The 18th edition of Southeast Asia's premier trade exhibition and conference has commenced, revealing the latest insights and innovations that will shape the 'Future of Vessels, Solutions for Tomorrow'

The largest-ever Asia Pacific Maritime (APM) 2024 opened today across six halls of the Sands Expo & Convention Centre in Singapore. This three-day exhibition and conference features over 15,000 global brands on the floor and 150 conference speakers from some of the maritime industry's key leaders in the region and beyond. The opening ceremony was officiated by Kenneth Lim, Assistant Chief Executive (Industry & Transformation), Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA).

In his welcome address, Yeh Chien Ee, President, Asia Pacific, RX Global, said, "The world stands at a crossroads of sustainable development. Maritime is challenged to be fully decarbonised by 2050 which requires massive investments. Beyond cleaner fuels, the industry also needs to move faster towards digital solutions like data analytics and further automation to improve efficiency as well as sustainability.” He continued, “To support the ecosystem towards a future ready world, access to APM conference and exhibition is offered free to all attendees. This is also our humble way to thank you and give back to all our partners who have been so supportive of APM over close to 34 years, especially during the difficult pandemic years.”

APM 2024, organised by RX Global, runs from today to Friday, 15 March 2024. With the theme 'Future of Vessels, Solutions for Tomorrow', the exhibition floor and conference sessions address the industry's urgent need for digitalisation, efficiency, and sustainability amid today's increasingly complex maritime needs. For the conference, parallel tracks will run across two stages on the show floor to enable more comprehensive knowledge-sharing about the latest maritime trends and technologies.

APM 2024 Day 1 Highlights

Today, the conference sessions focused on Sustainability and Innovation & Digitalisation.

Following the opening ceremony, a super keynote panel titled 'A Net Zero Carbon Maritime Industry – Will We Ever Get There?' tackled the industry's path towards net-zero emissions. The session, led by Kenneth Lim, delved into the challenges, opportunities, and ultimate feasibility of this ambitious goal. The panelists, consisting of leaders from profiles such as ship owners, ship operators, port authorities, highlighted that while for years we have been focusing on bunker fuels, today, this is no longer the case. In fact, there needs to be multi-solutions driven by the entire ecosystem. While they acknowledge the challenges currently faced by the industry, the panellists were largely optimistic that net-zero is very much possible. Beyond focusing on alternative fuels, they addressed the need for improvements in training and developments for seafarers, frameworks for industry players to reference (such as Life Cycle Assessments), and use of green steels to encourage circularity.  

One of the sessions in the afternoon, titled ‘Indonesian Maritime Future Energy – Opportunities and Challenges’, zoomed in on Indonesia’s growing renewable energy scene for the maritime industry and highlighted the need to further improve technologies that will increase the capabilities of its shipbuilding industry. While there is currently a mandatory implementation of biofuels across the country, as well as growing popularity for LNG dual-fuels and energy storage systems, the session outlined the need for Indonesian maritime stakeholders to learn from global case studies, and for more subsidies that can further accelerate local adoption of renewable energy.

APM, the Platform for International Brands to Convene and Converse

On the exhibition floor, attendees can expect to see a wide range of international pavilions, 18 spread across two floors of the exhibition – the biggest APM has managed to host to date.

In particular, Weichai, one of the world's largest automobile and equipment manufacturer, revealed the WH17, its next generation high performing engine, to industry associations, engine distributors and decision makers from Asia. Developed in 7 years and after 10,000 hours of R&D, WH17 runs on Weichai’s autonomous ECU common rail system that allows for more accurate control to save fuel and lower emissions. At the launch, Weichai Chairman Tan Xuguang said, “Engines, as a core component of modern industry, bear the significant responsibility of driving societal progress. Our latest masterpiece, the WH17, has impressive capabilities that propel the high-end intelligent transformation and upgrading of the shipping industry. We are honoured to introduce this cutting-edge technology that will provide higher value to our customers in Southeast Asia.”

More Conversations to Follow at the APM 2024 Conference

Day 2 will consist of sessions driven by the latest market intelligence insights, focusing on more Innovation & Digitalisation topics, Maritime Insurance, and Cybersecurity. Key sessions include:

• ‘Forecasting Ship Charter Rates and Examining the Various Factors Influencing Them’

o Helmed by Daejin Lee, Global Head of Research, Fertistream, this session aims to offer a comprehensive perspective on ship charter rates amid the dynamic shifts experienced in the industry due to global economic trends, geopolitical developments, and technological advancements.

• 'Is the Maritime Sector Struggling to Innovate?'

o The session aims to dissect the factors contributing to perceived barriers to innovation in the sector and explore avenues to enhance a culture of innovation. Speakers include Arne K. Lian, Director, Innovation Norway; Claus Nehmzow, Global Technology Advisor; Dr. Maurizio Pilu, Managing Director, Safetytech Accelerator; Murthy Pasumarthy, Assistant Vice President, Technology & New Product Development, Seatrium; Nakul Malhotra, Vice President, Emerging Opportunities, Wilhelmsen; Tan Cheng Peng, Executive Director, Singapore Maritime Institute (SMI); Tarun Mehrotra, Chief Strategy Officer, RightShip.

With the increasing need to secure our maritime manpower and their well-being, Day 3 will spotlight Manpower & Training and Sustainability. Key sessions include:

• 'Developing a Future-Ready Workforce'

o The session aims to explore strategies, educational pathways, and skill development initiatives needed to cultivate a dynamic maritime workforce that meets the demands of the ever-evolving maritime sector. Insights will be provided by Alex Ponomarev, Sales Director APAC, Ocean Technologies Group; Ashish Mediratta, Head of Crewing, A.P. Moller Maersk; Elaine Yu Kai, Chairperson, Institute of Charterer Shipbroker & Senior Freight Charterer, South32 Marketing; Elias Heng,  Freight Trader, Cargill Ocean Transportation (Singapore); Punit Oza, Founder, Maritime NXT & International Vice President, Institute of Chartered Shipbrokers.

• ‘Diversity and Inclusion in the Maritime Workforce: Forecasting a More Equitable and Inclusive Industry’

o Organised by WISTA Singapore, the discussion will be led an all-female panel consisting Christie Thane, Chartering Manager, Lauritzen Bulkers; Hollie Scoon, General Manager, Marine Operations & Performance, Rio Tinto Shipping Asia; Jean Chen, Client Success Leader – APAC, Signal Ocean; Dr. Mimi Gao, Managing Director, Sea & Gao; Mustika Wardani, APAC QHSE Manager, ABL Energy & Marine Consultants; Rotem Battat, Chief Product Officer; Captain’s Eye, Capt. Tan Lay Ying, Senior Watch Manager (Vessel Traffic Management), Maritime Port and Authority of Singapore.

o They will uncover barriers faced by the underrepresented groups in the maritime industry and discuss strategies and initiatives to champion equity, diversity, and inclusion at leadership levels.

Don't miss out on the rest of the show. Interested attendees can still register here for free access to the exhibition and conference floors. For the latest information on APM 2024, please visit the event website, LinkedIn, or Facebook pages.

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