The eighth annual Cyprus Shipping Forum, organised by New York-based financial and maritime advisory Capital Link next week, will focus on the new challenges facing the local, regional and worldwide shipping community, including fuels and emission regulations, ship finance, artificial intelligence and cybersecurity.
The forum will take place at the Columbia Plaza in Limassol on Tuesday, February 18, and is held under the auspices of the Shipping Deputy Ministry and in cooperation with the Cyprus Union of Shipowners, the Cyprus Shipping Chamber and other major stakeholders of the Cyprus maritime cluster.
Welcoming the delegates, host Nicolas Bornozis, President of Capital Link, Inc. and George Tsavliris, Principal of Tsavliris Salvage Group and the conference chairman, will present Shipping Deputy Minister Marina Hadjimanolis, who will give the keynote speech, followed by an on-stage discussion with Nicolas Montanios, Partner at Montanios & Montanios LLC.
The subjects to be debated during various sessions include, “Decoding EU ETS and Fuel EU: implications, challenges and opportunities”, presented by Ezekiel Davis, Vice President, Regional Business Development, Europe – ABS, followed by a panel discussion on “Fleet competitiveness in the energy transition era: fuel choices, upgrades and renewal strategies”, moderated by Dr. John Kokarakis, Technical Director, SEEBA Zone – Bureau Veritas.
Next will be a panel discussion on “Charting a new course: ship finance options and strategies amid changing market dynamics”, moderated by Ester Toumpouris, Deputy Head of Office (Limassol) and Hill Dickinson LLP”, and a presentation by Christina Orfanidou, Director, AI & Data at Deloitte Cyprus on “AI in maritime operations: successful adoption and risk management strategies.”
Anthi Miliou, Global Maritime Commercial Director at Lloyd’s Register will moderate a panel on “Optimising ship management: balancing safety, innovation, sustainability, regulation and new trade dynamics”, followed by a presentation by Andreas Papachristodoulou, Partner at Stephenson Harwood on “Navigating new currents in Cypriot and Greek waters: trends and developments in maritime finance.”
The next presentation will be “Navigating through turbulence and transformation – shipping markets in motion – development and outlook” by Angelica Kemene, Head of Market Analysis and Decarbonisation Strategies at Optima Shipping Services”, followed by a panel discussion on “Trends and outlook for global commerce, economy and shipping charterers’ insights”, moderated by Polys Hajioannou, CEO of Safe Bulkers, Inc. and Vice President of the Cyprus Union of Shipowners.
The final discussions of the day will focus on digitalisation and cybersecurity, the shifting maritime landscape and shipowners’ insights on navigating the global shipping landscape.
