The MS&D (Conference on Maritime Security and Defence) forum will take place during SMM (Shipbuilding, Machinery & Marine Technology) from 3 to 6 September 2024. The German Maritime Institute (DMI) is organising this forum in cooperation with Hamburg Messe. The exclusive media partner is Mittler Report Verlag.

Maritime safety in focus

Maritime security, for a long time a specialised field solely the responsibility of naval forces, is omnipresent today. While the Ever Given and Freemantle Highway accidents were accidents, the warlike events in the Black and Red Seas threaten the entire maritime industry.

Maritime security is now an issue all over the world, and not just for the defence sectors. From piracy to illegal fishing: trade and free sea routes are under threat. SMM organised by Hamburg Messe und Congress GmbH offers a forum for these topics: MS&D!

MS&D is the leading international conference bringing together users, manufacturers and developers from the maritime sector with a focus on the security and defence sector. It offers state-of-the-art technology at the forefront of the world and strengthens cooperation between various players such as authorities, navies, industry, start-ups and research institutions.

MS&D is integrated into the SMM in Hamburg. It therefore attracts its own exhibitors, guests and speakers and reaches all of the trade fair's visitors thanks to the new implementation concept of event partner DMI (Deutsches Maritimes Institut). In 2022, 40,000 participants and 2,000 exhibitors from 100 nations visited SMM.

With the theme "Challenges of Transition in the Naval and Maritime Domain", prominent personalities from politics, industry, science and navies will appear in four panels and around 20 open lectures on 5 and 6 September 2024 as part of MS&D. Debates and dialogue formats will provide a great opportunity for open international exchange.

The German Maritime Institute is the organiser of MS&D and Mittler Report Verlag is the exclusive media partner.

For the preliminary MS&D programme: see below

Maritime security in focus

For many years maritime security has been considered an agenda for naval forces - it has become everybody's business today. Where "Ever Given" in the Suez Canal and "Freemantle Highway" in the North Sea can still be considered as accidents, we now have to deal with warlike situations in the Black and Red Seas threatening the whole range of maritime traffic.

Maritime security has become an issue worldwide, not only in the defence sector. From piracy to illegal fishing - free trade and secure sea lines of communication are endangered. SMM - Shipbuilding, Machinery & Marine Technology - taking place in the Hamburg Messe und Congress GmbH, is providing a suitable forum for this topic: the Conference on Maritime Security and Defence (MS&D)!

MS&D is the leading international conference bringing together users, manufacturers and developers from the maritime sector with a specific focus on the security and defence sector. It presents state-of-the-art technology at world class level and fosters cooperation between actors such as agencies, naval forces, industry, startups and research institutions.

The MS&D conference is integrated into the SMM in Hamburg. It therefore attracts exhibitors, guests and speakers in its own right. Due to the event partner DMI (German Maritime Institute) and its new implementation concept the MS&D provides accessibility for all visitors of the trade fair. In 2022, over 40,000 participants and 2,000 exhibitors from 100 nations visited the SMM.

Under the headline "Challenges of Transition in the Naval and Maritime Domain", prominent speakers from politics, industry, science and naval forces will gather as part of the MS&D on September 5 and 6, 2024. In 4 panels, they will give about 20 lectures followed by discussions and thus provide a great opportunity for an open international exchange.

Mittler Report Verlag is the exclusive media partner of the MS&D.

The (provisional) programme of the MS&D

Challenges of Transition in the Naval and Maritime Domain

Thursday, 5 September 2024

Opening Remarks: Plotting the Course of MS&D

Rear Admiral (ret.) Karsten Schneider, DMI President

Keynote

Vice Admiral Jan Christian Kaack, Chief of German Navy

Panel 1: Current Challenges in the Maritime Domain

Moderation: Dr May-Britt Stumbaum, CISS

New Technologies and Their Impact on Maritime Security: Yemen and the Black Sea in Perspective

Captain (Navy) Sebastian Hamann, German Navy

Asymmetrical Threats Against Commercial Shipping 

Irina Haesler, Head of EU Representation / Maritime Security Policy, German Shipowners' Association

Maritime Aspects of Military Logistics - New Challenges

N.N.

Lunch break

Wildcard Presentation

 N.N.

Panel 2: Maritime Domain Awareness & Multi Domain Ops - Above and Under Water

Moderation: Rear Admiral (ret.) Karsten Schneider, DMI

New Trends & Technologies

N.N

Critical Undersea Infrastructure

Rear Admiral Christian Walter Meyer, Division Head Operations, German Navy Command

The Maritime Contribution to Multi Domain Operations

Major General (ret.) Mick Ryan, Adjunct Fellow, Australia Chair, Centre for Strategic and International Studies

Coffee Break

Maritime Innovation Challenge

Moderation: N.N.

Reception

 Friday, 6 September 2024

Panel 3: Asymmetric Naval Responses - The Illusion of Low-Intensity Warfare at Sea

Moderation: Dr Sarah KirchbergerDMI Vice President & Director ISPK, Kiel

Technological Responses to Maritime Security Challenges in the Indo-Pacific Area

Dr Jyh-Shyang SheuTaiwan Institute for National Defence and Security Research

Asymmetrical Warfare Against Conventional Navies

Admiral (ret.) Igor KabanenkoPhD, President of Ukrainian Advanced Research Project Agency, former Deputy Minister of Defence of Ukraine

Asymmetrical Threats: Drone Carriers - the Answer?

N.N.

Panel 4: Trends in Naval Shipbuilding

Moderation: Heinz Schulte, DMI Board Member

Trends in Naval Shipbuilding - A German Perspective

Vice Admiral Carsten Stawitzki, Head of Equipment Department at the German Ministry of Defence (pending)

Engineering and Design Trends in Naval Shipbuilding

N.N.

Application of AI in the Naval Shipbuilding Industry

Jonas NeustockTeam Lead Operations Artificial Intelligence at TKMS

Summing Up MS&D / End of Conference

Rear Admiral (ret.) Karsten Schneider, DMI President