Timely conference adds value to Intermodal 2008

Against this backdrop, industry experts and a variety of interested stakeholders will gather in Hamburg for the Intermodal 2008 Conference on 2-4 December.

Visitors to Intermodal 2008 will be treated to a host of the world’s leading container and intermodal industry experts presenting on a range of key issues affecting the future of the sector at this year’s event. The timely theme of the conference is ‘Harnessing The Green Dividend’ (or ‘How to Benefit from Higher Transport Costs’).

The conference has been an integral part of the Intermodal container shipping event for many years. This year’s conference will tackle the key issue of the new global challenges facing the industry, with a particular focus on the impact of the world financial crisis, outsourcing, global economies and the transport infrastructure.

Prominent speakers, including Lord Tony Berkeley, chairman of Railfreight Group and Heinrich Kerstgens, managing director of Contargo, will look at intermodal rail, sea and barge developments and how the industry must adapt to continue to make a positive contribution to the total value chain.

The first day of the conference will open with the keynote speech on ‘Coping with New Global Challenges’ by Chris Bourne, executive director of the European Liner Affairs Association. This will cover areas including the post-conference era in Europe, the shift of economic and political power to Asia and the impact on investment in Europe and the USA. Further talks will explore the threat to intercontinental supply chains, whether globalisation has reached a crossroad and if transport congestion is here to stay. The opening day’s conference will conclude with a number of talks on intermodal rail development, including land use, planning and tackling rail capacity short falls.

Day two of the conference will see dedicated sessions on Short Sea and Barge Transport, covering issues such as sea port congestion, European maritime policy and the changing role of the inland port authority. The afternoon session will focus on Container Operations and features a further keynote speech by John A Maccarone, president and CEO of Textainer Group Holdings Limited, exploring how the current economic uncertainty is affecting the container industry and whether this will lead to greater consolidation.

The final morning is dedicated to a free conference session on Chemical Transport and Tankcontainer Logistics. Following an introduction from conference chairman, Rainer Brunssen of Brunssen Consulting, the conference will explore a number of safety and security issues involving hazardous and non-hazardous cargo transport by sea and land. Speakers of note include Dirk Van de Velde, corporate manager of MSC Chemical Transports, H Dabels from the German Shipowners’ Association and Elmar Ockenfels, manager of strategic business development at Chemion, the logistics arm of German chemical giant Bayer Leverkusen.

Commenting on the conference programme, Intermodal 2008 event director Gordon Kirk said, ‘There are a number of key issues currently affecting the industry and this year’s event will provide a vital platform for speakers and delegates to share views, ideas and opinions on these topics. We are delighted to have eminent speakers such as Jon Gjemble, senior logistics advisor at Norse Skog, Martin Whittle, general manager of the Chemical Distribution Institute and Dr Juergen Sorgenfrei, chairman of Hamburg Port Marketing, on board to share their expertise and knowledge.’

The annual event attracts key decision makers across the container transport industry, including tank and container manufacturers, component suppliers, rail operators, IT suppliers and intermodal operators.

For further information visit www.intermodal-events.com