Nor-Shipping: Opening Oceans in Denmark
Global maritime event week Nor-Shipping is making its first move outside Norway, with a new initiative to help maritime and ocean industry players realize the almost limitless business potential of the ocean space. Nor-Shipping’s Opening Oceans Conference, taking place in Copenhagen from May 2-3, 2018, will bring businesses together to illustrate and discuss key opportunities, equip delegates with the tools to tackle them, and facilitate fresh collaborations.
Timed to coincide with Danish Maritime Days, Opening Oceans Conference is supported by both the Norwegian Shipowners’ Association and Danish Shipping. It is targeted at c-level executives seeking sustainable business operations below, on and above the ocean waves. Nor-Shipping’s Sofia Furstenberg is heading the initiative in the role of Strategic Lead.
She explains: “According to the OECD, economic value creation from ocean activities will have doubled by 2030. At the same time traditional maritime players are under increased pressure, eyeing growth of just 1%* over the next five to ten years. However, to really unlock the potential of the ocean, businesses need to tap into the established skills, resources and infrastructure of commercial maritime. So there’s huge potential here – both for collaborations between new ocean players and shipping businesses, but also for existing maritime firms to adapt, revitalize and prosper.
“With this in mind, Opening Oceans Conference will provide a unique platform for collaboration, knowledge sharing and growth. It aims to attract the most senior levels of maritime, ocean industry, financial, advisory, and policy leaders within Northern Europe, and beyond, providing a launch-pad for a new age of ocean opportunity. It is a hugely exciting initiative for us, and our partners, and a vital forum for an industry in transition.”
The conference will focus on several key issues over the course of its two-day duration. Central themes include energy production and access to minerals, changing logistic demands, food production, and capturing, collating and extracting value from the ever-increasing flow of ocean-related data.
Keynote speakers will address delegates within a high-tech arena, while meeting rooms, glass think tanks and informal collaborative working spaces will lay the foundations for exploring ideas, forming new partnerships and exploiting commercial opportunities.
“Norway has become a leading maritime nation because of the ability and ambition to constantly explore new opportunities in the oceans,” says Erik Giercksky, Director, Communications, Norwegian Shipowners’ Association. “Cooperation and competition are two key forces to further develop the ocean industries in a sustainable way. We are therefore always looking for initiatives that bring new insight and ideas. The Opening Oceans Conference is important in this respect, and we truly look forward to taking part and meeting ocean industry leaders.”
Danish Shipping agrees. Speaking of its support, Anne H. Steffensen, Director General, Danish Shipping, notes: “The Danish maritime sector is strong, with world-renowned players, an advanced fleet, leading equipment and service suppliers, and growing digital strength. However, we recognize the need for the industry as a whole to innovate and stay ahead of the curve. With that in mind, we are very interested in collaborating with our Norwegian counterparts, as well as with innovative players from outside the maritime industry, to explore solutions for a sustainable blue economy with a thriving shipping sector at its core.”
Opening Oceans Conference will act as a bridge between this year’s Nor-Shipping and Nor-Shipping 2019, taking place across a series of venues in Lillestrøm and Oslo, Norway, between June 4-7, 2019. This will also seek to engage in uncovering and seizing diverse ocean opportunities, while retaining its core focus on showcasing and supporting international maritime businesses.
Further details of the program for Opening Oceans Conference 2018, including information regarding speakers and the venue, will be released in the coming weeks.
* Danish Ship Finance – Shipping Market Review, November 2017
