25th SMM in Hamburg This Year
The maritime industry trade fair SMM will be held for the 25th time this year at the Hamburg Fair site from 4-7 September 2012. SMM 2012 will feature more than 2,000 exhibitors from more than 60 countries on over 90,000 m2 of exhibition space, and more than 50,000 trade visitors.
Highlights at SMM include the international conference on maritime security and defence; the global maritime environmental congress – a premium event and an integrated component in the SMM supporting programme for the second time. The Ship Finance Forum will be held for the fourth time this year, hosted jointly by Hamburg Messe und Congress (HMC) and Financial Times Deutschland. Another regular feature will be the SMM Offshore Dialogue, held for the second time this year, with industry experts discussing oil and gas production at sea and offshore wind energy. Trade visitors from all parts of the world can also look forward to an extensive supporting programme with more than 150 programme items. Read last year’s review of SMM2011 from Shipbuilding Industry.
European companies will be strongly represented at SMM 2012 – in terms of area booked, Germany leads the way, followed by the Netherlands, Norway and the UK. The People’s Republic of China, world shipbuilding nation number one, follows in fifth position, having overtaken Denmark (sixth position). This leading global maritime industry fair is where exhibitors meet not only their competitors and their existing business contacts, but also customers from all parts of the world. “SMM is as global in scope as the maritime industry itself,” says Peter Bergleiter, Business Unit Director at HMC, the organiser of SMM.
Energy-saving, cost-effective, environment friendly engineering is one of the new key areas of the marine equipment industry, supplying to ships and offshore operators. “Developments of the propulsion train and in particular of the engine are excellent examples of that,” says Klaus Deleroi of MAN Diesel & Turbo SE. “Only technology leaders with system expertise are capable of optimising emission levels over the whole of the life cycle of the engine.”
Exhibitors from China include a wide range of companies, plus the two most important shipbuilding associations CSIC and CSSC. The Korean Shipbuilders’ Association KOSHIPA will also be there, and a large Korean pavilion with equipment suppliers. Major Japanese shipyards will be present, and the Japan Marine Equipment Association JSMEA. China, South Korean and Japan represent nearly 90 percent of tonnage in the global order book, according to analysts from Clarkson Research.