Maritime Trends Summit has brought together the main actors of the naval-maritime industry at international level: companies, organizations and institutions that have reflected on the current state of the sector and the challenges it faces.

Asime held on October 22nd the Maritime Trends Summit, the new international congress of reference for the naval, maritime and port industry.

The event was held in a mixed form with more than 300 online attendees and 50 face-to-face participants in Vigo, reduced under invitation to the highest institutional and business representation.

With this initiative, the Galician metal cluster starts a meeting point for the naval, maritime and port industry at an international level:

“Maritime Trends is a unique event that has come to stay. With it, we give answer to the need that existed to go out to the exterior with a congress of this type, to debate with other companies and international actors towards where this industry goes and in which segments and opportunities we must locate or to deepen”, emphasizes Enrique Mallón, General Secretary of Asime.

“Today we have gathered in Maritime Trends an exceptional list of speakers and companies attending from more than 20 different countries, we have put the Galician naval-maritime industry on the map worldwide. This sector represents more than 3% of the EU GDP, it is a driving force in our economy and we have the great challenge and at the same time the great opportunity to make it a key pillar in the post-covid-19 economic recovery”, declared Rafael Outeiral, Vice President of Asime, during the opening of the Congress.

Official opening

The official opening of the event was carried out by the following institutional authorities:

• David Regades, State Delegate in CZFV, “congratulated Asime for this initiative in an environment as complicated as the current one due to the challenge of covid-19. The intelligent ships, the talent and the knowledge of the sector are crucial to make the so-called blue economy a shared success”.
• Carmela Silva, President of the Pontevedra Provincial Council, highlighted: “crises are faced as opportunities and ideas are what change the world. There is no doubt that many ideas will come out of this forum and will be important to continue having a powerful sea sector, adapted to the new times, with quality, advanced and technological employment”.
• Francisco Conde, Vice-president and Regional Minister of Economy, Business and Innovation, stressed the importance of the naval industry: “We have to work together with the sector to promote the modernization of the naval industry and to identify leading projects in order to obtain European funds and to be equal with other countries like France, Germany and Holland that are promoting their naval sector. We have before us an opportunity to face new challenges through public-private collaboration”.
• Abel Caballero, Mayor of Vigo, wanted to remind the need for cooperation among all in the field of pandemic and congratulated Asime for this initiative that “shows the ability to get ahead of the times and the changes that are coming. “The sea has always been a source of economic action and, from public-private cooperation, we need to set up a transversal alliance for a greater and more efficient use of European funds”.

5 thematic sessions

Maritime Trends Summit hosted in 5 sessions discussions on current topics such as innovation, blue economy, the ship of the future, offshore wind energy or port logistics. To this end, speakers included experts from all key areas of the international shipbuilding and port industry: national and international shipyards such as Navantia, Barreras and Babcock; European organizations such as the European Commission or the European Association of Ports and Harbors; engineering companies such as Ghenova and CT; knowledge centers such as Fraunhofer, the Center for Innovation in Transportation (CENIT) or the Institute for Diversification and Energy Saving (IDAE) and institutional authorities and many other actors on the international scene.

Some of the key messages that were highlighted had an impact on the following aspects:

• Jorge Filgueira, Director of Astilleros Ría de Ferrol in Navantia, highlighted in his speech: “We need to specialize, digitize and promote products with added value. It is necessary to adapt the workforce to the new technologies and for that a strategic plan in dual and university training is needed. In addition, from Navantia we work intensely to be a sustainable shipyard, with a digitalized structure, that annuls the emissions and integrates in a more direct way the auxiliary industry more in the shipyards”.
• Douglas Prothero, Executive Chairman of Barreras, highlighted that “it is very relevant to be able to participate and manage the whole life cycle of the ship, besides it is necessary to invest in people and not only in equipment. From Barreras we are looking for collaboration with the government, which has to value the potential of the sector and support it. There are great opportunities in Galicia, we have to contribute with sustainability”.
• Manuel García, Greenalia’s CEO: “We have been studying the area in the Canary Islands for more than two years for the possible implantation of marine wind farms, attending to the requirements of all the actors, both environmental and industrial, and pending a regulation that can allow this implantation guaranteeing the minimum impact. Galicia, without a doubt, is also a site with potential for the implementation of this energy”.
• Ignacio Gutiérrez Santalo, Iberdrola’s Coordinator of Marine Wind Energy Development Spain, highlighted: “We have been working in Galicia for more than 60 years, we work hand in hand and we believe that it has a great resource and a great industrial fabric and 100% of the value chain. We can talk about the creation of around 5,000 jobs during the construction phase of the wind farm and Galicia can be a hub for all the projects in the North Sea and nearby areas.
• Manuel Antonio Martínez-Ruiz, Vice Admiral Director of Naval Construction of the Spanish Navy, said: “Our strategy for 2030 seeks to focus on sustainability, the move towards autonomous ships, energy efficiency and digitalization that will boost the shipbuilding of key vessels such as the F-110 frigates.

The event was closed by Marta Fernández Tapias, Delegate of the Xunta in Vigo, who congratulated Asime for the organization of this Congress that put Vigo in the center of the naval map at international level.

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