After a four-year break due to the coronavirus pandemic, the global shipbuilding industry met again for the 30th SMM (Shipbuilding, machinery & marine technology international trade fair), the world's leading maritime trade fair, in Hamburg (6 to 9 September 2022). The SMM was held under the motto "Driving the maritime transition". The focus was therefore on the maritime energy transition, digital transformation and climate change. Among the approximately 2,000 exhibitors from 100 countries, around 800 companies from Germany alone and around 30,000 visitors were represented at SMM. The patron of the trade fair was Federal Chancellor Olaf Scholz, who emphasised the growing importance of the maritime industry and economy for Germany in his video-broadcast opening speech. He welcomed the fact that SMM has focussed on climate-friendly technologies, because "every innovation in the maritime sector benefits the global economy as a whole." In her opening speech, the Federal Government's Coordinator for Maritime Economy and Tourism, Claudia Müller, assured the maritime industry of her full support in the energy transition. "Germany's top priority at the moment is to give the industry planning security for the necessary investments and to expand the production of low-carbon and carbon-free fuels and technologies." For the first time, the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Protection had its own stand at SMM.
Christian Schmoll and Peter Tramm
Maritime energy transition
The maritime economy and industry are currently in the midst of a comprehensive transition phase. The maritime energy transition is specifically aimed at moving away from heavy fuel oil as the standard fuel for shipping. Shipping is to become climate-neutral by 2050 in order to contribute to the fulfilment of the Paris Climate Agreement's target of limiting global warming by 1.5 percent. Around 300 million tonnes of fuel are burned by the world's large ships every year. This accounts for around 2.5 per cent of global CO² emissions. There is no improvement in sight for the time being. However, a tour of the 11 exhibition halls, which covered the entire value chain of the maritime industry, showed that practically all exhibitors have already responded to the challenges of the maritime energy transition with their innovative capabilities. The large companies in particular focussed on efficiency, sustainability and CO²-free fuels such as methanol, synthetic gas, hydrogen and ammonia. Among other things, dual-fuel propulsion is intended to ensure that ships become independent of the availability of alternative fuels. The corresponding technologies for implementing the maritime energy transition were presented at the SMM. Fuel cells, e-fuels and new engines, for example, are set to drive innovation in the maritime industry. For example, the shipping company Hapag-Lloyd wants to operate in a climate-neutral manner by 2045 and increase the efficiency of its own container fleet. Over 150 ships are to be modernised and run on biofuels, 86 will receive new propellers, 36 a new bow nose and others new paintwork to reduce fuel consumption. The new 35-tonne, highly efficient propellers reduce the fuel consumption and CO² emissions of a container ship by around 13 percent. Engine manufacturer MAN presented its first marine engine powered by methanol or conventional fuel at the trade fair. An engine that runs exclusively on ammonia is set to follow by 2024. MAN also wants to utilise AI-based algorithms (artificial intelligence) to fully exploit engine performance. Engine manufacturer Rolls-Royce (MTU) showcased fuel cell concepts, hybrid systems and engines that will run on e-methanol. However, all these innovative technologies are not enough to fulfil the Paris targets. This is the conclusion of a MAN study presented at the trade fair. According to this study, shipping capacities will increase by 60 per cent over the next 30 years. Carbon-free fuels will be increasingly used, so that emissions will only increase by ten per cent over the next decade despite the 60 per cent growth in the fleet - after which they will decrease again. But the turnaround is coming too slowly. International shipping is overspending its carbon budget to such an extent that zero emissions by 2050 will be virtually impossible to achieve. Emissions will fall from the current level of around 1.2 billion tonnes of CO² to around 400 million tonnes, but not to zero. In order to achieve the 1.5-degree target, the study calls not only for the conversion/retrofitting of the existing fleet, but also for the shipbuilding industry to be encouraged to channel its investments into the consumption of environmentally friendly fuels through new rules and regulations. Ultimately, the global challenge in the shipbuilding industry is to successively retrofit the current 60,000 merchant ships to improve their environmental and climate compatibility.
Nils Rehbock and Holger Schlüter
Maritime Security and Defence (MS & D)
The international maritime security conference MS & D was once again held over two days at the 30th SMM. The theme of this year's conference was "Protecting the seven Seas". The conference focussed on current and future threats to global and regional maritime security. The broad spectrum of maritime topics specifically included the Ukraine conflict, cyber security in naval operations, conflicts in the Indo-Pacific, China's naval armament and its expansionist ambitions in the Arctic, Africa, Africa and elsewhere. in the Arctic, Africa's prospects for maritime security, harbour protection, operations in coastal waters (littoral operations), DEU MARFOR (German Maritime Forces), hypersonic weapon systems, new minehunting units, unmanned surface vehicles (USV), munitions clearance systems in the North and Baltic Seas and alternative fuels for naval units.
Outlook
The 30th SMM celebrated a remarkable anniversary for a maritime industry that is increasingly dominated by Asia. The fact that it was nevertheless possible to bring the entire shipbuilding world to Hamburg for four days as the "United Nations of Shipbuilding" is also proof and an expression of an efficient and innovative shipbuilding industry in Germany. It repeatedly manages to assert its technological leadership in the context of the "maritime transition", among other things. Above all, the world's leading trade fair SMM remains an essential and indispensable place to find out about the latest technological developments in the complex value chain of the maritime industry and to build up corresponding networks. The 30th SMM has revealed decisive impulses for the realisation of the "maritime transition" in the race against time and climate change. The next SMM, the 31st SMM, will take place again in Hamburg from 3 to 6 September 2024.
Author: Dieter Stockfisch
Photos: hsc
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