Sea Asia gets bigger in its second year
Singapore Maritime Week will also be held in conjunction with the conference
By Vincent Wee
12 June 2008
Business Times
(SINGAPORE) An impressive array of thought leaders in the maritime industry is being lined up for the second Sea Asia conference and exhibition from April 21 to 23 next year. The organisers plan to build on the success of last year's inaugural event to consolidate and develop the clout of Asia in the shipping world.
Organisers Seatrade and the Singapore Maritime Foundation are expecting over 10,000 participants at the event and more than 1,200 conference delegates - compared with 7,000 participants and 1,000 delegates previously.
Gross exhibition space will also rise to 11,000 square metres from 8,000 sq m previously and 350 exhibitors are expected, up from 250. These include strong national pavilions from India and China as well as host country Singapore.
Highlighting the conference component of the event, Seatrade chairman Christopher Hayman pointed out its thought leadership role within the Asian shipping community.
'Sea Asia has captured the imagination of the Asian and international shipping community like no other event has done before,' he said. 'Although Sea Asia 2009 will only be the second time the event has been held, it is already firmly established as a must-attend event for every shipping professional with an interest in the future of Asian shipping.'
Building on the 'Asian Voice' theme of the previous conference, the debate at Sea Asia 2009 is entitled The Asian Voice in World Shipping - Clearer and Stronger. Adding to the list of prominent speakers is a distinguished international advisory panel that has been formed to provide advice and counsel to the planning of the event.
The list of speakers include Japan Shipowners' Association president and K Line president and CEO Hiroyuki Maekawa; Maersk Line Asia Pacific chief executive Jesper Praestensgaard; and BW Shipping managing director Andreas Sohmen-Pao.
And on the advisory panel are internationally known names such as China Shipowners' Association chairman and Cosco group president and CEO Wei Jia Fu; IMC Group chairman Frank Tsao; International Chamber of Shipping chairman Spyros Polemis; and Keppel Offshore and Marine chairman and CEO Choo Chiau Beng.
'Top Asian shipowners and leading maritime operators will congregate in Singapore for Sea Asia 2009 and share insights of the maritime issues pertinent to this region to develop the voice of Asian shipping,' said Singapore Maritime Foundation chairman and Pacific International Lines managing director SS Teo. 'The event epitomises the unity and professionalism of the Singapore maritime community, both government and the private sector, in presenting an international maritime event of world-class standing.'.
For the first time also, Singapore Maritime Week, spearheaded by the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA), will come together with Sea Asia. There will be a series of high-profile events organised by the local and international maritime community, which include key events such as the 3rd Singapore Maritime Lecture and the Singapore International Maritime Awards gala dinner-cum-awards ceremony organised by the MPA.
