For those of us who couldn’t attend, here is an insiders review of what the Breakbulk Middle East 2022 conference was like.
HPC took part in the Breakbulk Middle East for the first time this year, after the conference had last been held in 2020. I attended that version in a private capacity, and was genuinely surprised by the intensity of this years show.
It was larger than the previous one, with more stands and, of course, more distance between them. There were less people there and noticeably less shipping lines present and almost no project forwarders with stands, however all the key major ports of the region and the asset owners were represented, and those who were in attendance had a clear and hard goal to actually talk real opportunities and developments.
As with other areas, there is a strong feeling of optimism for the region for growth and development being catalyzed towards optimisation and automation by the pandemic.
I moderated a panel with Ronnie Nielsen of OBT and Mr Hans Ole Madsen of ICTSI and we discussed the developments we saw upcoming in West Africa, and concluded that the region is moving forward fast again, with several large ports developments now coming on line or in advanced development, and the focus now is extending that infrastructure outwards.
Lars Greiner, Hamburg Port Consulting
Were you at the Breakbulk Middle East event? What was your experience like? Write to us at editor@breakbulk.news
