22nd Mare Forum Ship Finance

The 22nd Mare Forum Shipfinance 2023 conference will take place at the Ahoy, Exhibition Center in Rotterdam in conjunction with the "Europort International Maritime Exhibition"

The 21 previous Mare Forum Ship Finance forums have been bristling with ideas and dynamic debate.
A very high-level audience consisting of leading executives from the shipping industry appreciates and makes the most of the dynamic format and honest debate...

- If you are an owner needing help finding a good capital provider, come to Mare Forum. Here they are.

- If you are a capital provider needing help finding a good owner, come to Mare Forum and meet them.

- If you are in shipping and ship finance and want to know what will happen next, come to Mare Forum. Good answers will be there.

It will be an inspiring experience.

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P R O G R A M M E ‍

[ Please scroll down to view the tentative list of confirmed speakers and discussion panellists.]

The tentative list of panellists:
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- Pieter Baan, Director, ING Business Banking Shipping
- Michael de Visser Global Head of Transportation, NIBC Bank
- Eva Klein Ovink Executive Director Short Sea Shipping and Intermodal Coverage, ABN AMRO Bank
- Annet Koster Managing Director, Royal Association of Netherlands' Shipowners
- Ioannis Kostoulas President, Mare Forum
- Victoria Ji Coaster Team Lead, Cargill Ocean Transportation
- Robert Verburgt CEO Alliance Maritime
- Clay Maitland Managing Partner, IRI/The Marshall Islands Registry
- Michiel Steeman Managing Partner. Zuyderzee Capital
- Pino Spadafora Global Marine Commercial Senior Director, RINA
- Pieter van der Burg Managing Director NESEC Fund Management
- Guy Verberne Chief Economist, PGGM Investments
- Maarten Sickler Director of Project Development, CONOSHIP
- Martijn Snijder Managing Director, OLMAR
- Yves Kallina Senior Syndication Manager, Hamburg Commercial Bank AG
- Connie Roozen Managing Director, C&B More
- Joost Bout Loan portfolio manager, NESEC
- Marjolein Van Noort Senior policy advisor, Royal Association of Netherlands' Shipowners
- Harris Antoniou Founder & Managing Director, Neptune Maritime Leasing Ltd
- Fabrizio Vettosi Managing Director, VSL Club SpA, Investment & Advisory
- Wijnand Botman Managing Director, Direct Ship Finance
- Ed van Aalst Senior Relationship Manager, ABN AMRO Bank N.V
- Heleen Quint Senior Export Credit Specialist, Atradius Dutch State Business NV
- Marina Tzoutzouraki CFO and co-founder, eShipfinance.com
- Robbert Jan Sougé, Managing Director, Direct Ship Finance
- Joep Gorgels Chief Financial and Business Development Officer, Floattech
- Geert Dokter Managing Director, CONOSHIP
- Representative Lloyd's Register
- Dimitris Lyras Managing Director, Ulysses Systems
- Dagfinn Lunde Chairman and Co-founder, eShipfinance.com, DagMar Navigation Ltd and Chairman, Cleaves Securities AS
- Dr. Elizabeth Lindstad Chief Scientist, SINTEF Ocean
- Sophia Brown General Manager, IRI/The Marshall Islands Registry
- Anastasia Kiritsi Professor, Arden University
- Mike Konstantinidis Managing Director, Vessel Optimisation, ZeroNorth A/S
- More to be announced
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‍‍08:30

Registration

09:00

Opening and Welcome

- Organizer
- Welcome addresses
- Keynote speakers

09:30 Session 1

Transformation; two steps ahead, one step back?  - Everything flows

- Challenges and opportunities in a multipolar world.
- Geopolitics, tensions between Russia, China, Europe and USA. Inflation, dollar appreciation, regionalization globalization, energy transition, changing trade patterns, and supply chain disruption.
- What are the shipping market forecasts for 2023 and beyond, and what are the shipping and trade opportunities today while sailing in unknown waters?
- Artificial Intelligence! Challenge sand Opportunities
- Where to invest your money today
- Who is afraid of the future?

SESSION CHAIRMAN:
- Michael de Visser Global Head of Transportation, NIBC Bank
PANELISTS:
- to be announced

10:30
‍Networking Break

 11:00 Session 2

Pioneering to 2030 - 2050 and beyond.  
The right way ahead decarbonization - Adapting new technologies - Lessons to be Learned

- How exposed is the existing fleet to upcoming legislation, and how do shipowners mitigate risk?
- Are carbon-neutral or zero-carbon operations a target? If so, what are the steps to reach it (e.g.vessel speed, efficiency upgrades, switching to alternative fuels, offsetting.)?
- What is now required to start reducing emissions immediately?
- What are possible incentives for first movers in decarbonization?
- Regulations imperatives;Creating the right balance between regulations and market realities.
- Will the Charterers pay for GHG emissions?
- How are alternative fuel suppliers preparing to provide carbon-neutral and zero-carbon fuels for shipping at scale?
- What is the role of charterers, shipowners, capital providers and regulators in the multi-relationship structure of their interests, focusing on a sustainable and commercially viable shipping and trading industry?
- Will repair yards have the capacity to deal with an upcoming wave of retrofits? How are they preparing for the challenge?
- What are the necessary changes in port infrastructure, and is there a plan of implementation by the relevant authorities? What are the key priorities?
- Can industry-wide initiatives, such as green corridors, accelerate the industry’s transformation? What does it take for them to be successful?
- What can we do now to help accelerate the availability of zero-carbon ships while at the same time reducing shipping’s footprint: slow steaming, retrofits, ESG reporting, and verification
- Lessons to be learned

SESSION CHAIRMAN:
- Pino Spadafora Global Marine Commercial Senior Director, RINA
PANELISTS:
- to be announced

 12:20
‍Networking lunch

13:20 Session 3

The human factor - imperatives

- Why are New Skills, Charismatic and Talented people needed in the Shipping and trade industry?
- Do we need new skills and expertise, plus more diversity in shipping?
- Do we need talented and charismatic people for the future of shipping?
- Where will they come from?
- What is the role of shipping education institutes in the era of sustainability?
- What are the trends in shipping management attracting characters and passionate personalities ?
- What are the visions of the young generation?
- What are they looking for to enter a shipping carrier?
- How to attract young people to shipping?

SESSION CHAIRMAN:
- Pieter Baan Director, ING Business Banking Shipping
PANELISTS:
- to be announced

14:20 Session 4

Where does the money come from to finance (green)ships, and how do you get it?
Banking, and alternative ship finance, pros and contras.

- what are the key performance criteria lenders evaluate when providing funds to shipowners?
- What are the trends in banking, alternative ship finance, bonds and other models of finance and investments on the way decarbonization?
- What will be the future role of the Dutch, European 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 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:
- Pieter van der Burg Managing Director, NESEC Fund Management
PANELISTS:
- to be announced

15:20
Networking Break

15:50 Session 5

The potential & challenges in involving Dutch institutional investors in funding the green transition of the shipping industry

SESSION CHAIRMAN:
- Michiel Steeman Managing Partner, Zuyderzee Capital
PANELISTS:
- to be announced

16:30

Session 6

Funding short-sea shipping

 - What are the incentives from the government and the finance industry to renew European Short sea shipping?
- What are the shipowners' requirements?
- Can short sea shipping be considered sufficiently comparable to other types of logistics physical infrastructures (highways, trains) and worthy of being recognized with the same support guaranteed by governments, EIB, MDBs?
- How to convince the capital providers to fund short sea ships?
- What is the role of governments and charterers?
- What insights do we have into the commercial viability of future ship designs?
- Who will take the investment risk on these technologies?
- Are there consolidations and acquisitions imperatives toward fleet sustainable modernization?

SESSION CHAIRMAN:
- Eva Klein Ovink Executive Director Short Sea Shipping and Intermodal Coverage, ABN AMRO Banks
PANELISTS:
- to be announced

‍‍17:20 –19:00

Drinks reception