2026 Event Agenda

National Anthem of the UAE

Government Opening Remarks

Industry Opening Remarks

From mega infrastructure programs to industrial diversification, the Middle East is entering a new phase of project activity that is reshaping trade and transport dynamics. This keynote will provide a high-level view of the region’s project landscape, examining how investment flows, policy shifts, and new trade corridors are driving demand for breakbulk and project logistics. Offering a strategic perspective across multiple markets, it sets the stage for a day of discussion on opportunities, challenges, and the evolving role of the region in global cargo flows.

From Red Sea attacks and Iran-Israel tensions to piracy and sanctions, geopolitical instability is forcing operators to reroute vessels, rewrite contracts, and rethink risk. This session dives into the operational impact of today’s hot spots, exploring force majeure, contingency planning, and real-world strategies to keep project cargo moving when trade lanes are no longer predictable.

Saudi, UAE, and Qatari giga projects are shaping the future of project logistics not just nationally, but with new corridors into Iraq and beyond emerging. This session explores the strategic role of mega and giga projects, and what they mean for Gulf connectivity. It will also address constraints including dredger shortages, rising project costs, and global heavy-lift shipping demands.

Showcasing successful initiatives like Port of NEOM’s crane operator program and wider inclusion strategies for women across maritime and logistics, particularly in senior roles.

This opening presentation will provide a data-driven snapshot of the multipurpose and heavy-lift fleet, highlighting trends in age, orderbook activity, and regional deployment. With capacity tight and compliance costs rising, it sets the stage for the discussion on vessel availability, costs, and crew challenges that follows.

Global shipping is grappling with a perfect storm: shipyard slots are scarce, newbuild prices have skyrocketed, and offshore fleets face aging vessels with poor ROI on replacement. At the same time, a widening talent gap – exacerbated by rising crew costs and a new generation less willing to go to sea – is leaving operators short-handed. This session examines how these pressures are reshaping vessel supply, crew dynamics, and project cargo flows, with a regional lens on the Red Sea, tariff shocks, and political instability.

AI is being rolled out in state-backed programs across the Middle East, with governments and industry leaders accelerating adoption to drive efficiency, improve safety, reskill blue-collar workers, and unlock new value in project logistics. This session goes beyond hype to showcase real-world use cases, exploring where AI is delivering real impact, including predictive logistics, workflow transformation and cargo visibility.

With ambitions to move 95 million tonnes of freight annually by 2045, rail is set to become the missing link in GCC logistics – reducing port congestion, cutting carbon footprints, and reshaping cargo movement. However, the network is at an early stage, and integration with project cargo and breakbulk logistics is incomplete. This session will focus on how soon – and how far – rail can support the scale and complexity of project logistics across the region, and will examine the operational hurdles around financing, interoperability, wagons, and terminals.

As the Middle East balances upstream oil investment, LNG expansion, solar mega-projects and emerging nuclear options, the region’s unique energy mix is reshaping project cargo flows. This session examines the practical realities behind the demand for transition – where oil and gas remain central, how renewables are scaling, and why nuclear small modular reactors (SMRs) are gaining traction for powering data centers and industry.

Gain exclusive insights from shippers as they discuss the latest project cargo opportunities, future market directions, and the evolving dynamics of project cargo. Panelists will explore how digital innovations, market entrants, and changing business priorities are transforming strategies and shaping tomorrow’s logistics landscape.

New investment across Africa’s infrastructure, shipping, and mining industries is transforming trade with the Middle East. With Gulf investors moving into critical minerals and new trade corridors via Gulf ports, this session explores opportunities and challenges in building stronger Africa–Middle East logistics partnerships.

With an ageing workforce, crew shortages, and stalling recruitment, the industry faces a critical human shortage. What can be done to attract, retain, and protect the next generation of maritime and logistics talent? What role will AI play in reskilling, or plugging some of the gaps?