Shipping Leaders to Debate Industry Adaptation in Singapore
Senior shipping executives will gather in Singapore next week to discuss how the industry can adapt to rapid changes in geopolitics, regulation, and
With one week until the Splash Singapore conference, senior figures from across the shipping industry are preparing to debate how to operate in an era of fast-changing assumptions. The event will take place on Thursday, September 24 at the Fairmont Singapore's Stamford Ballroom.
Splash editor and conference co-founder Sam Chambers will moderate the opening session, focusing on what successful companies have actually changed in response to disruption. He stated that shipping is being asked to make 20-year decisions in what increasingly feels like a six-month world. The session will not describe disruption but seek to understand how the best organisations allocate capital, build resilience, and make decisions.
Joining Chambers on stage are CEOs from major shipping firms, including Bjørn Højgaard of Anglo-Eastern Univan Group, Hor Weng Yew of Pacific Carriers Limited, and Shmuel Yoskovitz of X-Press Feeders. The conference format involves no presentations or slides, only moderated, unscripted discussions.
Tanker and Dry Bulk Outlooks
The Tanker Market Outlook session will examine supply, demand, and the challenge of managing an ageing fleet. Participants include Alan Hatton of Foreguard Shipping, Andreas Michalopoulos of Performance Shipping, and Tomoaki Ichida of MOL.
Later, the Dry Bulk Market Outlook will close the conference. Featuring Jan Rindbo of Norden and Martin Fruergaard of Pacific Basin, it will debate China's role, the growing orderbook, and the sustainability of current freight markets. The session includes leaders from G2 Ocean, the Baltic Exchange, and Seanergy.
Technology's Growing Role
After lunch, the SplashTech Digital Leaders Forum will convene executives from firms like Viasat Commercial and Klaveness Digital. They will discuss what technology owners are actually buying, where investment is flowing, and what it takes to scale a maritime tech company.
A subsequent session, AI, Digitalisation and the Maritime Workforce, will explore how artificial intelligence is changing work. Leaders from Lloyd’s Register, Marcura, and BW Group will tackle workforce readiness and the delegation of work to technology.
Chartering and Emissions
The Chartering Spotlight session will debate how AI and data transparency are changing ship fixture processes. Companies like Fednav, Vale, and Heidelberg Materials Trading will discuss whether technology levels the playing field or strengthens scale advantages. A key topic will be how emissions performance is increasingly influencing vessel selection.
The event takes place on World Maritime Day, ahead of the Singapore Shipping Association's gala dinner. Singapore, a global maritime trade hub on the primary Asia-Europe lane via the Strait of Malacca, hosts one of the busiest maritime weeks in Asia. Registration for the conference costs S$750.
