The organisers note that this is the seventh ESC annual Conference, but this year we are making special efforts to turn this prestigious event into a forum. We are seeking a 'meeting of minds' from throughout the supply chain, bringing customers and suppliers in the transport business together to discuss what is at stake in their industry.
The conference is coming at the time the US and Europe are considering the most important set of issues for years facing global transport. The prospect of significant changes in business practices is very real. A common understanding of everyone's responsibilities in the supply chain is of paramount importance. We argue this should always have been the case to ensure high levels of service performance - and part of the forum will examine this in detail - but now impetus is provided by the need to ensure high security is maintained to prevent freight being used in terrorists attacks.
For everybody wanting to getting to grips on security and to ensure that they can continue to do business with the United States this conference will be a must in the sense that it will outline the impact of their daily business.
There is, as you would expect, a strong Mediterranean flavour to this years' debates with a session on service to shippers using short sea shipping in the wider Mediterranean region. There will ample time for debate on the key question: "Is short sea shipping working and is it meeting industry's needs?"
On top of this the Shipper FORUM provides one of the few events where all sectors of the transport industry can meet with their customers to discuss their markets and business.