Program for ICS/ISF International Shipping Conference Announced

The piracy issue, reducing shipboard emissions, and tackling the worsening crisis of crew competency and complacency onboard today’s ships will be just some of the hard hitting subjects covered at the ICS/ISF International Shipping Conference to be held at IET London, 2 Savoy Place, London from September 14th to 15th.

Rear Admiral Duncan Potts, the newly-appointed Operation Commander at EUNAVFOR, will be a guest speaker at the conference and will give his views on tackling the scourge of piracy from a military perspective. He will be joined on the first day’s piracy session by Stephen Askins, Partner at Ince & Co, who will discuss the intricate and often tricky issue of ransom negotiations.

Reducing shipboard emissions is one of the shipping industry’s hot topics. Delegates will hear Robert Lorenz-Meyer speak on the key issue of technical and operational solutions to reducing CO2.  Sturla Henriksen, Director General of the Norwegian Shipowners’ Association, will address the complex issue of Market Based Measures and the way forward.

The ICS/ISF International Shipping Conference has attracted some of the top speakers in the shipping industry. Outgoing IMO Secretary-General Efthimios Mitropoulos and ITF General Secretary David Cockroft will be keynote speakers, while the Arctic explorer Pen Hadow will give a special presentation on the importance of the environment.  ICS Chairman Spyros Polemis and Joe Ludwiczak, General Secretary of the Liberian Shipowners’ Council, will chair alternate days of the conference.

The second day of debate will carry on the piracy theme as well as look at the crucial issues of seafarer competency and complacency, health and welfare. Employers’ Challenges and Corporate and Social Responsibility will also come under the conference spotlight. Andrew Glass from BP Shipping and Douglas Lang, Managing Director of Anglo Eastern (UK), will both speak on the second day.