Inspite of dreary forecasts this year’s 24th shipbuilding, machinery & marine technology international trade fair hamburg exhibition has not only been fully booked with about 2.000 exhibitors from 60 countries worldwide but according to Hamburg Messe Management a number of applications even had to b[ds_preview]e rejected. Over 50,000 anticipated international visitors will see all kinds of presentations of environmental and cost-efficient new technologies and products high lightening the »green era« of the shipping and shipbuilding industry.
New confidence has emerged after the heavy financial and commercial slump in 2009 which obviously is fading out owing to the continuous strong growth in the Asian region. Especially China as a driving wheel has again fuelled the hopes for a sustainable recovery of the industry with certain signs of another booming period. Thus the shipping sector did not lose any of its global significance and various international governments are supporting their industries accordingly. A number of visitors from governmental delegations planned at the SMM are reflecting this and the increase of national pavilions to 30 this year also confirms this. India, Sweden and Singapore have entered as new participants this year.
The world’s leading fair for the shipbuilding and maritime supply industry promises to promote the development of environment-friendly technologies and products.
Regulations and limit values for pollutant emissions issued by the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) and numerous countries are acting like an economic programme in itself, as vessels in operation have to be retrofitted accordingly. Shipyards and marine equipment suppliers are responding on their part and will be showcasing environment-friendly innovations. Under the auspices of the Korea Shipbuilders’ Association (KOSHIPA), the leading Korean yards will present new ship designs. Only at the end of January SHI announced its intention to build exclusively environment-friendly vessels with CO2 emissions 30 % lower than today from 2015 on.
The exhibitors at the SMM 2010, above all the traditionally represented market leaders, will prove that environmental protection and cost-efficiency are not necessarily contradictory. Technologies that protect our climate and environment and are simultaneously energy efficient and often also ensure cost efficiency to ships operations.
With the support of the Federal Ministry of Economics and Technology, SMM 2010 is organising a two-day Offshore Dialogue for the first time. This will take place on September 8 and 9 as part of the accompanying programme at the international shipbuilding exhibition. With its main themes of Offshore Oil & Gas, Deep Sea Mining and Offshore Wind Energy, the workshop is dedicated to the forward-looking offshore market, which is becoming more important all the time for the shipbuilding industry and its suppliers. Oil and gas extraction on the high seas as well as the building and operation of offshore wind parks all offer enormous market potential. The highly regarded English energy consultancy firm Douglas Westwood Ltd. expects the offshore market, both directly off the coast and on the high seas, to grow continuously in the next five years, with anticipated investments worldwide of the order of 250 billion euros. In connection with offshore wind parks alone the analysts are predicting a global investment volume of 21.6 billion euros by the year 2013.
Hans Joachim Otto, Parliamentary State Secretary and coordinator of maritime industry at the Federal Ministry of Economics and Technology, explains his ministry’s support for the Offshore Dialogue in the following terms: »Many companies have recognised the opportunities offered by the rapidly growing offshore sector and are expanding their activities accordingly. So the workshop offers visitors and exhibitors at the SMM an excellent occasion for getting well founded information about market chances, and exchanging views with specialists in the industry.« The workshop will also help to improve crucial networking between the offshore industry and the shipyards and shipbuilding suppliers, he adds. Some German companies are already functioning as suppliers and service providers to the maritime energy industry. Otto believes that it is important for Germany as a manufacturing centre that German-based companies should build on their existing strengths and develop marine technology to meet future demands.
