Asime presents the 3rd edition of the Maritime Trends Summit to the media
Asime will hold the third edition of the Maritime Trends Summit on February 24 and 25 in Vigo.
The International Naval, Maritime, and Port Congress will be a meeting point for 200 business representatives and leading organizations in the sector at the national and international level, who will discuss the latest trends and the future of this industry.
The event is sponsored by Grupo Davila, Ferri, Panelship, and Santander as platinum sponsors, and by Detegasa, Ghenova, Macroinsa, and Torvigo as gold sponsors.
This morning, Asime presented the details of the third edition of the Maritime Trends Summit, its International Naval, Maritime and Port Congress, which will take place on February 24 and 25 in Vigo, at its headquarters in Vigo.
Enrique Mallón, Secretary General of Asime, highlighted that “the Maritime Trends Summit is consolidating itself in this third edition as a benchmark event in the sector. It is a unique congress, which differs from other events in that it is very focused on generating business. While we analyze the latest trends in the sector together, what we are looking for is to generate business opportunities.“ To this end, he explains, they seek to ”bring buyers closer to our companies in the naval-maritime world, of which there are more than 270 in Asime, one of our fundamental activities.”
More than 200 national and international experts are expected to attend the event, including national and international shipyards, shipbuilding companies, engineering and auxiliary industries, public security and defense agencies, the Navy, institutional authorities, and all actors in the value chain. There will be notable participation from the purchasing managers of all these companies, who will attend the event to recruit potential suppliers, as explained by Asime.
Activities during the conference
On February 24, business visits to the Metalships Shipyard facilities will be organized. In addition, on the same day at 7:30 p.m., a networking cocktail party will be held with the aim of enriching the experience of the participants, providing a relaxed atmosphere for networking and interaction among attendees.
On February 25, the conference activities will move to the Mar de Vigo Auditorium, where the conference presentations will take place from 9:00 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. There will also be a cocktail reception at the end to continue providing networking opportunities to promote business and joint projects between companies.
Presentations
Rebeca Gil, Technical Coordinator of the Congress, revealed some details of the congress presentations, in which “we will bring together the main international players in the industry to examine, among other topics, the current situation of shipyards in shipbuilding and repair, new areas of business and diversification, shipowner trends, and prospects and challenges in security and defense.
“Both attendees and speakers will focus particularly on profiles that favor business generation, especially fleet and shipyard managers, purchasing managers, and supply managers.”
The conference will be organized into different panels, including:
Security and defense industry, with participation from the Spanish Navy, Sasemar, Navantia, and Detegasa.
Shipbuilding and repair, where experts from leading shipyards such as Grupo Armón, Metalships, Nodosa Shipyard, Zamakona Yards in the Canary Islands, Damen Shipyards in the Netherlands, and West Sea Viana in Portugal will discuss capabilities and the importance of the value chain.
With regard to shipowners, companies such as Eimskip Group and Höeg Autoliners will participate, offering their views on trends and opportunities for the industry in the current landscape.
Business and diversification opportunities will also be addressed, with Navantia Seanergies discussing offshore wind power, Suardiaz Group discussing logistics, Ghenova discussing engineering, and Freire Shipyard discussing the vector.
The event will be opened by Carlos Botana, President of the Vigo Port Authority, and David Regades, Delegate of the Vigo Free Trade Zone Consortium. The closing ceremony will feature speeches by Justo Sierra, President of Asime; Abel Caballero, Mayor of Vigo; and Alfonso Rueda, President of the Regional Government of Galicia.
State of the sector
Regarding the current state of the naval-maritime industry in Galicia, Enrique Mallón took the opportunity to emphasize that “we are in a good moment, with production capacity at around 80% on average. These are good figures, but there is room for further growth. We must continue working to expand our order book and projects, which is why conferences such as the Maritime Trends Summit are crucial for our sector.”
Asime highlights Galicia’s leadership in strategic niches such as oceanographic and research vessels, fishing vessels, auxiliary vessels for marine renewable energy, and offshore vessels, segments where the national industry competes in terms of quality, innovation, and sustainability. Added to these is the security and defense vector, promoted by the specialized group SECDEFENSE-Asime, where “we not only lead with the construction of the F-110 frigates at the Ferrol shipyard, but also with various vessels and patrol boats for national and international security forces.”
The naval-maritime ecosystem continues to be one of the major industrial drivers. Currently, Asime brings together more than 270 companies with naval and maritime capabilities, generating around 8,500 direct jobs and several thousand indirect jobs, constituting a fundamental pillar of the Galician industrial fabric.
In addition, the Galician naval industry maintains a marked international character. In the last decade, around 90% of the ships built in Galicia were destined for export, consolidating their presence in strategic markets in Europe, America, and Asia.
In terms of its order book, Galicia continues to play a decisive role within the Spanish naval sector as a whole. The year 2025 closed with 34 orders in the portfolio, six of which were for F-110 frigates and a support vessel for the Spanish Navy, while private shipyards accumulated a total of 28 vessels contracted for a value of €1.6 billion. Eighty percent of these will be for foreign shipowners. Galicia thus accounts for 41% of the national order book and 33% of new contracts.
Among the challenges, Mallón emphasized employment: “New orders, especially those associated with the F-110 frigates, will require Navantia and its subcontractors to practically double their workforce, meaning that more than 4,000 additional people will be needed in the shipbuilding industry in the short to medium term. To alleviate this shortage, foreign workers are already being recruited, especially from Spanish-speaking countries. Currently, there are already some 800 jobs filled by non-EU workers, but this is not enough for shipyards and auxiliary companies to take on new contracts.”
Asime concluded by inviting “companies in the sector to participate in the Maritime Trends Summit and be part of this conversation about the present and future of the maritime, naval, and port world. We firmly believe that together we can contribute to the growth and sustainable development of this industry. We are sure that it will be an enriching experience for everyone.”
