ACCORDING to its organiser, the Asia Pacific Maritime (APM) exhibition and conference has been around for 28 years and, it points out, has "gone through many ups and downs with the industry".

Nobody would seriously argue that shipping is not going through a "down" right now; last year was tough, and this year looks like it's going to be at least as challenging.

Nevertheless the organiser, Reed Exhibitions, says: "Despite the current market sentiment, APM2016 is holding up very well. We will be occupying six exhibition halls and expecting 15,000 visitors from the region."