From 23-26 October 2018, Women’s International Shipping and Trading Association (WISTA) members, guest speakers and delegates will converge on Tromsø, the Arctic capital of Norway, to discuss issues of critical importance for the future of the Arctic.
“We chose Tromsø to highlight the issues facing this region as development, tourism and political engagement in the Arctic continue to grow,” says WISTA Norway president Bjørg Ekornrud. “This is a particularly sensitive part of the world, and each choice we make must be carefully considered. The aim of the conference is to raise the most critical issues and promote dialogues for sustainable business development in the Arctic.”
Under the title “Breaking the ice”, the conference will feature such notable speakers as Nina Jensen, CEO of X FOUR-10/REV, Frederick Kenney, Director of Legal and External Affairs at the IMO (International Maritime Organization), Harald Solberg, CEO of the Norwegian Shipowners’ Association, and Kristin Westvik, NCS Strategy Manager at Equinor.
Main topics for the conference include energy and logistics, the growth of Arctic cruising, new technologies for the Arctic, and search and rescue. Tromsø mayor Kristin Røymo will open the conference and introduce the concept of Tromsø as a “plastic-free city”.
The keynote address will be given by State Secretary to the Norwegian Minister of Trade and Industry, Daniel Bjarmann-Simonsen.