THE 12th TOC Asia Conference and Exhibition will be held at the Shanghai International Convention Centre from March 18-20. The theme will be “The Challenges of Scale-Coping with the Growth Cascade．”

The shipping,ports and terminals event will draw upon the official support of Shanghai International Port(Group)Co,Ltd (SIPG),in a bid to reflect the significance of what has happened in Shanghai over the past decade．

Shanghai was chosen as the venue for the conference as the Chinese city’s  container port is tipped to becomed the world’s busiest within the next few years,a statement from the event’s organizers,said TOC events director worldwide Paul Holloway.

The event will look at the changes sweeping through Asia’s port and shipping landscape and how terminal operators can meet the challenges of the future. The impact of the new generation of ultra large container vessels (ULCV)on Asia’s port network will also be raised.

The event has attracted support from senior shipping industry management in Asia.some of the big names who have agreed to host presentations include Lu Hai Hu,chairman of SIPG;Dr Fu Yuning, president of China Merchants Group Limited; Kuah Boon wee, CEO,Southeast Asia & Singapore Terminals,PSA International;Dr Geraldine Knatz, executive director at the Port of Los Angeles;Guan Tongxian, president of ZPMC;John Elliott, chief executive officer of Asia Container Terminals Limited; and Matthew Hoag,chief executive officer of Laem Chabang International Terminal. The speakers will focus on issues confronting shipping,ports,terminals and associated inland transport infrastructure.