During the largest European maritime exhibition SMM Hamburg, together with BlueCity, Netherlands Maritime Technology and Centre of Maritime Technologies, we brought together Dutch and German circular maritime frontrunners and their stakeholders with the goal to accelerate their cases and ignite European collaboration with regards to circularity. This was done with a dinner that was hosted by the city of Rotterdam, Smart Delta Drechtsteden and the Province of South-Holland.
The dinner also marked the kick-off of our circular maritime annual plan with which – together with BlueCity – we aim to further support and ignite circular maritime steps.
About the dinner, the partners & our role
The aim of the dinner was fostering circular collaborations and accelerating the frontrunner cases present, alongside creating valuable networking opportunities. Together with BlueCity, Netherlands Maritime Technology (NMT), Maritime Delta and CirclesOfLife we played an important role in bringing together relevant stakeholders and provided valuable insights from both our exploration of Circular Opportunities for Maritime* as well as the follow-up with market players.
*Curious about this exploration? It is now available in English! Download it here.
The dinner was held at the Atlantic Hotel. During the starter, Dewi Wesselman from Damen Shipyards presented the company’s key elements and highlighted the importance of the CirclesOfLife’s project. Paul Riesen from Greenboats then took the stage to showcase their innovative materials and products that contribute to a circular economy.
About the circular cases
During the main course, a total of four case studies were discussed, two German and two Dutch. The first German case study, developed by Thomas Koch from Atlantec, focused on the role of digital tools in enhancing circularity in the maritime industry. The second, presented by Gijs Streppel from Meyer Werft, explored circular business models within the sector. The discussion revealed that changes in material and component ownership would increase the complexity of shipbuilding.
One of the Dutch case studies, presented by Paul Grizell from AEGIR-Marine, focused on the remanufacturing of maritime equipment. During the discussions about remanufacturing, circular thinking gained more traction among the attendees. The final case study, presented by Martin Terpstra from Alewijnse, addressed the reduction of cable usage on ships to conserve scarce materials, save costs and reduce weight. This topic sparked enthusiasm among some of the participants, who were keen to contribute their ideas.
The table discussions were facilitated by Vice-Mayor of Rotterdam Robert Simons and Esther Roth of Municipality of Rotterdam, Director Jeroen de Graaf and Rosanne van Houwelingen of Netherlands Maritime Technology and Circles of Life, Michiel Sweers, Director General Foreign Economic Relations of the Ministry of International Trade and Development and Dewi Wesselman of Damen Shipyards, and Alderman and represtative of the Region Smart Delta Drechtsteden Jan Nederveen and Marjolein Boer of Maritime Sisters. Sylvia (Maritime Sisters) moderated the overall event.
Next Steps
Together with these great partners and networks, we continue working towards a sustainable and circular maritime future!
Please keep an eye out for our next circular steps, as we will continue to place updates on this website.