Event underscored women’s empowerment, education, digitalization and connectivity.

The BBME 2023 called for greater female participation in the industry.

Thanks to the Gulf ports’ commanding position in sea trade with the rest of the world, driven by massive oil, gas and petroleum-based exports, and burgeoning transit traffic, the region’s ports are also an important conduit for the breakbulk segment which was the central theme of the Breakbulk Middle East 2023 exhibition-cum-conference, held at the Dubai World Trade Centre on Feb.13 and 14, 2023.

According to the BBME 2023 organizers, the region’s most important breakbulk exhibition recorded 6,496 visitors – a 94% surge over 2022 – that included project owners and industry-dedicated professionals from sectors such as freight forwarding, logistics solutions, ports, terminals, etc. from the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region

The BBME 2023, enjoying the patronage of the UAE Ministry of Energy and Infrastructure, called for greater female participation in the industry and for attracting qualified young talent to build up next workforce generation. “These are important objectives for the industry, given the inadequate female representation and the dearth of skilled and managerial workforce in this sector,” a UAE businessman told the American Journal of Transportation.

The industry is trying to reach out to students at top universities and academic institutions and motivate them to embark on careers in the cargo and logistics sector. The Education Day, held at the BBME, featured industry speakers who highlighted the opportunities for young career-seeking people in the cargo and logistics sector.

Former students, now professionally involved in the field, used another session “Career Opportunities” to narrate their “success stories” and their work-related experiences.

The sessions received support from several education institutes, including Abu Dhabi Maritime Academy, Aries International Maritime Research Institute, Birla Institute of Technology, Higher Colleges of Technology, Jordan Maritime Academy, Lloyd’s Maritime Academy, London American City College, Middlesex University Dubai, Murdoch University, etc.

Razor-sharp Efficiency

While ports in many parts of the world, including in the U.S., faced disruptions and congestion, the UAE ports operated with “razor-sharp efficiency”, as John Fleming, a U.K. based logistics operator put it.

In his BBME inaugural remarks, Hassan Mohammed Juma Al Mansouri, Undersecretary for Infrastructure and Transport Affairs at the Ministry of Energy and Infrastructure, stated that the world had faced significant challenges in the past three years due to supply chain disruptions caused by the pandemic and geopolitical unrest. “However, the UAE and its maritime sector emerged resilient and responded swiftly to overcome challenges and satisfy global needs. Despite the unprecedented crisis, our ports demonstrated exceptional resilience to ensure a smooth flow of goods from one part of the world to the other, ensuring economic stability locally, regionally, and internationally.”

He noted that in addition to ranking third in transport services trade and bunker supply index, the UAE was also re-elected to the Executive Council of the International Maritime Organization (IMO), under Category B, further consolidating its role in the global maritime spectrum. He reinforced his ministry’s goal to “constantly innovate and improve our capabilities in order to cement our position as a leading logistics and shipping hub”.

Hessa Al Malek, advisor to the Minister for Maritime Transport Affairs, UAE Ministry of Energy, and Infrastructure, also referred to the global situation during a press conference in Dubai. “While ports across the globe suffered from congestion, our ports showcased their excellent capabilities by handling huge amounts of cargo to keep trade through the country and the region flowing. This enabled the industry in the UAE to generate over Dirham 90 billion (approx. US$ 24.5 bn), a value that none of us could have imagined considering the difficulties that surrounded us,” he said.

Top representatives from the Ministry, DP World, Abu Dhabi Ports Group, DSV Solutions Abu Dhabi, and other UAE organizations, underscored the BBME’s commitment to facilitate the industry’s expansion in new markets, and work towards the sector’s progress across the globe.

The BBME’s opening session, “MENA Project Review”, provided insights into major projects in the pipeline. Led by Ryan McPherson, Director, Middle East, Africa, Russia & CIS, EICUK Middle East (Branch), the session assessed the possible economic impact of projects such as the NEOM and King Salman Energy Park in Saudi Arabia, as well as the North Field East LNG expansion project in Qatar, followed by discussions on the opportunities in markets such as Africa for the breakbulk and project cargo sector’s expansion during the “Africa as a Region of Opportunity: Outlook, Projects and Entering the Market” session.

Abdulla bin Damithan, CEO & Managing Director, DP World UAE & JAFZA, emphasized that his group recognized the project cargo and breakbulk industry as the backbone of many businesses, from energy to construction and “everything in between”. “As a leading smart trade enabler, we continually invest in technological solutions like Dubai Trade and CARGOES and upgrade our infrastructure to cater to the increased demands. Our investments allowed Jebel Ali Port to handle over 40 million metric tonnes of breakbulk cargo in the last 10 years. In 2022 alone, the port handled more than 4 million metric tonnes, up 11 per cent year-on-year and marking one of our most successful years in this sector.”

Other important sessions and initiatives at the BBME included the Women in Breakbulk Networking Breakfast; End-to-End Logistics: Artificial and Business Intelligence Driving Efficiency in Ports; and Wind Energy in the UAE: Transportation, Installation, and Lessons Learnt.

The breakbulk shipping and port services division of the Wilhelmsen Group in the Middle East was upbeat about robust growth in 2023. The group’s Dubai-based vice president, Frederic Fontarosa, maintained that with project activity levels returning to normal and the industry recovering, the sector was now at almost the same pre-pandemic level.

His group was targeting a double-digit growth for 2023, given its involvement in several initiatives ahead of the COP28 (the UN Climate Change Conference) to be hosted by the UAE.

The next BBME event will be held In Dubai on 12-13 February 2024.