WELL not quite! For a great many years, London, which still claims to be the world’s leading shipping centre, has failed to compete with Athens’ Posidonia, Oslo’s Nor-Shipping and Stamford’s CMA.
This year, London throws down the gauntlet and is attempting to do its own thing. The first London International Shipping Week (LISW) takes place from 9th to 13th September. The organisers have obviously been to a Posidonia or two and see the week as “an opportunity for all maritime organisations to host their own events with the knowledge that visitors will be in London from around the globe.”
There will also be a ‘Government and Inudstry’ conference and gala dinner on Thursday 12 September and other events are being planned. Expect a plethora of parties to pop up on the calendar and for the latest news, visit www.londoninternationalshippingweek.com and if you’re hosting an event, let the organisers know on [email protected].
Perhaps a shame – or good timing depending upon your perspective – is the fact that the IUMI Conference also takes place in London the following week from Sept 15th to 18th. This is only the fifth time since 1946 that IUMI has been held in London and so it may very well be a good thing that the two events are so close to each other. IUMI – the International Union of Marine Insurance – sees the world’s marine insurance community converge on a major city once a year. See www.iumi2013.com for details.
