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MIDDLE EAST BRANCH CELEBRATES 25TH ANNIVERSARY IN DUBAI

Posted on Thursday, June 17, 2021

SULTAN BIN SULAYEM MADE ICS HONORARY FELLOW AS MIDDLE EAST BRANCH CELEBRATES 25TH ANNIVERSARY IN DUBAI

 

- ICS Middle East marks prestigious Silver Jubilee in a grand event at Dubai on May 30

- Sultan Ahmed bin Sulayem, Group Chairman and CEO of DP World made honorary fellow of ICS

- Mohamed Sadique wins five ICS Middle East exam awards

 

Dubai, UAE - 31 May, The Middle East branch of the Institute of Chartered Shipbrokers (ICS) celebrated its Silver Jubilee in with a conference titled "Towards 2030 - Opportunities and Challenges" ending with a gala dinner in Dubai on Sunday evening.

 

Some of the biggest names in the region's shipping industry took part in the event, which as held at the Dubai World Trade Centre with COVID-19 precautionary measures strictly adhered to by participants and organizers. All attendees wore masks while social distancing was observed both on and off the stage.

 

The conference was inaugurated on Sunday morning by Capt. Abdul Kareem Masabi, CEO of ADNOC Logistics. Capt Masabi, in his inaugural address drew attention to the challenges faced by the industry during the pandemic. He highlighted the pro-active steps taken by the UAE authorities in tackling issues resulting from the pandemic. The session on 'The Pandemic and its Aftermath' started with a presentation by Mr. Christopher Cook, Managing Director of Maersk ME on 'Post Covid Recovery: Challenges of the Shipping industry and Lessons Learnt'. Mr. Cook outlined the learnings from the Covid-19 and explained the ways adopted by Maersk to overcome the crisis. During the panel discussion on 'How is the industry coming out of the Covid-19 shock?' moderated by Mr. Vincent O'Brien, Director of International Chamber of Commerce UAE and participated by Mr. Frederic Fontarosa, Vice President of Wilhelmsen Group and Ms. Rania Tadros, Managing Partner of Ince & Co., various issues relating to the pandemic were discussed. The pandemic had its positive outcomes as well. The new norm of virtual meetings including court settings, signing of documents online, transfer of commercial documents online, etc. are some of them.

 

The second session on 'Green Shipping: The Future' started with a presentation on 'Zero Emission targets: How will they impact the industry?' by Dr. Abdul Rahim, Managing Director of ClassNK. Dr. Rahim explained the various stages set-out by IMO for achieving zero emission. He also touched upon various technologies that will shape zero emission in the years to come. During the panel discussion on 'Green Shipping - are we on a realistic path?' moderated by Capt. Harihar Prasad, Managing Director of McQuilling Shipping Services DMCC and participated by Mr. Chris Peters, CEO of Eships, Mr. Anders Ostergaard, Group CEO of Monjasa Holdings and Mr. Aum Mehta of GSPL - a renowned demolition company, various issues related to GHG Reduction. Alternate fuels and related technologies and environmental friendly ship demolition were discussed.

This was followed by a presentation by Dr. Soren Larsen, Deputy Secretary General of BIMCO.

 

A highlight of the evening featured Mr. Sultan Ahmed bin Sulayem, Group Chairman and CEO of DP World, being made an Honorary Fellow of the ICS, the highest honors that the Institute bestows globally. Mr. Sultan Bin Sulayem was represented by His Highness Sheikh Saeed bin Ahmed al Maktoum, Executive Director of Dubai Maritime City Authority who accepted the honorary fellowship on his behalf.

 

Sheikh Saeed complemented ICS for the service they are doing for the maritime industry.

 

"The way the shipping industry is going forward is amazing, it is exceeding what we were expecting over the last few decades," he said. "With the momentum we have, we are very much looking forward to the years ahead and I believe this coming period will be much faster - we need to keep up with what's coming up" he said.

 

Capt. Jitendra Misra, Chairman of the ICS Middle East branch went through the initial days of the branch and spoke about the challenges and difficulties faced in the initial days. He also briefly explained the activities taken up by the branch. Capt. Misra stressed on the fact that Dubai, with its rich maritime history, dating back to the days of the dhow is building a professional workforce ready to meet the challenges of the future.

 

Mr. Krishna Prasad, President of the branch noted that the dhow shipping, the predecessor of modern shipping works primarily on trust. In fact, this aspect of shipping "Our Word, Our Bond" is part of the business ethics and is inscribed in the Institute's logo.

 

With a dedicated team of more than 270 fellows and members, the Middle East branch has blossomed over the years to become one of the most active ICS branches in the world and one of the leading professional bodies in the industry.

 

Despite the various challenges posed by the pandemic over the last year, ICS Middle East was still able to continue its rich tradition of spreading professionalism through training and education to the next generation of shipping professionals in the region. As we go virtual, courses became more accessible to more students.

 

The branch's Silver Jubilee celebrations provided the perfect platform to recognize outstanding academic achievements and exam results among its students. The prizes were sponsored by many shipping and logistics companies in the region.

 

Participants were also treated to a fun-filled Kahoot Quiz hosted by ICS Middle East's Treasurer Ali Canani. The quiz, which featured an entertaining mix of general knowledge and shipping related questions, was contested by more than 170 attendees and eventually won by ICS Middle East Fellow, Sunil Gangadharan.

 

ICS Middle East marks its 25th anniversary during what is potentially a watershed period for the shipping industry both locally and globally, with the widespread disruption caused by the COVID-19 pandemic still ongoing and digitization making its way into the sector.

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