The Maritime Standard has confirmed that the TMS Awards 2020, the seventh in the series, will be held in person, following strict UAE governmental guidelines, on Monday 23rd November at the Dubai World Trade Centre, Dubai, UAE.

TMS staff have been working closely in tandem with the team at the Dubai World Trade Centre which has produced a stringent code of practice to ensure the compliance of all arrangements. TMS Managing Director, Trevor Pereira says, “I am delighted to announce that the event will be face to face rather than virtual. We have the backing and support of the relevant authorities and are collaborating with the event experts at the World Trade Centre who have put world leading systems in place to ensure safety is paramount. Guests can be assured they will be kept safe from the moment of their arrival to departure.”

TMS stresses that it is committed to supporting the shipping industry and the region’s economy and trade and this underpins the decision to go ahead with the face to face event. Trevor adds, “Shipping and maritime is an essential service, so it is important that we acknowledge the contribution of the various elements within the sector in the current pandemic in a way that has maximum impact. We are hugely grateful for the support of the UAE authorities and the World Trade Centre for enabling us to recognise these achievements in person, with arrangements for online virtual contributions from around the world as well.”

Around 500 senior executives from shipping, ports, shipbuilding and repair and other maritime sectors are expected to attend the event, along with influential figures from governmental agencies to witness the presentation of these prestigious awards.

An expert panel of judges drawn from different industry sectors, all with a long track record of excellence in their chosen fields, has over the past few weeks been assessing and evaluating nominations for a total of 20 different categories, the winners of which will be announced on the night. The list of finalists has recently been announced and can now be found on the TMS website. For a full list of this year’s finalists click on the following link:
https://tmsawards.com/awards/2020-finalists/

The day after the Awards, Tuesday 24th November, TMS will host the Tanker Shipping conference, again at the World Trade Centre. The conference will be a little different this year, as a ‘hybrid’ event, with some speakers and attendees taking part in person in Dubai, and others joining online. Conference editor, Clive Woodbridge says, “We believe it will be an exciting format, creating new opportunities for engagement and participation in these exceptional times. The TMS Tanker conference traditionally attracts all the major players and service providers in the region and from the feedback we have received we believe that will be very much the case this year as well. ”

The overall Conference theme will be ‘The 2020s: Exploring opportunities for innovation and business growth’, both taking stock of recent events and looking beyond the pandemic to assess underlying trends in the crude oil, chemicals and products trades, and the key issues facing the sector. The Conference will also look at new technology developments, investment plans, environmental and regulatory issues and support services, amongst other topics. For more information about the programme and confirmed speakers, please go to https://www.tmstankerconference.com/