Conference Programme 2015
The event, held against the backdrop of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix at Abu Dhabi’s Park Hyatt hotel, will bring together experts from the fields of shipping, ports, banking, finance, trade and maritime law, among others, to discuss and debate the key issues and trends facing the market in the Middle East and Subcontinent. They will share their insights and knowledge through a series of presentations and panel discussions, which aim to signpost the way forward, identifying the key challenges as well as the significant opportunities that exist.
An unrivalled high level list of keynote speakers has been lined up and these will be followed by a series of senior executives with many years’ experience in their chosen fields. Conference sessions will deal with a number of themes including regional trade patterns, ship finance and ports and shipping. The event will be rounded off by presentations of a number of specific case studies illustrating how the financial sector has helped unlock the potential of regional shipping and ports operators to the benefit of trade and economic growth. It is a not to be missed event that will be extremely high profile and informative, with extensive opportunities for networking.
Download the Full Conference Programme.
Conference takes place on 26 November from 08:00 Hrs, and culminates with a cocktail reception on the same day at 17:30 Hrs.
An unrivalled high level list of keynote speakers has been lined up and these will be followed by a series of senior executives with many years’ experience in their chosen fields.
Conference Programme Outline
Registration & Welcome Coffee
Welcome by
Clive Woodbridge, Editor, The Maritime Standard
Welcome by Trevor Pereira, Managing Director, The Maritime Standard
Address by H.E. Salem Al Zaabi, Director General, Federal Transport Authority-Land & Maritime
Keynote Session
Sponsored by : 
Round-up by Clive Woodbridge, Editor, The Maritime Standard
Coffee Break
Session 1 – Regional Trade Patterns & Ship Finance
- Energy price trends and their impact on regional trade. What are the likely consequences for shipping markets?
- Economic diversification and the creation of export opportunities. What is required of regional shipping companies and ports, to meet growing need for outbound cargo flows?
- India – the sleeping giant? What can the market expect as a result of India’s economic development over the next five years? What challenges have to be addressed?
- Iran – How will the easing of sanctions impact on regional trade? How should companies prepare for the opportunities that will arise?
- How can the banking sector assist unlocking regional trade opportunities? What does the financial services sector need to do better?
- Financing fleet expansion – What is good practice? What new financing tools are emerging and which are fit for purpose?
- Can the UAE become a regional ship finance hub?
Panel Discussion
Question & Answer Session
Session 1
Clive Woodbridge (Session Chair) Editor, The Maritime Standard
Speakers and Panelists:
H.E. Eng. Ahmed M. Shareef AlkhooriDirector General
Federal Transport Authority - Land & Marine
Capt. Abdulkareem Al MasabiCEO
ADNOC Logistics & Services
Capt. Mohamed Juma Al ShamisiCEO
Abu Dhabi Ports
Ali ShehabActing CEO
Kuwait Oil Tanker Company
Chris PetersCEO
Emirates Ship Investment Company LLC
Zhang WeiAssistant General Manager
Industrial and Commercial Bank of China Limited (ICBC)
Capt. S.R. PatnaikCEO
International Shipping & Logistics
Bobby VargheseVice President- Financial Strategy
Abu Dhabi Ports
Andrew SimmonsCEO
Global Marine Transport Capital LLC
Vijay KamathRegional Head
North Star Asia Maritime Pte. Ltd. (NSAM)
Nitin MehtaCEO
Tomini Group
George GiannakisManaging Director
StormHarbour
Capt. Harihar PrasadManaging Director
McQuilling Shipping Services DMCC, Dubai
Christopher James ThomasCFO
ADNOC Logistics & Services
KB ChandhiramouliDirector- Shipping, Aviation & ECA Financing
Faber Capital
Lunch
Sponsored by: 
Session 2 – Ports and Shipping
- The role of ports as enablers of economic development
- Financing the growth of port capacity in line with demand. How can bottlenecks be avoided.
- The role of international terminal operators in the region. Should the market be opened up to external competition more than it is now?
- Subcontinent ports – how can the full potential be unlocked in future and what are the implications for the Middle East ports sector?
Panel Discussion
Question & Answer
Question & Answer Session
Session 2
Jesper Kjaedegaard (Session Chair), Partner, Mercator International
Speakers and Panelists:
H.E. Eng. Ahmed M. Shareef AlkhooriDirector General
Federal Transport Authority - Land & Marine
Capt. Abdulkareem Al MasabiCEO
ADNOC Logistics & Services
Capt. Mohamed Juma Al ShamisiCEO
Abu Dhabi Ports
Ali ShehabActing CEO
Kuwait Oil Tanker Company
Chris PetersCEO
Emirates Ship Investment Company LLC
Zhang WeiAssistant General Manager
Industrial and Commercial Bank of China Limited (ICBC)
Capt. S.R. PatnaikCEO
International Shipping & Logistics
Bobby VargheseVice President- Financial Strategy
Abu Dhabi Ports
Andrew SimmonsCEO
Global Marine Transport Capital LLC
Vijay KamathRegional Head
North Star Asia Maritime Pte. Ltd. (NSAM)
Nitin MehtaCEO
Tomini Group
George GiannakisManaging Director
StormHarbour
Capt. Harihar PrasadManaging Director
McQuilling Shipping Services DMCC, Dubai
Christopher James ThomasCFO
ADNOC Logistics & Services
KB ChandhiramouliDirector- Shipping, Aviation & ECA Financing
Faber Capital
Coffee Break
Sponsored by : 
Session 3 – Case Studies
How the finance sector has helped unlock the potential of the regional shipping and ports sector to the benefit of trade, key deals that have been made.
- The final session will feature a number of speakers setting out significant case studies showing how specialist financial and legal expertise has helped unlock the potential of the regional shipping and ports sector to the benefit of trade.
- Speakers will examine key deals that have been made over the past year or so, highlighting the challenges that had to be overcome and the steps that were taken to bring the deal to a successful conclusion.
- Focus on actual, practical examples of financial and legal institutions working together with partners in shipping, ports and logistics, attendees will gain some valuable insights and pointers to the future.
Panel Discussion
Question & Answer
Question & Answer Session
Session 3
Richard Briggs (Session Chair), Executive Partner, Hadef & Partners 
Speakers and Panelists:
H.E. Eng. Ahmed M. Shareef AlkhooriDirector General
Federal Transport Authority - Land & Marine
Capt. Abdulkareem Al MasabiCEO
ADNOC Logistics & Services
Capt. Mohamed Juma Al ShamisiCEO
Abu Dhabi Ports
Ali ShehabActing CEO
Kuwait Oil Tanker Company
Chris PetersCEO
Emirates Ship Investment Company LLC
Zhang WeiAssistant General Manager
Industrial and Commercial Bank of China Limited (ICBC)
Capt. S.R. PatnaikCEO
International Shipping & Logistics
Bobby VargheseVice President- Financial Strategy
Abu Dhabi Ports
Andrew SimmonsCEO
Global Marine Transport Capital LLC
Vijay KamathRegional Head
North Star Asia Maritime Pte. Ltd. (NSAM)
Nitin MehtaCEO
Tomini Group
George GiannakisManaging Director
StormHarbour
Capt. Harihar PrasadManaging Director
McQuilling Shipping Services DMCC, Dubai
Christopher James ThomasCFO
ADNOC Logistics & Services
KB ChandhiramouliDirector- Shipping, Aviation & ECA Financing
Faber Capital
End of Conference followed by Cocktail Reception
Download the Full Conference Programme.
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