Breakbulk Middle East 2024, from February 12 to 13 in Dubai, will host a series of informative and engaging sessions, featuring leading industry experts from across the region’s supply chain. 

 

Incorporating sessions such as “Mena Project Review”, “Saudi Arabia Project Spotlight”, “Doing Business in East Africa”, and “Offshore Project Logistics: Demand & Supply”; the upcoming edition of the event will identify new business prospects within the GCC and beyond. 

 

Discussions will comprise, the role of giga-projects such as the NEOM and King Salman Energy Park project in Saudi Arabia, and the North Field East LNG expansion project in Qatar, in driving the economic growth of the region, as well as enabling the expansion of the breakbulk sector in new markets.

 

Calatysing growth

Held under the patronage of the UAE Ministry of Energy and Infrastructure, Breakbulk Middle East aims to catalyse the sector’s progress in the region. Scheduled to take place at Dubai World Trade Centre, the event will highlight themes such as the sustainable development of the sector, the need to adopt advanced digital solutions, and the opportunities for growth that lie in markets such as UAE, Saudi Arabia, and East Africa.

 

Known to be the ideal place for the sector to network, secure business collaborations, and discuss pressing concerns, the 2024 edition of the event is expected to attract over 8,000 visitors from 100 countries. Driven by the valuable recommendations of the Breakbulk Middle East Programme Advisory Board, including members from Adnoc Logistics & Services, Air Products, BBC Chartering, DB Schenker, DSV, and Fluor, the event will cover topics that are essential for driving its progress.

 

Ben Blamire, Event Director of Breakbulk Middle East, said: “As the most sought-after event in the region’s breakbulk and project cargo sector, it is necessary that we serve as an ideal meeting point for industry stakeholders, where knowledge sharing is at the core of their interactions. In order to do so, we needed to identify key matters of concern in the sector, and propose an event program that tactically touches upon all of them. While decarbonisation and digitalisation have remained as our focus for many years now, this time, we have also directed attention towards new markets that house massive opportunities for the industry’s growth in the region.”

 

Enabling sustainable progress

Staying true to its reputation as a knowledge hub, the event will host valuable sessions dedicated to informing attendees about trends that will affect project management and costs. “The MPV Outlook: Trends, Trade & Fleet”, “The Need for Transparency and Accountability to Navigate Market Volatility”, and “Futureproofing Your Market Position” sessions will bring together some of the industry’s most renowned experts to not only discuss how fluctuating rates over the coming months will impact businesses; but to also tackle the ongoing challenges facing the industry amid geopolitical instability.

 

Blamire emphasised: "The 2024 agenda is carefully designed to address the unique challenges and opportunities facing the industry. Some of the most important subjects that needed to be tackled in today’s rapidly changing scenario were, shipping rates and capacity, adoption of digital tools, and resilience amid geopolitical instability. Strategically prepared with the help of our Advisory Board, our agenda will serve as a roadmap, guiding the sector towards finding practical solutions to key concerns, and delivering a valuable experience for all attendees.”

 

The industry is advancing steadily on the path to energy transition, yet the journey toward achieving zero-carbon shipping introduces fresh demands and challenges. Overcoming obstacles like upgrading infrastructure and implementing cutting-edge technology to bolster energy transition initiatives, along with addressing changes such as the supply of alternative fuels to ports, has become a focal point for the industry. In the pursuit of devising practical solutions to expedite decarbonisation progress, the upcoming 2024 edition of the event is set to feature enlightening sessions, including “Industry Decarbonisation: Progress, Challenges, and Opportunities”.

 

Freight format model

With the help of these sessions, Breakbulk Middle East 2024 will highlight how changing the freight format model could be the best option for a collaborative approach to de-risking engagement on projects. These sessions will also emphasise on the various latest technologies being used in the sector, and how these advanced solutions can drive efficiency, while transforming business models of ports and terminals throughout the Mena region.

 

Building on its history of successful editions, Breakbulk Middle East has garnered the trust and support of key sector players such as DP World, AD Ports Group, ASYAD Group, DHL, MSC, DSV, QTerminals, MOVERS, AAL Shipping, Hareket, Milaha – Qatar Navigation, among others.--TradeArabia News Service