LISW23 Headline Conference
Held on Wednesday 13 September, the LISW23 Headline Conference is sponsored by Tsakos Energy Navigation (TEN), which will be celebrating 30 years as a public company.
Sean Moloney, Director of Shipping Innovation and co-founder of LISW, said LISW23 ‘conference day’ will be a day to remember for those seeking blue sky thinking from the best speakers in the world of international business and shipping.
The Conference fee includes lunch and coffee breaks. In addition, every delegate will also be invited to attend the post-Conference Evening Reception on the rooftop of the IMO, overlooking the River Thames and London skyline.
The Evening Reception is sponsored, for the second time running, by HM Government of Gibraltar, the Gibraltar Maritime Administration, and the Port Authority of Gibraltar who together represent the many companies, private organisations and public entities that make up the thriving maritime sector in Gibraltar.

lisw23 themes
Reframing Risk in a Complex Market
Drawing on the ethos of ‘Propelling World Trade’, the overarching theme of LISW23 will be ‘Reframing Risk in a Complex Market’.
Sub-themes for the week will be:
Compliance
- Does ESG change the business model
- Navigating the regulatory landscape in the charter market in the short-term
- Commercial cost of regulatory compliance across the decarbonisation timeline
- Carbon trading
Decarbonisation
- Future fuel mix
- Implications of scope 3
- Role of Government
- Where are the next (tangible!) opportunities for the industry to contribute to energy transition but also to make money (CO2 shipping, offshore wind)
- Shipping industry responsibilities around the ocean economy
Security
- Supply chain resilience
- Sanctions
- War risks (incl navigational, insurance, ability to charter / lift cargos from war zones and combatant countries)
- Skills
- Demographic trends and their effect on labour supply in shipping
- Ensuring an equitable skills transition, the opportunity to upskill in labour supplying nations
- Digital skills to manage the transition and maintain compliance
- New and disruptive technologies particularly in terms of the workforce and its education.
- Duty of care to seafarers
Business and Technology Innovation
- Sourcing investment to drive and support maritime innovation
- Supply & demand dynamics – is collaboration working?
- New fuels, new ships, new infrastructure
- Data and digitalisation
Keynotes
- Cost of Commercial Compliance
- Supply Chain Uncertainty (and Effect on Trading Patterns) / Economic overview
- Does ESG change the business model
Commercial
- How can the charter market encompass a fast-changing regulatory landscape over the next 1 – 3 years?
- Legal and commercial relationship between charterers and shipowners
- The challenges of transparency – evidencing compliance and the future tradability of vessels
- Costs of compliance / commercial implications of compliance (link to decarbonisation)
Innovation - the supply & demand dynamic
- Does the structure of the industry hinder the innovation needed to decarbonise?
- Developing solutions via cross value chain approach, how do we deliver?
- Putting shipping in the context of other hard to abate sectors / Lessons learned from other industries
A just skills transition
- How do we use the new skills imperative to create a more diverse and equitable workforce in the shipping industry onshore and at sea
- Developing the S in ESG focus, improving the attractiveness of shipping as a career path
CONFERENCE Tickets
Registration to the Headline Conference is now open. Due to its nature as a fixed-seat auditorium, space will be limited in the IMO’s Plenary Hall so early booking is advised to avoid disappointment.