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| Turkish Government Supports Smm Istanbul SMM Istanbul has the full support of the Turkish Government. This is the first SMM Istanbul, and is to be held at the centrally located Lütfi Kirdar Convention & Exhibition Centre (ICEC) on the European side of Istanbul, from 21 to 23 January 2009. Funding is provided by the Turkish Development Centre for Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (KOSGEB), which is supervised by the Turkish Economics Ministry, to all exhibitors that have a production facility in Turkey. So KOSGEB funding goes not only to the 75 or so Turkish companies among the 150 exhibitors, but also to foreign companies which have an official company office and production facilities in Turkey. The Turkish Government will also be well represented at the Opening of SMM Istanbul. Prominent guests will be Transport Minister Binali Yildirim and State Secretary Kürsat Tüzmen-Ihracat, and also Kadir Topbas (Mayor of Istanbul), and Murat Bayrak (President of the Turkish Shipbuilders' Association GISBIR). Their presence is welcomed and appreciated by the organisers, Hamburg Messe und Congress GmbH (HMC), the organiser of the world's leading shipbuilding industry SMM, together with their partner Goca Fuar Kongre ve Sergi Hizmetleri Ltd.Şti (Goca Exhibitions). The appeal of SMM Istanbul is due not only to the numerous innovations it presents and the international flair which it has with exhibitors from 30 countries, but also to its three-day conference, with a comprehensive programme covering all the key issues of the global shipbuilding and marine equipment industries. The various sessions focus on safety and security, market trends, green technologies on ships, modern propulsion systems and coatings, software applications in the shipbuilding industry, ship financing, trends in the superyacht segment, and the openings for Turkish shipyards to get into wind turbine construction. Following the pirate attacks last year, especially the incidents off the Somalian coast, the session on "Ship & Port Security" on the first day of SMM Istanbul is expected to attract particular attention. Speakers include outstanding Turkish security experts. The Chairman is Oryal Ünver, Captain (Ret.) of the Turkish Navy and President of the Turkish Security Association Güsod, and a member of CoESS (Confederation of European Security Services, established in 1989). He emphasises the prominent position of the conference, noting that it covers all the major security aspects, such as crisis management by companies, legal and technical implications of piracy and terrorism, the role of the Turkish Navy in application of ISPS Code, the latter's future developments, and new technical security methods. "These issues and the eminent speakers guarantee the success of the event. This conference at SMM Istanbul will have a major impact on maritime security in Turkey." Conference delegates can look forward with interest to the answers given by speakers at the "Shipbuilding Market Trends" session, addressing the difficult position of the shipbuilding industry at the present time. Dr. Reinhard Lüken, Secretary General of CESA, will report on the options for European shipyards to manoeuvre their way out of the stormy waters. Paola Lacellotti, Secretary General of EMEC (European Marine Equipment Council), will show that crises can also bring opportunities, in her presentation on the current and future challenges of the European marine equipment industry. Green technologies are moving up the priority lists of developers as tougher regulations come in from the UN International Maritime Organization (IMO). Jochen Deerberg, owner and CEO of Deerberg-Systems GmbH, presents the latest environmental engineering development of his company, an intelligent combined system for drying solid and liquid wastes such as food waste, oils and sludges, using the waste heat from the ship's combustion system. "This is not about green image, " says Deerberg, "it is about responsibility for the environment." That is the theme which Deerberg wants to develop with leading Turkish shipyards engaged in the superyacht sector, for the development of environmental systems there – because green technology is still "in its infancy" in this sector. SMM Istanbul is not a bad place to launch this initiative, in view of the changes in regulations for waste water processing in superyachts from 2010 onwards. In recent years, Turkey has also caught up with established shipbuilding nations in superyacht building. An overview of the current market situation in this sector will be given at the SMM Istanbul conference by Marcus Krall, Editor-in-Chief of the "Boote Exclusiv" magazine published by Delius Klasing Verlag. He notes that currently more than 1, 000 yachts with overall length of more than 24 metres are on order – "up more than 10% versus 2007". That benefits the 110 or so builders, including about ten shipbuilders from Turkey, whose order books currently include 25 yacht projects. The global economic crisis has not yet caused excessive disruption in this exclusive shipbuilding sector. "The financial crisis will not pass the superyacht segment by, but the situation is by no means dramatic, " says Marcus Krall. A new subject for shipbuilding fairs is addressed by the SMM Istanbul session on "Wind energy, a new market for Turkish shipyards". Wind energy market and technology experts there include M. Kemal Büyükmihci, Director General of Electrical Power Resources Survey & Development Administration (EIE) and Peter Kjällström, Sales Manager of Pemamek Oy. write your comments about the article :: © 2009 Exhibition News :: home page |