HANSA’s Maritime Future Summit (MFS), powered by SMM, will discuss the latest digital trends and innovations. Participants of the event that will kick off the SMM for the fourth consecutive time can look forward to two exciting panels with high-profile industry experts. Both panels – »Connecting Digital Technologies« and » Connecting Data to Move Ahead« – will be moderated by MFS »veteran« Volker Bertram, professor for ship design at the World Maritime University in Malmo and well-known for his work at DNV and as a conference organizer and author.After the postponed and digital edition of the MFS in 2021, this year’s conference will be back as a live and in-person conference at Hamburg Messe at the eve of SMM. While the preceding MFS editions held in store some bold visions for the future of shipping, in 2021 the revolutionary tenor had gone – not so much as a sign of disillusion but of visions being slowly converted into real technology, solutions and business models. And this year? The first phase of the Digital Transformation of the maritime industries has exploited largely the potential lying in working in single-company, single-technology solutions. The next phase is all about combining technologies and skills, built on and driving multi-player scenarios. Smart alliances and evolving multidisciplinary solutions are the order of the day.

The keynote of this year’s Maritime Future Summit will come from Hapag-Lloyd CIO Donya-Florence Amer on »Defining Position and Course in Digital Transformation for a shipping liner company«. Amer started her professional career in 1999 at IBM, where she held various management positions. She has played leadership roles at Bosch since 2017, initially as Executive Vice President and as a member of the CIO Management Board. Since 2020, she has been the CEO of Bosch Climate Solutions, of which she was a co-founder. In November 2021 she joined the Hamburg-based liner shipping company Hapag-Lloyd as Chief Information Officer (CIO) and board member.

Pierre C. Sames, DNV ,Group R&D Director, will speak on the subject of »AI and Drone-Assisted Ship Hull Survey«. How will advanced digital technologies augment and improve the inspection of ship hulls? Based on DNV research & development, Sames will share details on the involved technologies and discuss the impact on processes and people. As Group Research and Development Director at DNV, Sames is responsible for managing the corporate strategic research and technology development projects. His previous experience includes research into hydrodynamic extreme loads, risk analysis, shipping emissions, LNG as ship fuel, rule development and regulatory affairs as well as managing maritime research for GL and DNV GL. He joined GL in 1995 after studying naval architecture in Hamburg.Interesting input is also to be expected from Solène Guéré with »From Hull to Cloud: Hull Condition Monitoring 4.0«. Solène is the Vice President of the French start-up company notilo plus which has revolutionized underwater hull condition monitoring using underwater drones and A.I. for machine vision. She received Hansa’s prestigious »Maritime Innovator Award« in 2021. Notilo plus combines underwater robotics and AI technology to create underwater inspection reports with ease, simplicity, speed, and consistency. The approach is seen by many stakeholders as a role model of future hull condition monitoring, using smart and connected services to lower carbon footprints in shipping.

With » Design Cooperation in COVID-19 Times using VR« Virtual-Reality will also be on the MFS agenda again. Kenneth Goh works for the Danish-based ship design firm Knud E. Hansen, in the Perth/Australia office. He has been responsible not just for innovation in the ship design products, but also the processes, including the role Virtual Reality can play in multinational design projects, bringing people, ideas and technologies together. The company has been exploring and developing in VR with the use of ShipSpace system since 2016. VR-based cooperation has gained momentum during the COVID-19 restrictions on travel and meetings. The presentation reports on lesson learnt and feedback from colleagues and customers. A sneak preview: »Even reluctant users are comfortable and being productive in less than half an hour.«

Smart ship operation will be the subject of a presentation by Sean Fernback, CEO of Wärtsilä Voyage. »Intelligent vessel control, fleet and port optimisation provide immediate answers to reducing fuel consumption and carbon emissions while laying the framework for a shift that’ll touch every part of maritime transport’s value chain«, he says. Fernback is the President of Wärtsilä Voyage and Executive Vice President of Wärtsilä Corporation. Prior to assuming this leadership role, Fernback served as Chief Technology Officer at Navico and was responsible for driving the company’s digital marine agenda. Before Navico, Fernback was brought in to turn the C-MAP Marine Cartographic business around before being acquired by Navico. With over 25 years of experience in technology and digital innovation, Fernback is using his strategic software insight to lead Wärtsilä Voyage in the creation of a connected, digital infrastructure to enable high-performing maritime logistics. Wärtsilä Voyage supports Shipowners, Managers, Ports and Yards in their efforts to ensure secure, highly energy-efficient and cost-effective marine operations.

Ma Jilin, Director of Intelligent Technology & Safety Laboratory at MFS sponsor China Classification Society (CCS) will share details on the accelerated digital transformation at CCS.

Ludmila Seppala, Director Business Development, Marine Industry at Cadmatic, will provide insights on model-based development for marine projects and digital continuity of processes along with data flow, resources, and materials are the core of data-driven shipbuilding. »Gains in quality and optimization start with the digital model and expand to cover a complete life-cycle of vessels and digital tread of data in the shipbuilding«, she says. Her presentation is titled »A Vision for CAD/CAM Integration for the Shipbuilding Industry«. Ludmila Seppälä holds an M.Sc. in Shipbuilding and Ocean Engineering from St.-Petersburg Marine Technical University as well as an MBA from Turku Applied Science University. She has over 20 years’ experience in the marine and CAD software fields with a strong know-how in digital transformation and data-driven shipbuilding. Shipbuilding and software solutions field professional with extensive experience in software implementation and project management, she has also traveled to over 1/3 of the world to meet with shipbuilders and CAD users. Her previous experience includes marine engineering, basic, detailed, and production outfitting design, project management, international business development, and marketing. She currently holds the position of Director, Business Development, Marine Industry at Cadmatic in Turku, Finland.

Are you sure that you know all essential information that you need to achieve the best performance of your fleet? This question will be posed by Patrick Mueller, Siemens Energy Marine, Business Owner Digitalization. »It is important to have a holistic view on all your assets, available in real time, from machinery to navigation combined with environmental conditions. The solution is an open digital ecosystem, open to gather any kind of information, onboard a vessel and onshore from different sources«, he says. His topic will be »Ultimate data transparency as the key to a brighter future«. Müller started his career with Siemens in 1990 with a professional education as a power electronics installer. In 1998 he was in charge of automation technology as an IT Expert and Technician, until 2000 when he became a Product Developer for power management and IT solutions. In 2012 Müller became the Senior Key Expert & Product Manager for SISHIP and SINAVY automation solutions for Siemens Marine Headquarters. Since 2018 Mueller has been the Business Owner of Marine Digitalization Solutions.