As adviser to the Institute for Security Policy at Kiel University, Patrick O’Keeffe is well familiar with security situations around the world. A trained aerospace engineer, he will focus his presentation on cyber security during naval operations. High-tech applications are in the spotlight at thyssenkrupp Marine Systems (tkMS), as well. Specialised on naval shipbuilding, the company is currently dealing with an “explosive inheritance” from World War II. There are still vast amounts of discarded ammunition lying on the bottom of the sea. In German territorial waters alone, there are approximately 1.6 million tonnes left. “We only have a few years to act before a large portion of the ammunition will be rusted through,” says tkMS General Manager Knut Baumann. In his speech he will present a partially autonomous recovery system used to defuse these ticking timebombs.
Unmanned systems are on the agenda of the second panel, as well: Ares Shipyard, for example, has developed an armed unmanned surface vehicle (USV). At SMM, the Turkish shipyard will present the numerous potential uses of the “ULAQ”, which can travel at speeds of up to 70 kilometres per hour.
Green fuels which may be suitable for naval vessels are the topic of the presentation by Andreas Junginger from MAN Energy Solutions, connecting the military with the civilian maritime world and the key topic of SMM: The Maritime Transition to emission-free shipping.