Ladies and gentlemen,

Today and tomorrow the Danish Maritime Technology Conference will set the scene for presentations and breakout sessions that will both enlighten and inspire you. Digitalization, new technologies and competencies that comply with increasingly smarter, greener, and more intelligent maritime systems are key points for the conference sessions this afternoon and tomorrow morning. These topics are of importance to people everywhere in the maritime world – and not least to Danish maritime suppliers.

The sea surrounds Denmark and has been a strong influential factor in our development into one of the world’s leading maritime nations. Denmark consists of more than 400 islands with coastline of over 7,000 kilometres. Here you are never more than 50 kilometres from the sea. Danes have been active in the shipping business since before the Viking era, and maritime transportation has been a vital source of income in Denmark for many centuries and is continuously growing together with increasing international trade.

In fact, Denmark is the world's 7th largest maritime nation measured on production value for export, and the productivity in the Danish maritime industry is 2.5 times higher than in the Danish industry altogether.

To many people the maritime industry is not all that visible. Even so it influences all of us, as we all depend on the maritime industry for numerous things in our everyday life. We are surrounded by commodities brought to us with help from maritime technology, as around 80 percent of all trade in goods is transported by ship. Maybe your coffee came from Africa, your smartphone from Asia and your office chair from somewhere in Europe. The labels might tell you where the products were made, but the products wouldn’t be with you had it not been for the ships that brought them across the sea.

The world economy is tightly woven together by the global supply chains, which are both creating business opportunities and delivering cheaper goods to consumers all around the world. And relative to size, Denmark plays a significant part in this intricate and complicated system of world trade.

Even though international shipping is the cheapest most climate-friendly way to transport goods, it is important to continuously aim at further reducing shipping’s impact on the environment and the climate. For this, innovative maritime technology is key. That also applies for safety: human, vessel, cargo and of course environment!

Denmark is a world leader in maritime technology. We are known for our innovative technological solutions, eco-efficient services, and maritime safety equipment. Therefore, most large cargo ships today are equipped with Danish maritime technology, products, or equipment. To give an example, more than 70 percent of two-stroke ship engines installed on vessels worldwide are designed in Denmark. And Danish maritime manufacturers are considered as global frontrunners in areas such as ballast water treatment systems and technologies that prevent air pollution from ships.

So, even though Denmark does not take up much space on the world map, our country is a maritime superpower. Danish maritime suppliers provide high quality maritime technology products and solutions to shipyards and ship owners all over the world.

Bear that in mind while learning more at the conference. Have a great stay in Copenhagen!