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Next month, Nor-Shipping 2017 will welcome key players from the LNG, battery, hydrogen and wider energy arenas to discuss the opportunities and challenges facing the adoption of next-generation energy solutions.

Taking place as part of the Agenda Ocean programme, the special keynotes and round table discussions are expected provide insights into ongoing work by cross-industry alliances.

Participants include Mike Utsler, COO of Woodside Energy, which operates eight percent of global LNG supply; Peter Justesen, Chief Shipping Officer at energy giant Engie (Europe's largest LNG importer); Akinwole Omboriowo II, CEO of African Genesis Energy; and Peggy Liu, chairperson of the Joint US-China Collaboration for Clean Energy.

A special Japanese Nor-Shipping hydrogen delegation will also be in attendance, led by the Japanese Vice Minister of Transportation.

"This is an incredible opportunity for our delegates, and the wider industry, to not only take the pulse of the clean energy movement, but also witness the strategies, partnerships and projects that will drive it forward," comments Nor-Shipping Director Birgit Liodden.

"Over 90 percent of global trade moves by sea and trade volumes are growing, but we can't afford to let emissions do the same. Fuels like LNG, with 85-90 percent less NOx, 100 percent less Sox and 100 percent less particulate matter than heavy fuel oil, are clearly an ideal alternative, but there are barriers to uptake. By gathering leaders of this calibre in one place, at one time, we can help the industry discuss these challenges and potentially identify the best ways of gaining the consensus, ambition and solutions to overcome them.

"Clean maritime fuels are the future and we, at Nor-Shipping, want to play our part in realizing their huge potential."

SEA\LNG

Alongside energy and shipping executives from Asia, Africa, Europe and beyond, partners from the growing SEA\LNG alliance - the multi-sector industry coalition conceived to create better understanding of, and opportunity for, LNG - will also be in attendance.

This kind of collaborative working group, which was recently boosted by the arrival of JAX LNG, Petronet LNG Limited, and Toyota Tsusho Corporation, is, according to Liodden, a model for accelerating clean energy uptake.

"SEA\LNG, like Nor-Shipping, involves participants that span the entire shipping value chain," Liodden explains. "This is the only way to effect real, widespread change. The transition to clean fuels cannot be achieved by companies working in isolation. We need to come together, create solutions that consider and encourage all stakeholders, and commit to change.

"The industry leaders that will be joining us at Nor-Shipping appreciate that. It will be interesting to see how our delegates, and the maritime sector at large, responds to their insights, expertise and vision," Liodden adds.

This year's Nor-Shipping is expected to attract around 35,000 visitors, with almost 1,000 of the world's leading maritime companies showcasing products and services to the industry.

Nor-Shipping 2017 takes place in Oslo and Lillestrom, Norway, between 30th May and 2nd June.