Visitors to the SMM trade fair for shipbuilding and marine technology pass a ship propeller. (picture alliance/Daniel Reinhardt/dpa)
Unmanned ships, 3D-printed spare parts, stricter environmental rules: Alongside the overall situation of the shipbuilding industry these are the challenges which shipping companies, shipyards, components suppliers and offshore providers must face as the international maritime industry fair SMM opened in Hamburg on Tuesday.
Running through Friday, the SMM this year features 2,289 exhibitors, with organizers expecting 50,000 visitors. For the first time there is a special exhibition of 3D printing technology which is expected to provide new impulses in the manufacture of components. With the technology, shipping companies may be able to produce and install components in port or on board, in turn reducing costly idle layover time, the SMM said.
The slogan of this year's show is "Trends in SMMart Shipping" with manufacturers presenting, among other products, low-emission engines and alternative electricity supplies for ships both on board and in the harbour, instead of environmentally-damaging diesel power.
Starting in 2020, under rules of the International Maritime Organization (IMO), ships on the high seas may use fuel with a maximium sulphur content of 0.5 percent, compared with the current 3.5 percent. Or else they must filter the sulphur from their emissions. In the North Sea and Baltic Sea, rules are in place setting a maximum of 0.1 percent sulphur content.
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