Stage Set for World Ports & Trade Summit in Abu Dhabi, UAE

 

The second World Ports & Trade Summit, which will be held under the patronage of H.H. General Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi & Deputy Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces, will take place from April 2 to 4 in Abu Dhabi and includes 3 days of exhibition, high level conference programme and networking.

The Summit, which is being organised in association with Abu Dhabi Ports Company (ADPC), will take place in Hall No 5 at the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre (ADNEC).

This year, the Summit holds much significance in the wake of rising costs and political instability in the region as a result of which trade patterns have come under fresh scrutiny.

Seaports in the UAE account for 61% of the GCC trade volume and this share is expected to rise with new capacity being added. With an attractive trade and investment climate, the UAE now serves as a regional hub for more than 25% of the world’s top 500 companies.

The Summit is an excellent opportunity for Abu Dhabi to showcase its achievements in ports and shipping industry. ADPC, which has been supporting the growth of Abu Dhabi’s ambitious maritime infrastructure to realize the Abu Dhabi Vision 2030, will complete the first phase of the Khalifa Port in the emirate by the last quarter of 2012, adding two million TEUs (twenty-foot equivalent unit) of container and 12 million tons of general cargo capacity.

Mohammad Al Shamisi, Vice President of Ports Operations at ADPC, said: “The WPTS is a significant event this year as Abu Dhabi Ports is now entering a new era with the first phase of Khalifa Port getting ready. The massive investment in maritime infrastructure has been developed by the wisdom of our leadership and it has a direct connection to our economic vision for 2030. The Summit is an important milestone in our efforts to achieve this vision.”

The main Summit conference will look at a number of issues of current relevance to the shipping industry around the world. Delegates will discuss the outlook for the world economy and how it will affect the pattern of world trade in the future. The newly evolving trade patterns as a result of the current economic realities will also be a focal point of discussion.

Industry leaders from container and liner shipping will discuss the pattern of investment in new capacity and its implications for the supply/demand outlook. The conference will also have a session on energy transportation in the region and look at the major energy consuming nations of South and East Asia.

With an expected regional boom in the production of petrochemical products and aluminium commodities, the Summit will address the critical issues that confront producers and consumers, shipping companies, port/terminal operators and storage companies when planning for the future.

Chris Hayman, Chairman, Seatrade Communications, which is a joint organizer of the Summit, says: “Modern ports must step up with time to meet modern challenges, and this involves adding efficiency in infrastructure and cargo handling. The WPTS is an excellent opportunity for the maritime industry to get updated as well as share information related to latest techniques in ports automation.”

Running alongside the conference, the Summit will feature an international exhibition that will offer visitors the chance to meet companies involved in the design, construction, development and management of ports and associated industries.

One of the key exhibitors is Bechtel, which is celebrating its 50th anniversary of working in the UAE this year. It is one of the world’s leading companies in engineering, construction, and project management and has been involved with some of the most significant infrastructure projects in the UAE during the last half century.

These projects include Dubai International Airport, one of the largest and busiest airports, as well as a number of major oil and gas, and power projects. Bechtel’s current projects in the UAE include the Borouge 3 petrochemical complex in Ruwais and the Khalifa port and Khalifa Industrial Zone Abu Dhabi (Kizad).

The exhibition will also have a strong presence from Qatar with a Qatari national pavilion with a strong presence of Qatar Petroleum, one of the largest oil companies in the world by oil and gas reserves. The pavilion will feature three prominent companies related to the ports and shipping industry – Port of RasLaffan, Mwani and NKOM Qatar.

Abu Dhabi hosted the first World Ports & Trade Summit in March 2011, and it attracted over 3,000 visitors from 52 countries. The event is jointly organized by Turret Media and Seatrade.

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World Maritime News Staff, April 2, 2012