The 17th edition of Asia Pacific Maritime (APM), Asia’s premier shipbuilding & marine, workboat and offshore exhibition and conference, concluded on an upbeat note with attendees expressing optimism for an anticipated upturn.
Held from 16 to 18 March 2022, the three-day event recorded 7,285 trade attendees. A total of 286 participating companies from 27 countries and regions, 60 thought leaders and subject experts as speakers came together for a long-awaited face-to-face experience. As an affirmation to its strong international support, APM 2022 brought together 8 official pavilions from Australia, Germany, Singapore, South Korea (2 contingents), Taiwan, The Netherlands, and United Kingdom
Paul Gannaway of Asianfast Group “It’s a breath of fresh air to be able to meet with our suppliers face-to-face after so many years. The main thing for me is the interaction with suppliers to understand where they’ve gone with technology and what the possibilities for us in the future”
Ishak Kadir of Korindo Energy shared the same sentiment, “We have been participating at APM for the last 10 years and it has never failed us. What I miss most is the personal interactions with people from the maritime industry and that is generally what everyone else miss most. Now that APM is back, it feels like we are back to the old days”.
Several announcements and launches were made at APM this year, validating that business opportunities in this region remain attractive for the industry and that APM is the key platform to forge business partnerships and ink collaborations.
- A memorandum of understanding (MoU) was inked under the witness of Ms Quah Ley Hoon, Chief Executive of the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA), who officiated the Opening of APM 2022 on 16 March. The MoU signed by Mr Wilson Ang, Executive Director of Association of Singapore Marine Industries (ASMI) and Mr Kim Sung-Jun, Executive Director of Korea Marine Equipment Association (KOMEA) formalised a closer collaboration between the two associations and allowed their members to leverage shared networks and expertise and work together to develop joint offerings and more comprehensive solutions to asset owners and managers of the global maritime sector.
- On a commercial front, a transmission solutions contract was signed and announced at APM 2022. The contract signed between REINTJES Asia Pacific and Penguin Shipyard International for its landmark “Electric Dream” ferry project, comprised of three pure-electric high-speed passenger ferries and a rapid shore charging system which will be designed, built, owned, and operated by Penguin. Yet another step towards net-zero emissions in the shipping sector.
- Several product launches were also announced at APM 2022. HamiltonJet unveiled its latest AVXexpress designed for smaller vessels. This next-gen electronic control will enable seamless integration of its skipper assistance, autonomous, electrification and digitalisation solutions.
- HamiltonJet also launched its latest intelligent voyage product, ETSense, a 3-in-1 system featuring navigation, multi-sensor fusion and computer vision. It utilises Artificial Intelligence (AI) and advanced autonomy to perceive the domain and maintain precise control of steering and speed during a voyage and re-route to avoid traffic and obstacles, while enabling a new level of streaming data to improve on-water operations
- Asia’s premier satellite solutions provider, AsiaSat, announced plans to expand its SAILAS’s end-to-end managed connectivity service to further increase operational efficiency and safety for vessel operators, and enhance communication and entertainment experience of crews and passengers on board.
- Not only is APM an industry-recognised platform for business collaborations, it is also a platform for learning and sharing of knowledge. This year, the APM conference featured 60 speakers, thought leaders and subject experts who addressed challenges, exchanged ideas to overcome these challenges and shared views on upcoming trends on Container Shipping & Ports, Maritime Cybersecurity and Sustainability and Technology.
The physical tradeshow may be over, but maritime professionals who were unable to attend, can view the videos-on-demand of all the conference sessions and continue to source products and services showcased by the exhibitors on APM ONLINE+. Buyers who wish to set up meetings with APM exhibitors can also reach out to us at apm.rsvp@rxglobal.com.
APM will make a strong return in 2024, from 13 to 15 March, occupying all six halls at Marina Bay Sands, Singapore. To-date, 75% of the exhibition floor space is already sold.
