Enjoy a refined culinary experience in the stunning Art Nouveau Marble Hall of Antwerp Zoo.
Step back into the elegance of the belle époque while dining with other breakbulk professionals.
17:00 - 17:30
17:30 - 18:30
18:30 - 21:00
The breakbulk sector plays a vital role in global trade, enabling the movement of complex and oversized goods that keep industries running and major projects on track. As the industry evolves, new technologies, sustainable practices, and smarter supply chain solutions are opening exciting opportunities. This conference is your chance to keep track with new developments and ongoing challenges.
Content director: Janet Nodar
Janet Nodar is a well-respected business journalist and conference content director who spent more than two decades covering breakbulk and project cargo for the Journal of Commerce by S&P Global and related publications. Having retired in late 2025, she now works on special industry-related projects.
High costs, weak demand, increasing competition, and regulatory complexity are holding back many of Europe’s traditional breakbulk and project cargo-related industries even as demand for energy generation, data centers and offshore wind grow. Shippers, carriers and logistics service providers agree that reinvention, modernization and new strategies must be put into play. Industry experts and analysts will discuss the market in depth at the Breakbulk Summit.
The global multipurpose fleet, headquartered in northern Europe (with some exception in China), is generally profitable, though rates have dropped since the COVID-19 peak. Demand from Asia, South America and other regions into the Middle East and US are keeping the sector busy, but high tariffs and quotas, unclear regulations and geopolitical risks complicate matters. Some carriers have reduced EU port calls due to low demand. Industry experts and analysts will discuss the global fleet and its impact at the Breakbulk Summit.
Short sea trading covers a vast area, from the Black Sea to the Baltic. The fragmented, ageing short sea fleet carries much of Europe’s coastal cargo, including breakbulk. How will new regulation demands affect this sector? Are newbuildings adding sufficient capacity or are shortages ahead? Will larger-sized new vessels cause headaches for those who use smaller ports? Industry experts and analysts will discuss short-sea shipping in depth at the Breakbulk Summit.
Breakbulk shipping is shaped by global economics and geopolitics, a truth not to be ignored. Analysts report that while maritime crime is decreasing, geopolitical risk is rising. Shippers and logistics service providers face unpredictable tariffs, sanctions and quotas affecting sourcing, trade lanes and costs. Industry experts and analysts will discuss the strategies to manage these risks.
Steel remains a key breakbulk commodity in Antwerp, but new manufacturing practices, tariffs, quotas, and competition are reshaping the trade. Moves toward producing greener steel face high costs, shifting regulations and cautious investors. Could greener steel be produced more easily overseas? Our industry experts and analysts will address these issues.
Heavy and awkward cargo such as pressure vessels and turbines often requires road, rail or barge transport to project sites. This involves careful planning, specialised equipment, and lengthy permits, especially across borders. Delays can seriously impact projects.. Experts will discuss solutions to streamline these processes.
Breakbulk carriers, ports, stevedores, cargo owners, manufacturers and project forwarders, across the board, share one crucial need: the ability to attract, train and retain new talent. Breakbulk skills are often taught on the job, but as an older generation, already spread thin, begins to retire, who is left to pass down this knowledge? Can AI help capture disappearing knowledge? Where are new entrants to be found? Who has what it takes to succeed? Is there a ‘breakbulk personality” that tends to be more successful in the industry? Our experts and analysts will explore these questions and look for solutions at the Breakbulk Summit.