The Journal of Commerce Announces Agenda for 2013 TPM Conference

NEWARK, N.J., Sept. 25, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- The Journal of Commerce announced the agenda for its 13th annual Trans-Pacific Maritime conference, on Mar. 3-6, 2013 in Long Beach, Calif., including an opening keynote by Maersk Line CEO Soren Skou. Speeches and panel discussions during the extensive TPM program will address the outlook for container shipping and containerized trade, longshore labor, service contract negotiations, green supply chains and proven cost-saving strategies for shippers.

Since taking the Maersk Line helm in January 2012, Soren Skou has helped lead the industry in restoring freight rates to achieve profitability for many carriers after a year of heavy losses in 2011. In his opening keynote speech, Skou, who has spent his career within the A.P. Moller-Maersk organization, will take stock of the experience of 2012 and assess the future of the industry in 2013 and beyond.

Since he stepped into the role of Maersk Line CEO at the beginning of 2012, Soren has helped alter the tone of the industry, the result being that carriers seem more firmly focused on profitability versus market share, which has enabled the industry to more effectively balance supply and demand, manage the influx of new capacity, and reduce rate volatility, said Peter Tirschwell, Senior Vice President of UBM Global Trade, parent of The Journal of Commerce.

The TPM 2013 agenda will feature two full days of sessions exploring a range of issues affecting the current state and future of container shipping globally and the trans-Pacific market specifically. Next year, 2013, is expected to be another challenging one for the industry as global economic growth is forecast to slow and carriers manage another influx of mega-ship capacity. Shippers will continue to probe their supply chains to uncover further cost-saving opportunities. The conference will feature discussions on the future of chassis provision in the U.S., opportunities to use intermodal to reduce cost, vessel emission reduction and environmental protections, as well as the movement of certain sourcing away from China. An analysis of the first year of meaningful use of index-linked contracts will pose questions for the 2013 contract cycle, while additional panels will explore the impact of the 2012 ILA-USMX negotiations — a hot topic at the 2012 TPM — as well as the upcoming West Coast contract and the implications of other areas of dockworker dispute across the country.

Timed at the start of the service contract negotiating cycle for the eastbound trans-Pacific, TPM is a content-rich event featuring dozens of senior-level industry executives addressing the most topical and pressing issues. The program is developed by the JOC editorial team including Bill Mongelluzzo, Joseph Bonney, Peter Leach, and consultant Barry Horowitz based on their extensive experience and industry coverage. TPM has become a must-attend event timed to the beginning of the annual service contract negotiating cycle, bringing together senior executives from across the full global container supply chain. Last year's attendance of more than 1,800 people broke event records. TPM is now the largest event of its kind in the world.

For more information, follow TPM on Twitter @TPMconferences and, for the complete TPM 2013 agenda, visit www.jocevents.com/tpm2013.