Trends Shaping Short Sea Shipping Finance

The upcoming 8th edition on Funding Short Sea Shipping and Trends in ShipFinance will adopt a holistic roundtable approach, featuring a diverse group of prominent local and international maritime industry leaders. They will share insights, exchange ideas, and work collaboratively to address pressing questions and shape future strategies.

AGENDA:

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1. Market Signals: What’s Driving Capital Toward (or Away from) Short Sea Shipping?
‍What are shipowners asking for today — and are finance providers aligned?
What do banks, institutions, and alt-financiers see as the investment case for short sea?
Are ESG, compliance pressure, or energy cost volatility influencing finance trends?

2. From Designs to Deals: What’s Financeable in the Zero-Carbon Ship Space?
‍Are future ship designs meeting the requirements of investors and lenders?
Who’s designing and building the next-generation short sea fleet — and how are they priced?
What are the practical short-term strategies while waiting for zero-carbon vessels to mature?

3. The Rise of Alternative Finance: Real Opportunity or Fringe Movement?
‍Is alternative capital (PE, infra funds, leasing, fintech) truly interested in short sea shipping?
What’s gaining traction: newbuilds or retrofits/second-hand investments?
Are banks competing or collaborating with alt-financiers in this segment?

4. De-risking the Transition: Investment Models & Capital Partnerships
How can risk be shared between shipowners, financiers, charterers, and tech providers?
Are strategic alliances and JVs on the rise — and what makes them work?
Is there increasing scrutiny around the geopolitical provenance of capital?

5. Public Support & Infrastructure Parity: Is Short Sea Shipping Getting Left Behind?
Can short sea shipping be recognized as core infrastructure, like roads or rail?
What is the role of the EU, national governments, EIB, and MDBs in scaling finance access?
How can policymakers and institutions boost investor confidence in this market?
More discussion themes to be announced

THE PANELLISTS: 

The discussion panellists will be published soon. Stay - tuned

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The Mare Forum online roundtables are dynamic arenas for exchanging ideas and lively debate.
They attract a high-level audience of executives from the shipping, trade, banking, and maritime services sectors, who value the open format and candid discussions.

These events bring together top decision-makers and leaders who actively engage in forward-looking dialogues about the future of shipping, trade patterns, logistics, geopolitics, the energy transition and security, decarbonization, investments and ship finance, human capital needs, and more.