Shipping Calendar (http://goo.gl/y0kdv) Update – May 2014

Shipping Calendar Update – May 2014

 

I have been updating the Shipping Calendar, and I have been trying to expand the coverage to include commodities events with a significant shipping element. Below is a summary of the forthcoming conferences, including the conferences I hope to attend.

 

May 2014

Recent additions to the Shipping Calendar include a rice conference in Africa rice-AFRICA conference on Rice for Food, Market and Development, and a wood and paper pulp conference in Brazil – Paper and Wood Pulp Conference. The later takes place in the middle of May, about a month before the FIFA World Cup starts. I have also included a sugar conference, Africa Sugar Outlook, but I am not sure if there is a significant shipping element. The trade in sugar has expanded enormously in the last few years, and requires specialist shipping knowledge. Bulk and bagged sugar shipping and handling might be an interesting one-day conference, and I can help with ideas and speakers if any of the specialist shipping conference organisers are interested.

 

June 2014

It’s an even year so June means Posidonia, which lasts from Monday 2 June to the Thursday afternoon. I personally am not so fond of the new location, and prefer the shabby but more convenient location of the customs shed of years gone by. If you haven’t been, you should go to at least one Posidonia and crash as many parties as possible. A tempting alternative would be the giant 2000+ delegates Coaltrans Asia event in Bali. Having been to the Coaltrans event in Goa, India, this year, I can say that Coaltrans’ organisation is first-class, with excellent networking opportunities. There was even a special purpose event app so you were always up to speed on when and where to go. After Posidonia, the shipping finance portion of the shipping party moves onto New York, and the Marine Money New York Week from Monday 16 June. Perhaps not as rock ‘n roll as New York but free to attend is Ro-Ro 2014  in the ExCel centre in the east end of London from 24 June.

 

July

Not much happening. If you have had your fill of shipping conferences, how about the European International Submarine Races !

 

August

The northern hemisphere will be on holiday, but Down Under there is Coaltrans Australia, taking place in Brisbane.

 

September

The Autumn conference season begins with SMM  the giant shipping exhibition in Hamburg, Germany. This has a German shipping finance conference on the first day. I have also included Metal Bulletin’s Steel Scrap Conference, which takes place in Rotterdam on the 22 September, but looking at the agenda is may be a bit light on the shipping of scrap – let’s wait and see. One event I may be attending is the The Red Sea and Gulf Bunkering Conference, but the link for the 2014 flutters in and out of view, so I am not sure if this event is on or not.

 

October

Following on from German shipping finance conference at SMM, there is a Greek shipping finance conference in Athens organised by Marine Money, plus one on the same day in Brazil. Maybe we can have a live Skype link up and debate? One event I have been to in the past is the Mare Forum event in Amsterdam, Mare Forum Shipowners vs. Capital Providers . I enjoy the format and the informality of the Dutch set-up, ad hope to be there again this year.

 

November

A new event to me is Global Shipping Trends & Trade Patterns. With a title like that I don’t know why I haven’t heard of it before, and I will be making an effort to attend this event on Wednesday 5 November in London. At the moment, there does not appear to be a clash between the Informa 27th International Ship Finance & Investment Conference in London on the Wednesday 12 November, and the equivalent Marine Money in New York, and / or the Hansa event in Germany, as was the case last year. However, these other two events has not yet been listed on the respective websites yet. They have already lost the Friday 14 November, as this is taken up with the Tradewinds Dry Cargo Charterers Forum in Geneva, which I did not attend but heard good things about last year.

The following week is a new wet conference, the Tanker Shipping & Trade Conference organised by Riviera, publishers of the magazine of the same title. This starts in London on Wednesday 19 November, and I hope to be there.

 

December

Into December, and the Middle East Iron & Steel conference in Dubai starting on the Monday 8 December. This is unlikely to be the last trade conference of the year, but that is as far as I have got at the moment.

If your event is not on the Shipping Calendar and you feel it should be, then send an email to craigjallal@hotmail.com with the details.