There’s now less than three weeks to go until over 400 industry leaders from the world of maritime innovation, green technology and ground-breaking digitalisation will come together for GST Europe & Shipping2030 conferences.
Taking place between 22-24 March, delegates will debate key issues including: digital models of doing business; smart and autonomous shipping and operations; green technology for cleaner air and water; how to guarantee a sustainable shipping industry.
The GST Europe and Shipping2030 conferences have come together under one roof to fully examine the transformation facing smarter and greener shipping in the years ahead. By having both events, delegates will have access to two events, allowing them to hear commentary from industry leaders in these two key areas of global shipping. This event is the one-stop shop for all audiences looking to understand how the industry is evolving.
Attendees will also have a chance to celebrate the innovation in sustainable design and technology in shipping at the Gala Dinner and Awards Ceremony on the evening of Wednesday March 22nd, to be hosted at the Langelinie Pavillonen.
The debate promises to be probing and controversial, with many still believing that shipping and maritime have a long way to go when it comes to exploiting the full benefits of green innovation, enhanced technology and digitisation.
You only need to listen to the views of two speakers of a highly anticipated line-up, when asked by the event team, whether shipping is using technology to its full potential:
“NO, technology is used in silos, per vendor solution. If information exchange could be more open (both attitude and technology wise) and standardised much could be saved,” said Ulf Siwe, Communications Officer of the STM Validation Project at Swedish Maritime Administration
“Absolutely not! Too many maritime companies are still in the ‘fax era’,” commented Geert Schouten, Director at Shipbuilder Software
But Mogens Schorder Bech, Director, Maritime R&D at Danish Maritime Authority, hits the nail on the head when he said: “‘I think that if you still want to be in business, you need to embrace digital technologies covering your business. Having said that, shipping is still the core business, but digital technologies are changing the game board.”
Industry concerns were not just limited to embracing technology - further thoughts from key speakers reference the need for a greener shipping industry:
“Shipping is clearly the “greenest” option for transporting cargo. However, there is still a lot to improve on both technical and operational performance. There are proven technical innovations like Mewis ducts, rotor sails, air lubrication etc. that could enable double digit reduction in greenhouse gases for existing fleets,” Pekka Pakkanen, Product Manager at NAPA commented.
“Although shipping is the least polluting mode of transport (for now), we are not green enough and it will take serious efforts to bend the emission curve from shipping, particularly, if you believe that need the need for shipping will continue to increase,” said Anne Katrine Bjerregaard, Head of Secretariat at Green Ship of the Future.
Ms Bjerregaard further stressed: “Going green can be linked to significant savings in terms of energy and fuel: Look at the long-term perspective rather than the short term investment and engage in collaborative projects on the subject to build up knowledge and network.”