leads to more
efficient operations.
ers, since it tends to increase safety and
makes the shipping business more eco-
nomically viable. Digital connections allow
the ship to be steered from a land-based
control room, while a captain can take over
under demanding circumstances.
DECARBONIZING THE SEAS
And then there is the sustainability angle.
Finnish companies have gained a global
reputation for creating smart, green inno-
vations: among these are advanced energy
management and fleet performance sys-
tems which reduce emissions and increase
fuel savings.
Luxury cruise ships, for example, ben-
efit from technology that allows them to
sail into waters with strict emission lim-
its or journey into fragile ecosystem areas.
It is no coincidence then that 60% of all
the world’s largest luxury cruise ships are
designed in Finland (and one third were
built by Finnish shipyards) – the cruise lines
are gravitating towards greener ships and
nobody has a better reputation in this
regard than the Finns.
BLUE GOES GREEN
The shipping industry will go increasingly
green, once the EU’s Green Deal pol-
icy really gets going. In December 2019,
SEA Europe – the Shipyards’ and Mari-
time Equipment Association of Europe –
welcomed Green Deal as a very ambitious
political engagement in support of a cli-
mate neutral society by 2050.
SEA Europe noted that the Green
Deal for Europe offers “interesting chal-
lenges and great opportunities” for
Europe’s shipyards and maritime equip-
ment industry. In addition, it will allow
the sector to enhance its global compet-
itiveness, whilst contributing in fulfilling
the Commission’s targets and in building a
sustainable “blue economy” for Europe. n
46
seatec 2020
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Digitalization