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The University of Southampton
Southampton Marine and Maritime Institute

Global Marine Technology Trends 2030

Technology development is accelerating and will continue to do so. There is no indication that its rapid pace will slow in the next 15 years, nor will the trend toward the increasingly integrated nature of technology applications reverse. While the technology revolution is extensive, it will play out differently in commercial shipping, naval, and ocean space sectors. The Global Marine Technology Trends 2030 (GMTT2030) Report, developed by Lloyd’s Register, QinetiQ and the University of Southampton, aims to help marine stakeholders understand the long-term challenges and opportunities that come with these technological changes. We hope it will also inform, energise and inspire young people and the wider public with respect to these exciting industries which play a vital role in job and wealth creation in an expanding world economy

Global marine techology trends
The marine world 2030

This report is a call to action for the worldwide shipping, naval, and ocean space industries. We believe that with far-sighted leadership, these three sectors can take advantage of these technologies for a prosperous, safe , sustainable and secure future. The report outlines the fundamental marine technology trends organisations can expect to see in the next 15 years, and their industry-wide impact in three interconnected sectors.

We examined more than 56 critical technologies that might possibly be developed and implemented around 2030 by the commercial shipping, naval, and ocean space sectors. Of these, we selected for further analysis 18 technologies that scored the highest in a net assessment combining technical feasibility on a commercial basis, potential marketability, and, most importantly, their transformational impact on the respective sectors. These 18 technologies are robotics, sensors, big data analytics, propulsion and powering, advanced materials, smart ship, autonomous systems, advanced manufacturing,sustainable energy generation, shipbuilding, carbon capture and storage, energy management, cyber and electronic warfare, marine biotechnology, human–computer interaction, deep ocean mining,human augmentation, and communication.

For each sector, we picked eight technologies for their transformational effects when used individually and in combinations. We analysed and assessed individual technology from four different perspectives:

In the commercial shipping sector we evaluated robotics, sensors, big data analytics,propulsion and powering, advanced materials,smart ship, shipbuilding, and communication technologies. These technologies are transformational in nature when used individually and when combined. We envisage that these eight technologies will be implemented differently from ship type to ship type. These ships will be called TechnoMax Ships as technology implementation will be at the optimal level in2030. These ships will be smarter, data driven,greener, with flexible powering options,fully connected wirelessly onboard, digitally connected through global satellites.TechnoMax Ships will require fundamental changes in terms of design, construction,operation and supply chain management.They will be designed by technologically advanced shipbuilders, ordered and operated by owners to sharpen their competitiveness and boost their corporate social responsibility credentials.

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