LISW to explore tomorrow’s maritime world

“We’re not focused, as many events are, on what’s going to happen in the market in the next six months or two years, what the current orderbook looks like,” Penn, former chief executive of the Baltic Exchange, told a pre-event press conference at the end of last week. “A lot of the discussions will be about the decision-making that will impact the next 20, 30 years.”

When building a ship today, a vital consideration is “what its future is going to be in 25 years’ time,” he added.

Under the theme of “Tomorrow’s Maritime World”, LISW will  feature some 150 different events – including about 15 organised by the UK government - focusing on the future of the global shipping business.

A latest addition to the programme is Dr Liam Fox, Secretary of State for International Trade, who will be delivering the keynote speech at the LISW17 main conference moderated by the BBC’s John Humphreys, followed by a gala dinner, on Thursday 14 September.  

Another strong focus of the event will be future UK trade prospects with China, with delegations from both mainland China and Hong Kong to visit. The Chinese Shipping Association of London (CSAL) and the Baltic Exchange are organising a special 'China Focus‘ conference on 12 September, while professional services’ body Maritime London is hosting a seminar entitled ‘China’s Belt and Road – how far along are we?’ on 13 September.