A top-class line-up of speakers and panellists have been confirmed to attend The Maritime Standard Tanker Conference, which will take place later this year in Dubai, UAE.

The event will take place on October 22, at The Atlantis, the Palm.

The theme of this year’s conference is ‘Opening Up New Horizons’, reflecting the cautious optimism that now exists within the tanker industry, said a statement from the organisers.

Conference editor Clive Woodbridge said: “While there are for sure some significant challenges presented by the volatile politico-economic context, market fundamentals appear more positive than they have for some time.”

“This is creating opportunities for fleet growth and trade development in the tanker shipping business, which the event aims to explore and highlight,” he said.

Proceedings will commence in the morning of October 22 with two keynote speeches, by Captain Abdulkareem Al Masabi, chief executive officer of Adnoc Logistics and Services, and Abdulla Bin Damithan, chief operating officer of DP World. These two eminent maritime executives will set the scene, giving their unique perspective on trends and trade patterns in the oil, products and petrochemicals trades in the region, it said.

Adapting to fast moving market conditions will be the theme of Session 1 which will follow that. Speakers confirmed to date include Captain Anoop Kumar Sharma, chairman and managing director of The Shipping Corporation of India; Ali Shehab, acting chief executive officer of Kuwait Oil Tanker Company and Michael Jorgensen chief financial officer, and acting chief executive officer of Oman Shipping Company.

The importance to the tanker shipping sector of the development of support infrastructure and services in the region will be addressed in Session 2 in the afternoon.

Speakers for this session include Captain Mohammed Al Ali, senior vice president, Ship Management, Adnoc L&S; Rajiv Agarwal, chief executive officer and managing director of Essar Ports; Captain Rado Antolovic, chief executive officer and managing director of DP World - Maritime Services Division; Said Al Mawali, chief executive officer of Oman Drydock Company; Anders Ostergard, group chief executive officer, Monjasa and Engineer Waleed Al Tamimi, general manager of Tasneef.

There are a number of notable technical, legal and regulatory challenges that the tanker market has to overcome if it is to achieve sustained growth over the next few years.

The third and final session of the conference will examine such issues, with confirmed speakers to date including Kirsty Cattanach, senior associate at Baker McKenzie Habib Al Mulla; Rashid Isa Rishi Al Heddi, group managing director at Seamaster Marine; Pawan Sahani, business development manager, DNV GL; and Stephenson Harwood partner, Nijoe Joseph.

At the end of this session there will be a special networking drinks reception. This will offer a chance for speakers and attendees to discuss the key issues raised by proceedings in a more informal environment, it stated – TradeArabia News Service