Webinar: A New Odyssey through the Capital Providers Sea by Mare Forum DGTL

About This Webinar

This digital round table will be an interactive debate between our presenters: Principals of the Shipping Industry, Capital Providers, and you.

We will analyze the impacts of Covid-19 and it’s implications on ship finance. Furthermore we will explore changes in financial products and services.

Agenda

Why are traditional ship finance banks withdrawing from the market?
What are the best alternatives? Prices and consistency
How important has leasing become and what might be the future of Chinese and Japanese leasing
The capital market's relationship with shipping - The Norwegian market vs. the US. Will there be any IPOs soon?
How to finance small shipping companies? Is there a role for the state to facilitate investments in shipping?

Michael de Visser

Global Head of Transportation, NIBC Bank [MODERATOR]

Experienced dealmaker with excellent communication skills, who provides financial solutions for international shipping companies and container leasing companies.

Per Olav Karlsen

CEO and Owner Cleaves Securities AS

Per Olav Karlsen is CEO and Managing Partner in Cleaves Securities AS which he established in 2006. He is also principal owner of Cleaves Shipbroking.

He held various positions with Fearnleys AS of Norway for 10 years, including that of Managing Director of Fearnley Finans Prosjekt for 4 years. He was President of R S Platou in Singapore for 7 years, and has extensive experience from ship broking including new-building, sale and purchase, chartering and projects. He has furthermore considerable experience in ship-management and vessel operations through management roles and BOD positions in such companies.

In addition to his duties at Cleaves he was resident managing director for Paccship (UK) Ltd from 2001-2006 during which time the company built up a management organisation and financial ownership of 15 vessels. Per Olav moreover served as non-executive Chairman of the Board and Chairman of the Audit Committee in Aries Maritime Transport Ltd (listed on Nasdaq) until July 2008. Per Olav is educated at Copenhagen business School.

George Gourdomichalis

President & Managing Director, Phoenix Shipping & Trading S.A.

George D. Gourdomichalis
President & Managing Director
Phoenix Shipping & Trading S.A.

George D. Gourdomichalis was born in 1967 in London. Following his
graduation from Athens College, he studied at the University of Massachusetts
Amherst, obtaining a BA in International Economics and a BA in Political Sciences.
He also earned an MSc in Ocean Marine Transportation Management from the
State University of New York Maritime College.
In 1989 he joined Republic National Bank of New York as a management trainee
and worked on their trading floor. In 1992 he joined S.S. Maritime Inc. of New
York, where he worked as a chartering and S&P broker. He then became a partner
and was responsible for the commercial management of Baltmed Shipping Co.
Upon his return to Greece in 1996, he co-founded Gourdomichalis Naftiki Eteria
S.A. In 2000 he co-founded Free Ships S.A. and in 2003 he co-founded Free Bulkers
S.A. The merging of the two companies in 2005 led to the public listing of FreeSeas
Inc. on the NASDAQ Exchange. In January 2007 he sold his shares in FreeSeas and
went on to establish G. Bros. Maritime S.A.
He is Chairman and CEO of Blue Wall Shipping Limited and President and
Managing Director of Phoenix Shipping & Trading S.A. He serves on the Hellenic
Committee of the Italian Register (RINA); he is Chairman of the Board of Directors
of the American P&I Club, a member of the Board of Directors of the Hellenic
Chamber of Shipping; member of the Board of Directors of the Piraeus Marine
Club; a member of the Baltic Exchange and Intercargo; a member of the Institute
of Chartered Shipbrokers and lecturer at the HMC / ICS Greek Branch.

Eirik Høiby Ausland

Head of Listing at Oslo Børs (Oslo Stock Exchange)

Eirik Høiby Ausland is responsible for the primary market at Oslo Børs. Since 2008 he has held various roles in the bond and stock markets at Oslo Børs, most recently as responsible for the shipping sector and new client relationships. Ausland holds a MSc in Finance from University of Essex. He is also a NFF Fixed Income Analyst and a Certified European Financial Analyst (CEFA) from NHH.

Zhongyi (John) Su

President & CEO, Erasmus Shipinvest Group

As an entrepreneur in the global shipping industry, Mr. Su is the Founder, President and CEO of Erasmus Shipinvest Group of companies, managing an established ocean-going fleet of modern Handysize – Ultramax - Panamax - Kamsarmax – Capesize bulk carriers, which are dedicatedly serving the world's leading Commodities Majors/Traders type of Charterers on long-term employment basis.

Mr. Su has more than 20-year extensive experience in ship-owning, operating, investments and shipmanagement fields of dry bulk and liner shipping industries throughout Asia and Europe.

Mr. Su is Vice Chairman of China Classification Society (CCS) Mediterranean Committee, Board Member at the Members’ Committee of The London P&I Club, a member of China Committee of Class NK, and a Visiting Professor to Dalian Maritime University (DMU).

Mr. Su acts frequently as conference chairman or speaker to a few international shipping conferences, like Mare Forum, Capital Link, Marine Money, Tradewinds Shipowners Forum, Global Grain, CMA Shipping, and Lloyd’s List forum, etc.

Mr. Su graduated from Dalian Maritime University of China with bachelor degrees in Maritime Law and International Shipping Management, and has a Master degree of Maritime Economics from Erasmus University Rotterdam, the Netherlands. He is an Executive MBA dual-degree holder from IMD Business School of Lausanne, Switzerland and CKGSB of China.

He speaks Chinese, English and French.

Eilert Lund

Director, Fearnley Securities

Mr Lund has been with Fearnley since 1995, working with direct investments in vessels. He has previous working experience from Naess, Jahre & Partners (product carriers), the Norwegian Shipowners’ Association and as navigation officer with the Royal Norwegian Navy having attended the Norwegian Naval Academy.

Mr. Lund holds a business management degree (Lic. Rer. Pol.) from Université de Fribourg, Switzerland. In addition he holds a degree as Certified Financial Analyst from the Norwegian School of Economics (NHH).

He speaks Norwegian, English, German and French.

Katerina Stathopoulou

Executive Director, Investments & Finance Ltd

Katerina Stathopoulou has a total working experience of 33 years of which 29 years have been in managerial positions in the fields of Shipping and Banking. She is a seasoned, maritime professional with a unique blend of International finance and operations expertise.

Yannis Litinas

Partner, Simonsen Vogt Wiig

Yannis (Ioannis) Litinas is part of the Shipping Offshore team, and heads the English law team in Simonsen Vogt Wiig.

Yannis is qualified as a Solicitor in England with extensive experience and competence in within shipping, finance and international trade law, practised in London, Athens and Oslo. He is the trusted advisor of major shipping financing and investment houses, financing institutions, ship-owners, investors and funds, and offshore contractors on project finance structures, ship finance, shipbuilding, sale/purchase, chartering, offshore contracting (O&G and energy).

Yannis combines a thorough understanding of both the financing, as well as the operational and commercial elements of shipping transactions, which, together with his communications skills, makes him an excellent advisor in strategising and negotiating project finance, shipbuilding, construction and charter contracts, and negotiating out-of-court dispute resolution on shipping and offshore contracts. Yannis has expertise in contracts for specialised vessels (Rigs, LNGC, FPSO, offshore construction and support), projects and offshore installations. Yannis has a refined expertise on contractual issues of insurances, indemnities, contract variations, termination and suspension, damages and remedies, guarantees and other sureties, and ship-technology.

Dagfinn Lunde

Partner, DagMar Navigation Ltd

January 24th 2014 DagMar Navigation Ltd was created - a 50/50 company with Marina Tzoutzouraki - the company is doing consultancy related to banking and ship financing.

Since Jan 2018 Chairman and co-founder of SFG - Ship Finance Global Ltd which owns the brand eShipfinance.com which creates ship mortgages online and place them with investors.

Board member in Dynamic Drilling, India/Cyprus/Singapore and
Board member Newport Shipping UK LLP from 2017 to June 2018
Board member of Advantage Tankers.
Board member Maxi Shipping
Board member of Maritime and Merchant bank from Jan/2014 to Dec/2016.

2002 to end of 2013 Member of the Board of Managing Directors of DVB Bank SE and Head of the Shipping and Offshore Division in DVB
August 2000 - 2002 Nedship Bank N.V., Rotterdam, CEO and Industry Head Shipping Division in DVB
1995 - July 2000 Intertanko, Managing Director
1990 - 1995 Den norske Bank AS, New York, Executive Vice President and
General Manager