The event was kicked off by Mr Kumar Balian, Global Director (Sales & Technical Services) of OceanConnect Marine. He explained the forthcoming changes in the IMO 2020 regulation and compared various compliance methods. He then highlighted bunker fuel availability, pricing, issues with bleeding and issues envisaged from commercial, operational and legal perspectives. He concluded with a port wide comparison of global product availability.

The next speaker was Unni Einemo, the IMO Representative, Media & Communications Manager of the International Bunker Industry Association (IBIA). She explained IMO's and IBIA's efforts to ensure consistent implementation of the 0.50% Sulphur limit globally. Her talk included detailed background information to key changes in the MARPOL Annex VI regulations, followed by practical insights into compliance for shipowners, compliance by suppliers, handling disputes, and unsolved issues.

Today in offshore wind, increasing scale is top of the agenda. Wind turbines themselves are continuing to be designed at ever-larger sizes. From rated powers of 1.5MW which typified onshore turbines only a few years ago, we now have offshore machines which each generate 10MW of power, providing electricity to nearly 9000 homes. General Electric's Haliade-X turbine will generate 12MW and will be available from 2020.

The scale of the Haliade-X is awe-inspiring. The height of the blade tips, at 260m, is nearly twice as high as the London Eye and nearly three times the height of Big Ben. Each blade is 107m in length, which dwarf the total wingspan of the Airbus A380 at a mere 80m. The area of the rotor disk is over 5 football pitches, while the air passing through the rotor per second at rated wind speed has the mass of fifty London buses.

AMCF has received unprecedented levels of support – over 500 registered delegates and 33 sponsors – for the two-day event at Marina Bay Sands Expo & Convention Centre on 11 and 12 April 2019.

Organised biennially by SCANDIC since 2015, the overwhelming response for the third edition of AMCF validates its position as the premier gathering for the marine casualty industry as well as a cornerstone event during the Singapore Maritime Week.

Set against the backdrop of a recent spate of marine casualties around the world, AMCF carries more significance than ever as it brings together world-leading specialists to discuss and debate the many consequences arising from such casualties and how the industry is coping.

The cruise ship Viking Sky, bulk carrier Solomon Trader, Ro-Ro container vessel Grande America, container ship Yantian Express, car carrier Sincerity Ace and cable/pipe layer vessel Star Centurian are but some of the casualties which have made headlines over the past year.