2026 Event Agenda

* Invite only * 

Location: Sharjah D

Breakbulk Middle East’s inaugural Executive Summit will bring together top executives from across the project cargo supply chain. This closed-door, invite-only event is designed as a candid, collaborative forum for senior leaders to share pain points, exchange strategies, and gain insight into how peers are navigating today’s uncertainty to anticipate future success.

* Additional purchase required * 

Back by popular demand, the DP World Breakbulk Middle East Golf Day is the perfect precursor to the region's largest event for the project cargo and breakbulk industry.

Whether you are visiting Dubai especially for the Breakbulk Middle East exhibition, or live locally, join colleagues and clients for an afternoon on the fairways. Fees include 18 holes, on-course entertainment, après golf dinner and beverages, prize giving and a casual evening of networking alongside industry peers. Player spaces are strictly limited and will be allocated upon receipt of payment.

* Additional purchase required * 

Location: Ajman Meeting Rooms

AI is increasingly shaping logistics, but how relevant is it to breakbulk and project cargo? This session demystifies AI by providing real-world applications in transport engineering, vessel operations, and supply chain tracking. Learn how companies are using AI for efficiency gains, risk mitigation, and automation without replacing the human element. This is a half-day workshop and includes one networking coffee break. You will need to be available to attend for the whole duration to be eligible to collect your certification at the end.

* Additional purchase required *

Location: Ajman Meeting Rooms

This workshop is designed for professionals involved in the transport and logistics of project cargo. The course covers the fundamentals of heavy lift logistics, emphasizing sea-based transport. This is a half day workshop and includes one networking coffee break.

* Additional purchase required *

Location: Ajman Meeting Rooms

This half-day workshop, presented in partnership with the Institute of Chartered Shipbrokers, is an intermediate level course that provides a deeper understanding of chartering principles and applications. It is suitable for full-time chartering professionals as well as those who work with chartering contracts. This is a half day workshop and includes one networking coffee break. You will need to be available to attend the full course to be eligible for your certificate of attendance.

National Anthem of the UAE

Government Opening Remarks: H.E. Eng Hessa Al Malek, Advisor to the Minister for Maritime Transport Affairs, Ministry Of Energy and Infrastructure 

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.

This session examines how sanctions compliance plays out in maritime operations in the Gulf region, through the lens of current US, EU and UN sanctions regimes. Rather than treating compliance as a standalone issue, the discussion follows how sanctions considerations move through everyday shipping, trading and insurance activity.
 

* Additional purchase required *

Location: Sharjah D

The Women in Breakbulk luncheon will feature two panels on AI in the workplace. The first will include women working directly in AI who will share how to use AI effectively and common pitfalls to avoid. The second will bring together industry professionals at different stages of AI use to discuss how to overcome hesitancy, make AI a part of your workflow and best ways to guide others.

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.

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 no clear consensus on the fuel of the future, operators face high-stakes choices: invest now in hydrogen, e-fuels, or LNG, or wait for certainty. This session places fuels at the heart of the sustainability debate, examining cost pressures, financing challenges, and whether new technologies are truly bankable. It will also address evolving policy frameworks, ESG standards, and port restrictions on “dirty” vessels, asking what’s really driving investment decisions – and whether fuels are a margin-killer or the next source of competitive advantage. 

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 Arabian Gulf and Red Sea, tariff shocks, and political instability.

As project cargo volumes grow consistently across GCC ports, the focus is shifting beyond volume to capability. This session examines market trends, changing shipper priorities, and the critical role of ports, logistics partners, and authorities in sustaining breakbulk growth over the next decade.

The UAE has become a pioneer in integrating People of Determination into the workforce, with initiatives such as Abu Dhabi Ports’ collaboration with ZHO. This session highlights how the logistics industry can unlock talent, foster inclusion, and build models that set a global benchmark for accessibility and opportunity.

Showcasing successful initiatives and career pathways increasing the participation of women across logistics and maritime, through personal reflections and insight into training, coaching, and mentoring, alongside real-world examples – such as the Port of NEOM’s crane operator programme – supporting operational and leadership progression.

 

* Additional purchase required *
 

Join the 70th BUSINESSrun during Breakbulk Middle East - a unique event combining running, networking, and charity under the motto "Running for a Cause, Connecting for Success." Open to all experience levels with 5k and 10k routes along the beautiful Dubai Marina.

Be guided through gentle breathwork, mindful awareness and simple movement to weave calm and balance into your busy day.

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.

The maritime and breakbulk industry is undergoing more than a technological shift;  it is facing a leadership shift. As AI reshapes decision-making, success increasingly depends on how leaders think, collaborate and adapt. Yet women still represent only around 16% of the maritime workforce, despite the proven performance benefits of diverse leadership.

This session offers practical insights and tools for both emerging and experienced leaders to navigate the fast-paced, high-pressure reality of shipping and lead confidently into the industry’s future.

Free of charge

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, particularly across offshore and marine supply chains. 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. 

An outlook on project cargo developments in Tunisia and Libya from 2026 to 2030, exploring opportunities across energy, oil & gas, renewables and major infrastructure projects. The session will cover key cargo flows, main industry players and the region’s long-term potential.

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.

What will the project cargo industry look like in 20 years? Be among the first to see the Future Thinkers vision and find out how to join this elite network of innovators. Gain a seat at the table to share your company’s experience and help drive the research that will define the future of project cargo
 

This session will explore practical strategies to safeguard supply chains in the Middle East, focusing on mitigating cargo theft risks and enhancing operational resilience for transport operators.

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.

This seminar explores how exposure conditions drive deterioration in Middle Eastern port structures, and presents key aspects of international best practices for inspection, assessment, repair/refurbishment and asset management to support sustainable, reliable, and cost-effective maintenance and refurbishment. 

As crew shortages deepen and recruitment pipelines stall, the maritime industry faces an urgent question: who will run tomorrow’s ships – and the wider ecosystem that supports them? From seafarers on board to planners, engineers, technologists and logistics professionals on shore, the sector must find ways to strengthen visibility, attract young talent, and build clear pathways into maritime careers. What role can collaboration with universities play? How can AI and digital tools support both upskilling and the creation of more attractive, future focused roles? This panel explores the human challenges across the full maritime value chain and the solutions needed to secure its next generation.
 

Join a candid discussion offering real insight into what it’s like to pursue a career at sea. The conversation will delve into the realities of maritime life — the benefits, the challenges, and the day-to-day experiences of working on the water. Designed to give women a clear and balanced understanding of the seafaring profession, this session will help inform whether life at sea could be the right path for their future.