Best of international maritime industry to gather in convention

FROM March 14 to 16, Asia-Pacific Maritime (APM) will gather key industry players and thought leaders within the global maritime industry for three days of knowledge exchange, networking and businessbuilding. The 15th edition will also welcome 18 official pavilions, including Greece and Spain which will be present for the first time. Throughout the three days, the biennial event expects to host more than 1,500 exhibiting companies, represented at over 630 booths from 60 countries, and over 15,000 trade visitors from around Asia.

The anticipated strong attendance at APM 2018 comes at a time when industry pundits have expressed optimism in an upturn, given signs of recovery in shipping — estimates indicate that the global container throughput was on track for a growth exceeding 6% in 2017, while dry bulk shipping rates bounced back too. At the same time, new build ordering increased by 50% in 2017, compared to 2016.

Yeow Hui Leng, group project director, APM, said: “2018 marks a year when maritime players are beginning to express confidence in an uptick in industry performance, after a period of down cycle. As one of Asia’s leading maritime, workboat and offshore exhibition and conference, we hope that discussions, knowledge exchange and partnerships sealed at APM will help businesses navigate new frontiers and uncover new opportunities as maritime industry shapes up for the upward cycle.”

As a testament to its global standing, APM 2018 will bring together 18 official pavilions from Austria, Australia, China, Denmark, Finland, France, German, Greece, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Norway, Singapore, South Korea, Spain, Taiwan Shipbuilding Industry Association (TSIA), The Netherlands and United Kingdom.

Amongst these, the National Spanish Agency, ICEX Spain Trade and Investments, is organizing a Spanish pavilion at APM for the first time, comprising 15 companies from the European region.

Commenting on the strong reputation of Spain’s shipbuilding industry, Alejandro García, Industrial Equipment Sector manager of ICEX Spain Trade and Investments, shared, “The Spanish private shipbuilding sector has international prestige for its quality construction tradition, with high standards in technologically sophisticated vessels such as those that support offshore oil platforms, oceanographic vessels, factory ships, etc. Spanish shipyards are a world reference in shipbuilding and remain at the forefront of technological progress. In the last seven years, the sector has invested more than €428 million in innovation, which has given it a competitiveness that allows it to meet the most demanding challenges.”

Aside from new pavilions, APM 2018 will also feature an even larger South Korea representation with 53 companies, more than double the number in 2016.

Registration to APM 2018 is now open. Asia Pacific Maritime 2018 will be held at the Singapore Marina Bay Sands Expo and Convention Centre. For more information, visit