Relief and enthusiasm were in the air in Istanbul on 24 June, as the Turkish Shipbrokers Association was finally able to host its Bosphorus International Shipbrokers’ Dinner after a four-year hiatus.

“After this pandemic, please don’t neglect to enjoy your life,” the association’s chairman, Captain Semih Dincel, told a roaring crowd of 2,400 guests that converged on Turkey’s commercial capital from 200 different companies in 30 countries across the world.