Main Conference - Oslo Ocean Days

Headline Conference

The Shipping Edition

Leading shipowners, financiers, policymakers and maritime innovators will be brought together at the headline conference of Oslo Ocean Days – the Shipping Edition for a full day of high-level discussion on the forces reshaping the business globally.

With Norway at the center of maritime innovation and ocean industries, the conference will explore how shipowners and maritime stakeholders are navigating one of the most transformative periods in the sector’s history.

Across keynote interviews, leadership conversations and dynamic panel debates, the agenda will tackle the critical issues defining shipping’s next decade. Discussions will examine how shipowners are making long-term fleet and fuel decisions amid uncertainty over alternative fuels and evolving technologies, as well as how new regulatory frameworks from the EU and the IMO are reshaping operational and investment strategies.

Industry leaders will also share perspectives on the financial outlook for shipping, from capital allocation and fleet renewal to how today’s strong earnings cycles can be leveraged for long-term resilience.

The conference will also explore the wider geopolitical and economic forces influencing global trade and shipping markets, alongside the rapid pace of technological innovation across ship design, digitalisation and efficiency.

With Norway playing a pivotal role in maritime technology, energy transition and sustainable shipping, Oslo provides the perfect setting for an open and forward-looking conversation about the future of the industry.

Bringing together senior decision-makers from across the global maritime ecosystem, the Oslo Ocean Days Headline Conference will offer a unique platform for insight, debate and collaboration on the challenges and opportunities ahead for shipping.

Watch this space for more information about the programme and tickets.

Programme

Navigating a New World Order: Risk. Resilience. Reinvention.

08:30-09:30 Registration and Coffee

09:30-10:00 The Opening Ceremony
The Opening Ceremony will mark the symbolic launch of Oslo Ocean Days and will bring together prominent industry leaders, senior government officials, ministry representatives, and event speakers.
– Welcome Address from Nor-Shipping and TradeWinds

10:00-11:00 Plenary Panel: Energy security after the Hormuz crisis
– How has the outlook changed after the world’s greatest oil and gas supply shock?
– What are the effects on trade and maritime decarbonisation agenda?
– How can shipping build long-term resilience?

10:00-11:30 Coffee Break

Session One: Risk and resilience: When geopolitics becomes a core commercial risk

11:30-11:45 Presentation

11:45-12:30 Panel Discussion: Why flexibility not efficiency is the new key to managing risk
– Is geopolitical disruption now a structural risk rather than a periodic one? Will it remain the primary price driver?
– Is an imbalance in the enforcement and application of maritime regulations serving to exacerbate the risk they’re supposed to reduce?
– How are predictive models and strategies changing?

12:30-13:30 Lunch Break

Session Two: The path ahead: Innovation - the key to success

13:30-13:45 Keynote interview

13:45-14:30 Panel Discussion: Who wins the race to become Europe’s leading maritime tech hub?
– Which new innovations are helping to put Norway on the map, and why?
– Are there sufficient support frameworks in place from the Norwegian authorities?
– Where is the biggest competition coming from? Is intra-European competition a driver or barrier to innovation?

14:30-14:45 Presentation: Case Study

14:45-15:30 Coffee Break

Session Three: Money and Markets: What change will success bring?

15:30-16:00 Panel Discussion: Cash rich, debt light: How will the new shape of shipping shape finance?
– Can Oslo aspire to be more than a client city for New York?
– What are the biggest challenges to widening and deepening the investor base?
– Is there enough long-term ambition to make Oslo more attractive to international players?
– What is the landscape for equity, bonds and debt?

16:00-16:15 Keynote Interview

16:15-17:00 Shipowners Panel: Lockin in growth – how do you build from a position of strength?
– How are owners assessing where earnings are best directed?
– To what extent is the growth of alternative finance models provoking a power shift between asset owners and traditional banks?
– Is the current market landscape provoking a shift in business models?

17:00-18:30 Drinks reception and networking