Helsinki, Rotterdam and Hamburg are officially supporting the ‘An Oceanic Awakening,’ initiative launched at SMM to help ports move towards achieving greater efficiency and sustainability through these ecosystems, which rely on developments including digitalisation and cost-effective, carbon-free shipping via smart vessels.
Wärtsilä president and CEO, Jaakko Eskola, said: “We simply cannot afford to wait for the marine and energy industries to evolve at their own pace. The calls for greater efficiency, sustainability, and connectivity are simply too strong to be ignored.
“Rapid acceleration to benefit the entire sector, as well as society at large, is urgently required, and ‘An Oceanic Awakening’ is our wake-up call to everyone, heralding the beginning of our journey to making the future of shipping and energy a reality.”
To fulfil its mission, Wärtsilä has formed SEA20, which calls on the world’s most strategically important marine cities, including New York, Singapore, Hamburg, Helsinki, and Rotterdam, to develop a digitalised marine ecosystem – or Smart Marine – by 2020. This encompasses connectivity, data-sharing, intelligent automation and intelligent, carbon-free vessels, which feature efficient designs, hybrid propulsion technologies and cleaner fuels for eco-friendly shipping.
