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Dubai Shipping Circle (DSC) returns to live mode with greater zeal
After a hiatus of two years, marred by COVID-19 lockdowns and social distancing mandates in a stop-and-start fashion, the Dubai Shipping Circle (DSC) has finally returned to the live format this year.
Established in 2019 by a quartet of dynamic entrepreneurs -- Mr Mahesh Singh, Mr Faisal Mohammed, Mr Shaheer Poolakkal and Mr Shailendra Singh Chauhan -- as a “Whatsapp chat group,” DSC has steadily emerged as an integral and useful interactive platform for the local breakbulk and heavy-lift shipping industry.
Reflecting that strong enthusiasm, DSC’s third meet, held on March 17 at Hotel Citymax, drew overwhelming participation from the industry, even forcing the team to close the online registration days ahead of the event. The venue had a packed audience of about 80 executives, representing breakbulk/heavylift ship operators, freight forwarders and clearing agents, including many first-time attendees.
A presentation made by Mr Kavan Wijesinha, CEO of Saif Maritime LLC, Dubai, gave the audience ample takeaways to brainstorm during one-on-one sessions.
One clear outcome of COVID-19 is that it has taken supply chain “to the top of the agenda” for most companies and as such, this interactive session was well timed to analyse the impact it had on the breakbulk trade, along with geopolitical risks unfolding as a consequence of the Russia-Ukraine conflict.
While the event covered a range of key topics facing the breakbulk and heavy-lift sectors, at the centre of the agenda for this year’s DSC was “War Risks & Shortage of Vessels,” as ocean freight capacity shortages and resulting high freight rates created nightmares for cargo owners and forwarders.
Tasked with identifying and addressing challenges facing the industry, the DSC events have been a boon to the local ship operators, freight forwarders and clearing agents, as it has helped in not just providing a proactive platform for networking with prominent industry players but also in understanding the latest business developments across the globe.
Although the current gatherings have limited entry on a first come, first served basis, the group eventually plans to carry forward this initiative as a non-profit organization in the near future, which will make this platform much more accessible to the new and smaller players in the breakbulk/heavy-lift transport industry. Also, encouraged by the positive industry response they have had, this dynamic quartet is actively considering hosting the event on a quarterly basis.
The group's success can be attributed to the relentless effort and time that the DSC founders have put forth to organize these events for the betterment of the industry. What drove them to this idea was a realisation that most of the professionals in freight forwarding verticals were not so hands-on when it came to complex issues like chartering terms and conditions for booking cargo.
There is no denying that the pandemic has redefined operational dynamics across the spectrum of supply chain management, accelerating the pace of automation and making industry stakeholders increasingly recognize the importance of being able to react, adapt, and respond in a “stop-and-start” sort of economic scenario. Here, when closer carrier-customer relationships have a pivotal role to play, DSC will, undoubtedly, continue to act as a catalyst for breakbulk service providers to reconfigure their customer-centric strategies and stay aligned with the changes sweeping across the industry.