The leading maritime trade fair SMM, devoted to the innovations of shipbuilding, machinery and marine technology, was held from 4 to 7 September in Hamburg. The total area of the trade fair is about 90000 m2.
“We are at the beginning of a new chapter in the history of shipping,” said Tian-Bing Huang, Deputy Director – Marine Environment Division at the International Maritime
Organization (IMO). Organised jointly with Seatrade, the global maritime environmental congress (gmec) took place for the fifth time.
This year’s SMM motto, “Trends in SMMart Shipping”, is right on track: The maritime
sector is driving the use of digital solutions. As a topic relevant to all parts of the value chain, digitalisation was chosen as the overarching theme for SMM 2018: Apart from high-tech products enabling sensor-based remote monitoring of ship operations, satellite-supported platforms and control modules interlinking all ships of a fleet are high on the agenda, as well.
The expert panel included:
ï Kitack Lim, Secretary General of the International Maritime Organization (IMO);
ï Esben Poulsson, Chairman of the International Chamber of Shipping (ICS);
ï Frank Starke, Global Product Manager Medium Speed Engines, Caterpillar;
ï Bernd Aufderheide, President and CEO, Hamburg Messe und Congress GmbH, which
organises SMM.
The 2,289 exhibitors from 69 countries present at SMM will provide interested companies with plenty of choices to custom-tailor product packages that will bring their digital capabilities to a new level.
One of the most fascinating topics is unmanned shipping. According to the SMM Maritime Industry Report, more than one-third of market players believe it to be a realistic option for the future. A shining example, the “MV Yara Birkeland” designed by the Norwegian technology company Kongsberg will soon be the world’s first autonomous, electrically-powered container ship. She is being built by the Norwegian Fincantieri subsidiary Vard.
For the first time ever, SMM will present a special exhibition on 3D printing, arranged jointly with
the Northern German Maritime Cluster (MCN). In addition to seeing various exhibitors specializing on additive manufacturing, visitors will be able to listen to intriguing lectures and watch live presentations, including those from member companies of the newly-established “Forum 3D Maritim”.
An important issue on the agenda was the control of harmful emissions. It was opened a question, that shipowners must invest enormous amounts of capital to meet the stricter emission limits and the ambitious climate protection goals, from scrubbers and other filter technologies to alternative
propulsion technologies which will be needed in the medium term. At the same time, more than
50,000 oceangoing ships around the world are required to install ballast water management
systems, as well.
Bernd Aufderheide, President and CEO of Hamburg Messe und Congress GmbH, is highly pleased with the outcome of the four-day event: “SMM 2018 was a full success, not only for us as the organisers but also, and especially so, for the exhibitors and visitors. We again welcomed the Who’s Who of the maritime world to our exhibition halls this year, and we have seen again that there is nothing that can replace the person-to-person interaction between the key players of the sector. We successfully addressed the shipping community’s most pressing issues, delivering fresh impetus for the future.”
All in all, the general mood has clearly improved, compared with the year 2016 where the effects of the shipping crisis were still felt very strongly. It is heartening to see the sector’s economic situation being assessed in much more positive terms than in recent years.
