SMM, MS&D 2012 Under One Roof in Hamburg Messe Platz, Germany

The worldwide networking of economic relations continues to grow with enormous dynamism. The security of shipping routes and ports is essential for this global development, which has made shipbuilding and shipping key industries in global logistics.

SMM, the world’s leading maritime industry fair, is focusing increasingly on these areas and working in close cooperation with MS&D, international conference on maritime security and defence hamburg – a unique forum for this subject, to be held on the occasion of SMM at the Hamburg Fair site on 4 and 5 September 2012. It is hosted by Hamburg Messe und Congress GmbH (HMC) with partners DVV Media / Griephan and the German Maritime Institute (DMI). They believe that SMM is the right platform for MS&D, bringing together international experts from the top levels of government and public authorities, maritime companies, academia and international institutions and from the navies of a range of different countries. Bernd Aufderheide, President and CEO of HMC, feels that MS&D is an excellent fit to the wide ranging subjects of the 25^th shipbuilding, machinery & marine technology, international trade fair hamburg: “Modern, innovative technologies for shipbuilding and offshore technology, as presented at SMM, are key to the security of international shipping and offshore activities in a changing maritime environment.”

The Chairman of MS&D is Hans-Joachim Stricker, Vice Admiral (ret.) of the German Navy and fleet commander until July 2010. “The operating areas of naval forces have changed considerably in recent years – civil security and military defence are inevitably becoming closely intermeshed.” The two-day conference is divided into three panels, which deal with the maritime issues currently in global discussion.

Following the welcome speeches and a keynote address, the first day of the conference  focuses on “Changes in the maritime environment”, with experts analysing the situation of maritime security and defence, the impact of climate change, and the policy implications of dynamic development of the offshore sector, including developments in the Arctic.

The second day of the conference, 5 September, starts with Panel II on “Security of the maritime logistic chains”, with senior executives from international shipping companies, coastguards and seaports analysing the status quo and future developments in terms of technology and security, including the issue of asymmetric threats from piracy and terrorism.

Panel III then gives an overview of future possibilities of the maritime sector, putting the economic potentials in the foreground. Experts discuss the opportunities arising from convergence of the civil and military sectors. Presentations include the possible technical design of a “ship of the future”.

“The 21^st century can also be described as a maritime century,” says Hans-Joachim Stricker to summarise the thematic scope of the conference. “Secure shipping routes and seaways are indispensable for globalisation and the prosperity of nations.” He added that the problem of piracy would have to be tackled with resolution.

The community of nations has been working together successfully for some years now in Operation “ATALANTA”, but a final solution to the problem has still not been found, as shown by last year’s statistics for pirate attacks. The International Maritime Bureau (IMB), a specialist agency of the International Chamber Of Commerce (ICC) which records all pirate and terrorist attacks on international shipping worldwide, shows in its 2011 Report a total of 439 pirate attacks, that is a slight drop versus 2010 (445 attacks). The coasts of Somalia remain a hotspot of piracy, accounting for 54% of all attacks. Captain Pottengal Mukundan, Director of the IMB Piracy Reporting Centre, says that the various measures are gradually having an impact. They include above all preventive activities by the international navies. And he adds that deterrence is enhanced by the measures taken by more and more shipping companies, protecting their ships with armed private security personnel.

Hans-Joachim Stricker says “The MS&D conference, with its wide range of subjects, is just the right forum for intensive exchange of views with the experts from many different countries. Its international character promotes discussion of the right approaches to make progress.”

A visit to SMM 2012 enables delegates at the MS&D Conference to get a wide range of information in a very efficient way on the construction and functioning of security and defence equipment and systems, surveillance and monitoring systems, sensor and communication technology, and command and information systems. The exhibits in the new temporary hall B8 and in focused areas of the various exhibition segments showcase technologies, systems and equipment for improved security.

SMM, shipbuilding, machinery & marine technology international trade fair hamburg is the leading event for the international maritime industry, and will be held for the 25^th time this year. It is the ideal platform to present products, see innovations, meet new customers, cultivate relationships, and close deals. SMM 2012 will be held on 90,000 sqm of hall space, with more than 2,000 exhibitors from over 60 countries expected.

Alongside MS&D (Maritime Security and Defence), another premium event at SMM will be gmec, global maritime environmental congress, which will be an integrated component in the SMM supporting programme for the second time. The SMM Ship Finance Forum will be held for the fourth time, on the day before the start of SMM, hosted jointly by HMC and Financial Times Deutschland. And another component which is now a fixture at SMM events is the SMM Offshore Dialogue, to be held for the second time. It provides a platform for industry experts to discuss oil and gas production at sea and offshore wind energy. More than 150 items are included in the supporting programme for trade visitors – over 50,000 of them are expected from all parts of the world.

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Naval Today Staff , March 30, 2012; Image: Bertram Solcher/HMC (BS)