The preparations for The Maritime Standard Tanker Conference to be held on Tuesday 22nd October 2019 that will take place in Dubai at The Atlantis, The Palm is in full flow. A top class line-up of speakers and panelists has been confirmed ensuring the event will be a success following the reputation for quality built up over the last three years.

Opening Up New Horizons, the theme of this years Conference reflects the cautious optimism that now exists within the tanker industry.

Conference editor, Clive Woodbridge, says, 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.

The proceedings will be commenced in the morning of October 22nd with two keynote speeches by Captain Abdulkareem Al Masabi, CEO of ADNOC Logistics and Services, and Abdulla Bin Damithan, COO of DP World. These two esteemed maritime executives will set the scene giving their exquisite perspective on trends and trade patterns in the oil and petrochemicals trade in the region.

The theme for Session 1 will be adapting to fast-moving market conditions. Speakers confirmed to date include Captain Anoop Kumar Sharma, Chairman and Managing Director of The Shipping Corporation of India; Ali Shehab, Acting CEO of Kuwait Oil Tanker Company and Michael Jorgensen CFO, and acting CEO of Oman Shipping Company.

The importance of 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 Capt. Mohammed Al Ali, Senior Vice President, Ship Management, ADNOC L&S; Rajiv Agarwal, CEO and Managing Director of Essar Ports; Capt. Rado Antolovic, CEO and Managing Director of DP World - Maritime Services Division; Said Al Mawali, CEO of Oman Drydock Company; Anders Ostergard, Group CEO, Monjasa and Eng. Waleed Al Tamimi, General Manager of Tasneef.

In order to achieve the sustained growth over the next few years, there are a number of technical, legal and regulatory challenges that the tanker market has to overcome. Session 3 and the final session of the Conference will examine such issues. The speakers for this session include 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 the final session, there will be a special networking drinks reception which will offer an opportunity for speakers and attendees to discuss the key issues in a more informal environment.