SINGAPORE, June 11 (Xinhua) -- Sea Asia 2009, the region's maritime conference and exhibition, will be attended by over 10,000 delegates from over 45 countries, according to a statement on Wednesday.

    The conference, which will be held in Singapore in April 2009, is entitled "The Asian Voice in World Shipping - Clearer and Stronger".

    "The need for a stronger, clearer Asian voice on the world maritime stage reflects the fundamental shift of shipping and maritime activity to the East," said the organizer, the Singapore Maritime Foundation (SMF), in the statement.

    Asian ship owners control 45 percent of the world's shipping fleet and account for half of the world's ship orders.

    S.S. Teo, chairman of the SMF, said, "Top Asian ship owners and leading maritime operators will congregate in Singapore for Sea Asia 2009. They will share insights of the maritime issues pertinent to this region to develop the voice of Asian shipping."