Posted on: 3 November 2025
On October 21st, Maritime London held the second edition of the Turkish-British Shipping Forum in Istanbul, in collaboration with and hosted by the Turkish Chamber of Shipping (IMEAK).
Tamer Kiran, Chairman of the Board of Directors, Turkish Chamber of Shipping, welcoming the audience said: “The maritime industry lies at the heart of global trade, and as two proud maritime nations, Türkiye and the United Kingdom share a vision for an innovative, resilient, and sustainable sector. As shipping undergoes historic transformation, global cooperation is essential, so this forum offers a valuable platform to strengthen partnership and shape a cleaner, smarter maritime future together.”
Burak Cetinok, Head of Research at Arrow Shipbroking delivered a shipping markets outlook presentation, which was followed by a panel focusing on how the ship finance landscape was evolving under the combined pressure of shifting patterns of market liquidity, tightening regulation, and changing investor priorities.
Moderated by Maritime London’s Chief Executive Jos Standerwick, the panellists included Metin Düzgit, Executive Vice President, Düzgit Group, ICS Vice Chair and Turkish Chamber of Shipping Assembly Member, Dipak Karki, Founder & Managing Director, DK2 and Partner, Goldfish Capital LLC and Chris Vartzis, Partner and Head of Greece Maritime Finance at legal firm Stephenson Harwood.
Chris Vartzis commented: “The IMO’s pause and Basel IV’s tightening both highlight a changing landscape: finance and regulation are evolving on separate timelines. This creates a window for owners to strengthen transparency, align ambition with financial discipline, and lead the transition rather than adapt under pressure.”
Hill Dickinson Partner Siiri Duddington delivered a presentation summarising the current sanctions environment and outlining key themes in the reasons for sanctionings.
The second panel discussion, entitled ‘Marine Insurance Claims in a Changing Maritime Environment’ and convened by Jos Standerwick, considered the ongoing geopolitical and trade disruptions, and how the growth of the parallel fleet operating outside the G7++ nexus, the ageing profile of the global fleet and an increasingly contested maritime domain created a complex claims environment.
Simon Chapman, Senior Claims Manager of The London P&I Club, Alex Mcintosh, Partner, Marine, Trade and Aviation at legal firm Penningtons Manches Cooper, and Melis Otmar, Chairperson, Marine Claims Sub-Committee, LIIBA (London & International Insurance Brokers Association) and Executive Director – Head of Marine Claims London at London -based insurance broker Howden, who made up the panel, examined how the above-mentioned converging dynamics were altering the claims landscape and what it meant for insurers, shipowners and regulators.
The concluding session showcased solutions and examples of how UK-based maritime services providers can help the global shipping community. Dipak Karki talked about the need of factoring finance for shipowners and operators when considering working capital. Nadia Mirza, Business Development at the Baltic Exchange delivered a presentation outlining the key elements and advantage of the Baltic’s KYC Platform. Capt John Nicholson, Head of Technical at ship inspection, technology and data company Idwal talked about how his company delivers clarity on fleet condition through gaining unique insights during ship inspections.
