Record participation at APM 2014
Occupying two floors in the Sands Expo and Convention Center, Marina Bay Sands, this year's exhibition saw more than 15 per cent growth in exhibition floor space to 21,000 square metres, as compared to the last edition in 2012. 1,518 participating companies from 60 countries showcased cutting-edge solutions in shipbuilding, marine engineering, port and surveillance technology that improved productivity, fleet efficiency, ballast water management, ship safety and cut cost in these challenging times.
The event drawn a record number of 15,000 visitors from over 60 countries, up from almost 13,000 in 2012.
Robust business opportunities APM played host to 16 official pavilions, including shipping leaders from Australia, China, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Holland, India, Japan, Malaysia, Norway, Romania, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan and the United Kingdom.
Robust business activity was also expected on the exhibition floor. China's pavilion, up 27 per cent, was the biggest at this year's APM and the event's largest to date; while Finland and India came in as official pavilions for the first time. A 20-strong delegation of Indonesian shipowners, led by the Indonesian National Shipowners' Association (INSA) provided exhibitors networking prospects with one of Southeast Asia's most exciting markets for shipping.
The presence of prominent maritime players such as Bureau Veritas, Codar, Jason Electronics, Kongsberg Maritime, MTU, Nippon Kaiji Kyokai (Class NK), Rolls-Royce, Severn Trent De Nora, Siemens, Ulstein, Vard, Wartsila, Weichai Power, Wilhelmsen Ship Service, Cummins, Garbarino, Inmarsat, Airbus, Hamilton Jet, Twin Disc, Moteurs Baudouin, Johnson Controls, Raytheon, Thrane & Thrane, Caterpillar, Pan Asia, Nam Cheong Shipyard, MTU, Reintjes, DNV GL, SAM YUNG, among many others, also offered networking and business opportunities for visitors.
Maritime movers and shakers convene at APM Conference To help the industry stay ahead amid tighter regulations and increased costs, 51 highly-regarded maritime experts and leading business figures in the shipping world were brought together to provide ground-breaking insights on trends and concerns dominating shipping discussions.
Aptly themed 'Repositioning for Growth in the Asia Pacific Region', participants can gain first-hand insights at the conference on key growth areas in the Asia-Pacific region, Asia's impact on container shipping and dry bulk demand, maritime finance, and the newest advances in ballast water treatment, green shipping, maritime technology and security to improve efficiency and cut cost.
The distinguished list of speakers alongside Mr Peter Sand and Mr Roberto Cazzulo included Mr Thomas Kriwat, Chief Executive Officer of Mercantile Shipping Company, Mr Domenik Nizet, Senior Vice President- Tanker Group of DVB Bank and Mr Jeremy Nixon, Chief Executive Officer of NYK Line.
Please refer to Fact Sheet for the full speaker line-up and Event Guide for conference synopsis.
The inaugural IMarEST Ballast Water Technology Asia Conference, organised by the Institute of Marina Engineering, Science & Technology (IMarEST) I also took place alongside APM 2014 on 20 March. An offshoot of the leading London conference, the one-day forum covered regulatory and compliance issues and logistics challenges facing the maritime industry following the ratification of the International Maritime Organization's Ballast Water Convention.
Maritime Forum in demand for showcase of New Products and Technologies There were 36 sessions where leading equipment manufacturers, service providers and maritime technology suppliers showcased new products and technologies over 3 days at the Maritime Forum.
In the face of increased public attention on shipping safety, sustainability and environmental performance, shipping and offshore companies learned about the latest solutions to optimise energy efficiency and operational costs to help them with tougher environmental regulations on the maritime industry and mitigate the impact of rising energy costs.
This article was originally published on Marine & Industrial Report newspaper Vol 36 No.3 Issue last June 30, 2014.
