ASEAN Ports Association Malaysia (MAPA)

Movers and Shakers of the Maritime Industry to Gather at Asia Pacific Maritime 2014

Kuala Lumpur, 12 February 2014 – The maritime industry has gone through challenging times in recent years but analysts are optimistic that things are stabilising as it is now entering calmer waters with Asia expected to continue as the main maritime industry driver in 2014.

According to shipping organisation Baltic and International Maritime Council (BIMCO) Chief Shipping Analyst Mr Peter Sand, the maritime industry is looking set to move in the right direction in 2014.

“We are definitely seeing some light at the end of the tunnel. The recent glimpse of sun in the Capesize and VLCC (Very Large Crude Carrier) segments, the slowing demolition activity and NewBuilding ordering gaining traction are all bullish signals,” said Sand.

“With the global economy recovering, the optimistic outlook of the shipping market has never been clearer than now,” said Sand, who will be speaking at the 13^th edition of the bi-annual Asia Pacific Maritime (APM) 2014, which will be held in Singapore between 19 and 21 March 2014.

Themed “Repositioning for Growth in the Asia Pacific Region”, the conference will see a dynamic line-up of international maritime leaders who will provide delegates with insights, address challenges and share trends.

The focus will be on hot topics such as dry bulk demand, maritime finance, green shipping, and the use of maritime technology to cut cost and improve efficiency.

Asia Pacific Maritime 2012

Strong Line-Up of International Speakers

Mr Peter Sand will be joined by a distinguished list of top maritime leaders from all over the world including Mr Roberto Cazzulo, Chairman, VP Corporate Quality and Chairman, RINA Services S.p.A., RINA Group and International Association of Classification Societies (IACS) Council, Italy, Mr Chris Faulkner, Chief Executive Officer, Breitling Oil and Gas and Mr Thomas Kriwat, Chief Executive Officer, Mercantile Shipping Company.

Apart from Sand, Cazzulo, Faulkner and  Kriwat, the line-up of heavy-weight speakers includes:

• Mahesh Iyer, Vice Chairman, Transworld Group Singapore
• George Horsington, President – Business Development, Jaya Holdings
• Capt. Jitesh Jaipuriyar, Chief Operating Officer, Emerald Maritime LLC
• Neal de Rouche, Vice President Asia Pacific, Wilhelmsen Ship Services
• Jeremy Nixon, Chief Executive Officer, NYK Line
• Dr. Joe Thomas, Director, Ballast Water Management Systems, Wärtsilä Environmental Solutions
• Yang ChangKun, Managing Director – Shipping, ICBI Bank, China PRC

Please refer to  Annex A (4756 downloads ) for the full list of speakers and more information on the topics that they will be covering.

Asia in Focus

Despite the slowdown in the industry, Asia continues to hog the limelight as the main driving force of the maritime industry this year.

RINA Group’s Mr Cazzulo noted: “During the last decade, Asia has played an increasingly important role in shipping and there are few doubts that this trend will continue in the next five years. The robust demand in bulk shipping, the availability of top-notch port operators, overall improvement in competencies, technology innovation and strong support from the public and private sector, including classification societies, are among the drivers that continue to sustain Asia in the lead in the maritime industry”.

“Asia is changing rapidly and Asia Pacific Maritime 2014 is an important platform for industry players. The event plays a pivotal role in setting the scene for an open discussion among industry leaders on the potential threats and opportunities of the industry in Asia. As IACS, there are several issues that are at the core of future industry developments,” added Cazzulo. Set against this optimistic backdrop, APM will offer a holistic business experience by combining a comprehensive exhibition, high-powered conference sessions, and a host of networking events that connect quality Asia Pacific buyers to international maritime suppliers.

“APM has, over the years, grown into one of the most significant maritime exhibitions and conferences,” said Ms Michelle Lim, Managing Director, Reed Exhibitions.

“As a premier maritime show in Asia, we are keenly attuned to the needs of the industry players, what it takes to survive and do well despite today’s turbulent environment. And with this in mind, we have capitalised on our fortunate position to gather some of the industry’s most prominent heavy-weights to speak at our conference. Delegates can expect to see robust discussions between these world maritime leaders on the outlook of the shipping industry in the year ahead,” she added

IMarEST Ballast Water Technology Asia Conference, to be held alongside APM

When the IMO Ballast Water Convention is ratified, much of the retrofit work on ships which need to be made compliant will be done in Singapore. The logistic challenges posed by the retrofit deadlines will be the focus of the inaugural IMarEST Ballast Water Technology Asia Conference, to be held alongside Asia Pacific Maritime. How will yards in Singapore and the region rise to the challenge?

Under the Chairmanship of Zafrul Alam, Assistant Director, Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore, the one day conference will cover Regulation and Compliance, Remaining Concerns with the BWM Convention and Retrofit Challenges. Owners and Operators will give their opinions and a Technology Panel will put offerings from systems providers under the spotlight.

Themed ‘Where the Maritime World Congregates’, the 13th edition of APM will be held at Singapore’s Marina Bay Sands Expo and Convention Centre. In a space of 21,000 square metres (18,000 sqm in 2012), attendees can expect to see 1,500 international maritime companies (1,300 in 2012) from 53 countries and meet with 15,000 (almost 13,000 in 2012) visitors from 60 countries.

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Hamburg SUd, the 12th largest container carrier in the world, is the latest shipping line making Westports its home at Port Klang. Its vessel “Cap San Marco” (9,600 TEU), one of 12 units between 8,500 and 9,600 TEU deployed in the South America Service (ASIA 2), called at Westports Malaysia for the first time on 20th July

Hamburg SUd, the 12th largest container carrier in the world, is the latest shipping line to make Westports Malaysia in Port Klang its home.

Its vessel “Cap San Marco”, with capacity of 9,600 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) and one of 12 units between 8,500 TEUs and 9,600 TEUs deployed in the South America Service (ASIA 2), called at Westports for the first time on Saturday.

The ASIA 2 service will see Westports further expanding its services coverage between South America and the Far East, improving the delivery time and connectivity for cargo shipped via the port.

Officiating the maiden call event at Westports Malaysia was Joint General Manager of Hamburg SUd for Region Asia Pacific Region, Stefan Kirschner.

“We are optimistic about the continued growth of Asia particularly Southeast Asia. The ASIA 2 service calling at Westports Malaysia will enable us to provide our customers with the best possible transit time to the key markets in South America and the Far East,” Kirschner said in a statement today.

Meanwhile, Westports Malaysia Chief Executive Officer, Ruben Emir Gnanalingam said the maiden call of Cap San Marco was another historical moment for Westports as this marked the beginning of its long-term partnership with Hamburg SUd.

“We are determined to provide Hamburg SUd with our continuous support and work hand-in-hand with them to expand their presence here,” he said.

In line with the terminal expansion of Westports and its volume growth, the government has given its commitment in deepening the South Channel and widening the current access roads in order to ensure that the port can continue to enhance its services to the shipping community and port users.

Westports is on an expansion mode in anticipation of the volume growth and progress on its Container Terminal 7 (CT7), measuring 600 metre in quay length.

Upon completion, it will increase Westports’ overall handling capacity from 9.5 million TEUs to 11 million TEUs.

This new berth is specifically designed and capable of handling the 18,000-TEU vessels which are currently the world’s largest container vessels in the order book. BERNAMA