Argus Bitumen & Roads Asia Conference

• An outlook and update regarding supply and demand in the Asian bitumen market  
• Price has become a major issue over the past several months, what has caused this volatility?  
• How has the bitumen supply chain evolved over the past two years? What role did the pandemic and various geopolitical events play in this evolution?  

• It is no secret that the crude price over the past couple years has faced intense volatility. What is causing this uncertainty? 
• How have different players across the supply chain reacted to this recent price increase?  
• What can end users expect in the coming year in regard to crude price and availability

Speakers:

Richard Gorry, Head of Product Development, Energy Aspects 

• A structured speed networking session to provide delegates with an introduction to people from across the industry. 
• After the speed networking exercise, delegates will be encouraged to continue conversations with their new, and old, contacts during the coffee break before the next session.

• How have the impacts of global commitments to ending climate change affected the refining process in Asia? 
• Are low-sulphur fuels more prevalent? If so, what does this mean for bitumen production and supply? 
• What do refineries make of the current supply/demand outlook for the coming year? 

Speakers:

Riva Siahaan, Director Central Marketing &Trading, PT. Pertamina Patra Niaga 

• What has prevented overarching specifications from being put in place for the Asian market or for each region?  
• How have varying specification requirements affected producers and traders in this market? 
• What strategies are being put in place today to help mitigate the lack of uniformity surrounding country specifications? Are these long-term solutions or will the market have to re-evaluate? 

Speakers:

AS Prabhakar, Deputy General Manager – Bitumen, HPCL  

• What has caused this significant jump in freight rate pricing?  
• How has the shipping industry weathered the storm? From a shipping perspective, what can the market expect for the near future?  
• How has the freight rate impacted end users and overall bitumen supply? 

Speakers:

Allen Pinto, Captain, Director of Shipping Operations and Head of Bulk Bitumen, Richmond Mercantile 

Andrew Khaw, Editor, Asia Freight Argus

Moderator: 

Mahua Chakravarty, Editor, Bitumen (Asia-Pacific and Middle East), Argus 

• Green Corridors – the future of zero-emission solutions in the shipping sector: What technologies are being introduced to ensure that the bitumen transport industry is being environmentally conscious?   
• Let’s talk solutions: How are market participants weathering the price volality storm? 
• Outside Asia – looking at Europe and the Americas 

• What will drive the progress towards lower carbon road construction in Asia 
• Looking into the future, will bitumen still be a viable option for road construction 
• What are the possible levers and considerations to reduce the bitumen carbon emissions

Speakers:  

Zhilin Yuan, Global Marketing and Sustainability Manager, Shell Construction and Road 

• PMBs are frequently used throughout Asia, but how can this technology be utilised to support sustainability and environmental efforts?  
• How can PMB technology continue to evolve? In other words, how can the market bridge the gap between high-performing asphalt and sustainable practices? 

Speakers: 

Mario Sandor, Head of Business Management Asphalt Performance EMEA  

BASF 

Indra Maizir, Vice Director of Business Development and HSSE, DMK Group 

•  A short presentation (10 mins maximum) on the countries’ plans for infrastructure projects that pertain to the bitumen market. How bitumen/crude price and the freight rate issue may impact these plans, and what strategies are in place to mitigate these potential obstacles. 
• How has climate change impacted the country’s use of and dependence on bitumen for infrastructure building? Have bitumen alternatives been discussed? If so, what are they?   

Confirmed Speakers: 

• How European bitumen exports compete with Asian and Mideast Gulf supplies 
• Changes to European bitumen production and supply and opportunities for arbitrage in a global bitumen market 
• Focus on Africa and the key trends in sub-Saharan Africa that are driving the need for increased imports

Speaker:  

Jonathan Weston, Editor, Bitumen, Argus   

• Updates on trade flows as well as supply and demand in the Middle East and Africa 
• Where is bitumen from these regions (Africa and Middle East) being exported to? 
•  Are Asian markets at all reliant on and/or interested in Iranian bitumen? 

Speaker:

Deon Pagel, Managing Director, TOSAS 

Hanieh Zadeh, CEO, Skytrade Global 

• Since the pandemic, China has been a silent giant. When it returns to the market, what can we expect its impact to be, specifically from a pricing standpoint?  
• Will Chinese end users be investing in road infrastructure post pandemic? If so, what are their plans? 

Speaker:

Senior Representative, PetroChina

• How can new additive and polymer technology, such as bio-bitumen, help propel the fight for energy transition in Asia forward?  
• Many market players in Asia believe that bio-bitumen and other sustainable alternatives have a marginal effect on today’s market. Is this true and when can the market expect to see drastic change? 
• Will bio-bitumen, as it stands today, be able to adapt to the different climates and environments in Asia?  
• Why is RAP more prevalent in Europe? What can Asian markets learn from the European market’s utilisation of RAP? 

Speaker:

Erik Denneman, Global Technical Manager, Puma Energy