Moving from smart talk to practical solutions and bringing stakeholders together will be the key themes of an industry event organised by Inmarsat, a Viasat business, in partnership with Smart Maritime Network during London International Shipping Week 2023. Staged at Inmarsat headquarters on 12 September, the conference will focus on the increasingly decisive role satellite technology plays in shaping smarter and more sustainable shipping.

In addition to panelists from some of the most pioneering users and developers of digital solutions in maritime, London-headquartered Inmarsat has confirmed guest speaker Helen Sharman CMG OBE. Helen Sharman, who became the UK’s first astronaut in 1991, is President of the Institute of Science and Technology.

The science communicator will bring an extraordinary perspective to an event that is shaping up as the maritime technology highlight of LISW 2023.

Keynote speaker Ben Palmer, President, Inmarsat Maritime, said “Connectivity is the oxygen-sustaining opportunities for shipping to create value and cut its CO2 emissions. It supports the data-based decision-making that delivers measurable vessel efficiency gains and the transparency now demanded of shipping to drive real change on decarbonisation. As Diamond Sponsor for LISW, Inmarsat’s objective is to focus minds across London’s maritime ecosystem on the true potential information offers to enhance profitability and sustainability.”

The London conference is the flagship in a series of Inmarsat events focusing on the smart solutions that nurture profitability as shipping pursues its digitalisation and decarbonisation aims. In this instance, separate panel sessions will focus on Enabling smarter and more profitable operations and Enabling a sustainable future.

In the first, discussions will hone in on collaboration, technology, data sharing and balancing the imperatives of growth and reduced ship emissions. Moderated by Giampiero Soncini, Managing Director, Oceanly, speakers include Peter Schellenberger, Founder of Novamaxis, James Pomeroy, Global Economist, HSBC; Sunit Das, Operations Director at Hadley Shipping Group; and Marco Cristoforo Camporeale, Senior Director, Strategy at Inmarsat Maritime.

The second session will focus on the drivers, incentives and enablement of sustainable shipping. Participants include Mette Asmussen, Maritime Sector Initiatives Lead, World Economic Forum; Anne Katrine Bjerregaard, Head of Strategy, Sustainability & ESG at Maersk Mc-Kinney Moller Center for Zero Carbon Shipping; and Gert-Jan Panken, VP, Inmarsat Maritime. The session will be moderated by Risto-Juhani Kariranta, CEO Ahti Climate.

The conference will bring together participants from across the maritime industry, encompassing shipping companies, technology innovators, training institutions, and more.