The biggest challenge facing shipping today is how to convince a sceptical world that the industry deserves its confidence.

The public image of the shipping industry will be determined by the shortcomings of the irresponsible substandard minority rather than by the competence of the responsible majority. It may be unfair, but that’s how the world works.

As an uncomfortable sequence of casualties tests the patience of governments and of the general public, shipping faces the prospect of more unilateral regulation. And despite its good overall record on safety and the environment, real concerns exist.

The issues include an ageing fleet requiring more maintenance and inspection, the effects of corrosion and fatigue on ships built in the 1980s with reduced steelweight, and the demands for faster or bigger vessels.

Against this background the question of how to restructure or revise the safety apparatus of the industry demands urgent answers.

Gathering together senior representatives of every sector, the Seatrade Safe Shipping Conference examined this issue and the alternatives for its urgent resolution.

Click here for the Conference Speeches

Official publication