2026 Event Agenda

* Additional purchase required *

This full-day workshop, presented in partnership with the Institute of Chartered Shipbrokers, is an intermediate level course that provides a deeper understanding of chartering principles and applications. It is suitable for full-time chartering professionals as well as those who work with chartering contracts.

* Additional purchase required *

This course is designed for professionals involved in the transport and logistics of project cargo. The course covers the fundamentals of heavy-lift logistics, emphasizing both sea-based and land-based transport, including vessels, equipment, and securing cargoes. Case studies will be used for illustration with a thorough discussion of best practices.

* Additional purchase required *

AI is increasingly shaping logistics, but how relevant is it to breakbulk and project cargo? This session demystifies AI by providing real-world applications in transport engineering, vessel operations, and supply chain tracking. Learn how companies are using AI for efficiency gains, risk mitigation, and automation without replacing the human element.

* Invite only *

Under the theme Leading Through Permanent Uncertainty, the Executive Summit brings together senior leaders from across the breakbulk and project cargo supply chain for a closed-door, peer-to-peer debate. Through three facilitated roundtable discussions, participants will explore the geopolitical, economic and technological forces reshaping the industry, examine the strategic decisions driving competitive advantage, and discuss the leadership approaches needed to succeed in an increasingly complex world.

* Additional purchase required *

Join the Women in Breakbulk Networking Breakfast for a morning of inspiration, industry insight and meaningful connections. Featuring breakfast, a keynote speaker, industry panel and interactive networking activities, this session brings together professionals and the next generation of women in breakbulk.

In a market shaped by policy shifts, capital pressure and geopolitical uncertainty, not every project moves forward as planned. This keynote conversation brings together a senior project decision-maker and a market strategist to examine how investment decisions are being made today. With market analysis and live discussion, the session explores which projects are advancing, which are stalling, and how market demand, financing, regulation and risk tolerance are reshaping the project pipeline across the Americas.

As locations compete to attract major projects, investment in infrastructure, logistics and manufacturing capability is accelerating. This session examines what differentiates a competitive industrial hub, how these investments influence location decisions, and what the resulting shift means for logistics demand, execution and future development.
 

With global LNG demand rising and energy security concerns reshaping investment priorities, US projects are accelerating, but not without short-term uncertainty. This panel examines how project owners, developers, EPCs and government voices are responding to the next wave of LNG expansion, from financing and long-term contracting to execution challenges, infrastructure demand and supply chain pressure. Speakers will outline both near-term disruption and long-term opportunity in one of the industry’s most active project markets.

Project cargo rarely moves in a straight line, and the biggest execution risks are often locked in long before transport begins. This session examines how project teams make critical inland logistics decisions across road, rail, barge and port networks, and why choices made at the prefeasibility stage can determine project success years later. Through real project examples, speakers explore how teams evaluate corridors, work around infrastructure constraints, balance cost, speed and execution certainty, and respond when conditions on the ground force plans to change. A practical discussion focused on what works in delivering complex projects across the Americas.

The industry’s talent challenge is well known – but expectations are changing rapidly. This session brings young professionals together to explore how career priorities, work culture and skillsets are evolving, including the growing influence of technologies like AI on day-to-day roles and future career paths. It also examines how companies can attract and retain talent through new pathways, training models and workplace flexibility. A practical, solutions-focused discussion designed to move beyond the problem and highlight what is actually working.

As demand for copper, lithium, rare earths and other critical minerals accelerates, major mining, processing, manufacturing and supply chain projects are scaling. Success will depend on building an integrated critical minerals value chain, not simply increasing access to resources. As domestic supply alone will not meet rising demand, the US is increasingly looking across the Americas to secure the materials, processing capacity, strategic partnerships and logistics networks needed to support long-term industrial growth. Key discussion points will include:

•    How trade agreements, financing, regional partnerships and localization strategies are reshaping critical minerals supply chains;
•    Why Latin America is becoming central to US manufacturing ambitions;
•    Where infrastructure, processing and logistics constraints are emerging across the value chain;
•    What this means for future project development, logistics demand and trade flows across the Americas.

A live pitch session spotlighting start-ups bringing new thinking into the port and maritime sector – from smarter operations to practical solutions for real industry challenges. Taking to the stage in front of industry leaders, decision-makers and start-up accelerators, this is a chance to build visibility and connect with the people shaping the market. 

Short, sharp and to the point – each pitch is designed to spark conversation and open up new opportunities. 

Breakbulk's Future Thinkers, a group of industry leaders and academics, have spent the past year analyzing trends across maritime and ports, supply chain and logistics, and energy and infrastructure projects to produce actionable guidance for the Breakbulk community. In this session, they present their findings, share key strategies for navigating multi-decade project buildouts through 2030, and lead a discussion with the audience to create an action plan. Join this session and help build the industry's future.

The Welcome Reception at Breakbulk Americas 2026 is the perfect way to kick off the week - an informal evening of networking where industry leaders reconnect, new partnerships begin, and the energy of the global project cargo community sets the tone for the days ahead.

Join us as we celebrate the industry's rising stars at the NextWave 30 Awards, recognizing exceptional professionals aged 30 and under who are already making an impact across the project cargo and breakbulk industry. Celebrate their achievements as we recognize the future leaders shaping our sector.

NextWave Education Day brings together university students and industry professionals for a day of inspiring content, networking, and exhibition access. The program showcases career opportunities across the breakbulk and project cargo industry while connecting the next generation of talent with leading employers.

Includes alumni panels, interactive problem-based learning sessions, career advice sessions, student poster competition awards, a guided floor walk and lunch provided.

The breakbulk fleet is aging, vessel availability is tightening and geopolitical pressures are reshaping global capacity. This session explores how carriers, inland operators and project stakeholders are responding to rising demand, limited newbuild activity and increasing pressure on US-flag capacity driven by cargo preference rules, government-backed projects and shifting global priorities. Combining market analysis with strategic and operational perspectives, the discussion examines what this means for pricing, lead times, transportation readiness and long-term project planning.

Data centers are rapidly emerging as a major driver of industrial investment, with AI-driven expansion accelerating demand for power generation, cabling and industrial equipment. This session explores how these projects are reshaping logistics requirements, placing growing pressure on energy grids, water resources and materials supply chains across the Americas. As data centers become increasingly tied to critical infrastructure and government systems, speakers also examine the growing importance of infrastructure security, supply chain resilience and operational risk.

AI is transforming industries at remarkable speed – but where is it delivering real operational value today? In this candid interview, a leading voice from the technology and infrastructure world explores where AI is improving decision-making, forecasting and operational efficiency, where expectations are running ahead of reality, and why data quality, human judgment and industry expertise still matter. Looking beyond logistics, the session examines what project cargo can realistically learn from faster-moving industries and where AI is likely to have the biggest practical impact in the years ahead

In a market defined by disruption, predictability has become increasingly elusive. Returning in the popular “Ask the Experts” format, this audience-led Q&A session examines how companies are planning and executing projects despite tariffs, Section 301 actions, shifting trade policy and operational uncertainty. Bringing together specialists in trade, customs, procurement and project delivery, the discussion explores practical approaches to managing risk, compliance, cost pressure and supply chain disruption, from cargo preference requirements and Chinese vessel concerns to forced labor investigations and evolving trade restrictions.

Nuclear investment is accelerating, but the logistics models behind traditional nuclear construction and emerging SMR deployment are fundamentally different. This session explores how cargo profiles, delivery schedules, manufacturing approaches and infrastructure needs are changing, while also examining how new entrants, private capital and evolving ownership models are reshaping project execution itself. Speakers discuss the operational, regulatory and workforce capabilities required to support a growing nuclear supply chain.

If manufacturing and industrial investment accelerate across the US, how will that impact project logistics, transportation and infrastructure? Built around two contrasting future scenarios selected from Breakbulk’s first scenario writing contest, this session moves past current industry hurdles to dive into strategic planning for 2030. Join industry leaders as they debate the practical realities, infrastructure requirements and strategic choices of each path, and then examine the choices companies may need to make now to prepare for the industrial supply chain of 2030.