SMM 2006: International Summit for Shipbuilding Experts in Hamburg

The global shipbuilding and marine technology sector uses SMM 2006 as the top venue for numerous events on areas of shipbuilding technology and shipping policy. International umbrella organisations, institutions and companies will hold numerous congresses, symposia, workshops and receptions in the course of the 22nd shipbuilding, machinery & marine technology, international trade fair Hamburg, September 26th-29th 2006.

The “curtain raiser” for the leading trade fair of the shipbuilding industry at Hamburg Trade Fair will be on the evening before the first fair day, on September 25th 2006 at 7 pm in the Hamburg Chamber of Commerce. At this opening ceremony, Gunnar Uldall, Hamburg's senator for economics and labour affairs, and Jürgen Kennemann, president Aker Yards, Merchant Verssels, chairman German Shipbuilding and Ocean Industries Association (VSM and chairman of the SMM consultative committee, will introduce the about 600 invited guests from all over the world to SMM 2006. This will be a good opportunity for executives from the board rooms of maritime companies to enter into top-level discussions with business partners.

Financial Times Deutschland (FTD) will also stage the international conference “SHIP FINANCE” in cooperation with SMM 2006 in CCH ??" Congress Center Hamburg on September 25th 2006. The trade fair city of Hamburg will thus offer a high-tech maritime fair closely connected with a specialist congress on financing modalities for the world shipbuilding sector. The event will spotlight the issue of how to unburden the balance-sheets of maritime companies. The lectures will deal mainly with the restructuring of the global shipping industry, ways of improving firms' capital situation and second-hand financing through German ship funds. Other topics covered will include means of financing types of vessel other than containerships, the traditional focus of German ship funds (for further details and registration, log on to: www.ftd.de/shipfinance and www.smm2006.com).

The European Marine Equipment Council (EMEC) will also hold an international conference during SMM 2006 on September 26th 2006. This will be concerned with ways of expanding the network of marine equipment suppliers established at the end of 2005 at European level, as well as strengthening relationships between members and improving cooperation between marine equipment suppliers and shipyards.

This year's traditional CIMAC Circle of SMM is looking far ahead. Experts will discuss the "Next Generation Marine Diesel Engines", the outlook for the marine diesel in the next ten years, in the conference room Kopenhagen on September 28th 2006, the third day of SMM 2006, from 1.30 to 4 pm. The focus will be on the performance and aspects of the combustion of future fuels, emissions and the increasing significance of electronics (to register, please contact CIMAC Central Secretariat, Tel: ++49 69 6603 1567, Fax: ++49 69 6603 1566, [email protected]).

The two-day PCE Marine Coatings Conference, staged by the British specialist magazine Protective Coatings Europe (PCE) along with Mülhan and SMM, will also consider future trends in the field of marine coatings. PCE is inviting the top marine coating companies and experts from Europe and USA to discuss their ideas and findings in the conference room Marseille I to III at Hamburg Messe on September 27th and 28th. The lecture programme will cover all currently important areas of coatings for ship newbuildings and maintenance and repair work. The lecturers will deal with subjects including innovative coating technologies, new methods of corrosion protection, coating standards for ballast and cargo tanks and quality assurance. The conference is bound to attract keen interest in view of the new regulations for the inner coatings of the cargo tanks of oil tankers and the stricter environmental regulations for ship coating systems (for more information and registration, the contact details are as follows: Tel: ++44 208 644 9977, Fax: ++44 208 644 9937, [email protected], www.paintsquare.com/smm).

Many of the 22 countries represented with national pavilions at SMM 2006, such as the UK, Canada, Norway, Russia and the USA, will hold official receptions for invited guests, linking the top event of the world shipbuilding sector with their own maritime functions. For instance, Holland Marine Equipment Association (HME) will stage the reception for its own members and their business partners on September 27th on board “Hr. Ms. Tromp”, an ultra-modern frigate of the Royal Netherlands Navy, which will come to Hamburg on September 26th for a three-day visit specifically for the SMM.

The British Royal Navy also intends to send a destroyer to the Port of Hamburg for the first time to coincide with an SMM. Tours on board the vessel with expert discussions are planned. The warship will be open to the public at set times.

The Spanish maritime industry will also be very well represented at SMM 2006. The Basque Maritime Forum will present the “Basque Engine Room” on September 27th at 12 am in Hall 7. This is an initiative organised by various Basque marine equipment suppliers, whose core competence includes manufacturing components and plants for the ship's engine room.

As at previous SMMs, the Norwegian shipping magazine "Skipsrevyen" will again award the "Ship of the Year" prize at this year's SMM ??" on September 27th at 1 pm in the Norwegian national pavilion (Hall 2). It will go to a "most unusual ship, incorporating a wealth of design and equipment innovations", according to Asle Stronen, editor-in-chief of the "Skipsrevyen". It is reported that the vessel, built at a Norwegian yard for a French owner, has been well received by other companies and that a further ship has already been ordered.

The Marine and Offshore Equipment Industries within the German Engineering Federation (VDMA) and the German Shipbuilding and Ocean Industries Association (VSM) will also once again focus on advertising for engineering recruits at the SMM this year. The “Think.ING” promotional campaign is targeted at school pupils of the 11th and 12th grades (aged 16-17) at grammar and comprehensive schools in the north German federal states. Some 200 budding engineers will be able to discover the practical side of shipbuilding for a few hours and find out about the exciting and complex subject of shipbuilding from prestigious exhibitors at SMM 2006 on September 28th and 29th.

Over 1,500 exhibiting companies from more than 50 countries and 40,000 trade visitors from all over the world are expected to attend SMM 2006 in Hamburg.