STAMFORD, Conn. – August 2, 2018 - This year’s SHIPPINGInsight Fleet Optimization and Innovation Conference and Exhibition will challenge shipowners and solution providers to accelerate advancements for tomorrow’s shipping industry. The conference organizers are assembling a powerful lineup of speakers and topics addressing the issues of disruptive changes that are transforming the entire maritime industry.

Day 1 of the conference opens with a plenary session entitled “The Future Is Today.” The keynote speaker will be Jan-Willem van den Dijssel, Americas Lead, Ocean Transportation for Cargill Inc., who will present his thoughts on “Shipping’s Role in a Changing Role.” Other speakers and roundtable moderators in the opening session will include Francesco Bellusci, Managing Director of Scorpio Group; Josh Shapiro, Executive Vice President and COO of Liberty Maritime; and Kirsi Tikka, Executive Vice President of American Bureau of Shipping.

Other themed sessions for the three-day program include: “Managing Risk through Change,” “Data: Using What We Know,” and “The Age of Autonomy.” A new feature in this year’s SHIPPINGInsight will be breakout sessions for more detailed discussions of specific topics of interest. The conference will close with the popular Shipowner Panel, in which shipping company executives talk freely about their concerns, challenges and priorities when it comes to dealing with change and technologies.

“Shipping companies face a host of uncertainties, among them the effects of new regulations that will have an enormous impact on the bottom line, most notably the looming 2020 emissions deadline with carbon reduction right behind,” said Carleen Lyden Walker, Chief Evolution Officer of SHIPPINGInsight. “But that’s just one aspect of the disruptive changes on the horizon. Today’s shipowners must also consider the impact of unprecedented technological advances, automation, cybersecurity, big data, connectivity and the changing human resources landscape in addition to the usual market uncertainties.”

The seventh annual shipping industry technology event will take place Oct. 16-18, at the recently renovated Hilton hotel in Stamford, Conn.

Originally established in 2012, SHIPPINGInsight has grown steadily each year. Focusing on fleet optimization and innovation, the event provides a forum for shipowners and solution providers to exchange ideas and discuss challenges in facing the transformation of the industry. More than 240 delegates from 15 countries attended the 2017 event, including 43 shipping company executives. For more information, please visit www.shippinginsight.com.

Jan-Willem van den Dijssel
Americas Lead Ocean Transporation
Cargill, Inc.