Singapore's Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Finance, Mr Tharman Shanmugaratnam will be the Guest of Honour to officially open Sea Asia 2013 and tour the exhibition tomorrow morning.
Overseas maritime professionals across the globe are flying into Singapore for the three day mega-maritime event at the Marina Bay Sands Conference and Exhibition Centre. The organisers are expecting about 14,000 participants to take part in this year's show.
Sea Asia, which has rapidly grown into one of the global shipping industry's cornerstone events, is jointly organised by Singapore Maritime Foundation ("SMF") and Seatrade.
Launched in 2007, the 2013 show will occupy more than 16950 square metres, doubling the space booked for the first Sea Asia show in 2007 and a 16% increase from the last show in 2011. The exhibition space has been sold out with more than 385 companies from 36 countries confirmed to exhibit with a record number of 10 national pavilions.
"Sea Asia 2013 showcases the best practices in the maritime trade and acts as a platform to share these practices with the rest of the industry. It has proven to be a valuable investment of time and resources for all attending companies in the past and will no doubt be the same for this year's show. As one of the anchor events of the Singapore Maritime Week, Sea Asia cements Singapore's standing as an international maritime centre in this region." said Mr Michael Chia, Chairman of SMF.
Headlining the opening session of the conference, themed "The Asian Voice in World Shipping: Liner", will be Mr Tan Chong Meng, Group CEO of PSA International Pte Ltd.
He will be joined by a panel of prominent industry leaders in the container shipping sector who will discuss outlook and challenges for container and cargo operations in this new era of economic uncertainty.
The show will continue with another conference highlight tomorrow afternoon on the bulk trades sector in a session chaired by Mr Matt Frei, the renowned journalist and broadcaster from Independent Television News (ITN) in London. The panel will explore pertinent issues and prospects of the major dry and liquid bulk trades and the impact on growth in Asia.
A significant new feature for the event on day one is the Sea Asia Global Forum, where key international executives from around the world will present their individual viewpoints. The opening address will be given by Dr Jubara Al Sureisry, Minister of Transport, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and he will be joined by Masamichi Morooka, Chairman of International Chamber of Shipping and President and Chief Executive Officer, NYK-Hinode Line Ltd, Jorge L. Quijano, Administrator, Autoridad del Canal de Panamá, and Mohammed Al Muallem, Senior Vice President and Managing Director - UAE Region, DP World.
With these heavyweight sessions scheduled for the first day of the show, Sea Asia 2013 balances day two and day three of the conference with other aspects of the maritime industry such as Ship Finance, Green Technology, LNG and LPG and the newly created Offshore Marine Day.
Chris Hayman, chairman of co-organiser, Seatrade, added: "The Offshore Marine Day is one of several new and interesting additions to the programme and deservedly so, as the sector outperforms others in the industry. Led by the movers and shakers of the offshore sector, the high powered line-up of speakers will address the pivotal commercial and financing issues in this market."
"Sea Asia 2013 promises to be a trusted event for industry leaders to network, exchange views on the industry and more importantly an acknowledged platform to strike deals. As circumstances and events become increasingly dynamic, the maritime sector must continue to remain agile and flexible to seek out opportunities and overcome the current challenges it faces." he added.
Sea Asia 2013 also provides extensive networking opportunities for participants wishing to forge new business relationships or re-establish old ones. Networking events include the GAC Sea Asia 2013 Golf Classic, cocktail receptions, and a host of other activities in and around the exhibition hall.
The principal sponsors for Sea Asia 2013 are Anglo Eastern, DNB Bank ASA, Executive Ship Management, Keppel Offshore & Marine, Lloyd's Register, NOL Group, and PSA Corporation Limited.
Other sponsors include ABB Pte. Ltd, ABS, Admiralty, AXS Marine, Class NK, DNV Petroleum Services, DVB Bank, GAC Group, GL, Holman Fenwick Willan, Ideocean, Lukoil Marine Lubricants, London Offshore Consultants, M3 Marine Group Pte Ltd, Marshall Islands Registry, MTM Ship Management Pte Ltd, Pacific International Lines, RightShip, Seaco, Siemens Pte Ltd, Singapore Telecommunications Ltd., Standard Chartered Bank, The Standard P&I Club, and Thome Group of Companies.
Visit www.sea-asia.com for more information.