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TOC meets December 6-7 in Dubai focusing on Iran's expected role

IRAN's changing role in regional and global trade space will feature at this year's TOC Middle East conference 6-7 December 6-7 at the Le Meridien Dubai Hotel & Conference Centre.

The easing of international sanctions against Iran is still expected to provide a much-needed boost to global and regional container trade, say IHS conference organisers.

As the second most populous country in the Middle East, Iran's 80 million people afford an opportunity for shipping lines to reconnect this important market with international trade lanes after years of isolation.

Iranian flag carrier, the Islamic Republic of Iran Shipping Lines (IRISL) has seen its global ranking rise following fleet investment and new service launches to Asia, Europe and the Middle East.

As of October 2016, IRISL is reported as 19th largest in Clarkson Research's list of top operator owned container shipping fleets, and 21st largest by TEU capacity in Alphaliner's Top 100 list.

Speaking to Reuters, IRISL chairman and managing director Mohammad Saeedi, who joins TOC Middle East on December 6 as a keynote speaker in the Container Supply Chain conference, said that he expects the company to be 'back to normal" by mid-2017.

Iran's re-emergence into the international trade arena is just one of the hot topics on this year's agenda. During the two-day high-level event, senior consultants and practitioners from across the supply chain will walk delegates through key issues in regional container trade and logistics.

Container Supply Chain sessions will assess the business, economic and container outlook, and China's One Belt One Road (OBOR) initiative, Regional Port & Terminal Development and ICT Innovation in Ports & Logistics, plus a special Sea-to-Air Cargo Briefing hosted by London's Loadstar. TECH TOC Operations and Technology sessions will address port design, automation, skills development and training, and digitisation, among other topics.