24th Mare Forum Ship Finance 2025

Theme: The Capital Providers - Shipowners Dialogue
Date: Wednesday, 5 November 2025
Venue: Ahoy Exhibition Centre, Rotterdam
In conjunction with: International Europort Exhibition

The 23 previous Mare Forum Shipfinance conferences have bristled with ideas and dynamic debate. A high-level audience, consisting of leading executives from the shipping, trade, and banking industries, appreciates and makes the most of the dynamic format and honest debate.

The Mare Forum conferences are a hallmark for their vibrant exchange of ideas and spirited debates. High-level executives from the shipping, trade and chartering, capital providers industries, regulators and almost all shipping services providers come together in an interactive and dynamic setting to discuss the pressing issues shaping the future of the global shipping industry.

🔴 Why Attend the 24th Mare Forum Shipfinance 2025?
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👉 Engaging Discussions: Forget monotonous presentations. Mare Forum is all about meaningful dialogue, where panellists and audience participants engage in stimulating, unscripted conversations.
👉 Thought Leadership: Explore key topics like shipping's future, trade patterns, logistics, geopolitics, energy transition, decarbonisation, investment strategies, ship finance, and human capital imperatives.
👉 Networking Opportunities: Connect with industry leaders, including shipowners, capital providers, investors, charterers, logistics professionals, energy executives, regulators, and other decision-makers shaping the maritime world.
👉 Realistic Solutions: If you are in shipping and want to know what will happen next, come to Mare Forum. The good answers will be there.

🔴 Who Will Be There?
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The event brings together a diverse group of participants, including Shipping Executives, Shipowners, and Ship Managers, Capital Providers, Investors, and Traders, Logistics Providers, Energy Executives and Charterers, Regulators, Lawyers, Consultants, Shipbuilders, Classification Societies, the Press, and Smart Entrepreneurs.

🔴 Why You Can't-Miss This
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‍Mare Forum is more than a conference; it’s an annual think tank where innovation meets collaboration. It’s where the future of shipping is shaped. `
If you want answers, connections, and inspiration, this is where you’ll find them.

Don’t miss this opportunity to join the conversation defining the maritime industry’s future.

We look forward to your participation in an exciting and invigorating event in Rotterdam.
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P R O G R A M M E

[Stay tuned — the final list of speakers, panellists, and detailed programme will be announced soon!]
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TENTATIVE LIST OF PANELLISTS

- Annet Koster Managing Director, Royal Association of Netherlands' Shipowners
- Pieter Baan Director, ING Business Banking Shipping
- Sotiris Raptis Secretary General, European Shipowners | ECSA
- Ioannis Kostoulas President, Mare Forum
- Thecla Bodewes CEO, Royal T Shipyards
- Pieter van der Burg, Managing Director, NESEC 
- Jan-Willem Schellingerhout Head Dutch Shipping, Hamburg Commercial Bank
- Gilbèrt de Bock Managing Director, De Bock Maritime B.V.
- Robert Wester, Director, Carisbrooke Shipping Ltd
- Rico Luman Senior Economist - research lead - global sector research, ING Bank
- Nienke Blans CFO, MSea Group
- Stephen Walsh Head of Brokerage, SCB Environmental Markets SA
- Caspar van Overklift , Business Development & Manager ESG, ForestWave, Member of Spliethoff Group
- Geert Dokter, CEO, Conoship International BV
- Michiel Steeman, Managing Partner, Zuyderzee Capital
- Paul Altena Director, International Safety, Environmental, Digitalization and Classification Affairs, Sea Europe
- Michael de Visser Managing Director, SEAHORSE Consulting & Invest
- George Xiradakis President of the Association of Banking and Financial Executives of Hellenic Shipping and CEO, XRTC Business Consultants Ltd.
- Marc Buijs Lending Specialist and Board Member, Young Maritime, ING BANK and and Board Member, Young Maritime
- Marina Tzoutzouraki, CFO and co-founder, eShipfinance com
- Connie Roozen Tax Partner, C&B More
- Erhan Esinduy Managing Director - ESKOMARINE
- Fabrizio Vettosi Managing Director, VSL Club SpA Investment & Advisory
- Yannis Triphyllis Board Member, Hellenic Chamber of Shipping
- Joep Gorgels CFO / CBDO – Chief Financial and Business Development Officer, EST- FLOATTECH
- Francesco Morici Chartering Manager, Christiania Shipping
- Phrixos Papachristidis Chief Executive Officer, Hellespont Group
- Francesco Fuselli Managing Director, Banchero Costa & co
- Katalin Dobranszky Senior Director, Policy Analysis, Social Affairs and Finance, European Shipowners (ECSA)
- Dagfinn Lunde Chairman and Co-founder / Chairman eShipfinance.com, DagMar Navigation Ltd / Cleaves Securities AS
- Heleen Quint Senior Export Credit Specialist, Atradius Dutch State Business
- Nurettin Caliskan President International Relations,, Turkish Shipbuilders Association GISBIR
- Nemos Kostoulas Managing Director and Founder, Phaeste Innovations
- Peter Molloy Managing Director, Sea3R
- Harris Antoniou Founder and Managing Director, Neptune Maritime Leasing
- Erik Witjens Chairman, Rotterdam Maritime Services Community RMSC
- Enrico Paglia Research Manager, Banchero Costa & C spa
- Sean Fairley Principal Consultant, DREWRY
- Wouter Guijt, Founder, Nexus Energy
- Tim Voorham, senior associate Zuyderzee Capital,
- Robert Mackay Insurance Broker, FDR
- Esther Roth Program manager Maritime Cluster, City of Rotterdam
- Sam Peetsold Director Investments and Finance, Dutch Shipping Investments, DSI
- Mathias Borge Bye Listing Director - Shipping & Energy, EURONEXT OSLO BØRS
- Henk Detailleur Senior Managing Partner, Zuyderzee Capital

more panellists to be announced - stay tuned

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P R O G R A M M E

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🕙 08:15 -09:00 ‍

☕️ Registration and Networking
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🕙 09:00 - 09:30
SESSION 1

Opening and Welcome

- Ioannis Kostoulas President, Mare Forum
- Erik Witjens Chairman, Rotterdam Maritime Services Community RMSC
- Michael de Visser Managing Director, SEAHORSE Consulting & Invest
- Annet Koster Managing Director, Royal Association of Netherlands' Shipowners

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🕙 09:30 - 10:20
SESSION 2‍

Geopolitics First! - Game changed!

‍- Who's afraid of the current and future geopolitical trends in trade, shipping, and ship finance?
Navigating the storms of global uncertainty in trade and shipping.
- Will Europe lose competitiveness to East and West?
Production, Critical Row materials, Circularity, shipbuilding and recycling etc.

SESSION CHAIRMAN:
- Harris Antoniou Founder and Managing Director, Neptune Maritime Leasing‍
DISCUSSION PANELLISTS:
- Sotiris Raptis Secretary General, European Shipowners' Associations (ECSA) (tbc)
- Rico Luman Senior Economist - research lead - global sector research, ING Bank
- Nicholas Brown, Corporate Affairs Director. Marine & Offshore, Bureau Veritas
- Geert Dokter, CEO, Conoship International BV
- Annet Koster Managing Director, Royal Association of Netherlands' Shipowners
- Dagfinn Lunde Chairman and Co-founder / Chairman eShipfinance.com, DagMar Navigation Ltd / Cleaves Securities AS
- more panellists to be announced
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🕙 10:20 - 11:10
SESSION 3,

Maritime Energy Transition  - Still Waiting for Godot… While the Clock Runs Out

‍The long and winding voyage toward a greener maritime future.
Alternative Fuels and Propulsion Systems: CO2 captures, nuclear, debunking myths and examining production capacities and infrastructure imperatives
Progress. Setbacks. Momentum. In Today’s Climate: Green & Innovative Shipping — Goldmine or Money Pit?

SESSION CHAIRMAN:
- Nicholas Brown, Corporate Affairs Director. Marine & Offshore, Bureau Veritas
DISCUSSION PANELLISTS:
- Stephen Walsh Head of Brokerage, SCB Environmental Markets SA
- Paul Altena Director, International Safety, Environmental, Digitalization and Classification Affairs, Sea Europe
- Prasanna Colluru Founder & Managing Director, Strider Carbon (tbc)
- Francesco Morici Chartering Manager, Christiania Shipping
- Joep Gorgels CFO / CBDO – Chief Financial and Business Development Officer, EST- FLOATTECH
- Wouter Guijt, Founder, Nexus Energy
- Geert Dokter, CEO, Conoship International BV
- Robert Mackay Insurance Broker, FDR
- more panellists to be announced

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🕙 11:10 - 11:40‍

☕️ Networking Break
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🕙 11:40 - 12:30
‍SESSION 4

Smart Investment Moves - Where should the money go? ‍

- Market predictions in containers, dry bulk, tankers, cruise ships, gas carriers, Short Sea Shipping, etc.
- Investing in Next-Gen Technology -AI in Shipping, Automation, and Innovation.
Find the smart bets of tomorrow. 
Top analysts, investors, charterers, and owners. Opportunities abound in shipping and commodity markets—find the smart bets of tomorrow.  

SESSION CHAIRMAN:
- Michiel Steeman, Managing Partner, Zuyderzee Capital
DISCUSSION PANELLISTS:
- Peter Molloy Managing Director, Sea3R
- Sean Fairley Principal Consultant, DREWRY
- Michael de Visser Managing Director, SEAHORSE Consulting & Invest
- Mathias Borge Bye Listing Director - Shipping & Energy, EURONEXT OSLO BØRS
- Sam Peetsold Director Investments and Finance, Dutch Shipping Investments, DSI
- Francesco Fuselli Managing Director, Banchero Costa & co
- Nemos Kostoulas Managing Director and Founder, Phaeste Innovations
- Caspar van Overklift , Business Development & Manager ESG, ForestWave, Member of Spliethoff Group
- Yannis Triphyllis Board Member, Hellenic Chamber of Shipping
- more panellists to be annnounced

🕙 12:30 - 13:30
🍛 Networking Lunch

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🕙 13:30 - 14:20
‍SESSION 5

The Shipowners’ Strategies - The Gamble for Tomorrow: Bigger Fleets, Smarter Moves, and the Race for Talent

-  Owners' visions of the fleet of the future are shaped by bold decisions today.
Diversification in types, whether big or small, public or private? Grow or consolidate?
Where to invest your money today? Investing and Financing Requirements  
 - Investing in People:Creating tomorrow’s talent for shipping, trade, and logistics.
People first, build the future.
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SESSION CHAIRMAN:
- Michael de Visser Managing Director, SEAHORSE Consulting & Invest
DISCUSSION PANELLISTS:
- Pieter van der Burg, Managing Director, NESEC 
- Gilbèrt de Bock Managing Director, De Bock Maritime B.V.
- Robert Wester, Director, Carisbrooke Shipping Ltd
- Nienke Blans CFO, MSea Group
- Erhan Esinduy Managing Director - ESKOMARINE
- Connie Roozen Tax Partner, C&B More
- Marc Buijs Lending Specialist and Board Member, Young Maritime, ING BANK and and Board Member, Young Maritime
- Katalin Dobranszky Senior Director, Policy Analysis, Social Affairs and Finance, European Shipowners (ECSA)
- Tim Voorham, senior associate Zuyderzee Capital

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🕙 14:20 - 15:20
‍SESSION 6

Finance & Strategy - What shipowners want... what capital provides.

- ‍Alternative ship finance, leasing, bonds, short Sea Shipping, Government subsidies
Bridging the gap between ambition and investment.  

SESSION CHAIRMAN:
- Pieter van der Burg, Managing Director, NESEC 
DISCUSSION PANELLISTS:
- Pieter Baan Director, ING Business Banking Shipping
- Robert Wester, Director, Carisbrooke Shipping Ltd
- Jan-Willem Schellingerhout Head Dutch Shipping, Hamburg Commercial Bank
- Henk Detailleur Senior Managing Partner, Zuyderzee Capital
- Francesco Fuselli Managing Director, Banchero Costa & co
- Marina Tzoutzouraki, CFO and co-founder, eShipfinance com
- Fabrizio Vettosi Managing Director, VSL Club SpA Investment & Advisory
- Heleen Quint Senior Export Credit Specialist, Atradius Dutch State Business
- Harris Antoniou Founder and Managing Director, Neptune Maritime Leasing
- more panellists to be announced

🕙 15:20- 16:20
‍SESSION 7

🇾🇪 🇪🇺 Enhancing the European and Netherlands Maritime Competitiveness  

Creating a brilliant European and Netherlands maritime future.
A strategic dialogue on: Shipping • Maritime Hubs • Ship Finance & Investment • Shipbuilding & Marine Equipment • Research & Development • Related Industries • High-Value Maritime Services.
A powerful exchange of ideas with the sea’s key stakeholders:
Shipowners, charterers, regulators, shipbuilders, equipment manufacturers, investors, capital providers, ports, consultants, and entrepreneurs. Together, they will confront challenges, seize emerging opportunities, and shape the future of European and Dutch maritime leadership.

SESSION CHAIRMAN:
- Harris Antoniou Founder and Managing Director, Neptune Maritime Leasing
DISCUSSION PANELLISTS:
- Thecla Bodewes CEO, Royal T Shipyards
- Sotiris Raptis Secretary General, European Shipowners | ECSA
- Annet Koster Managing Director, Royal Association of Netherlands' Shipowners
- Rico Luman Senior Economist - research lead - global sector research, ING Bank
- Marina Tzoutzouraki, CFO and co-founder, eShipfinance com
- Paul Altena Director, International Safety, Environmental, Digitalization and Classification Affairs, Sea Europe
- Esther Roth Program manager Maritime Cluster, City of Rotterdam
- Pieter van der Burg, Managing Director, NESEC 
- Dagfinn Lunde Chairman and Co-founder / Chairman eShipfinance.com, DagMar Navigation Ltd / Cleaves Securities AS
- Mathias Borge Bye Listing Director - Shipping & Energy, Primary Market, EURONEXT OSLO BØRS
- more panellists to be announced
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🕙 16:20 - 17:00
‍SESSION 8

🔴  Concluding Session – Bold Moves & Hard Truths: Recommendations for the Future
General discussion between all speakers panellists and audience participants

🕙 17:00 - 18:00

🍷🍺 Networking & Drinks ‍

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👉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.
‍

Rest assured, the Mare Forum Shipfinance conference will be an inspiring and enriching experience.
We are excited to see you participate.

🔴 Mare Forum – Where Brilliant Maritime Minds Converge to Shape the Future

Be there!