Marintec shows China’s maritime mettleMarintec shows China’s maritime mettle

To put the scale of the show perspective in 2011 the exhibition covered 70,000 sq m and had over 50,000 visitors. In its 17^th edition the sheer scale of Marintec China underscores just how important the country remains to the shipping and marine industries.

Yes, many of the companies that jumped on the shipping boom bandwagon opening shipyards in China, have since gone to the wall or struggled to survive, but the country does still have a huge shipbuilding industry, which is increasingly pushing into the lucrative offshore marine market as well. Government policies are moving towards rationalising the industry to be a more sustainable one, which will be good for the long term.

China’s shipping companies may have struggled as the downturn has dragged on into its fifth year, but the fact remains the country is a huge driver of shipping demand both domestically and internationally. The country both drives containerised export trades and dry bulk import trades, importing a staggering 66% of global iron ore shipments.

For those in the business of supplying shipowners, managers and shipyards this all adds up to a massive market that simply cannot be ignored. So even in these hard times international and domestic companies continue to flock to Marintec China to network, do deals and take the pulse of the market.

The Senior Maritime Forum meanwhile allows delegates to catch-up with the latest developments in China’s maritime industries and hear from global experts such as Clarkson’s Martin Stopford.

Seatrade will of course be there in a big way and you can keep abreast of all the latest developments on Seatrade Global, which will be updated live from the show, as well as the convenient weekend round-up in Seatrade Asia Week on Friday.

So look out for our editorial team at the show or drop by the Seatrade stand in Hall N3, Stand H09 and catch up with the Seatrade team from Singapore, China, and the UK.

We look forward to seeing you there.

Marcus Hand

Editor, Seatrade Global and Seatrade Asia Week