In the first of a series engaging with key names coming to next year’s big dry bulk summit in Switzerland, Splash sits down with Niels Josefsen, the CEO of Denmark’s Lauritzen Bulkers.
Geneva Dry officially started marketing on May 2 this year, exactly one year out from the first day of the inaugural show.
Among the first people to grasp just what the event had set out to do was Niels Josefsen, the CEO of Lauritzen Bulkers, who quickly signed on as a Gold Sponsor, keen to interact with every rung of the dry bulk supply chain.
“I’m keen to hear how others are looking upon the future but not least meeting old and new friends,” Josefsen says.
With a history spanning more than a century, Lauritzen Bulkers’ emphasis is on the handysize segment, where it currently operates more than 100 vessels from five global locations.
Looking at how the markets ought to be come May 2 next year and the start of Geneva Dry, Josefsen, one of 14 shipowners already confirmed to be attending the show, hopes dry bulk will be in better shape.
“The supply is low and inflation is getting under control,” he says, while cautioning that China could still surprise negatively.
Geneva Dry aims to bring together all elements of the commodities shipping sector to host the ultimate dry bulk shipping event. Much of the content will be very forward-focused giving delegates a glimpse of the key themes that will dominate the sector in the remaining years of the 2020s.
For Josefsen, whose career has included long stints at Maersk and Torvald Klaveness before taking the reins at Lauritzen Bulkers five years ago, the two dominant aspects he is very aware about for the remainder of the decade are climate and artificial intelligence.
On climate change, Josefsen tells Splash: “This is the biggest game changer we have seen for a very long time and it is not going to go away. The only certainty is that we will be operating in a very different environment. Continuing new restrictions will change the way we think and operate. As always, this will create opportunities for the agile owner/operator.”
As for AI, Josefsen is sure this will change the way his company is organised and how it conducts business.
“We will get fast access to information and be able to remove a lot of manual tasks,” he says.
Geneva Dry delegates will get plenty of chances to see AI in action, changing the work processes of dry bulk operations via many companies exhibiting and sponsoring the event.
Taking place at the Hotel President Wilson on the shore of Lake Geneva, the high-level summit is split into relevant sectors to make delegates time more targeted and rewarding. Panels will bring together analysts, miners, traders and shipowners to discuss where the markets are headed.
Sessions include: minor bulks; agri-commodities; coal; iron ore; and decarbonisation.
To find out more about Geneva Dry, click here.
