Review

SMM 2026: Charting the future of the maritime industry

For four inspiring days, Hamburg once again became the global meeting point for the maritime industry.

At SMM 2026, more than 50,000 participants from 134 countries came together to explore innovations, exchange ideas and build new partnerships. Around 2,300 exhibiting companies from 66 nations showcased cutting-edge technologies and solutions, turning the exhibition grounds into the heart of the international maritime community.

Facts & figures

The participants

50.000
participants
2.300
exhibitors
134
nations and regions

Decision makers

decision makers

The location

90.000
square metre
12
halls

The programme

5
Transition Stages
4
Fachkonferenzen
410
Speaker
153
Sessions

Innovating for tomorrow's challenges

Throughout the event, a strong sense of optimism and determination could be felt across the industry. Despite ongoing geopolitical and regulatory challenges, companies demonstrated a clear willingness to invest, innovate and accelerate transformation. One message stood out: the industry is no longer talking about future possibilities alone, but about implementing solutions that deliver value today.

Innovationen für die Herausforderungen von morgen

of visitors say that SMM provides valuable inspiration
of visitors see the trade fair as a key factor in the success of their business

Navigating a new era of security

While decarbonisation, energy efficiency and digitalisation remained key priorities, maritime security and resilience emerged as defining themes of this year's event. The new Naval Hall and the MS&D Conference & Expo created a dedicated platform for discussions on defence technologies, cybersecurity and the protection of critical maritime infrastructure.

Open conference format in the exhibition halls widely applauded

Held in the exhibition halls and open to all fair trade participants for the first time, the conferences proved to be extremely popular. On the open stages more than 300 speakers provided practical insights and discussed the industry’s most pressing issues in a total of 70 sessions.

Initiator Claus Ulrich Selbach is more than pleased about the success of this new concept: “We achieved exactly what we had in mind: to maximise the exchange of ideas and knowledge,” says the Business Unit Director Maritime & Technology Exhibitions at HMC.

Young talents secure the industry’s future

Ausstellende unterhalten sich mit Besuchenden.

Maritime Career Market

Providing opportunities for employers to meet tomorrow’s skilled professionals was another focus at SMM 2024 – after all, the future of the sector heavily depends on the availability of skilled labour.

At its two-day Maritime Career Market, the flagship fair again provided a hugely popular platform for young talents, recruiters and education institutes to join hands. Companies provided fascinating insights into a variety of maritime careers while experts presented crucial career tips.

Im Start-up-Bereich sind einzelne Stände zu sehen, die von vielen Besuchenden umgeben sind.

Start-ups@SMM

Another part of the fair fostering inspiring discoveries was Start-ups@SMM where young companies showcased their innovative ideas in two specially designated areas.

Here, visitors learnt exciting start-up stories and had the chance to get to know the next industry pioneers.

AI CENTER

One topic of special allure: Artificial Intelligence. The AI CENTER provided a host of information on the state of the art.

“The AI Center offers start-ups a fantastic opportunity to build a reputation within the industry. We were incredibly busy here and were able to make many valuable new business contacts,” says Madelena Ko from Tecway Maritime Technology Limited, summing up her experience.

Ausstellende und Besucher unterhalten sich im Start-up Bereich. Es sind einige Bildschirme zu sehen.

Eine Ausstellungshalle mit sichtbaren Ständen, Ausstellenden und Besuchenden. Im Vordergrund und Hintergrund ist der Hauptgang der Halle erkennbar, der die Stände miteinander verbindet.

Ausstellende unterhalten sich mit Besuchenden an einem Pult.

Nahaufnahme eines Redners während einer Präsentation über Augmented Reality in der Schifffahrt.

Besuchende und Ausstellende unterhalten sich.

Redner spricht ins Mikrofon bei einer Präsentation über Augmented Reality, Zuhörer im Publikum sind sichtbar.

Mehrere Ausstellende stehen an einem Pult und füllen ein Papier aus.

Blick auf das AI Center mit vielen Besuchern und Ausstellern.

Ein Ausstellender steht an seinem Stand und unterhält sich mit einem Besuchenden. Im Hintergrund sind weitere Stände und Personen in der Ausstellungshalle zu sehen.

Auf der SMM kann ich in kurzer Zeit mit den Entscheidern aus den verschiedensten maritimen Unternehmen über die wichtigen Themen sprechen – ich bin froh, dass es diese Messe gibt. Unser Highlight war definitiv die Vertragsunterzeichnung mit thyssenkrupp Marine Systems für die Zusammenarbeit beim Bau der F127-Fregatten für die Deutsche Marine.

Harald Jaekel
CEO
Peene Werft, NVL-Group

The response at SMM 2024 has been incredibly positive. The market is extremely active across all segments, and business hasn’t been better for the past 30 years. SMM is and will be the key meeting place for the maritime industry – there’s practically no customer of ours that isn’t here. Everybody is present.”

Martin Johannsmann
CEO, SKF Marine
Chairman of the Board, VDMA Marine Equipment and Systems

A global flagship fair such as SMM is always a great opportunity to put the focus on acting together in an international industry.

Kathrin Lau
Editor In Chief
Schiff&Hafen

SMM is one of the leading trade fairs for the maritime industry worldwide. As a European hub, Hamburg is very important to us. It is not only about finalising deals here; in many cases, our focus is on strengthening business relationships and exchanging views and ideas. You might say, it is almost like a family reunion.

Mathias Stern
Sales Manager
Kongsberg Maritime

This year we are seeing a lot of activity in the area of cruise ship and ferry refits. SMM is the perfect place for us to showcase our large product portfolio. Here we can present everything to shipowners and other customers all at once – from fire protection to naval shipbuilding, and through to ship interiors.

Jürgen Trost
CEO
Kaefer Schiffsausbau

SMM is the global magnet of the maritime industry. We can tell by looking at the audience profile, the quality of discussions, and even at our own participant numbers: Our experts from around the world come to Hamburg for this event. It is the perfect place to showcase our sustainable portfolio – such as our innovative joint venture Oceanbird.

Sven Schreiber
CEO
Alfa Laval Mid Europe

In a rapidly evolving global landscape, the maritime industry is at the forefront of technological innovation. New technologies and digital transformation are driving profound changes in ship design, construction, and operation. This future raises questions, and you will find many of the answers at SMM.

Dr. Reinhard Lüken
CEO
Verband deutscher Schiffbau und Meerestechnik (VSM)

The SMM trade fair is a key event for RINA, bringing together industry leaders, innovators, and stakeholders from around the world. It offers us a valuable platform to showcase our latest solution and engage directly with clients and partners. Our participation in SMM allows us to stay at the cutting edge of industry trends, exchange knowledge, and collaborate on innovations that drive the maritime sector forward.

Fiorenzo Spadoni
Marine North Europe Region Senior Director
RINA

Man und Frau unterhalten sich bei einem Sekt.

Excellent mood and lively discussions late into the evenings

The new digital SMM Networking Platform created a perfect environment for striking up conversations and establishing valuable new business contacts, not only virtually but also at many meeting points at the fair and during the well-attended Wine o'clock parties at the end of the fair days.

Industry representatives were able to share ideas and establish new partnerships in a stimulating atmosphere.

All this makes SMM the pivotal platform of the maritime community, a place where face-to-face interaction and direct information-sharing are front and centre.