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Sea Asia 2007 to Debut in Singapore Next Week
29 March 2007

Next Week (Monday April 2, 2007) sees the launch of the Sea Asiaexhibition and conference in Singapore – an event that has captured the imagination of the global maritime industry and one that is set to become a “Must Attend” for shipping and maritime professionals from all over the world.

Since the launch of the inaugural event in May 2005, Sea Asia’s co-organisers Seatrade of the UK and the Singapore Maritime Foundation (SMF) have generated local and worldwide interest in the show and attracted a top level team of international participants, conference speakers and attendees.

Sea Asia has the endorsement of the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA), and a host of other leading international maritime companies and institutions.

Sea Asia is set to attract an impressive line up of international visitors and event organiser, Seatrade reports that as of today (Thurs March 29) Sea Asia 2007 will occupy 6,000 sq m of gross space at Suntec Singapore. About 250 exhibiting companies have committed their presence at standalone booths or national pavilions for China, Korea, Norway, the UK, Singapore and the US. In addition, about 80 speakers from 16 countries will attend the three-day event.

The Guest of Honour officiating at the Opening Ceremony is His Excellency S R Nathan, President of the Republic of Singapore.

Opening the conference session for Sea Asia next Monday 2 April will be ‘The Asian Voice in World Shipping’. Some of the most prominent shipowners from the region will address the central issue of how Asian owners can best combine to create a powerful united voice in addition to looking at key global industry issues from an Asian perspective.

A stellar line-up of a new generation of Asian owners will debate this topic on the opening day.

There is also a host of prominent speakers across the three day event. Sessions across the three days from 2-4 April include a charterers’ forum, a ship finance one-day summit, focused sessions on procurement and marine insurance, and a dedicated LNG Shipping summit, in association with the Society of International Tanker and Terminal Operators (SIGTTO).

The ship finance session has aroused great interest and the organizers have lined up a top level panel of senior bankers and industry players who will give their views on the latest financing trends in the shipping industry.

Speakers at the finance session include Dagfinn Lunde, Chairman and CEO, DVB Bank, Philip Clausius, President and CEO of First Ship Finance and Jeremy Penn, Chief Executive of the Baltic Exchange.

Other sessions scheduled for the conference feature a technical day jointly hosted by the Association of Singapore Marine Industries (ASMI) and the Society of Naval Architects and Marine Engineers (Singapore branch) in which nine different classification societies will come together to discuss technical and operational  trends in shipping.

With the growing importance of the maritime sector, the need for talent is paramount. The organizers of Sea Asia have designated the last day of the show (April 4) as Maritime Youth Day. The event, which is organized by the MPA, will include a series of talks and a site visit to the show exhibition for students.

The aim is to introduce and impress upon youngsters, the significance of the maritime industry to Singapore and the full range of career prospects the maritime industry has to offer.

Singapore Maritime Foundation Executive Director David Chin said today: “All of us who have worked so hard in putting the inaugural Sea Asia together are very excited at this moment. In terms of the number of exhibitors, conference delegates and overall interest in the show, the response to Sea Asia has exceeded our expectations.

“We want to make sure the inaugural show gets off to a strong start as we believe Sea Asia will in time become one of the cornerstone gatherings for the global maritime community.”

According to Christopher Hayman, managing director of Seatrade, Sea Asia has captured the imagination of the maritime industry in both the East and West.

“We have been surprised and delighted by the level of sheer enthusiasm we have detected for the event. I believe that is because it represents a genuine first for the maritime community in the Asia region. Our keynote theme is the Asian voice in world shipping – a topic which is to be aired in a public forum for the very first time,” he said.

Leading exhibitors have endorsed the concept behind Sea Asia.

"With close to half of the world's commercial fleet now owned in the region, there is no question that Asia's influence over the shipping industry is growing tremendously. It is now vital to get your Asian strategy straight," said John Stansfeld, Director - Asia for Lloyd's Register.

"As Sea Asia is taking place in Singapore this year, it will give shipping executives from all sectors a chance to meet and network with the industry's top decision-makers,” he added.

The shipping and maritime industries across Asia represent a large proportion of the global industry and Sea Asiarepresents a genuine opportunity for different sectors of the industry to come together in Singapore to debate the future of our industries and how Asia can help shape the global industry for many years to come,” Mr Hayman added.

The launch of Sea Asia 2007 is set against a strong background of maritime growth in this region. Maritime trade in Asia Pacific is estimated at more than US$100bn, with Asian shipowners and managers which account for at least 40% of the world’s shipping tonnage.

The social side of Sea Asia is expected to be exciting and varied A golf tournament, always popular with maritime executives, will kick things off and, as well as numerous private parties and receptions planned, an official gala dinner and welcome reception will unite participants for the lighter side of the networking.

Ends

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