The far-reaching effects of the COVID pandemic, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, and the energy transition continue to reshape geopolitics and upend long-held trade relationships. These effects also have kick-started a global pivot toward energy security, as concerns about source diversification and self-sufficiency intertwine with what was an already-accelerating move toward decarbonization. Does this period of tumultuous change mean that our former status-quo regime of political alliances and frictionless global trade has simply disappeared, leaving a state of anarchy? Laurence Allan, director of research, country risk analysis, and forecasting at S&P Global, expects to see disruption and instability ahead, but not a complete fracturing of the old order, particularly when it comes to relationships between the US, China, and other key players globally. “There will be cooperation in some areas and competition in others,” he said. What does this changing environment mean for the project and logistics supply chain, both near term and further out? In his keynote address Allan, who, in leading S&P Global's country risk regional team for Europe/CIS, directs analysis and forecasting of political and violent risks, including geopolitical and global themes, and their impacts on the business environment, will delve into the implications of this changing status quo for the breakbulk industry.
While fossil fuels will continue to dominate energy generation for many years, a concurrent drive toward sustainability, decarbonization, and greener solutions is gathering strength and affecting the nature of project logistics. Political and institutional mandates for energy and supply-chain security, decarbonization, disrupted trade relationships, risk management, near-sourcing: A tsunami of market forces is shifting focus and direction for many project owners and the contractors and logistics service providers that work for them. In many cases, the skillsets and relationships formed in a traditional oil- and gas-focused environment must be transferred to new project types and rapidly changing trade lanes. What stays and what goes? Where are the opportunities? This panel of seasoned project logistics professionals will discuss what in this dynamic new world of opportunities and risks they are most focused on, most excited about, and most wary of.
The discovery of dangerous wood-boring pests in apparently compliant wood packaging material continues to be an expensive and frustrating hurdle for US breakbulk and project cargo importers and their supply chain partners. However, the government agencies involved with ISPM 15 inspection and enforcement, namely US Customs and Border Patrol and the US Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, are signaling a new willingness to work proactively with industry members, improve information transparency, and develop screening and prevention training programs. In this roundtable discussion, industry stakeholders will discuss progress made and progress still to be made with this expensive and frustrating issue.
Testy geopolitical relationships, an intensifying drive toward energy security and diversity, and changing sourcing patterns won’t be the only factors complicating the nature of global project and breakbulk shipping over the next few years. Increasingly complex emissions regulations from the International Maritime Organization and the European Union, along with growing pressure from governments, investors, cargo owners, and others are in some cases putting shipowners and time-charter operators at odds and could further restrict available capacity in the already-tight multipurpose segment. Additionally, shipping industry members question whether newly enforced regulations such as the Carbon Intensity Indicator (CII) are capable of truly reducing emissions as they are configured. Exactly what percentage of the multipurpose and heavy-lift fleet is directly affected by the CII and related regulations isn't clear at first glance, either. How will new regulations and requirements affect multipurpose and heavy-lift vessel owners, charterers, and their project and breakbulk customers? Thomas Damsgaard, who recently opened BIMCO’s newest office in Houston, is a well-known and respected member of the shipping community with deep experience in the multipurpose sector. This session will address the immediate effects of burgeoning emissions regulations, including the CII, and their implications for owners, operators, ports and terminals, service providers, and breakbulk shipping customers.