4th Mare Forum Hong Kong 2023

The conference will be held in the afternoon on Wednesday 22 November 2023 at the Hong Kong Maritime Museum.  ‍

The conference will take place in an open, daring and stimulating environment combined with transparent discussions, with executives actively participating, discussing, debating and exchanging their thoughts, ideas, visions, and roles in (green) shipping, energy transition, decarbonization, the human factor imperatives, financing, investing models for today and the future and the Hong Kong leasing facilities and Why Hong Kong will become the maritime nodal point of Asia.
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No boring company presentations, no long speeches, but only dynamic and lively discussions between the panellists and audience participants.

The participants will be Shipping Executives, Ship-owners, Ship-managers, Charterers, Traders, Capital providers, Investors, Energy Executives, Regulators, Maritime Lawyers, Consultants, shipbuilders and repair managers, Classification Societies, Press, shipping services providers, and smart entrepreneurs.

It will be inspiring. Be There.

P R O G R A M M E 

Tentative list of speakers and panellists by 16 November:
[more to be announced]

- LAM Sai-hung, GBS, JP Secretary for Transport and Logistics, Government of Hong Kong SAR
- Guy Platten Secretary General, International Chamber of Shipping
- Hing Chao Executive Chairman, Wah Kwong Maritime Transport Holdings Limited
- Matthieu de Tugny, President, Bureau VERITAS
- Bjorn Hojgaard , CEO, Anglo-Eastern Ship Management Ltd
- Nicholas Brown Corporate Affairs Director, Marine & Offshore, Bureau Veritas
- Rosita Lau, MH ,  Partner and Head of Shipping, Ince and Co., Hong Kong
Chairman, Promotion and External Relations Committee, Hong Kong Maritime and Port Board
Chairman, Task Force for Hong Kong Maritime Week 2023
- Benjamin Wong Vice President, OASES - Office of Attracting Manufacturing and New Energy Technology
- Rajaish Bajpaee Ex-Chairman, Bernhard Schulte Shipmanagement
- Vincent Lai CFO, SeaKapital
- John-Kaare Aune CEO, Wallem Group
- Arthur Bowring President, Hong Kong Maritime Arbitration Group
- James Forsdyke Client Marketing Director, Lloyd's Register Group
- Clarence KF Leung Asset Finance and Leasing Tax Partner, PwC
- Ioannis Stefanou Managing Director Shipmanagement, Wallem Group
- Nicholas Ho Lik-Chi, Commissioner for Belt and Road, Commerce and Economic Development Bureau Belt and Road Office
- Vanessa Toucas President, WISTA Hong Kong & Managing Director, Latitude Brokers Limited
- Ali Riaz CEO, OrbitMI
- Su Yin Anand Co-Founder of the maritime innovation competition, The Captain’s Table
- Sanjeev Mathur Senior Vice President APAC, OneOceanLR
- Jagmeet Singh Makkar Chairman, Institute of Chartered Shipbrokers (HK Branch) and Independent Arbitrator & Mediator
- Lam King Chung Head of Consulate and Chamber Engagement /Transport and industrial, InvestHK
- more to be announced soon

13:00
Registration

13:30
session 1

Opening and Welcome - Looking Ahead! The voices of Maritime Leaders

CONFERENCE CHAIRMAN
- Nicholas Brown Corporate Affairs Director, Marine & Offshore, Bureau Veritas
ORGANISER
- Georgios (Ilios) Kostoulas Executive Director, Mare Forum
KEYNOTE SPEAKERS -
- LAM Sai-hung, GBS, JP Secretary for Transport and Logistics, Government of Hong Kong SAR
- Guy Platten Secretary General, International Chamber of Shipping
- Hing Chao Executive Chairman, Wah Kwong Maritime Transport Holdings Limited
- Matthieu de Tugny, President, Bureau VERITAS

14:10
Session 2‍

The Maritime Energy Transition – Are we getting any closer?

Discussion themes:
As we move towards the next big implementation of a carbon pricing mechanism in Maritime (EU ETS in January 2024), several parts of the world seem to be more broadly pushing back energy transition targets.

But in maritime, it does feel like there is a momentum building, as we start to see that having the most carbon-efficient ships on the water might lead to the next version of a tiered market, with commercial gains to be had.
This session will discuss the issue, to see if and where progress is being made

SESSION CHAIRMAN:
- Sanjeev Mathur Senior Vice President APAC, OneOceanLR
DISCUSSION PANELLISTS:
- Bjorn Hojgaard CEO, Anglo-Eastern Ship Management Ltd
- Su Yin Anand Co-Founder of the maritime innovation competition, The Captain’s Table
- Ioannis Stefanou Managing Director Shipmanagement, Wallem Group
- Guy Platten Secretary General, International Chamber of Shipping
- Ali Riaz CEO, OrbitMI
- Lam King Chung Head of Consulate and Chamber Engagement /Transport and industrial, InvestHK
- Arthur Bowring President, Hong Kong Maritime Arbitration Group
- audience participants
‍
15:10
Break

15:30
session 3‍

What’s the role of ship leasing and Hong Kong’s preferential ship leasing tax regime?
And what are the benefits of the features of alternative Finance and other models to the global shipping industry?

‍‍Discussion themes:
- Financing and Investments- what are the key performance criteria lenders evaluate when providing funds to shipowners?
- What are the trends in banking, alternative ship finance, leasing, bonds and other models of finance and investments on the way of decarbonization?
- What will be the future role of Asian and global banks in the industry (in the context of the increased role of alternative finance providers)?
- What are the benefits of the features of Alternative Finance to the Hong Kong and global shipping industry?
- Will pension fund money flow into the international shipping debt markets, and what is required for this to happen?
- Will the maritime green trend accelerate in case the role of alternative finance in shipping increases?
- Will alternative finance focus more on new-build financing or on second-hand?
- How do shipping companies choose an appropriate lender?
- Lending has become highly diverse; what are the most common alternative financing structures?
- Is there competition between banks and alternative capital providers?
SESSION CHAIRMAN:
‍-  Benjamin Wong Vice President, OASES - Office of Attracting Manufacturing and New Energy Technology
DISCUSSION PANELLISTS:
- Vincent Lai CFO, SeaKapital
- Clarence KF Leung Asset Finance and Leasing Tax Partner, PwC
- Jagmeet Singh Makkar Chairman, Institute of Chartered Shipbrokers (HK Branch) and Independent Arbitrator & Mediator
- John-Kaare Aune CEO, Wallem Group
- Audience participants
‍
16:10
Session 4‍

Hong Kong. The nodal point of Maritime Asia.  What does this mean to shipowners, traders, financiers, and many other service providers

Discussion themes:
- How does Hong Kong compare to other hubs as a maritime ecosystem of shipowners, ship and port operators, charterers, financiers, fuel suppliers etc.?
-  What does it take for such an ecosystem to leverage its diversity to accelerate maritime decarbonization
- What is the role of industry and government?

SESSION CHAIRMAN:
- Benjamin Wong Vice President, OASES - Office of Attracting Manufacturing and New Energy Technology
DISCUSSION PANELLISTS:
- Rosita Lau, MH ,  Partner and Head of Shipping, Ince and Co., Hong Kong
Chairman, Promotion and External Relations Committee, Hong Kong Maritime and Port Board
Chairman, Task Force for Hong Kong Maritime Week 2023
- Vanessa Toucas President, WISTA Hong Kong & Managing Director, Latitude Brokers Limited
- Rajaish Bajpaee Ex-Chairman, Bernhard Schulte Shipmanagement
- John-Kaare Aune CEO, Wallem Group
- Audience participants

17:10
Closing remarks
- Nicholas Brown Corporate Affairs Director, Marine & Offshore, Bureau Veritas
- Georgios (Ilios) Kostoulas Executive Director, Mare Forum

17:30
end