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At the SMM Hamburg's Offshore Dialogue online conference on February 2, international experts will discuss current trends in the offshore wind farms segment, technical challenges facing tidal and wave energy conversion, and innovative ocean monitoring technologies."About 70% of our planet is covered by water. The Earth's oceans play a key role in shaping the global climate. The more important it is to gather and evaluate as much information as possible about the composition of this ecosystem and how it changes.

Digitalisation is the maritime game changer. This is why the digital transformation will be in focus at SMM DIGITAL, which has been given the leitmotif “Driving The Maritime Transition”. As a purely digital event, SMM DIGITAL will feature conferences with top-ranking panelists discussing current trends in Smart Shipping. International experts will report about the challenges facing the maritime industry, and highlight attractive solutions.Complex contractual relationships, the enormous dimensions of ships and routes…

Citing a spike in second-wave COVID-19 infection numbers SMM, where the world meets in Hamburg every two years for the latest updates on shipbuilding and ship machinery technology, has opted to take the event planned for February 2021 digital.SMM 2020 was originally scheduled to be held live in September 2020, initially postponed to early 2021 as a hybrid live and digital event. But in the face of a rampant second wave of COVID-19 infections and the decision by several governments…

Today would have been the day that SMM 2020 opened its doors if it hadn't been for the coronavirus pandemic. Instead, organizers of the maritime industry's largest trade fair are preparing for the rescheduled date in February 2021."Of course, the entire SMM team is a bit sad the fair isn't starting today. But increasingly, this regret is giving way to a sense of anticipation of a rather unique SMM in February 2021," says Claus Ulrich Selbach, Business Unit Director – Maritime and Technology Fairs & Exhibitions at Hamburg Messe und Congress GmbH (HMC).

As the COVID-19 pandemic lingers, talk turns to all aspects of interior design of ships, particularly cruise ships that can carry thousands of passengers in relatively close quarters. In response to the coronavirus pandemic, SMM has been postponed to February 2-5, 2021. According to the organizers, as of today, about 90 percent of exhibitors have committed to the new date. Apart from Green Shipping, Security & Defence, and Digitalization, the interior outfitting of passenger ships…

“Driving the maritime transition”: In times of the global climate debate and the digital transformation, SMM 2020 will once again be the focal point for decision-makers in the maritime industry.Topics that are currently high on the industry's agenda are highlighted in the new issue of the SMM Maritime Industry Report: Shipping, shipbuilding and supplier companies are especially interested in alternative propulsion technologies and attractive niche markets.The year 2020 marks a major turning point in international shipping: On January 1…

Marine Interiors Cruise & Ferry Global Expo, powered by SMM, is the most recent addition to the maritime exhibition portfolio of Hamburg Messe und Congress GmbH (HMC).Launching this year, the new trade fair is dedicated to the interior design and outfitting of passenger ships, addressing strong demand from the booming cruise and ferry market. Marine Interiors Cruise & Ferry Global Expo will take place for the first time from September 11-13, 2019 at the Hamburg Messe fair complex. Innovative suppliers from all segments of the ship interior equipment and design industry will showcase their products at this specialist maritime trade fair.

The international conference on maritime security and defense (MS&D), held for the seventh time in Hamburg during the SMM maritime trade fair, focused on current and future challenges to maritime security and defense. Twenty naval, industrial and science experts discussed topics such as how to protect international ocean trading routes, when and how to deploy naval forces on crisis missions, as well as cyber security issues.The welcome address opened the event with somber words as Rear Admiral Thorsten Kähler…

At today’s opening press conference of the international maritime trade fair in Hamburg, political and business leaders discussed current challenges facing the shipping industry. The focus of the debate was on the 0.5 percent sulphur limit for ship fuels which will take effect on January 1,  2020, and the industry's goal to cut greenhouse gas emissions from global shipping in half by the year 2050. Roughly 2,300 exhibitors and the extensive conference program accompanying the trade fair will deliver answers to the industry's complex questions. Roughly 50,000 visitors are expected to attend.

The International Maritime Organization (IMO) has announced its targets of cutting greenhouse gas emissions from global shipping in half by the year 2050, and to make ships entirely CO2-neutral before 2100. But long before that, the so-called sulphur cap will take effect: From 2020 all oceangoing ships must run on fuel that contains no more than 0.5 per cent of sulphur. According to estimates by classification society DNV GL, up to 70,000 ships will be subject to this requirement.

In September, more than 50,000 maritime industry visitors from some 120 countries will come to Hamburg for SMM, one of the world’s leading international trade fairs. Today, representatives from key parts of the maritime sector, from ship owners to shipbuilders, convened in Hamburg to sit on a panel to discuss some of the topics highest on the agendas of industry stakeholders and at the heart of the upcoming SMM. Anthony J. Dr. Much of the discussion centered on digitalization and decarbonization…

Some 50,000 trade visitors from the whole of the world are expected in Hamburg for the start of SMM in less than two weeks. And once again, it is fully booked – with a total of more than 2,150 exhibitors from 67 countries, presenting their most innovative products and services. “SMM will live up to its reputation as the pacemaker of the industry again, with exhibitors from every part of the maritime value chain and a high-quality conference program,” says Bernd Aufderheide, President and CEO Hamburg Messe und Congress GmbH.

Autonomous ships, smart on-board systems: At the Maritime Future Summit on September 5, industry leaders will discuss the future of shipping. For the first time SMM hosts a conference dedicated to digital shipping. Cyber Ships: What may sound like a word from a science fiction novel to some is a hot topic in the maritime business world today. Low-crew and no-crew concepts are buzzwords in the shipping sector, and some initial trials with unmanned ships are already being undertaken. “Visionary ideas drive the evolution of humanity, and the maritime industry is no exception.

Historically, women have played only a minor role in shipping, shipbuilding and related areas up to the present, but decision makers in the industry are now beginning to recognize their potential in view of the current shortage of skilled people. Women are a major focus at the Maritime Career Market held at SMM. A highlight is presentation of the “Personality of the Year 2016” award by the Women’s International Shipping & Trading Association (WISTA). More women means more profit, as shown in a study by the Peterson Institute in Washington published in February 2016. The more women a company employs in middle and senior management, the better its earnings. The rule of thumb is that an increase in female executives from zero to 30 percent boosts profitability by 15 percent.

For the first time after the end of the trade sanctions, Iran will be represented by a national pavilion at international maritime trade fair SMM Hamburg. “An industry fair is a great platform for building new relationships and getting to know each other,” said Bernd Aufderheide, President and CEO of Hamburg Messe und Congress GmbH. From September 6 to 9, 2016, Iran will showcase its capabilities in an area of its own. A delegation from Hamburg Messe had visited Iran as early as December 2015 to attend Iranimex, the International Marine Industries Exhibition.

SMM was another full success. With more than 2,100 exhibitors from all around the world, including 150 first-timers, with 50,000 industry visitors and roughly 90,000 square metres of exhibition space, SMM has demonstrated once again what it means to be the leading international trade fair of the maritime industry. After four days brimming with activity, the 26th SMM came to a close today. "We set new records this year," said Bernd Aufderheide, CEO and President of Hamburg Messe und Congress GmbH. "The excellent turnout not only showed that companies are ready to meet the current challenges with determination, but it also revealed a growing appreciation for collaboration," he added.

"This is a very special SMM," said Bernd Aufderheide, CEO and President, Hamburg Messe und Congress GmbH. The enormous interest shown by exhibitors and visitors alike proves it. He continued: “More than 2,100 exhibitors and over 50,000 visitors are expected, more than ever in the history of this fair. "We are fully booked, and this fair welcomes every type and size of company, from market leaders and global players to medium-sized companies and innovation-focused start-ups. “Their products cover a wide spectrum from large-scale ship engineering and shipbuilding products to ship outfitting and equipment supplies, and from cargo handling systems and maritime technologies to specialised services," said Aufderheide.

Offshore energy, whether oil, gas or wind, faces a tightening regime of restrictions. In Germany, for example, the German Federal Bureau of Maritime Traffic and Hydrography (BSH) recently updated its standards for offshore wind energy units, offshore converter and inverter stations, and subsea high-power transfer cables. But regardless of the unclear political environment, the offshore industry continues to expand, a fact reflected in the order books of shipyards. Some recent achievements include: The Norwegian Fjellstrand shipyard in Oma completed the construction of "Siem Moxie", a so-called "Infield Support Vessel". Maersk ordered a new cable-laying vessel from the Dutch Damen shipbuilding group. The ship will be a "Damen Offshore Carrier DOC 8500" type.

At the forthcoming SMM maritime trade fair in Hamburg in September 2014 experts will present new security concepts for sea routes. Security at sea is improving: In recent months, pirate attacks on commercial ships have been repelled successfully with increasing frequency. One of the reasons is the EU-led Operation Atalanta providing military protection in the Gulf of Aden. Since 1, February 2009 commercial ships have been able to use a Transit Corridor established there. International naval units escort containerships or gas tankers through this corridor.

SMM Istanbul will open its gates on February 26, welcoming its exhibitors and industry visitors with an entirely new concept. The countdown is on; On February 26 and 27, Istanbul will be the global shipping industry's center of attention as SMM Istanbul, the international maritime conference and exhibition 2014, opens its gates. SMM Istanbul is one of two international subsidiaries of SMM, the leading international maritime trade fair Hamburg. "The Turkish market is highly dynamic. SMM Istanbul is a major meeting place for all decision makers and executives of the region," said Bernd Aufderheide, Chairman of the Board of Hamburg Messe und Congress GmbH. This year marks the third return of the fair to Istanbul.

Every two years Hamburg assumes the role of world capital of the maritime business for the duration of SMM, the leading international maritime trade fair Hamburg and a major meeting place of the decision makers of the maritime industry. Over 2,000 exhibitors and roughly 50,000 industry visitors from all continents are expected to attend the 2014 leading international maritime trade fair with its program of superlatives. "Next year's SMM will once again cover the full range of maritime topics, setting new trends in the industry," says Bernd Aufderheide, Chairman of the Board of Hamburg Messe und Congress GmbH. There will be five featured topics, including financing, protection of the maritime environment, recruiting, safety and security and offshore.

To manage the crisis successfully SMM organizers advise providers to keep close to their customers as record bookings received. The European debt crisis; a weak US employment market; declining growth rates in emerging economies such as China and India: prospects for the global economy are not exactly bright at the moment. These are the challenging coordinates for the decision-makers of the maritime industry as they get ready to gather for the 25th SMM, shipbuilding, machinery & marine technology international trade fair Hamburg. “Under these challenging economic conditions it is especially important for companies to remain in close contact with their customers,” says Peter Bergleiter, Business Unit Director at Hamburg Messe und Congress GmbH (HMC), the host of SMM.

In advance of SMM 2012, the leading trade fair for the maritime industries, to be held at the Hamburg Fair site from September 4-7, the duel in international shipbuilding is going into the next round – the Chinese shipyards were just ahead again in 2011. According to the latest survey by Clarkson Research, China delivered a total of 1,177 ships with 67.2 million DWT. The closest competitor was South Korea, which had 531 ships and 53.6 DWT, followed by Japan, in third position (462 ships, 32 million DWT). The three major shipbuilding nations from Asia are prominent exhibitors at SMM 2012, the shipbuilding, machinery & marine technology international trade fair Hamburg, from September 4-7.