Ocean Network Express (ONE) successfully hosted the fourth Container Shipping Summit in Hong Kong on 26 March 2025. In pursuit of sustainable container shipping development, the Summit brought together academic leaders in Asia to discuss diverse challenges and encourage industry-academia collaboration to drive change and innovation towards a sustainable future.

Yasuki Iwai, Global Chief Officer – Head of Corporate and Innovation of ONE, delivered the opening remarks and presentation at the Summit. He said, “ONE is formulating and steadily implementing growth strategies from short-term and medium-term perspectives. However, looking ahead to 2050 and beyond, the environment will be affected by unpredictable factors and changes, which is difficult to anticipate at present. Through this Summit, we exchanged diverse opinions with academic experts, which can help us to formulate a long-term strategy and enhance collaboration with our stakeholders and partners to envision a better future scenario.”

Miss Amy Chan Yuen Man, JP, Deputy Secretary for Transport and Logistics, Transport and Logistics Bureau of HKSAR Government, said in her welcome speech, “The Government is committed to actively enhancing the long-term competitiveness of Hong Kong’s maritime and port industry. We hope that the Container Shipping Summit will offer a great avenue for both local and foreign industry stakeholders to build new connections while exploring what Hong Kong has to offer to the maritime industry.”

Towards the sustainable development of the industry for 2050, the Summit featured three panel discussions on various topics including the view of the world, the evolution of the maritime industry, key technology trends for container shipping and the importance of nurturing next-generation maritime leaders in Asia.  

Distinguished researchers from renowned institutions participated in the panel discussions, including Keio University, Korea Maritime and Ocean University, Kyoto University, National University of Singapore, Shanghai Maritime University, Singapore Institute of Technology, Singapore Management University, Sophia University, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, The Hang Seng University of Hong Kong, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, The University of Tokyo, and Wuhan University of Technology.

On the future of the world, various topics such as the change of global trade patterns, AI, generational shifts of values, and sustainability were discussed, with an emphasis on the need for industry adaptability.

In the session on key technology trends towards 2050, participants identified and discussed technologies that will impact the container shipping industry.

During the discussion about developing next-generation maritime leaders from Asia, participants predicted a shift in workforce requirements from knowledge retention toward mindset, adaptability, and digital fluency. They also anticipated enhanced industry-academic collaborations through internships, mentorship, and rotation programs.

Louis Tang, Regional Head of ONE East Asia, thanked all participants for their contributions to the Summit, and said in his closing speech, “It is difficult to predict the future in a fast-changing world. Moving forward, it’s important to be lean and agile in dealing with unpredictable changes, and we need to continue challenging ourselves to improve and grow as ONE. The valuable insights we gained from the Summit will help ONE facilitate its formulation of future strategy plans.”

ONE is firmly committed to driving the industry’s transition to sustainable shipping, through a forward-looking approach, adopting agile best practices and fostering open collaboration. 

Since 2023, the Container Shipping Summit has provided opportunities for industry experts and academic leaders from various fields including shipping industry to have in-depth discussions on sustainable shipping, talent development and industry innovation, share practical experience and valuable insights, and encourage industry-academia collaborations to drive change. 

The successful organisation of the 4th Container Shipping Summit in Hong Kong reinforced ONE’s dedication to a sustainable and forward-thinking industry.

Through container shipping, we keep the world moving.