{"id":75561,"date":"2026-08-11T04:36:05","date_gmt":"2026-08-10T20:36:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/?p=75561"},"modified":"2026-08-11T04:36:05","modified_gmt":"2026-08-10T20:36:05","slug":"splash-singapore-western-bulks-torbjorn-gjervik-on-the-search-for-new-ideas","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/?p=75561","title":{"rendered":"Splash Singapore: Western Bulk\u2019s Torbjorn Gjervik on the search for new ideas"},"content":{"rendered":"


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Western Bulk\u2019s chief executive says the best industry gatherings sharpen thinking, while geopolitics, grain flows and a growing orderbook will dominate dry bulk discussions at Splash Singapore.<\/p>\n

For Torbjorn Gjervik, a worthwhile shipping conference is not measured by the number of meetings squeezed into the diary or business cards collected.<\/p>\n

A useful day is one that sends him home thinking differently.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m looking forward to hearing what\u2019s on people\u2019s minds and discussing the issues facing our industry,\u201d the Western Bulk chief executive tells Splash ahead of his appearance at Splash Singapore on the chartering spotlight panel.<\/p>\n

\u201cA genuinely useful day for me would be one where I leave with a new set of ideas and inspiration, as I usually do after good conferences \u2014 and where I\u2019ve had the chance to raise Western Bulk\u2019s profile along the way.\u201d<\/p>\n

Gjervik takes to the stage at the inaugural Splash Singapore conference on September 24, where the outlook for dry bulk markets will be among the central topics.<\/p>\n

Gjervik is bullish on the near-term freight outlook, with disruption continuing to boost tonne-mile demand at the same time as vessel speeds remain low. Atlantic fundamentals also look supportive.<\/p>\n

\u201cAtlantic tonnage is tight just as ECSA and USG have plenty of grain to load in the coming months,\u201d Gjervik says.<\/p>\n

The longer-term outlook is considerably less straightforward.<\/p>\n

A growing dry bulk orderbook is beginning to loom over the market, while China remains the great uncertainty for commodity demand. Any easing of today\u2019s geopolitical disruption could also shorten voyages and return efficiency to a fleet that has benefited heavily from longer trading patterns.<\/p>\n

Further out, we are more uncertain,\u201d Gjervik admits. \u201cWe see a growing orderbook, uncertain Chinese demand, and the potential for some of the geopolitical disruptions to fade over time, leading to a more efficient market.\u201d<\/p>\n

Technology will inevitably feature heavily in discussions in Singapore, although Gjervik is sceptical that shipping is about to experience one dramatic breakthrough.<\/p>\n

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Instead, he expects the next 12 months to deliver numerous smaller gains across existing processes.<\/p>\n

One potentially significant change is how cheaply shipping companies can now build their own digital tools.<\/p>\n

\u201cThose at the sharp end will stop paying for user interfaces as the barriers to creating your own tools come down; it\u2019s the data that\u2019s important,\u201d Gjervik stresses.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Those at the sharp end will stop paying for user interfaces as the barriers to creating your own tools come down<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

For all the excitement surrounding artificial intelligence and digitalisation, however, he argues that shipping\u2019s fundamental competitive advantages remain stubbornly traditional.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe core differentiator between the winners and losers will still be people, assets and timing,\u201d he argues.<\/p>\n

Gjervik joins this year\u2019s Chartering Spotlight panel, with speakers from the likes of Vale, South32 and Heidelberg on the same stage.<\/p>\n

The full Splash Singapore agenda can be\u00a0accessed here<\/span><\/a>.
Splash Singapore registration, at just S$750, can be\u00a0accessed here<\/span><\/a>.
Special Splash Singapore hotel room rates can be\u00a0found here<\/span><\/a>.<\/p>\n

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