Digital Ship Conference Singapore 2009

When: 23-24 September 2009

Where: TBD

Official Site

Keeping It Up Despite the Downturn

LNG is one of the fastest growing sectors in global shipping however the current economic crisis has taken its toll on delays in new LNG productions plants, shrinking LNG demand and surplus in carrying capacity. Coupled with evolution of technology in LNG sector and limited pool of skilled LNG carrier operators, managing LNG transportation has become more challenging than ever. Staying afloat and strong in the midst of the dismal market remains the top agenda for anyone in this business. Find out and determine the strategy, approach and plan you need to have in place to brace the current market, be prepared beyond the economic and financial contagion and be in the forefront of industry development.

Taking a center stage at the Singapore’s MPA Maritime Week, Asia Business Forum, a Euromoney PLC company,is pleased to present LNG Shipping Asia Conference that will bring you up to speed with critical market development on the existing LNG trade and vessels deployments in Asia.

Where: April 20-21, 2009

When: Singapore

Conference Home

At any time, there are about 1,000 ships in port. More than 12,000 oil tankers and 3,000 chemical tankers call at Singapore a year. With the substantial amount of oil and chemicals being shipped in and out of the island, safeguarding our waters and port terminals agains threats remains a top priority of the MPA. Singapore was the first country in Asia to sign the US Container Security Initiative (CSI). Singapore maintains a high level of maritime vigilance for the port and its waterways. This is carried out throught the work of the MPA, the enforcement and security agencies and terminal operators.

This conference should not be just about Singapore port security but cover all aspects of Government Regulations and initiatives in “enforcing” security at ports and how this can be achieved; maritime domain awareness and the security of international as well as regional waters (piracy prevention); key initiatives locally and worldwide in enforcing maritime security; and countering terrorism attacks and disaster managements; compliance guidelines and the latest emerging port security capabilities.

From port authorities, government regulators, enforcement agencies including coast guards, police, maritime and ship industries: – General Management; Head of Operations; Head of Chartering; Risk Managers; HSE Advisors; Crisis Managers; In-house Counsel; Corporate Legal, Legal Advisors, Claims Manager, Head of Port Security, Head of Risk.

Where: Singapore

When: March 26-27, 2008

Marina Mandarin, Raffles Boulevard, Marina Square, Singapore, Feb. 18 & 19 2009

Conference Mission Statement & Introduction

London: Monday 28th July, 2008

Seventy per cent of Earth is covered by the oceans, but, we rarely occupy this part of Earth’s surface except on a temporary basis. The comparative hostility of the seas, in contrast to our populated land masses, does not diminish their vital, and increasing, importance as a means of transport for our globalised trade goods, as an important source of food supplies and of vital energy resources, as well as an environment for our leisure pursuits.

Indeed, it is a combination of its hostility and the increasing importance of the sea that now renders our ability to communicate effectively whilst on its surface just as important as when we engage in our economic activities and social pursuits on dry land.  Moreover, those dry land economic activities are themselves increasingly dependent on information and communications technology-related efficiencies on vessels on the high-seas.

Yet, whilst the technology of communications, and the exchange of information which it facilitates, has undergone an accelerated development in recent decades, and is taken for granted throughout developed economies – as well as being a prime facet of the development agenda for developing economies – the widespread deployment of communications technologies and services that are accessible whilst at sea has lagged.

This is the situation no longer, and whilst there has already been much recent improvement in the availability of advanced communications at sea, it is only now that the maritime communications environment is progressing fully, from a mainly narrowband communications arena, and into the broadband age.

“At sea” equates to mobility, and to separation by significant distance from a land-based origin.  It also equates to (frequently) arduous environmental and weather conditions, and to isolation from support infrastructures and services available on land.

For all of these reasons, the only way to communicate effectively whilst at sea is via satellite, and the technologies and services to support the increasingly sophisticated information and communications applications solutions required – just as much afloat as on land – are becoming more widely evident in the maritime communications marketplace.

The broad scope of this conference includes those segments of the maritime transport market that we have classified as the Merchant segment, the Passenger segment, the Ocean Resource segment, and the Leisure segment.  For the purposes of this conference these segments, and the satellite-based communications applications associated with them, are defined as follows.

The Merchant segment includes tankers for crude oil, its refined derivatives, as well as LNG; container vessels; bulk carriers; oil & gas field maintenance & supply vessels; and cable/fibre/pipeline laying vessels.  High demand communications applications in this segment include: remote Internet & corporate intranet access; email & webmail, large file transfers; SMS text & instant messaging; video conferencing; store & forward video; real-time navigation & weather updates; Global Maritime Distress Safety System (GMDSS); crew welfare communications; corporate secure communications; vessel & engine telemetry; cargo monitoring & telemetry; and, telemedicine.

The Passenger segment principally refers to point-to-point vehicle & passenger ferries and shares many of the above listed applications, plus that of cellular/mobile backhaul and trunking.

The Ocean Resource segment – which includes inshore fishing trawlers, and their offshore and deepwater equivalents and factory ships, as well as deepwater floating and semi-submersible oil & gas platforms – typically features applications such as telephony; email & Internet access; crew welfare communications; telemedicine; real-time navigation, position reporting & weather updates; GMDSS; sea/ocean floor depth mapping; market information (e.g. fish market price downloads & selling catch online); tracking applications (e.g. fish finding); updating electronic logs.

The Leisure segment – covering ocean-going cruise liners, ocean-going private leisure craft, and inshore leisure craft – communications requirement includes such key applications as: maintenance of 24/7 business communications via telephony, email, fax, Internet, cellular backhaul & trunking, and video conferencing, as well as credit card verification and ATM support, plus real-time weather & navigation updates, GMDSS, and ship-to-shore advance repairs booking & supplies orders.

‘Broadband Maritime Conference 2009: New Communications Networking for Offshore & the High-Seas’ is the first in an annual series of events – organised by UK-EMP in partnership with the GVF – adopting a comprehensive overview of the multiple segments, and multiple facets, of the maritime communications market as it inevitably and progressively occupies the satellite broadband space.

Three such facets are as follows.

Key hardware technology development in the design and deployment of state-of-the-art stabilised satellite antennas which enable effective satellite tracking and maintenance of signal integrity as vessels pitch and roll, whilst maintaining constant reliability through robustness and rugged design against challenging weather conditions.

New service provisioning, delivering “always on” broadband applications with QoS guarantees that go beyond basic “pay-by-the-minute” service types and which facilitate greater predictability in mission critical delivery, as well as accuracy in the calculation of the cost of communications and, therefore, improved corporate overheads budgeting.

Access to applications and networks: meeting today’s imperative for constant, seamless and cost-effective connectivity to ensure optimised exploitation of physical maritime assets, maximised passenger satisfaction, maximised crew welfare, and optimised navigational safety.

Introduction to Conference Day One

The morning of Day 1 of the conference will examine the overall maritime satellite communications market with a particular emphasis on the nature of current shifts in the demand for different types of applications. This will be followed by a more detailed profile of the satellite communications solution requirements of specific segments of the maritime market, together with an analysis of their respective economic significance. The development and introduction of new maritime satellite services in the Ku-band, in addition to those in other satellite frequency ranges, will be examined, as will new ranges of specific services offered by satellite operators and network providers spanning the narrowband and broadband space. The first of a series of market segment case studies – focusing on the Merchant segment – will investigate communications networking and fleet management for the bulk carrier, container ship, and tanker market. Inshore and high-seas satellite communications regulatory regimes will be analysed prior to presentation of a second market segment case study of the cruise passenger’s mobile and broadband requirement when in port and at sea. The following session will investigate the contribution of ICT in the data capture, analysis and reporting systems which support the industry’s standards compliance obligations of ship’s officers on behalf of vessel owners.

Introduction to Conference Day Two

The morning session of Day 2 will open on the topic of ‘Maritime Information Collaborative Environments’ (MICE). More than a memorable acronym, M.I.C.E. refers to shared maritime information data sets, networked over IP-based satellite communications linking ship-to-ship and ship-to-shore, for the purposes of aggregating and analysing information generated from applications covering everything from SCADA and individual vessel tracking to vessel navigational communications and complex global fleet management operations. Further morning sessions will cover challenges and developments in the installation & maintenance of maritime satcoms terminal equipment, offer illustrations of the design parameters of maritime stabilised antennas, and look at the latest and planned GVF training initiatives for the installation market in the maritime sector.

The final afternoon of the conference will begin with a further market segment case study of the role of satellite communications in the short-range & medium-range ferry environment, and go on to examine safety and distress maritime communications systems.  A final study – in the Ocean Resource segment – will be followed by a final session focusing on Weather Data Streams: real-time access & dissemination of local, regional & global information.

Overview

The weakening of world markets has seen shipping take a beating from her highs just about a year ago. However, seafarers remain just as important as the need for carriage of fundamental commodities and energy.

Seafarers 2009 returns for the 2nd year with greater emphasis on the strategies that should be applied in the current uncertain environment and tight maritime human pool available. Certain factors such as communication, a clear roadmap of career and fair treatment have often been neglected by the major industry stakeholders. Leaders must now understand that to ensure long-term business success, knowledge and application of the best recruitment and retention practices is the key.

With seafarers playing such an important role in the day to day operations of the vessel, the conference highlights the need for integration of human factors in the safety management system as well as the design process. Moving forward, we look at the growing trend of women seafarers and the evolution of litigation liability and claims.

Seafarers 2009 is a timely platform to gain the latest information while enjoying excellent networking.

Where: Singapore

When: May 26-28, 2009

CONFERENCE HOME

Moving onto Next Generation Networks (NGN) promises a whole menu of advantages such as greater flexibility in terms of the technology and services on offer, access to a range of new applications specific to next-generation networks and most importantly, a significant reduction in the cost of running and maintaining separate voice, data and Internet services. However, with it comes the fear of whether it is the right time to adopt NGN and if the decision has been made, how do you migrate from a legacy network to NGN?

Where: Singapore

When: October 21-22, 2008

Where: Singapore

When: December 2-5, 2008

Where: Singapore

When: October 15-17, 2008

The industry faces major challenges on several fronts including a record number of new vessels joining the fleet between now and the end of the decade that must be financed and manned. Huge numbers of crew have to be recruited, trained and retained. All against the backdrop of rising numbers of accidents linked to navigational errors. Add to this the growing demand for newbuilding supervision, especially in China, as well as often spiraling cost pressures associated with bunkers and insurance and suddenly maritime outsourcing takes on a new relevance.

Outsourcing can and does play a key role in all of these areas, offering potential cost savings for owners by tapping into a pool of expertise. With the growth of the world fleet, shipmanagers are poised to become an ever-more attractive solution for companies that lack the necessary in-house expertise and manpower. Many owners are also diversifying from their traditional sectors into new ship-types requiring project-specific skills.

But outsourcing is not a ‘one solution fits all’ answer as there are recent examples of owners taking more control of their destiny, including moving all or some of their management functions back ‘in house’. And with shipmanagers complaining that the flat-fee system provides little incentive for them to increase quality and the opportunity to earn a decent return on investment, is the traditional management business model set to be jettisoned in favour of a ‘value added’ approach incorporating a menu of ancillary services? But, who benefits?

In this more demanding and competitive maritime environment, how important is the local infrastructure, tax regime, maritime cluster and proximity to cargo interests offered by your chosen country? Do large clusters encourage and facilitate greater outsourcing or insourcing?

For owners facing serious cost pressures, crew challenges, integrating newbuildings into existing fleets and an uncertain world trade outlook, is now the time to re-examine all aspects of maritime outsourcing? What can we outsource, what must we bring in house? And, particularly relevant– how can we benchmark our outsourcing partner’s performance?

Find out for yourself by joining the maritime outsourcing industry on November 18th.

TradeWinds Web TV reported extensively on the 2007 event in Copenhagen and below are links to video interviews with some of the speakers and delegates.

Where: Singapore, Southeast Asia

When: November 18, 2008