Sea Asia 2019 to Discuss Key Issues Facing Maritime in Today's Changing Landscape

SINGAPORE,March 20,2019 --Sea Asia 2019,Asia's anchor maritime and offshore conference and exhibition,is set to host more than 15,000 attendees from over 80 countries and regions this 9- 11 April in Singapore.

Taking place as part of the 14th Singapore Maritime Week (6- 14 April),it will be graced and opened by Singapore's Senior Minister of State,Ministry of Transport & Ministry of Communications and Information,Dr Janil Puthucheary.

Mr Kenneth Chia,Executive Director of the Singapore Maritime Foundation (SMF),said this edition of Sea Asia will continue to provide maritime leaders from around the world a platform to discuss trends and challenges,particularly on the upcoming environmental regulations,and the impact of the increasing digitalisation of the industry.

"The maritime industry is the backbone of global and Singapore trade,and is going through a rapidly changing landscape. With regulations and external trends set to transform the way the industry traditionally operates,we are excited to continue building Sea Asia 2019 as a strong knowledge and networking platform to tackle industry-specific challenges," said Mr Chia.

According to statistics released by the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA),container throughput grew by 8.7 per cent to 36.6 million twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs),and total cargo throughput remained stable at 630 million tonnes-- making Singapore one of the world's busiest ports.

Singapore was also the world's top bunkering port in 2018,with annual bunker sales volume close to the 50 million-tonne mark for the second year consecutively. [1]

Sea Asia 2019 will feature new technologies on the exhibition show floor,as well as national pavilions. These include a maritime start-up focused platform,the Innovation Arena,an additive manufacturing showcase in collaboration with Nanyang Polytechnic and a virtual reality welding demonstration. There will also be 13 national pavilions,three of which are new to Sea Asia 2019-- Oman,Poland and Turkey.

Notably,the Sea Asia conference will see six shipping industry leaders debate for and against the motion at the returning Parliamentary Debate. The leaders will each share their thoughts on the motion,'This House believes that too much is expected of the shipping industry on environmental matters'.

Chairman of Seatrade,Informa Markets,Mr Chris Hayman,said current developments in the industry today,such as the upcoming International Maritime Organization (IMO) Sulphur Cap 2020,and the growing collaborations between start-ups and maritime,will also form significant parts of discussions at Sea Asia 2019.

"The sulphur cap sees the maritime industry moving into uncharted waters with what has been described as 'a once in a century event'. As a result industry looking at alternative fuels and solutions to operate within the new environmental regulatory limits. At the same time,companies are looking towards collaboration with start-ups to bring innovative solutions to the table.

"Sea Asia 2019 provides an established and critical platform for global industry leaders to come together and share their thoughts on the current developments and how the industry can navigate challenges together moving forward," said Mr Hayman.

Other highlights include the Sea Asia Global Forum,a panel featuring seasoned veterans reflecting on where the industry is headed to; the Future of the Maritime Workforce forum,which will look into how the Industrial Revolution 4.0 is impacting the maritime workforce; and the Fleet Management of the Future session focusing on the optimisation of fleet operations through digitalisation.

The full conference programme which outlines the many other exciting discussion topics and speakers can be accessed here: https://www.sea-asia.com/Conference/Conference-Programme.

[1]Singapore's 2018 Maritime Performance. Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA),14 January 2019.

Notes to Editors

About UBM

Sea Asia is organised by UBM,which in June 2018 combined with Informa PLC to become a leading B2B information services group and the largest B2B Events organiser in the world. Please visit www.ubm.com/singapore for more information about our presence in Singapore.

About Singapore Maritime Foundation

Established in 2004,the Singapore Maritime Foundation (SMF) is a private sector-led organisation that seeks to develop and promote Singapore as an International Maritime Centre (IMC). As the representative voice for the commercial players of the maritime industry,SMF seeks to forge strong partnerships with the public and private sectors of the maritime industry. SMF spearheads initiatives to promote the diverse clusters of the maritime industry in Singapore and at international frontiers,and to attract young talents to join the sector. SMF is directed by its Board of Directors which comprises prominent leaders in the Singapore maritime community.

For details,visit www.smf.com.sg.

Sea Asia 2019 is held in conjunction with the Singapore Maritime Week 2019 (SMW). SMW is the leading maritime event in Singapore driven by the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore. SMW gathers the international maritime community in Singapore for a week of conferences,dialogues,exhibitions and social events in celebration of all things maritime. These events reflect the vibrancy and diversity of Singapore as a major international maritime centre.

About the Singapore Maritime Week 2019 (6-- 12 April 2019)

Singapore Maritime Week (SMW) is one of the world's leading maritime shows and is organised annually and driven by the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA). Every year,SMW gathers the international maritime community for a week of flagship conferences,exhibitions and social events in celebration of all things maritime. The range of activities and events organised by MPA,industry stakeholders and research and educational institutions,as well as the cosmopolitan profile of participants,reflects the vibrancy and diversity of Singapore as a global hub port and leading international maritime centre.

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