
Preparations for this year’s The Maritime Standard (TMS) Ship Finance & Trade Conference, which takes place on 6th November at Sheraton Abu Dhabi Hotel & Resort, are gathering momentum. A host of top level speakers have now been confirmed for the event, ensuring it will be a not-to-be-missed experience.
Keynote speaker, Captain Mohammed Juma Al Shamisi, chief executive, Abu Dhabi Ports (ADP), will be followed in the headline Session 1 programme by Captain Abdulkareem Al Masabi, chief executive, ADNOC Logistics & Services; Abdulla Bin Damithan chief commercial officer, DP World; Ross Thompson, chief commercial and strategy officer, ADP; and Dr. Priyath Wickrama, chairman, Bestar Consultancy. The theme of this session will be Investing in Infrastructure: How to Unlock Trade Potential.
Session 2, which will the assess the future of ship and port finance, will feature Jacob Berman, managing director, infrastructure and transportation, Standard Chartered; Ali Shehab, deputy chief executive, Kuwait Oil Tanker Company; Marcus Machin, chief executive, Tufton Oceanic; Andrew Simmons, chief executive, Global Marine Transport; Tien Tai, regional partner, HFW; Andrew Baird, partner, Watson Farley Williams; and Adel Al Wahedi, chief finance officer, ADP.
The third and final session, chaired by Andrew Baird, will feature presentations by Captain SR Patnaik, chief executive, ISL; Bora Bariman, head of energy and marine, National Bank of Fujairah; and Waleed Al Tamimi, general manager of Tasneef. More speakers are expected to be added to this session in the next few weeks, so watch this space!
This will be the fourth in an increasingly successful series of conferences that started in 2015. Each event has attracted a bigger attendance than the previous one, and this year is set to be another record-breaker. The TMS Ship Finance and Trade Conference has gained in relevance and popularity by bringing together experts from the fields of shipping, ports, banking, finance, trade and maritime law under one roof to discuss and debate the most important contemporary trends and issues facing the market. In particular the event aims to encourage dialogue and cooperation between the various sectors represented to help achieve sustainable growth within the regional shipping and ports sectors, as well as an overall expansion in trade activity.
The TMS Ship Finance and Trade Conference is now firmly established on the industry calendar and this year the quality of the speakers is all set to raise the event to another level. Clive Woodbridge, conference editor, says, “Our aim is to make the Conference both enjoyable and informative. We are delighted with the calibre of the speakers who have agreed to take part and I am sure it will present a unique opportunity to learn from, and be guided by industry experts, as well as to have the chance to network with business leaders.”
For more information about the Conference and how to register, go to: www.tms-shipfinanceandtrade.com



















