The 15th Asia Pacific Maritime (APM), Southeast Asia’s biggest shipbuilding & marine, workboat and offshore exhibition and conference, will look into major trends and issues shaping the industry in the Asia Pacific.
The three-day event, which will run from 14 March to 16 March at the Singapore Marina Bay Sands Expo and Convention Centre, will gather together more than 40 leaders and experts from the global maritime industry. These experts will lead discussions on developments and opportunities in Asia Pacific’s maritime, workboat and offshore industries, sharing their insights and forecasts to help players forge the way forward.
As the world’s fourth largest shipbuilding country, the Philippines will also come under the spotlight at the APM as the region’s leading shipbuilders discuss how Asia’s shipbuilding powerhouses stay relevant in this dynamic market at the inaugural APM Leaders’ Forum (14 March 2018).
Philippines: One of Asia’s shipbuilding powerhouses
The Philippines’ strategic geographic location provides the foundation it needs to become a major maritime country. With large growth potential and opportunities in both domestic and international shipping, shipbuilding and ship repair, fishing and other marine-related industries, which in turn create employment, the country will focus on the development of these sectors for the next 10 years.
The Maritime Industry Authority (MARINA) drafted a 10-year Maritime Industry Development Program (MIDP 2018-2028) covering integrated development initiatives for the Philippine maritime industry. Expected to be approved by President Rodrigo Duterte and rolled out in 2018, it emphasizes maritime administration, domestic and overseas shipping, maritime manpower, shipbuilding, ship repair and ship breaking.
“The Philippine economy is experiencing one of the highest growth rates in the region, averaging between 5% to 7% annually. The local maritime industry is expected to grow proportionally with the economy, however the positive outlook on the economy has also attracted increased competition. As with any growing economy, there are tremendous opportunities for the marine industry, especially for an archipelago like the Philippines with over 7,000 islands and where links between the islands are mainly by sea and air,” said Pauline G. Ngo, CEO of Dynamic Power Marine & Industrial Hardware Inc., which is the sole distributor of Weichai in the Philippines. Weichai is one of the world’s largest automobile and equipment manufacturer and the gold sponsor of APM 2018.
She adds, “We expect to increase our market share by 5% to 10% in the next two years. To tap on the expected growth, we plan to open new branches and service centres to service more marine engines from Weichai and its wide network of sales agents and dealers. Continuous training and development of key personnel is another area we will be looking into.” Dynamic Power Marine & Industrial Hardware Inc. is among this year’s participating exhibitors.
“The potential for the Philippines’ maritime industry – including port development, shipping tonnage and shipyard capacity expansion, amongst others – is tremendous. It is good that the Philippines has laid out a strategic long-term plan like the MIDP 2018-2028; but constant review must be undertaken to assess the effectiveness of its implementation. This will help the country live up to its optimal potential as a shipbuilding nation to match the huge demand for ships, and its prowess as a global seafaring powerhouse,” said Nazery Khalid, Honorary Secretary, Association of Marine Industries Malaysia and Head of Planning & Development, Boustead Heavy Industries Corporation. Mr Nazery will be among the distinguished speakers to discuss about Asia’s shipbuilding sector.
Conference tackles industry trends
The APM Leaders’ Forum will kick off the three-day conference, exploring topics that matter in the year ahead. The discussions for the second day, 15 March, will put the spotlight on the vessel market, specifically the outlook for the tanker market. The shifting trends in maritime finance will also be tackled, along with an in-depth look at Vietnam’s growing maritime industry. Day three (16 March 2018) will see industry leaders examine the maritime industry’s priorities in marine fuels, the latest hybrid technologies and offshore prospects.
Industry leaders participating at the conference include Ed Stening, Chief Digital Officer Asia, CMA-CGM; Gernot Ruppelt, Senior Vice President, Chartering and Business Development at Ardmore Shipping Corporation; and Hassan Basma, Founder & Chief Executive Officer, HBA Offshore. KD Adamson, Futurist & CEO, Futurenautics; Peter Sand, Chief Shipping Analyst at BIMCO; Capt. Vinay Singh, Managing Director, Anglo-Eastern Ship Management (India) and Director, Maritime Association of Ship Owners, Ship Managers & Agents (MASSA) and Woon Aw Yong, Shipping Clients International, Senior Vice President, HSH Nordbank AG will also share their insights on industry trends and developments.
“Asia Pacific Maritime has established itself as a pivotal business platform connecting the global maritime world to Asia. Not only to do business, but to enable discussions on regional developments and major industry shifts, by bringing together business leaders and experts in their respective fields. With the Philippines’ maritime industry expected to grow across most sectors, we see much potential for the industry to leverage the event to gain knowledge to aid in their business strategies, make new connections and discover business opportunities,” said Yeow Hui Leng, Group Project Director, Asia Pacific Maritime.
Talent building at APM
One of MARINA’s priorities within the MIDP framework is to invest in human resources. Globally, there are about 700,000 Filipinos actively pursuing seafaring jobs and professions.
With such a need for talent in the maritime industry, APM will hold a new Career & Skills Pavilion for professionals in the maritime industry seeking prospective career, networking, and training and development opportunities in the marine and offshore sectors around the world.
Knowledge exchange will also be a key component of the inaugural Career & Skills Pavilion on the exhibition floor, as experts shed insight about maritime talent at more than 10 presentations from 14 to 16 March.
On 14 March, the opening panel will uncover how the industry can engage tomorrow’s global maritime leaders and support diversity in the maritime industry. This session will be moderated by Robin Robbins, Managing Director of CPP Asia Pacific Pte Ltd, with Mr Edwin Tiah, Managing Director of GEMINI PERSONNEL; Dr Ivan CK Tam, Associate Professor at the Institute of Marine Engineering, Science & Technology (IMarEST); Mr Prabu Naidu, Co-Founder & CEO of Facilitators Network Singapore Pte Ltd (FNS); and Mr Sugato Roy, Senior Vice President, Head of Technical, Pioneer Marine as discussants.
Networking at the heart of APM
APM 2018 will also introduce a series of six thematic networking events tailored to visitors and exhibitors of similar interests to meet and forge new partnerships.
The six themes are:
- IMO 2020 vision: Preparing for the new global sulphur cap
- Best in class marine equipment and fitting
- Powering the way forward – next-generation marine power
- Competing on a global playing field in terms of shipbuilding
- The future of maritime shipping – transforming shipping industry with ICT and digitalization
- Lubricant, coating and corrosion
Using the APM Recommendation Tool that crosses data to match common business interests, buyers will be connected to relevant exhibitors. Exhibitors can leverage the tool to identify their key potential target audience.
There will also be other concurrent events to help APM delegates network. These events include the inaugural APM Networking Golf set on 13 March 2018 and organized in partnership with the Singapore Maritime Network (SMN). It hopes to bring together top leaders in the maritime community for both business and leisure connections.
Registration to APM 2018 is now open. The Asia Pacific Maritime 2018 will be held from 14 March to 16 March 2018 at the Singapore Marina Bay Sands Expo and Convention Centre. More information about APM 2018 is available on https://www.apmaritime.com.
Stay connected with us via LinkedIn at https://lnkd.in/byEMQtd and https://www.facebook.com/asiapacificmaritime/.
###
About Asia Pacific Maritime (APM)
Asia Pacific Maritime (APM) is Asia’s premier exhibition and conference focusing on shipbuilding & marine, workboat and offshore. Gathering the world’s marine, workboat and offshore community in Asia, expect to meet 15,000 visitors and decision makers from Asia, 1,500 international products & services companies from over 60 countries including 18 country pavilions and over 50 industry influencers, all in one single platform to buy, sell, network and learn. For more information, visit the official website at www.apmaritime.com.
Weichai Singapore Pte Ltd is a Gold Sponsor and Joseph Tan Jude Benny LLP is a Silver Sponsor at APM 2018.
About Reed Exhibitions
Reed Exhibitions is the world’s leading events organizer, with over 500 events in 30 countries. In 2015, Reed brought together over seven million event participants from around the world generating billions of dollars in business. Today, Reed events are held throughout the America, Europe, the Middle East, Asia Pacific and Africa and organized by 40 fully staffed offices. Reed Exhibitions serves 43 industry sectors with trade and consumer events. It is part of the RELX Group plc, a world-leading provider of information solutions for professional customers across industries.
