There is never a dull moment in shipping. And Slide2Open aims to live up to this adage by constantly acting as an incubator of ideas within the shipping community and beyond.
Slide2Open Shipping Finance 2025 returns for its 8th annual conference. Our Advisory Board and Working Groups have been tirelessly engaged throughout the year, contributing to discussions, shaping pioneering standards, generating influential green and white papers, thereby making a lasting impact on the global shipping community.
The 8th Slide2Open Shipping Finance aims to be a 360 Compendium of Shipping, where Conference and Concert unite for the first time ever in such context. Shipping has talent! Dialogue and Innovation combined with a strong Artistic Inspiration.
Mark your calendars for a day of forward-thinking discussions, networking opportunities, and musical performances, as we gather in Athens with the aim to continue the constructive transformation of the shipping industry, the exchange of ideas and, why not, have some fun in between!
A portion of the proceeds will be donated to charity.
Key Topics that were Discussed
Geopolitics
• Implications and the new shipping reality
• War zones and tariff wars
Shipping Finance
• European Ship Financing: A lost cause?
• Capital Markets: Renewed investor appetite as public interest in shipping regains momentum?
• Banks and shipping finance: critical partnerships for sustainable growth and expansion in the maritime industry
• Bank and Alternative Financing: How long will the newly achieved balance continue?
ESG
• Wish lists and Realities of ESG
• ESG in shipping: mandatory or conscious choice?
• Has ESG become too aggressive for its own good? Could it possibly become unsustainable?
• ESG and Green Washing
• Decarbonisation: Are the targets set by the regulatory framework feasible?
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Technology
• Ageing of Ships and Electrical Equipment: A comprehensive analysis
• Leveraging Big Data for System Upgradability and Equipment Control
• Pre-Standardization Stage: Harnessing the potential of IEEE Standards Association for designing new Standards that meet shipping’s contemporary needs
• Enhancing Safety Systems in Collaboration with Industry Stakeholders
• Is the shipping industry keeping up with or driving technological advancements?
• Advancements in Marine Electrical Training, Digital Twins and Remote Survey
Fuel
• Promoting Alternative Fuel Sources: Driving green energy innovations
• Marine fuels: For which one does the “bell toll”?
• Addressing regulatory drivers, environmental performance, engines and fuel systems, bunkering, handling and safety characteristics, costs and pricing, availability and feedstocks for conventional and renewable product.
Human Capital
• Preparing for the Next Generation of on-shore and on-board personnel
• Attracting talent and Investing in Skills and Workforce Development
• Human Sustainability in crews and offshore managers in the maritime industry: challenges, opportunities, and best practices for ensuring the well-being of workers
