The second annual The Maritime Standard Tanker Conference, which takes place on Tuesday 24th October at the Grosvenor House Hotel in Dubai, has assembled some of the leading names in the industry to speak at the event. Collectively they will address the top issues facing tanker owners and operators today, making this a must-attend occasion for anyone involved in the oil, products and chemical tanker business.

4th September, Dubai, UAE: Cybercrime is a matter of growing international concern within the tanker shipping sector and The Maritime Standard has responded by making this a key topic for this year’s event. Trevor Pereira, managing director, says, “We have received phenomenal support from the shipping industry for this conference, including the backing of the world’s biggest shipping organisation, BIMCO. One of the highlights of the day is sure to be the presentation by Phil Tinsley, BIMCO’s maritime security manager. This will be an informative session and a timely reminder that cyber security should be on everyone’s agenda.”

Mr. Tinsley will illustrate the potential threats from cyber incidents and give advice about how to mitigate those risks through awareness and training. BIMCO’s recently updated industry guidelines will be explained, and attendees will be given an insight into future regulations which will require action by the industry from 2021 onwards, as part of ships’ Safety Management Systems.

Mr. Tinsley says, “The recent NotPetya ransomware attack and the spoofing of GPS signals in the Black Sea illustrate cybercrime is on the increase in all sectors of the maritime industry. Companies need to be aware of how to handle phishing emails, and to have policies in place to ensure operational and information technologies are separated on board.”

The Maritime Standard Tanker Conference will also feature some of the most high profile and respected names within the region’s tanker and petrochemicals business. The keynote speech will be given by H.E. Sheikh Talal Al-Khaled Al Sabah, chief executive of the Kuwait Oil Tanker Company (KOTC), who will reveal plans to expand and upgrade its tanker fleet, as well as initiatives to protect the environment.

Other confirmed speakers at The Maritime Standard Tanker Conference include: H.E. Eduardo Fonseca Ward, Ambassador, Republic of Panama; Ali Shehab, Deputy CEO, Kuwait Oil Tanker Company; Chris Peters, Chief Executive, Emirates Ship Investment Company; Sanjay Mehta, Chairman, S One Capital; Gaurav Moolwaney, Executive Director, Standard Chartered Bank; Petros Doukas, Former Deputy Minister of Finance and Foreign Affairs, Greece; Tarik Al Junaidi, Chief Executive, Oman Shipping Company; and Omar Abu Omar, President, Maritime & Operations, Gulf Navigation Holding. They will be joined by experts in specific operational sectors, such as ship management, communications, ship repair, classification and security, with Captain Patnaik, Director and CEO, International Shipping and Logistics; Roger Harfouch, Regional Director, Marlink Communications; Dr. Ruanthi De Silva, Chief Executive, SCM Plus; Thomas Kriwat, CEO, Mercmarine Group; Lakshmi Janarthanan, Commercial Director, Drydocks World Dubai; Ralph Becker, Regional Business Development Manager, DNV GL; and Katherine Yakunchenkova, General Manager, Al Safina Security, all confirmed to speak.

Trevor Pereira adds, “This is quite simply the finest assembly of the best known names in the region’s tanker trade and related industries. We hope to add a few more high profile speakers in the next few weeks, so watch this space!”

The quality of The Maritime Standard Tanker Conference has also won the support of several leading organisations as sponsors and supporters. Alongside BIMCO, these include the Dubai Council for Marine and Maritime Industries (DCMMI); the Institute of Marine Engineering, Science and Technology (IMarEST); the Organisation of Islamic Shipowners Association (OISA), the Nautical Institute; The Indian National Ship Owners’ Association (INSA); The Ceylon Association of Shipping Agents (CASA); The Mission to Seafarers; Pakistan Ship Agent’s Association (PSAA) and the Women in Shipping and Transport Association (WISTA).

The Maritime Standard Tanker Conference takes place the day after the 4th annual Maritime Standard Awards, which are being held at The Atlantis, The Palm, Dubai on Monday 23rd October 2017. This is a glittering event attended by over 750 senior executives and industry leaders not just from across the region, but worldwide also. Many of these figures have committed to stay on and attend the Tanker Conference, creating unrivalled networking opportunities for those attending.

For more information about the Tanker Conference please go to www.tmstankerconference.com
For more information about The Maritime Standard Awards please go to www.tmsawards.com

Press Release

The Maritime Standard, the leading events, awards and publishing company, is gearing up for a busy few months with action in all sections. Towards the end of June, the first The Maritime Standard UAE Yearbook 2016/17 will be published, with reviews of activity in ports, shipping shipyards, maritime law, classification and other sectors of the maritime business in the UAE. Trevor Pereira, managing director, “This will be an invaluable publication that will have relevance year round. It will have a circulation of over 5000 and we are taking it to SMM, Hamburg in September. So those covered and supporting advertisers will get international as well as local exposure.”

Nominations have also recently opened for this year’s The Maritime Standard Awards. Mr. Pereira adds, “If you don’t nominate you don’t stand a chance to win; so get your nominations in by the deadline date at the end of August.” This year there are a total of 21 commercial categories to nominate for, and the winners will be announced at a Gala dinner at Atlantis, The Palm, Dubai, on 24th October. An elite judging panel, chaired by The Maritime Standard Editor, Clive Woodbridge, has been announced and there are very few categories available left for sponsorship. Those interested in the opportunities that remain should email sponsorship@tmsawards.com

The day after The Maritime Standard Awards, the company is hosting a high level tanker conference in Dubai on October 25th. A niche event for the tanker trade, it has been confirmed that KOTC chief executive officer, H.E. Sheikh Talal Al Khaled Al Sabah, will be the keynote speaker. Full details of conference programme and networking opportunities will be up on The Maritime Standard Tanker Conference website shortly.

Then to wrap up a busy six months for The Maritime Standard, the second annual The Maritime Standard Ship Finance and Trade conference will take place on 14 November at the Sheraton Abu Dhabi. The website is up and running at www.tms-shipfinanceandtrade.com and the programme is being developed, with details being revealed over the next few weeks. Chief executive officer of Abu Dhabi Ports, Capt. Mohamed Juma Al Shamisi, is confirmed as key note speaker.

Trevor Pereira concludes, “We are very excited about the programme we have for the second half of this year. The programme that is put together is really unique and I am sure will help raise the profile of the maritime industries in this part of the world.”

Press Release

The Maritime Standard (TMS) celebrated a number of exciting new initiatives at a special networking reception held on a specially chartered yacht at Dubai Marina Yacht Club on May 3rd.

The evening event was attended by over 100 of the region’s top maritime business figures, including Former ADNATCO-NGSCO chief executive, H.E. Dr. Ali Obaid Al Yabhouni, Abdulkareem Al Masabi, chairman, Abu Dhabi Terminals, Ali Al Shehab, deputy chief executive of Kuwait Oil Tanker Company (KOTC) and many other senior decision makers, from the worlds of shipping, ports, finance and law, besides others. They took advantage of the opportunity to network in a laid-back, informal setting while sailing in the Dubai lagoon.

The business part of the event was kicked off by Clive Woodbridge, editor of The Maritime Standard, who was able to update guests on the progress made by the newsletter over the past year, which now has a circulation of more than 30,000. He said, “We are grateful for the support the industry in this part of the world has given the TMS newsletter. The feedback we get regularly indicates it is a welcome source of information.”

Clive also revealed an exciting new event, the first The Maritime Standard Tanker Conference, which will take place in Dubai on Tuesday, October 25th 2016. Clive said, “The tanker market is one that is full of interesting challenges and opportunities at the moment right across the region. This new one day conference will bring together some of the foremost figures in the tanker shipping business and related fields to highlight what steps are needed to take full opportunity of such positive trends.” Clive then confirmed that the second annual Ship Finance and Trade conference will return to Abu Dhabi, taking place at the Sheraton Towers Hotel on Monday, November 14th 2016.

Clive further announced the first The Maritime Standard magazine, The Maritime Standard UAE Yearbook 2016/2017, which will include articles reviewing recent activities and future plans of the region’s port, shipping, shipbuilding and repair, maritime technology, law, insurance and other sectors. He added: “This is a publication that will be a reference book for the 2016-17 financial year and will have a long shelf life. It will be the definitive guide to what is going on in the region and will be a publication that will be referred to again and again.”

TMS managing director, Trevor Pereira, then officially welcomed attendees to the network evening, and shared the latest news about The Maritime Standard Awards, which will return to the Atlantis, The Palm, for a third year in a row on Monday 24th October 2016. “I promise you that in line with 2014 and 2015 it is going to be one big night of celebration and acknowledgement. We have 29 Awards representing quite literally every trade in Shipping and Maritime,” he said.

Trevor then revealed the TMS Awards Judges Panel. New additions this year include Mohamed Ali Ahmed, COO from DP World; Abdulrahman Essa Al Mannai, President and CEO from MILAHA; Abdulkareem Al Masabi, Chairman, Abu Dhabi Terminals; Capt. B.B. Sinha, Chairman and Managing Director from The Shipping Corporation of India; Koichi Murata, Regional Manager from ClassNK; Ali Al Shehab, Deputy Chief Executive officer from KOTC and Capt. Brian Course, quality and compliance manager from BAHRI.

The evening was rounded off by some excellent food. Trevor concluded, “We have been taken back by the success of this networking event. The fact that so many top level people attended shows clearly there is a real need for opportunities like this, and we plan to repeat it again in 2017.”

Media Clippings:

• Khaleej Times
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• SYS-Con Media
• Business Intelligence Middle East
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