPartner HFW
I really enjoyed the morning session. A wide range of topics were discussed and quite pertinent issues affecting the shipping industry were all raised.
Fazel A. FazelbhoyCEO, Synergy Offshore
The One Belt One Road discussion evoked a lot of reactions. Clearly there are some very positive aspects, but there is also a downside and some risks involved. I was glad that the audience and the panelists were actually engaging in this topic and debating what are the potential issues involved. TMS always does a wonderful job of rounding up the creme de la creme of the industry, so it was great to be there.
Flemming JensenCEO, DTA Ship Agency
A particularly fresh element of the agenda was the fact you had Hyperloop giving us a presentation showing us what the future is going to bring. This demonstrated very clearly that you get onboard or you get left behind.
Bora BarimanHead of the Energy & Marine segment, National Bank of Fujairah
What I enjoyed about this event was the fact that the panels brought together quite unique viewpoints. The panels comprised bankers, management consultants, vessel operators, engineers and law firms, for example, and this really lent itself to a very rich discussion that examined problems from all perspectives.
Ali ShehabActing CEO, Kuwait Oil Tanker Company
This is the fourth event that has been held in the UAE capital Abu Dhabi and this is an important milestone. It's important also to see the support of the UAE authorities, like Abu Dhabi Ports, and other stakeholders to make this event successful.
Giovanni MoscatelliPartner & Managing Director, The Boston Consulting Group
The takeaway for me was that now ship finance is not an isolated sector, but one where there is a willingness to gather together operators, ports, regulators, ship finance and the banks together into a system. Otherwise it will be very difficult to face the future.
Jesper KjaedegaardPartner, Mercator International
We heard that lending institutions are looking at the future slightly more positively perhaps than they were a couple of years ago. The session on ship finance was very upbeat; perhaps not quite full steam ahead yet, but I would say the wheels are running again in the industry. This is an event that is extremely valuable to this region because it's probably the only chance where we can all get together in one room - financial people, ship owners and fund managers - which is very important.
Bobby VargheseVice President- Financial Strategy, Abu Dhabi Ports
For me the discussion on climate change was a really important topic. Most of the participants were concerned about it and while IMO 2020 is a challenge there are opportunities as well, the conference is a great opportunity to meet people and understand the trends in the industry. I really love being here.
Michael SavvaPartner, Watson Farley Williams
I always enjoy coming to this conference and it's great to see the main industry players in the region both on the financing side and the owner's side. It was also extremely pleasant to hear more positive sentiments about the market this year than previously.
Pawan SahniManager Business Development – Middle East,DNV GL
This was my first time at the Ship Finance and Trade Conference, and it was very impressive. The number of delegates who have come in, with people from across the industry, made it very valuable. All the sessions were really good with great questions from the audience as well.
Eduardo FonsecaAmbassador of the Republic of Panama to UAE
TMS events provide a space where you can engage and speak about issues outside of work and create those relationships which are really vital in the region. That's the best value added that TMS conferences have. Having the thought leaders driving change and growth here and in one venue is immensely valuable.
Vivek SethMD, Midgulf Projects & Services
I found the presentations to be extremely stimulating. I particularly enjoyed hearing about the Hyperloop and how this could be a major disruptor in logistics going forward.The benefit of being here is getting to know what new is happening in the market, getting to meet new people and sharing similar and dissimilar ideas, because that's what stimulates a good discussion.
Capt. Zarir IraniMD, Constellation Marine Services and President International Institute of Marine Surveying (IIMS)
It has really been very informative and well attended. We heard a lot of bold presentations about where the money is going to come from and what the colour of the money is going to be. It was a clear statement made by a lot of speakers that the next wave finance is going to be green.
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