The International Shipowner and Service Conference (ISS 2010) is being held in Dalian, China, from Aug 19 to 21. Under the theme of “win at start, win all future,” the conference will address the issue of service and shipowners from all aspects, seek collaborations between enterprises and other sectors of the industry, and probe a breakthrough after the global financial crisis.

About 500 delegates from the shipping industry have been invited to the conference. According to the organizer, the conference will focus on the core areas of shipowner management pragmatically and creatively, with five main topics on the agenda: ship operation, finance and insurance, interactive discussion, safety management, and crew service and training.

Dalian, the host city of the conference, is a strategic port city in northern China. Recent years have seen a spectacular development of the city’s shipping industry. In the first half of this year, the city’s cargo throughput hit 158 million tons, up by 20.2%, and container throughput 2.46 million TEU, up by 17.3%. As the construction of North-East Asia International Shipping Center is speeding up and the upgrading of Liaoning Coastal Economic Zone has become a national strategy, the development of Dalian’s shipping industry is of greater importance.

This year’s conference is expected to enhance the soft power of the city, stimulate more communication and cooperation within the industry, and build up Dalian’s global reputation, said Cai Li, director-general of Dalian Port Authority.