Global maritime leaders arrive in Manila as Seatrade Maritime Crew Connect Global 2026 opens
The global shipping industry shifts its focus to Manila this week as Seatrade Maritime Crew Connect Global 2026 officially opens today, October 20. Running through October 22 at the Shangri-La The Fort, the event stands as the world’s premier gathering dedicated to maritime crewing, training, and seafarer welfare.
The three-day conference will gather over 750 maritime professionals, supported by headline sponsor Malaysia Airlines, to tackle key industry challenges including geopolitics, technological shifts, and critical updates to STCW regulations. Chris Morley, Group Director at Seatrade Maritime, emphasized the event's vital role in fostering collaboration on critical issues like crew shortages and the energy transition.
A central focal point of this year's conference schedule will be the review and debate of the preliminary findings from the "Sailing Through Uncertainty" project. Launched as a collaborative, year-long initiative between Seatrade Maritime and the Diversity Study Group (DSG), the programme seeks to bridge a critical data gap in the industry: understanding how mounting geopolitical instability, regulatory transitions, and technological disruptions impact the mental wellbeing, performance, and retention of seafarers.
The project is anchored by a global seafarer survey collated and analysed by DSG. At the event, interactive workshops and focused sessions will explore these lived experiences. Heidi Heseltine (pictured), Founder & CEO of DSG, alongside major supporting organizations like the Mission to Seafarers , ISWAN, InterManager, IMEC, Sailors' Society, and ITF Seafarers' Trust, will use the Manila platform to drive actionable recommendations that shipowners and managers can implement immediately.
This year's conference features an unparalleled line-up of more than 85 expert speakers and visionaries. Leading the dialogue are Event Co-Chairs Andreas Nordseth and Guy Platten, Chairman of the Mission to Seafarers, alongside prominent industry figures including Fabrizio Barcellona, ITF Seafarers Section Coordinator, and Julia Anastasiou, Chief Crew Management Officer at OSM Thome. Panellists will address pressing topics spanning from the "dark fleet" and seafarer abandonment to crew recruitment and technostress.
The pinnacle of the three-day event is the prestigious Crew Connect Global Awards 2026 gala dinner on the evening of Wednesday, October 21. Evaluated by an independent panel of distinguished maritime judges, the awards honour standard-setters across the maritime workforce.
The evening will reach its climax with the audience-voted Industry Champion Award and the Seatrade Editorial Board's Lifetime Achievement Award.
Full details, survey registration links, and the complete agenda are available at the Crew Connect Global Press Centre.