Good news was scarce for the global shipbuilding industry last year: The global orderbook continued to shrink. The number of[ds_preview] active shipyards in the intenational newbuilding market has reduced by nearly 2/3 and many of the about 360 shipyards are currently completing their last vessel Not exactly a great outlook, one should think. However, for German shipbuilders the situation looks quite different.
Ten years ago German yards turned away from building standard ship types, specialising on highly complex passenger ships, ferries, yachts, all types of naval ships and other purpose-built vessels. Early on they had to adapt to the changing market conditions, which helped tremendously to weather the current market storm successfully.
As to marine equipment, VSM members deliver innovative solutions to meet future environmental policy-related and regulatory challenges. Highly effective systems for ballast water management and systems reducing greenhouse gases and harmful substances are now available, as are new, clean options, such as LNG and methanol, providing the means to tackle the maritime energy transition. Electrical as well as hybrid propulsion systems (combining batteries with diesel or gas-powered generators) have also been deployed successfully. And since low emissions are great and no emissions are even better, fuel cell technology is utilized to generate climate friendly energy for on-board use.
The German maritime industry has developed leadership in innovative green technologies and advanced solutions for challenging projects. The comprehensive expertise has contributed significantly to the good results German shipbuilders have achieved even in times of crisis, with the German orderbook climbing to an amazing all-time high of nearly 18.5 bn € in 2016.
This year’s Ship of The Year, the 98m yacht »Aviva«, is an excellent example highlighting the green competence of German shipyards and equipment manufacturers: Her optimised hull design combines outstanding seaworthiness with a resistance reduced by 20%. The propulsion concept, based on a hybrid drive system, is quiet and eco-friendly.
No reason for us to be complacent, however. Rather, we take this as an encouragement to continue driving the development of innovative, and most of all, economically feasible solutions. The compilation of newbuilds delivered in 2017, compiled in this year’s Special Edition, highlights further impressive examples of the innovative impetus and versatility of the German shipbuilding and ocean engineering industry.
The German maritime industry looks forward to serving customers and partners with tailor-made and efficient products, designs and services worldwide. Industry delegations, exhibiting on the leading fairs and the German Maritime Export Initiative (GeMaX) are just some examples for our strong commitment to work together successfully on international projects.
