SEA ASIA DAY 1: AFTERNOON WRAP 9 April 2019, 7pm

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1 MEDIA BULLETIN SEA ASIA DAY 1: AFTERNOON WRAP 9 April 2019, 7pm Caption (left to right): Guy Platten, Secretary General of International Chamber of Shipping, Oyvind Stordal, Vice President Digital at Wilhelmsen Ship Management, Elsie Ng, Head of Talent Solutions - Singapore at LinkedIn, and Capt. Nicholas Hall, General Manager of Marine Manning, Swire Pacific Offshore. The key highlights and insights from the afternoon conference sessions are summarised below. Conference session 2: Future of Maritime Workforce Moderated by Guy Platten, Secretary General of International Chamber of Shipping, speakers on the panel included: Capt. Nicholas Hall, General Manager of Marine Manning, Swire Pacific Offshore; Elsie Ng, Head of Talent Solutions - Singapore at LinkedIn; and Oyvind Stordal, Vice President Digital at Wilhelmsen Ship Management. Mr Platten kicked off the panel by highlighting the fundamental importance of the workforce as maritime organisations adapt for the future. He also 10 Kallang Avenue, #09-16 Aperia Tower 2 Singapore T F Sea Asia Singapore Pte Ltd Co. Reg No K 1

2 spoke of the need to empower women in the industry, how the changes in crew numbers will allow for safer, more efficient operations, and the ever increasing interaction between ship and shore. The panel discussed the need to attract people with technology skills into the maritime industry and that in order to compete with other sectors, such as banks, for this talent, companies need to build their brands as attractive employers. Mr Stordal said that initiatives such as offering training and development opportunities, as well as providing a clear career development plan, are ways companies can attract talent and clearly illustrate the maritime industry s investment in developing a dedicated and reliable workforce. Capt. Hall echoed this sentiment, noting that this is particularly important for seafarers who spend significant time at sea early in their careers, but are most often promoted to on shore roles later. The panel also recognised the need for a safe environment in the digital age, as the increasing digitisation has impacted on the health and wellbeing of the workforce. Capt. Hall pointed to the need for companies to promote teamwork and a more inclusive ship environment and highlighted the importance of focusing on well-being of seafarers. The panel talked about simple ways to do this, such as allowing internet access only in communal areas or utilising surveys to assess the ship atmosphere. The panel concluded with the recognition that while the job market looks bright, training is crucial to ensure that skills evolve alongside technology adoption. Conference session 3: Will Economic Concerns Trump Improving Fundamentals? Moderated by Marcus Hand, Editor of Seatrade Maritime News, speakers on the panel included: Keith Denholm, Chief Executive Officer at Caledonia Maritime Services and Director at J&J Denholm Ltd; Ralph Leszczynski, Head of Research at Banchero Costa; and, Jorge Luis Quijano, Administrator - Chief Executive Officer of Panama Canal Authority. The panel provided interesting perspectives on the underlying economic fundamentals of the shipping industry, which has been greatly impacted in the last year by Black Swan events large-scale, unexpected occurrences, such as the volatile geopolitical environment and extreme weather events. 2

3 Notably, Mr Denholm pointed to key factors of disruption for the industry, from the IMO2020 target which will see a deficit of two million tonnes of gas oil and new industry players creating solutions for customers which are yet to be tested, to the Canada-China tensions following the arrest of Huawei s CFO which has seen a decline in timber exports. Other geopolitical factors were highlighted by Mr Quijano, who pointed to protectionist policies impacting on pricing and flows, citing the US-China trade negotiations which in his view have had a larger impact than previously anticipated. Mr Leszczynski commented on the dry bulk market which has seen the supply side less positive this year than previously anticipated due to a series of Black Swan events, and also the unfavourable outlook for the crude tanker market which is seeing an increase in demolition rates due to poor historical decision-making. Caption (left to right): Jorge Luis Quijano, Administrator - Chief Executive Officer of Panama Canal Authority, Ralph Leszczynski, Head of Research at Banchero Costa, Keith Denholm, Chief Executive Officer at Caledonia Maritime Services and Director at J&J Denholm Ltd and Marcus Hand, Editor of Seatrade Maritime News. 3

4 - ENDS - The Sea Asia Media Bulletin will be disseminated after the conclusion of each conference session from today till 11 April. More information of the sessions can be found at: For more information, please contact: Andy Lim andy.lim@baldwinboyle.com Mobile: DID: Notes to Editors About UBM Sea Asia is organised by UBM, which in June 2018 combined with Informa PLC to become a leading B2B information services group and the largest B2B Events organiser in the world. Please visit for more information about our presence in Singapore. *** About Singapore Maritime Foundation Established in 2004, the Singapore Maritime Foundation (SMF) is a private sector-led organisation that seeks to develop and promote Singapore as an International Maritime Centre (IMC). As the representative voice for the commercial players of the maritime industry, SMF seeks to forge strong partnerships with the public and private sectors of the maritime industry. SMF spearheads initiatives to promote the diverse clusters of the maritime industry in Singapore and at international frontiers, and to attract young talents to join the sector. SMF is directed by its Board of Directors which comprises prominent leaders in the Singapore maritime community. For details, visit *** Sea Asia 2019 is held in conjunction with the Singapore Maritime Week 2019 (SMW). SMW is the leading maritime event in Singapore driven by the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore. SMW gathers the international maritime community in Singapore for a week of conferences, dialogues, exhibitions and social events in celebration of all things maritime. These events reflect the vibrancy and diversity of Singapore as a major international maritime centre. 4

5 About the Singapore Maritime Week 2019 (6 12 April 2019) Singapore Maritime Week (SMW) is one of the world s leading maritime shows and is organised annually and driven by the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA). Every year, SMW gathers the international maritime community for a week of flagship conferences, dialogues, exhibitions and social events in celebration of all things maritime. The range of activities and events organised by MPA, industry stakeholders and research and educational institutions, as well as the cosmopolitan profile of participants, reflects the vibrancy and diversity of Singapore as a global hub port and leading international maritime centre. 5