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Hamburg has been announced as the location for a maritime industry summit which will focus solely on the environment.

For two days, industry experts from all over the world will attend the Global Maritime Environmental Congress (GMEC) to discuss developments, present results, and attempt to set a new course for sustainable green shipping. Patronage for this event, which is to be held regularly in future, has been accepted by Chancellor Angela Merkel.

The Global Maritime Environmental Congress (GMEC) will be the first high-ranking conference dedicated exclusively to issue of environmental protection in the maritime industry. From 7 to 8 September 2010, more than 700 leading representatives from industry, government, academia, navies, tourism and environmental protection will meet in Hamburg to discuss specific solutions for environment-friendly, sustainable shipping.

The three Chairmen of the event, Micky Arison, Corrado Antonini and Spyros Polemis, are among the top names in international shipping. "We have a total commitment to protect the maritime environment, to use resources more efficiently, and to do more than what is required by the statutory international environmental requirements," said Micky Arison, Chairman of Carnival Corporation, the world's largest cruise company, who is also Chairman of GMEC.

"Hamburg, which is the European Green Capital 2011, is the ideal place to establish GMEC as a platform for the first regular environmental conference of its kind," said Bernd Aufderheide, President and CEO of Hamburg Messe und Congress GmbH.

GMEC - Worldwide environment protection activities

GMEC will aim to make a major contribution to achieving worldwide goals. The packed conference schedule will address subjects such as energy and emission issues at sea, the use of innovative propulsion concepts, green design and building for passenger vessels, navy and merchant ships. It will also aim to provide answers to questions concerning environmental protection in ports and regional maritime areas.

The new conference will be held during SMM 2010, the world's leading ship building fair, with nearly 2,000 exhibitors and more than 52,000 trade visitors.

"The conference is vitally important," said Corrado Antonini, CEO of Fincantieri, Italy's largest shipbuilding company, and also a member of the Board of GMEC, "because the development of innovative, efficient technologies is essential to the future of the whole of the maritime industry."

GMEC will produce concrete results

This conference, to be held every two years in future, is organised by Hamburg Messe und Congress GmbH in cooperation with Jochen Deerberg, Owner and CEO of the world's leading maritime equipment supplier of waste treatment and disposal systems.

"GMEC will not just be for show," promises Jochen Deerberg, "but will take up the challenges and opportunities of environmental protection and sustainability, generate new inputs for the whole of the maritime industry, and produce concrete results."