Top shippers, carriers and heavy transport specialists will hold discussions on the opportunities and challenges facing the global and regional project cargo sector at the Breakbulk Middle East to be held in February, in Dubai, UAE.

The event, an annual conference and exhibition that gathers key industry figures and experts from around the world to converge and share innovative ideas, is all set for its fourth edition to take place on February 11 and 12, at the Dubai World Trade Centre.

The yearly platform provides an interactive platform to connect and network with shippers, carriers and heavy transport specialists; generating informed discussions on the opportunities and challenges facing the global and regional project cargo sector.

Held under the patronage of Dr Abdullah Belhaif Al Nuaimi, UAE Minister of Infrastructure Development and the chairman of Federal Transport Authority for Land and Maritime, and hosted by UAE-based global marine terminal operator DP World, the event plays a pivotal role in aiding collaborations and partnerships across the sector, fuelling growth opportunities worldwide.

With the Expo 2020 drawing closer and the increased demand for project cargo, this conference is one of its kind in the region and the world, continuing to add imperative value to discussions and ideas.

Al Nuaimi said: “Breakbulk is an event that takes place globally but the Middle East edition is exceptional; supported tremendously by government authorities and international companies.”

“This is a very significant time for the maritime industry and Breakbulk Middle East will serve to shape the future of the sector through exchange of valuable ideas,” he added.

Engineer Ahmed Al Khouri, director general of the Federal Authority for Land and Maritime Transport, added: “The event serves to endorse our efforts geared towards actively supporting the UAE Vision 2021, providing opportunities for improved infrastructure development of land and maritime transport.”

Al Khouri added: “The UAE is ranked in the top 20 countries for container port traffic. It occupies a prime position, located in the heart of the Gulf, which has enabled it to acquire the largest share of total container and cargo movement in the region at 60 per cent.”

“Attracting participants from more than 52 countries, the event is an ideal platform to focus on big infrastructure development, major projects in the cargo sector and global compliance,” he added.

Captain Mohamed Juma Al Shamisi, chief executive officer of Abu Dhabi Ports, said: “The hosting of the event comes at an important time as maritime shipping is expected to grow rapidly in the upcoming years owing to the great demands of many mega projects being developed in the region.”

“With maritime trade accounting for about 90 per cent of the total globe trading, this sector needs huge investments to help provide out of the box solutions and world-class technologies helping boost efficiency whilst ensuring smoother, safer and faster services for maritime customer and shipping lines,” he said.

“The event promises to address these challenges and deliver an exciting, inspirational and rewarding platform for new opportunities,” he added.

Major topics for the fourth edition of the event also include market drivers for project cargo; challenges faced by project forwarders; financing and management of project transport risk and who bears the burden of the risks involved.

There will be special sessions with talks on diversification in the Saudi Arabia market and the status of regional infrastructure projects while focusing on reforms and Vision 2030. Imperatively, the event will also engage the future industry leaders from both government and private sectors and ensure their voices and perspectives will be taken into considerations for effective actions.

Leslie Meredith, marketing director, Breakbulk Events and Media, said: “After the tremendous success of the previous editions, we strive to make the coming Breakbulk event more useful, offering discussions and opportunities on a wider range of topics.”

“There has been a lot of positive feedback received from our partners and consultants, and we want to ensure that the event raises the bar as an interactive platform for key stakeholders,” he added.

Ben Blamire, the event’s commercial director, said: “This is a one of its kind event that brings forth key players in the project logistics industry, giving them a platform for the meaningful exchange of ideas.”

“The past events have been very successful and we look forward to the fourth edition contributing further to the region’s key projects and future initiatives for continued development and advancement,” he added.

Sponsored by loyal key partners, such as King Abdullah Port, Abu Dhabi Ports, Agility, Bahri Logistics, KDL Logistics, Micco, Cosco Shipping and Port of Salalah, both conference and expo guarantee face-to-face opportunities to discuss these topics in greater depth, it stated. – TradeArabia News Service