TMS Tanker Shipping Conference Session 1: Assessing The Short And Long Term Picture
The sixth annual The Maritime Standard Tanker Conference takes place on 23 November in person at the Dubai World Trade Centre, and one of the highlights of the programme is sure to be the opening Session 1, which has the theme ‘Tanker trades – assessing the short and long term picture.’
Clive Woodbridge, Conference Editor, says, “The opening part of the Conference sets the tone for what is going to be a really informative and stimulating day. There is a lot of uncertainty about the immediate and longer term outlook for tankers and the top quality speakers we have lined up for this session will get proceedings off to a high tempo start.”
Kicking off the initial session, conference attendees will hear a keynote speech by Dr Ibrahim Al Nadhairi, CEO of ASYAD Shipping and Drydock Services. This presentation will provide a unique perspective on tanker markets, as the company is both a leading tanker operator and a provider of drydocking services. Clive says, “We are delighted and very fortunate to have someone of Dr Ibrahim’s calibre and experience to be our keynote speaker this year. I am sure his observations on overarching market trends will be of great interest.”
Moving onto the main part of Session 1, panellists will reflect on recent changes to regional oil and petrochemical trade flows, future market prospects as well as tanker fleet growth projections. Speakers will look at markets both from a global perspective and also at the specific characteristics of the Middle East and Subcontinent trades.
Shipowner executives confirmed to speak in Session 1 include Captain Abdulkareem Al Masabi, CEO of ADNOC Logistics & Services, and Mrs H.K Joshi, Chairperson and Managing Director of the Shipping Corporation of India. They will assess likely tanker shipping trends over the short and longer terms, and how their companies are adjusting priorities, plans and strategies to reflect these trends. This will include initiatives underway to strengthen their respective tanker fleets.
The ports and terminals perspective will be provided by DP World’s Captain Nasser Sabt, Director of Marine at Jebel Ali Port, and Captain Maktoum Al Houqani, Chief Corporate Authority Officer, Abu Dhabi Ports. They will reflect on the liquid bulk trade patterns that the two leading UAE ports are seeing and their plans to facilitate tanker trade growth over the coming years.
Leading the biggest tanker repair yard in the region, Captain Rado Antolovic, Chief Executive of Drydocks World, will describe demand scenarios for repair and upgrade services from the sector, and will highlight the master plan the yard is preparing to ensure it can continue to provide high levels of service to tanker owners and operators as their requirements evolve.
Session 1 will also include a presentation by Andy McKeran, Business Director, Maritime Performance Services, Lloyds Register, who will describe some of the ways that the leading classification society is helping tanker shipping companies improve their operational efficiency. In addition, Navin Kumar, Director, Maritime Research at Drewry Shipping Consultants, will draw on his deep interest in cost modelling for shipping and what is described as a “natural affinity for number crunching” to present an overarching review of prospects for all tanker shipping sectors.
Clive, who will chair Session 1, adds, “Many market analysts believe that short term pain will give way to significant longer term gains as the market fundamentals rebalance. Ultimately it seems there is no reason why the rest of the 2020s should not be years of growth for those active in tanker shipping and I expect that speakers in this first session will underscore the opportunities that exist in the short, medium and long term, while not downplaying the very real challenges.”
For more information about the conference and how to register please go to: www.tmstankerconference.com
