World Maritime Merchants Forum 2026

World Maritime Merchants Forum 2026 takes place on 16–17 November 2026 at Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre, Hong Kong. It is organised by Hong Kong Chinese Enterprises Association and The Baltic and International Maritime Council, and B2DB lists 125 speakers and 69 sessions announced so far.

The World Maritime Merchants Forum was launched in Hong Kong in 2021 and has since been held there annually. The 2026 edition, themed "Linking the World, Anchoring the Future", takes place at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre on 16 November, bringing together shipping executives, experts, industry enterprises and policymakers to discuss geopolitical risk mitigation, green transition pathways, digital and intelligent empowerment and supply chain security. The programme includes the launch of an electronic logbook and panel discussions with classification societies, financial institutions and exchanges, followed on 17 November by specialised forums on shipping markets, legal and insurance affairs, port logistics, maritime finance and shipbuilding and repair.

Key facts

Keynote speakers

• Christine Cabau Woehrel EVP Assets and Operations, CMA CGM
• Richard Hext Chairman, Vanmar Shipping Ltd.
• Lars Lange Secretary General, International Union of Marine Insurance (IUMI)
• Kitack Lim Former Secretary-General, International Maritime Organization
• Paul Pathy President and CEO, Fednav
• Shan Hongjun President & Professor, Dalian Maritime University
• 郑若骅 Secretary-General, International Organization for Mediation (IOMed)
• Ben Zhang
• Wei Handi Shanghai Jiao Tong University, School of Naval Architecture, Ocean and Civil Engineering
• Chao Yuan General Manager of the Strategic Planning Department, General Affairs Department and Board Office, China State Shipbuilding Corporation (Hong Kong) Shipping Company Limited

Speakers (125)

Compiled from the published agenda; speakers can claim and verify their own entry.

• Christine Cabau Woehrel EVP Assets and Operations, CMA CGM
• Richard Hext Chairman, Vanmar Shipping Ltd.
• Lars Lange Secretary General, International Union of Marine Insurance (IUMI)
• Kitack Lim Former Secretary-General, International Maritime Organization
• Paul Pathy President and CEO, Fednav
• Shan Hongjun President & Professor, Dalian Maritime University
• 郑若骅 Secretary-General, International Organization for Mediation (IOMed)
• Ben Zhang
• Wei Handi Shanghai Jiao Tong University, School of Naval Architecture, Ocean and Civil Engineering
• Chao Yuan General Manager of the Strategic Planning Department, General Affairs Department and Board Office, China State Shipbuilding Corporation (Hong Kong) Shipping Company Limited
• Fiona Pounds Associate Director and Deputy General Manager, London P&I (Hong Kong)
• Huang Ge Director, Industrial Research Center, China Merchants Shipbuilding Industry Group
• Kenneth KM Leung Director of Sustainability/Net-Zero Office, Hong Kong University of Science and Technology
• Kong Liang WK HSEQ & Marine Manager and Deputy General Manager of Safety for the Chinese-flag Fleet
• Li Yanqing Vice Chairman and Secretary General, China Association of the National Shipbuilding Industry (CANSI)
• Marko Rahikainen One Sea Associations
• Miao Jianmin Chairman, China Merchants Group Limited
• Qin Yao Shanghai Merchant Ship Design and Research Institute (SDARI)
• Satoshi Togashi MTI Co., Ltd.
• Song Guoyou Deputy Director, Center for American Studies, Fudan University
• Tse Edward Founder and CEO, Gao Feng Advisory Company
• Wang Yongxin President, China Merchants Energy Shipping Company Limited
• Wang Zhifang Deputy Director of the R&D Department, CCS Wuhan Rules & Research Institute
• Winsome Wang Regional Manager, China, Veson Nautical
• Xie Lixin Deputy Chief Engineer; Senior Technical Expert of CSSC, Shanghai Merchant Ship Design and Research Institute (SDARI)
• Yin Longjie Team Manager, Cross-border Products, Cross-Border Banking Department, China Merchants Bank (CMB)
• Yung Ho YU Director, MEIPA
• Zhang Xiaosong Director of the Innovative Products Division, CSSC (Shanghai) Energy-Saving Technology Development Co., Ltd.
• Zhang Xudong Team Deputy Manager, Marine Insurance Business Department
• Zhang Yongfeng Chief Consultant, Shanghai International Shipping Institute (SISI)
• Zhou Gang
• Waqas Samad Chief Executive Officer, Lloyd's List Intelligence
• Jeffrey Guo Senior Vice President, Marine & Offshore, Asia Pacific, Bureau Veritas
• Knut Ørbeck-Nilssen CEO Maritime, DNV
• Alexander Prokopakis Executive Director, IBIA
• Nick Shaw Chief Executive Officer, International Group of P&I Clubs
• Woon Aw Yong Director - Asia, Maritime Strategies International
• Cheryl Yu Panel of Arbitrators, Qingdao International Arbitration Center
• Tim Wilkins Managing Director, INTERTANKO
• Deborah Yu Regional Director, Asia, London P&I Club
• Caleb Cheng Commerical Director, Fujian Highton Development Co., Ltd.
• Ruaridh Guy Partner, Squire Patton Boggs
• Indu Chitran Maritime Contracts Manager, The Baltic and International Maritime Council
• Dean Crossley Head of Loss Prevention Asia, West P&I
• Neil Minnitt Marine Consultant, Solis Marine
• Feng Boming Deputy General Manager, China Merchants Group
• Ms. Mable Chan Secretary for Transport and Logistics, The Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region
• Sabrina Chao Chairperson, SeaKapital
• Li Lianjun Senior Partner, Reed Smith Richards Butler LLP
• Sanjay Relan General Manager (Decarbonisation & Environmental Compliance), Pacific Basin Shipping Limited
• Zhai Juan General Counsel, Chief Compliance Officer and General Manager of Legal Department, China Merchants Energy Shipping Co., Ltd
• Eddie Zhang Deputy General Manager, Global Sales Center, COSCO Shipping Specialized Carriers Co., Ltd.
• Eileen Chen KA Representative, Zhejiang Four Brothers Rope Co., Ltd.
• Eric Zhu Chairman of the Board, CMB Wing Lung Insurance Co., Ltd.
• Jagmeet Makkar FICS Practicing Maritime Arbitrator & Mediator; Immediate Past Chairman, ICS - Hong Kong Branch
• James Bean Chief Executive, London P&I Club
• LAM Ming-fung Legislative Councillor (Transport)
• Liu Shuyang Director of R&D Department, China Ship Design & Research Center Co., Ltd. (CSDC)
• Sandy Chan Managing Director, Hong Kong Shipowners Association
• Stinne Taiger Ivø Deputy Secretary General, The Baltic and International Maritime Council
• Vic YAU Permanent Secretary for Transport and Logistics, The Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region
• Yang Yuntao Chief Compliance Officer, Head of Risk Management Department/Legal & Compliance Department, China Merchants Group
• Yuan Bo General Manager, Hong Kong Ming Wah Shipping Company Limited
• Zhao Chunji
• Amy Chan Deputy Secretary for Transport and Logistics, The Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region
• Angad Banga Chief Executive Officer, The Caravel Group
• Anurag Mathur Managing Director, Commercial Services, Wallem Shipping, Singapore
• Bing Chen Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer, Seaspan Corporation
• Chan Pui Leung General Manager, China Taiping Insurance (HK) Company Limited
• Charles Chow Executive Chairman, Alliance Risk Transfer Ltd. (ART)
• Chen Changzheng Managing Director, Wah Kwong Bulk Holdings Limited
• Chester S. M. Lee Deputy COO - Commercial - Venex, The Hong Kong and China Gas Company Limited (Towngas)
• Dimitris Monioudis Chairman, Technical and Operations Committee, INTERCARGO
• Elina Papageorgiou
• Fan Wei Senior Vice President and Head of Marketing and Underwriting, Hong Kong Branch, Skuld
• Fang Peng Head of Plan Approval Center for Greater China and Vietnam, RINA
• Firoze Mirza Chairman, BSM Hong Kong and BSM China, BSM
• Frank He Chairman, World Maritime Merchants Forum Limited
• Ge Yang CEO, Cexing Technology
• Guo Qian Director, Jinhui Shipping and Transportation Limited
• Hare Ram Sah General Manager, Venture Marine Services Limited
• He Yao Project Manager, Project Financing Department, The Export-Import Bank of China
• Huang SuFang Partner (Representative of Shenzhen Shipping Association), Guanghe Or & Partners (Qianhai) Law Firm
• Jiatu Li
• John Denholm Chairman of the International Chamber of Shipping; Executive Chairman, J. & J. Denholm Limited
• Josh Chen Executive Director & General Manager, Seacon Ship Trading Co., Ltd.
• Kaijie Yin General Manager, Newsealand Shipping Ltd.
• Kaushik Roy Global VP, Nautical Institute
• Kenneth Lam Founder and CEO, SeaKapital
• Lee Stenhouse Managing Director, Roxburgh Group
• Li Dong Director and President, CIMC Green Energy Low-Carbon Technology Co., Ltd.
• Li Guanghui
• Li Li Head of Smart Center, DNV Maritime China TC
• Li Ling Regional Pre-contract and R&D Manager for Greater China, DNV
• Luke Lu Assistant General Manager - Shipping, Minsheng Financial Leasing Co., Ltd.
• Ma Mingfei
• Mark Yang CEO, Cetus Maritime
• Niraj Nanda Chief Commercial Officer, Anglo-Eastern
• Pankaj Khanna CEO, Heidmar Maritime Holdings Corp
• Philip Ho Senior Surveyor of Ships/Ship Registration Services, HKSAR
• Pino Spadafora Vice President Marine Market Development, RINA Services S.p.A.
• Pradeep Chawla CEO Maritime Knowledge, MarinePALS
• Sakura Kuma Managing Director, MOL (Asia Oceania) Pte. Ltd.
• Sam Tsui Partner, Tsui & Co
• Sean Dalton Executive Vice President, Head of Marine Underwriting NA, Munich Re
• Shao Yong Senior Director of Engineering Department, CMRORO
• Shi Qiang Deputy Director of Marine, Hong Kong Marine Department
• Victoria Papageorgiou
• Wang Xuefeng
• Wang Zheng Assistant General Manager, Hong Kong Ming Wah Shipping Company Limited
• Wei Zhuang Head of Asia Pacific, BIMCO
• Wen Yukui Senior Engineer, China Classification Society
• Wong Sai Fat Director of Marine, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government
• Xu Niwei Executive Vice President, Fujian Guohang Ocean Shipping (Group) Co.,Ltd
• Xu Tao General Manager, Shandong Shipping Corporation
• Xu Yiping Deputy Director, Shanghai Merchant Ship Design and Research Institute
• Yang Xianxiang Chairman, SITC International Holdings Co., Ltd
• Yixue Wang General Counsel, Dalian Trawind Shipping Logistics Co., Ltd.
• Yolanda Shi Deputy General Manager of International Development Department, China Shipowners Mutual Assurance Association
• Yusuke MORI Deputy Executive Director, International Association of Maritime Universities
• Yvonne Lee Head of Sales, Enterprise Banking, Commercial Banking - Global Trade Solutions, The Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation Limited
• Zhan Huafeng Executive Director, CM Energy Tech Co., Ltd.
• Zhang Xiaodong Lead Specialist In Charge of Engineering & Type Approval of STSO, Lloyd's Register
• Zhou Hongkai Partner, Stephenson Harwood
• Zhou Jianfeng Managing Director, Wah Kwong Maritime Transport Limited

Most represented companies

• The Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region — 3 speakers
• China Merchants Group — 2 speakers
• Hong Kong Ming Wah Shipping Company Limited — 2 speakers
• London P&I Club — 2 speakers
• SeaKapital — 2 speakers
• Shanghai Merchant Ship Design and Research Institute (SDARI) — 2 speakers
• The Baltic and International Maritime Council — 2 speakers

Agenda (69 sessions)

Day 1 — Monday 16 November 2026

• Address 09:00–09:30 · International Green Fuel Alliance Seminar
• Resolutions of the Alliance Council 09:30–09:45 · International Green Fuel Alliance Seminar
• Signing and Launch Ceremony 09:45–09:55 · International Green Fuel Alliance Seminar
• Address 09:55–10:15 · International Green Fuel Alliance Seminar
• Internal Seminar 10:30–11:30 · International Green Fuel Alliance Seminar
• Opening Ceremony of Hong Kong Maritime Week 2026 14:00–14:42 · Main Forum
• Keynote Address: Linking the World, Anchoring the Future: Forging a More Resilient Global Shipping Industry 14:42–14:50 · Main Forum — Miao Jianmin
• Launch Ceremony Ⅰ 14:50–15:10 · Main Forum
• Address 15:10–15:15 · Main Forum — Ms. Mable Chan
• Opening Video 15:15–15:18 · Main Forum
• Keynote Speeches and Launch Ceremony Ⅱ 15:18–15:35 · Main Forum — Kitack Lim
• Keynote Speeches 2 15:35–16:15 · Main Forum — Christine Cabau Woehrel, Paul Pathy, 郑若骅, Tse Edward
• Launch Ceremony 3 16:15–16:30 · Main Forum
• Break & AI Outstanding Video Showcase 16:30–16:40 · Main Forum
• Fireside Chats 16:40–17:10 · Main Forum — Richard Hext, Knut Ørbeck-Nilssen
• Panel Discussion I: Capital, Cycles, and Compliance: Navigating Asset Valuation, Trade Flows, and Risk in a Fragmented Era 17:10–17:45 · Main Forum — Waqas Samad, Nick Shaw, John Denholm, Yvonne Lee
• Panel Discussion II: Energy Security, Geopolitics, and Fuel Transition: Navigating Tanker Dynamics, Maritime Risks, and the Multi-Fuel Era 17:45–18:20 · Main Forum — Jeffrey Guo, Alexander Prokopakis, Tim Wilkins, Bing Chen +1 more

Day 2 — Tuesday 17 November 2026

• Opening Speech 09:00–09:27 · Marine Insurance Thematic Forum — Richard Hext, James Bean, Yang Yuntao
• Guest Addresses 09:10–09:30 · Maritime Sustainable Development Conference — Shan Hongjun, Feng Boming
• Keynote Speech 09:30–09:52 · Marine Insurance Thematic Forum — Lars Lange, Fiona Pounds
• Keynote Speeches 09:30–10:20 · Maritime Sustainable Development Conference — Richard Hext, Kitack Lim, Shan Hongjun
• Signing Ceremony 09:55–10:00 · Marine Insurance Thematic Forum
• Panel Discussion I: Securing Confidence in Uncertain Waters: Hong Kong's Maritime Cluster Serving the Region and the World 10:15–10:55 · Marine Insurance Thematic Forum — Cheryl Yu, Zhai Juan, Chan Pui Leung, Charles Chow +1 more
• Round-table Dialogue I: Trends in Global Maritime Governance Amid Geopolitical Shocks and Overlapping International Rules 10:20–11:00 · Maritime Sustainable Development Conference — Nick Shaw, Elina Papageorgiou, Li Guanghui, Ma Mingfei +1 more
• Panel Discussion II: New Challenges in Bulk Vessel Market and Tension between Commercial Needs and Insurance Requirements 11:00–11:45 · Marine Insurance Thematic Forum — Deborah Yu, Ruaridh Guy, Neil Minnitt, Kaijie Yin +2 more
• Results Releases 11:00–11:20 · Maritime Sustainable Development Conference
• Round-table Dialogue II: Theme: Shipping Risks, Resilience and Sustainable Development Amid Uncertainty 11:20–12:00 · Maritime Sustainable Development Conference — Li Lianjun, Frank He, Victoria Papageorgiou, Wong Sai Fat +1 more
• Closing Remarks 11:45–11:50 · Marine Insurance Thematic Forum — Eric Zhu
• Opening Speech 13:50–14:00 · 2026 International MASS Seminar Series · Hong Kong — LAM Ming-fung
• Keynote Speech 14:00–16:00 · 2026 International MASS Seminar Series · Hong Kong — Ben Zhang, Wei Handi, Li Yanqing, Marko Rahikainen +4 more
• Opening Address 14:00–14:05 · Seminar on Marine Green Energy Development and Supply Chain Security
• Opening Remarks 14:00–14:15 · World Maritime Merchants Forum – Xinde Marine Hong Kong Forum 2026 Seminar — Sandy Chan, Vic YAU
• Opening Speech 14:00–14:15 · Dry Bulk Shipping Seminar — Feng Boming
• Opening Video 14:05–14:10 · Seminar on Marine Green Energy Development and Supply Chain Security
• Keynote Speeches 14:10–16:30 · Seminar on Marine Green Energy Development and Supply Chain Security — Kenneth KM Leung, Kong Liang, Wang Zhifang, Xie Lixin +1 more
• Keynote Address 14:15–14:25 · World Maritime Merchants Forum – Xinde Marine Hong Kong Forum 2026 Seminar — Wang Yongxin
• Keynote Speech I 14:15–14:50 · Dry Bulk Shipping Seminar — Yin Longjie
• Panel Discussion 1: Commodity Trading & Shipping 14:25–15:10 · World Maritime Merchants Forum – Xinde Marine Hong Kong Forum 2026 Seminar — Amy Chan, Angad Banga, Dimitris Monioudis, Zhou Jianfeng
• Opening Remarks 14:30–14:35 · Container, General Cargo and Bulk Shipping Seminar — Zhao Chunji
• Keynote: Geopolitics and Relations among Major Powers 14:35–15:05 · Container, General Cargo and Bulk Shipping Seminar — Song Guoyou
• Panel Discussion One: Unlocking Shipping’s Sustainable Transition through Green Finance 14:50–15:35 · Dry Bulk Shipping Seminar — Fan Wei, He Yao, Li Ling, Wen Yukui +2 more
• Keynote: Structural Changes and Volatility Logic of the Current International Shipping Market 15:05–15:45 · Container, General Cargo and Bulk Shipping Seminar — Zhang Yongfeng
• Panel Discussion 2: Green Maritime Fuel Hub 15:10–15:55 · World Maritime Merchants Forum – Xinde Marine Hong Kong Forum 2026 Seminar — Alexander Prokopakis, Sanjay Relan, Chester S. M. Lee, Niraj Nanda +2 more
• Keynote Speech Two 15:55–16:30 · Dry Bulk Shipping Seminar — Chao Yuan
• Presentation 1 15:55–16:05 · World Maritime Merchants Forum – Xinde Marine Hong Kong Forum 2026 Seminar — Liu Shuyang
• Certificate Award Ceremony 16:00–16:10 · Container, General Cargo and Bulk Shipping Seminar
• Presentation 2 16:05–16:15 · World Maritime Merchants Forum – Xinde Marine Hong Kong Forum 2026 Seminar — Eileen Chen
• Lauching Ceremony 16:10–16:20 · Container, General Cargo and Bulk Shipping Seminar
• Keynote: The Review of the Sale & Purchase and Newbuilding Market for Dry Bulkers & Containerships 16:20–16:40 · Container, General Cargo and Bulk Shipping Seminar
• Panel Discussion 3: Shipping Finance & Investment 16:25–17:10 · World Maritime Merchants Forum – Xinde Marine Hong Kong Forum 2026 Seminar — Caleb Cheng, Josh Chen, Kenneth Lam, Luke Lu +1 more
• Roundtable Discussion Two: Breakthrough and Symbiosis — Reshaping the Dry Bulk 16:30–17:15 · Dry Bulk Shipping Seminar — Chen Changzheng, Guo Qian, Wang Zheng, Xu Niwei +1 more
• Panel Discussion 2: Challenges and Opportunities during MASS EBP 16:30–18:00 · 2026 International MASS Seminar Series · Hong Kong — Ben Zhang, Wei Handi, Fang Peng, Hare Ram Sah +1 more
• Panel Discussion 1: Legal responsibilities and risk control for MASS 16:30–18:00 · 2026 International MASS Seminar Series · Hong Kong — Dean Crossley, Huang SuFang, Kaushik Roy, Pradeep Chawla
• Keynote: Beyond Digital: AI-Powered Intelligence for Shipping 16:40–17:00 · Container, General Cargo and Bulk Shipping Seminar — Winsome Wang
• Panel Discussion: Marine Green Fuels—Development and Supply Security: Resilience and Challenges 16:50–17:30 · Seminar on Marine Green Energy Development and Supply Chain Security — Ge Yang, Li Dong, Li Li, Shao Yong +3 more
• Keynote: War Risk Response amid Normalized Geopolitical Conflict 17:00–17:20 · Container, General Cargo and Bulk Shipping Seminar — Zhang Xudong
• Presentation 3 17:10–17:25 · World Maritime Merchants Forum – Xinde Marine Hong Kong Forum 2026 Seminar — Jagmeet Makkar
• Closing Remarks 17:15–17:25 · Dry Bulk Shipping Seminar — Yuan Bo
• Keynote: Green Ship Technology and Market Development Trends 17:20–17:40 · Container, General Cargo and Bulk Shipping Seminar — Huang Ge
• Panel Discussion 4: Shipping Market Outlook 2027 17:25–18:10 · World Maritime Merchants Forum – Xinde Marine Hong Kong Forum 2026 Seminar — Woon Aw Yong, Anurag Mathur, Jiatu Li, Mark Yang +2 more
• Business Pitch 17:30–17:35 · Seminar on Marine Green Energy Development and Supply Chain Security
• Closing Address 17:35–17:40 · Seminar on Marine Green Energy Development and Supply Chain Security
• Closing Remarks 18:10–18:15 · World Maritime Merchants Forum – Xinde Marine Hong Kong Forum 2026 Seminar

Day 3 — Wednesday 18 November 2026

• Welcome address 14:30–14:45 · World Maritime Merchants Forum – BIMCO Thematic Forum — Paul Pathy, 郑若骅, Ms. Mable Chan
• Speech I: BIMCO's contractual solutions for energy efficiency, retrofitting and other decarbonisation initiatives 14:45–15:05 · World Maritime Merchants Forum – BIMCO Thematic Forum — Stinne Taiger Ivø
• Speech II: Update on the RECYCLECON revision and market implications 15:05–15:25 · World Maritime Merchants Forum – BIMCO Thematic Forum — Indu Chitran
• Speech III: Explaining the solution developed for the carriage of electric vehicles 15:25–15:45 · World Maritime Merchants Forum – BIMCO Thematic Forum — Eddie Zhang
• Panel Discussion: Ship Retrofitting and Practical Solutions 16:00–17:25 · World Maritime Merchants Forum – BIMCO Thematic Forum — Dean Crossley, Li Lianjun, Sanjay Relan, Zhai Juan +2 more
• Closing remarks 17:25–17:30 · World Maritime Merchants Forum – BIMCO Thematic Forum — Sabrina Chao

Organisers, sponsors and partners

Organisers (5)

The Baltic and International Maritime Council · Hong Kong Shipowners Association · International Chamber of Shipping · Transport and Logistics Bureau of The Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People’s Republic of China · China Merchants Group (CMG)

Co-Organiser (1)

Hong Kong Chinese Enterprises Association

Host (1)

China Merchants Energy Shipping Co., Ltd. (CMES)

Sponsors (2)

Lloyd's Register · InvestHK

Supporting Partners (17)

China Classification Society · Alliance Risk Transfer Limited (Hong Kong Marine War Risks Insurance Pool) · CMDT · Minsheng Financial Leasing · Liberian Registry · Bank of Communications (Hong Kong) · NorthStandard · Bureau Veritas · SeaKapital · SaierNico · RINA · London P&I Club · SITC · Jotun COSCO · Huafeng Meteorological Media Group, CMA · China Shipowners Mutual Assurance Association · CMB Wing Lung Insurance

Source: the published agenda. See how B2DB compiles its records.