The fourth MTE Conference took place on 5-6 October 2023 in Geneva. It brought together 120 delegates and 34 distinguished speakers who participated in 5 thought-provoking panel discussions and shared 17 insightful presentations. The conference also provided numerous networking opportunities, top quality catering and a pleasant evening reception.
It’s impossible to sum up a conference like this in just a few sentences, but here are a few highlights from two rich and busy days:
The event kicked off with an opening keynote presentation by professional sailor Boris Herrmann, who captivated the audience with his tales of the open sea, his own personal experiences and efforts to protect the oceans.
Camille Bourgeon, from the International Maritime Organization, presented the outcomes of MEPC 80 while Christopher Rex, Head of Innovation & Research, Danmarks Skibskredit (Danish Ship Finance), spoke about the commercial implications of decarbonizing maritime transport.
Eirik Nyhus, Director Environment, DNV, explained the EU Emissions Trading System and its implications for shipping.
UNCTAD just released the much anticipated Review of Maritime Transport 2023 and the MTE conference participants had the chance to discover it thanks to Luisa Antonia Rodriguez Ortega’s presentation.
The morning concluded with a fascinating panel discussion entitled New year, new rules, new challenges, new opportunities, moderated by Voytek Chelkowski, with Christopher Rex, Alberto Pérez Espinosa, Head of Maritime Commercial Markets, Lloyd’s Register, Camille Bourgeon, IMO and Luisa Rodriguez, UNCTAD.
The afternoon session started with an insightful panel moderated by Voytek Chelkowski on the decarbonisation of the shipping industry from a dry bulk market’s perspective, with Christopher Fee, Director Global Engagement & Sustainability, Oldendorff Carriers GmbH & Co. KG, Fergus Garvin, Global Head of Freight, Engelhart CTP, Martin Viquesnel, Head of Shipping Innovation, Louis Dreyfus Company, Benjamin Wilkes, Chief Operating Officer, D’Amico Dry and Harpreet Singh, Chief Operating Officer, Suisse-Atlantique S.A.
It was followed by a topical presentation by MSC Mediterranean Shipping Company‘ lead presenter Bud Darr entitled Clean Seas, Safe Crews: A Decarbonisation and Safety Journey.
Janine Fonseca, MBA, Business Development Manager, GTT (Gaztransport & Technigaz), explained how to start decarbonizing with LNG as fuel while Daejin Lee, Global Head of Research, FertiStream, presented the shipbuilding investment perspective.
The rich and intense afternoon carried on with Lloyd’s Register’s Technical Advisory Manager Luke Shu explaining how biofuels can become a compliance strategy for commercial operators.
Biofuel was also promoted by Rustin Edwards, Head of Fuel Oil Procurement, Euronav NV, detailing the biofuel adaptation and acceptance in the Maritime Industry.
The day ended with a panel discussion chaired by Richard Watts involving Ilyas Muhammad, Director, Head of Green Fuels, Hapag-Lloyd AG, Frederic Meyer, Head Of Strategy & Projects, TotalEnergies Marine Fuels, Eirik Nyhus, Director, Environment, DNV and Navid Ostadian-Binai, Head of Green Vessels & Fuels, A.P. Moller – Maersk Tankers.
Day 2 started with a welcome message from State Councilor Delphine Bachmann, in charge of Economy and Employment for State of Geneva.
The conference then started with a very precise and factual presentation by Chris Hughes, Decarbonisation Specialist, Cargill and Simon Schofield, Chief Technology Officer, BAR Technologies, who presented the initial results of full-scale tests of the BAR Technologies WindWings on a commercial cargo ship, with very encouraging results.
Philippe Marcovich then presented ACCWing’s high efficiency Wingsail Propulsion, while Olivier Taillard (Syroco) explained how to save fuel and reduce emissions with better use of ships.
Anouar Kiassi, Chief Executive Officer, Ascenz Marorka, introduced us to Smart Shipping, the no brainer alternative fuel.
Next came a fascinating panel discussion chaired by Richard Watts, Director, HR Maritime, reassembling Rustin Edwards, Head of Fuel Oil Procurement, Euronav NV, Sebastien Roche, General Manager, Shipping Performance & Innovation, TotalEnergies Trading & Shipping, Andrea Portaluri, Head of Chartering & Fuel Oil / Bunkering, Saras Trading SA and Ozan Turgut, Shipping Director, BGN on the subject: Decarbonising Shipping: driving change, seizing opportunities and tackling challenges – an oil and gas industry perspective.
Christophe Riedi, Co-Founder, Carbon Offset Certification, told us about certification for decarbonized shipping: greenmarketing vs greenwashing while Jes Halim Nauckhoff, Manager, Sustainability & ESG, MSC Cruises spoke about MSC Euribia’s First Net-Zero Voyage.
The Maritime Transport Efficiency Conference (MTEC) concluded with an excellent debate chaired by Richard Watts and entitled: A holistic assessment on the prospects of LNG as tomorrow’s mainstream marine fuel, with Panayiotis Mitrou, Global Gas Segment Director, Lloyd’s Register, Bud Darr, MSC Group and Steve Esau, Chief Operating Officer, SEA-LNG.
A big thank you to all conference participants and to our partners who made this event possible, our lead partner MSC Mediterranean Shipping Company, our sponsors Lloyd’s Register, GTT (Gaztransport & Technigaz), ACCWing and Ascenz Marorka and the conference supporters Syroco, Aderco and DNV.