Admittedly, it is an open door to say that many maritime professionals worldwide have probably been looking forward to finally meeting each other next month after four years at the SMM in Hamburg. Too bad for Europort, but the SMM is much bigger and more important for seeing what the international shipbuilding industry from all corners of the globe has to offer. Especially when it comes to finding answers to the question of how to make shipping less climate threatening and more sustainable.
The SMM is ambitious in this respect with its motto: Driving the maritime transition. As editors of SWZ|Maritime, it would be a shame not to show in our July/August issue, just before the SMM, what knowledge institutes and businesses in the Netherlands have to offer when it comes to the maritime energy transition.
On behalf of the editorial staff, our colleagues Willem de Jong (former Managing Director of Lloyd’s Register London) and Johan de Jong (Manager International Relations at MARIN) have written and collected several articles that should provide our readers with some insight into what is possible in the field of making the shipping industry more sustainable and the energy transition to zero-emission shipping.
Also read: SWZ|Maritime’s June 2022 issue: European shipbuilding – Let the data speak for themselves
Changing views and surprising insights
What the future of the shipping industry will look like is anyone’s guess, but one thing is certain: the world is changing, and the second certainty is that it is changing ever faster. Changes that are not always welcome, such as the Russian invasion of Ukraine. These changes force us to think and, if necessary, to change our positions and views.
This can lead to surprising insights, such as those of Willem de Jong, who is always considered a very thoughtful liberal, and who argues in favour of an illiberal European Jones Act. And also to the changing views of the author of this editorial, who is now considerably more positive about the European climate policy for the maritime industry than he was years ago.
Also read: SWZ|Maritime’s May 2022 issue: A maritime education special focused on quality
The latest tech
It is also why the tens of thousands of maritime professionals go to Hamburg: with curiosity and an open mind to see what the latest technological possibilities are for the maritime industry to provide answers to the major issues of our time.
And even though it will be the first time in four years that the trade fair can take place physically, a visitor record will probably not be reached. It is a great pity that many Russians will not be able to make it to Hamburg. This is all the more unfortunate, because it is precisely Russia, with its huge gas reserves, that could have played an important role in making shipping cleaner.
This is editor-in-chief Antoon Oosting’s editorial accompanying the July-August 2022 issue.
SWZ Archive
Our digital archive is once again available to subscribers and they can read the digitial version of our July-August issue there. Subscribers can register here to gain access. Not yet a subscriber? Visit our subscription page.
Also read: SWZ|Maritime’s April 2022 inland navigation special: Bio-LNG, H2, CH3OH or with batteries
The articles in SWZ|Maritime’s July-August issue
In addition to the regular sections such as Dutch news, Markets, Maritime monthly, Global news, Book reviews, news from the KNVTS and Mars Report, the articles (some in Dutch) in the July-August issue are:
- Energietransitie in de scheepvaart; waar staan we?
- Transities in de scheepvaart
- The AmmoniaDrive research project
- Energy transitions and Groot Ship Design
- The Maersk ‘methanol dual-duel’ container ships
- The CataMarin, a sailing cargo vessel
- Reduced CO2 emissions whilst burning fossil fuel
- What’s behind hydrogen-fuelled ships?
- SMM: Always one brilliant idea ahead
- Decision support – More than just technology
- Azimuthing thruster issues and MARIN’s test lab
Picture: In June 2022, Van Oord christened the Vox Ariane, the company’s first trailing suction hopper dredger equipped with an LNG fuel system (photo Flying Focus and the cover picture of SWZ|Maritime’s July-August 2022 issue).
