The multipurpose vessel/heavy-lift sector, far more conservative when it comes to ordering new ships than other maritime sectors, continues to barely replace capacity even as competing shipping sectors balloon with new vessels. Owners and operators are improving the efficiency and sustainability of the existing fleet and coping with increasingly complex emissions reporting requirements. A slow-moving wave of cargo demand, driven by global energy needs, bodes well for the sector — or at least for the more specialized vessels. Who in the MPV sector will benefit, and who is vulnerable to increasing competition for cross-trade cargoes? What will it take to galvanize new ship orders? What are the incentives in the current market? And is there a growing risk inherent in the sector’s reliance on Chinese shipyards for new vessels? This session, moderated by Yorck Niclas Prehm, head of research with Toepfer Transport, will examine these questions and more.