Sea Tech Week® has become an important fixture on the international calendar for the maritime sector. Organised every two years by Technopôle Brest-Iroise through Campus mondial de la mer, Sea Tech Week® attracts participants from all over the world. During the 13th iteration of the event between 26 and 30 September, the topic of maritime transport will be explored through the lens of its impact on the environment, and this year’s featured country will be India. Sea Tech Week® offers a week of events including plenary discussions, science and technology sessions and a trade fair. It will also host the 18^th French Congress of Sedimentology (28-30 September) and the Concarneau Meetings ‘Where industry meets science’ (29 September in Brest and 30 September in Concarneau).

Three themed plenary sessions…

Central to Sea Tech Week® is the main conference which will explore the theme of maritime transport through three plenary sessions. These one-hour round tables will examine major topics from a forward-looking perspective, with high-calibre panellists drawn from the international scientific community, business and industry, and a range of local, national and international bodies. These sessions are organised in partnership with the French Maritime Cluster and Armateurs de France, highly experienced experts in the maritime transport sector and leading voices in the current debates.

The three plenary sessions will take place in the early afternoon:

• Tuesday 27 September: New propulsion systems for low-carbon shipping

Contributors: IMO* to look at the regulatory framework and its influence on innovation in the sector, French company Grain de Sail on wind propulsion, Norwegian company Hyke on electric transportation and IFP Energies nouvelles to present an overview of research into e-fuels.

• Wednesday 28 September: Data challenges applied to maritime transport

Contributors: EMSA** to look at the security aspects, India’s National Hydrographic Office and three commercial enterprises: Brittany Ferries and its innovation and digitalisation department, Blue Observer and its research vessel, and Opsealog which analyses vessel emissions data.

• Thursday 29 September: Evolution of training and jobs, the place of women in maritime transport

Contributors: OECD to explain the trends in terms of training and new professions, Wista*** India to provide the perspective of maritime jobs in India and for women, CINav on naval jobs, and contributions from three former students.

Jean-Emmanuel Sauvée, President of Armateurs de France commented: “With the environmental, economic, social, security and geopolitical aspects, in many ways shipping provides a microcosm of the challenges confronting ‘the global market’. In the face of the climate emergency, public health challenges and the need to preserve biodiversity, French shipowners are more motivated than ever to help develop concrete solutions to reduce the environmental impact of their activities. I’m convinced that inter-industry and international collaboration is crucial, especially when it comes to achieving decarbonisation objectives. That’s not something shipowners can manage on their own. Everyone in the chain, from shipyards to energy providers, equipment manufacturers, shipping companies, banks, financiers and scientists must join forces. Armateurs de France therefore sees events like Sea Tech Week® as hugely important in bringing together experts from the whole maritime sector.”

…and 31 parallel sessions for a deeper dive

Throughout the week, the parallel sessions will provide an opportunity to examine in more detail the key themes featured in the plenaries. The topics covered include climate change adaptation, the new IMO regulation, the latest innovations in greener maritime transport, wind propulsion, offshore hydrogen, preventing and limiting underwater noise, and designing the environmentally friendly ports of tomorrow.

Pierre Tandeo, teacher and researcher at IMT Atlantique and member of the Lab-STICC laboratory, will lead the session on Artificial intelligence in meteorology and oceanography on Monday 26 September. “Artificial intelligence can help to optimise routing for shipping and maritime transport – using marine surface currents and avoiding rougher waters… With satellite data we can create maps of currents and pressure fields, produce general temperature, salinity, and wind statistics, and establish modelling, real-time predictions and short-term forecasts. There are numerous challenges ahead for maritime transport: to become more efficient, reduce fuel consumption, safeguard routes and anticipate extreme waves and potential damage.” Pierre Tandeo will be accompanied by a representative from the Riken research centre in Japan, a partner of IMT Atlantique since 2019. “Japan is very interested in the data generated, particularly since the country is affected by a powerful current similar to the Gulf Stream.”

*International Maritime Organization

**European Maritime Safety Agency

***Women’s International Shipping & Trading Association

Registration still open!

Registration for Sea Tech Week® 2022 still open. 

Sea Tech Week® website: www.seatechweek.eu

@SeaTechWeek / #SeaTech2022

About Sea Tech Week®

Sea Tech Week® is an international event dedicated to marine and maritime science and technology. It attracts over a thousand top international experts to Brest, France, every two years, representing a wide variety of ocean-related disciplines. Sea Tech Week® is a conference including science and technology talks, a professional trade fair, BtoB meetings, company and laboratory tours and a gala evening.

This event provides scientists, companies, clusters, students and others the opportunity to share progress in research and innovation, forge a professional network of contacts and improve partnerships and cooperation.

Sea Tech Week® is organised by Technopôle Brest-Iroise through Campus mondial de la mer, France’s premier community of experts in studying and working with the ocean, located at the tip of Brittany. This event is supported by Brest métropole, Brittany Region, the European Union (ERDF) and Crédit Mutuel Arkéa