Aracon 2021

30 September - 01 October

Hilton Rotterdam Hotel

WHERE DO WE GO FROM HERE?

ARACON is the longest-running and biggest bunkering conference in the Amsterdam-Rotterdam-Antwerp region. Its no-nonsense conference programme attracts all the main bunker suppliers and barging companies in the ARA and Northwest Europe as well as dozens of European shipowners and managers.

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Aracon21 Programme

Aracon 2021 – Programme

30 September – 1 October

Standard Delegate Rate: €1,095

Registration is now closed

8:00 am - 9:10 am

Welcome Session

Registration and Welcome Coffee

Chairman’s Introduction / Welcome to ARACON
Llewellyn Bankes-Hughes, Managing Director, Petrospot Ltd

Shipping markets overview
Mark Williams, Managing Director, Shipping Strategy Ltd

9:30 am - 10:50 am

Session One: The commercial state of play

Most would agree that the bunker industry is now firmly on the other side of the IMO 2020 transition, but it continues to confront the challenges thrown up by the ongoing pandemic. Looking at the global picture – but with a firm focus on the ARA market – this session will look at the commercial state of play in the marine fuels sector, covering issues such as credit management, industry consolidation, digitalisation and developments in fuel procurement.

Moderator:

Lesley Bankes-Hughes, Director of Publishing/Executive Editor, Bunkerspot/Petrospot

Panelists:

Anna-Maria Foteinou, Senior Credit Manager, Island Oil Holdings

Argyrios Schoinas, Global Operations Manager, VeriFuel Bureau Veritas

Léon Gommans, Co-Founder, Teqplay

Mounir Bendouch, Director, Bunker Connect

Q&A

Networking Coffee Break

11:20 am - 12:45 pm

Session Two: Fuel quality – troubled waters or plain sailing?

Always a popular session at ARACON, speakers will look at recent trends in fuel characteristics, notably in VLSFOs, developments in fuel analysis techniques, quality disputes, ISO 8217 parameters and the outlook for fuel testing as new fuels enter the marine pool. The issue of ARA’s reputation as a fuel quality ‘hot spot’ will also be debated.

Moderator:

Llewellyn Bankes-Hughes, Managing Director, Petrospot Ltd

Panelists:

Steve Bee, Group Commercial & Business Development Director, VPS

Gunnar Kjeldsen, Global Business Development Manager, Marine Fuel Services, VeriFuel Bureau Veritas

Tracey Wardell, Global Technical Manager, Intertek Lintec

Q&A

Networking Lunch

2:00 pm - 3:00 pm

Session Three: Business as usual?

This session will bring bunker physical suppliers and traders together to discuss how the ARA market has fared throughout the last difficult 18 months. New players have entered the local market and some have also left, so have the market dynamics changed or is it still business as usual? How is the ARA bunker community preparing to adapt to the challenge of shipping’s decarbonisation?

Moderator:

Llewellyn Bankes-Hughes, Managing Director, Petrospot Ltd

Panelists:

Christian Kint, Managing Director, OilChart International

Michael de Boeck, Director, United Bunkers

Claudia Beumer, Global Account Manager, VT Group

Q&A

Networking Coffee Break

3:30 pm - 5:30 pm

Session Four: Transparency: industry buzzword or realistic ambition?

This session looks at how the ARA market – and the bunker industry in general – measures up in terms of transparency. Speakers will discuss the introduction of bunker licensing at the Port of Rotterdam, the uptake of mass flow meters, fuel disputes, counterparty checks and compliance.

Moderator:

Lesley Bankes-Hughes, Director of Publishing/Executive Editor, Bunkerspot/Petrospot

Panelists:

Cherry Almeida, Partner, Caland Advocaten

Armelle Breneol, Marine Fuels Technical Advisor, ExxonMobil

Daniel Kemp, Business Development Manager, Marine Fuel Solutions, Emerson Automation Solutions

Edgar Martin, Head, Central & Eastern Europe, Infospectrum

Ron van Gelder, Senior Advisor, Port of Rotterdam

Q&A

Chairman’s Closing Remarks

End of Day One Conference Sessions

6:00 pm - 8:00 pm