The Director General of the Danish Maritime Authority, Andreas Nordseth, has recently shared his insights on the Danish maritime industry, highlighting the key drivers of growth and the challenges that lie ahead.
Nordseth emphasized the global outreach of Danish maritime companies, saying, “It’s a very strong characteristic of Danish maritime companies that they have a global outreach and partner up with companies everywhere. They are rooted in Denmark but consider themselves as contributing to the local society wherever they are.” This approach to collaboration and innovation, he says, has been a key factor in the industry’s success.
He also noted that sustainability is a major driver for development and innovation in the industry. “The green agenda is a strong driver for development and innovation, but we also have the whole digital agenda,” Nordseth said. “The maritime domain has been slow in embracing and adapting digital solutions, but the 2020s will be the digital decade for the maritime domain. Even smaller Danish companies are coming up with new systems that we have never seen in the maritime domain before.”
The maritime domain has been slow in embracing and adapting digital solutions, but the 2020s will be the digital decade for the maritime domain.
Andreas Nordseth, Director General of the Danish Maritime Authority
However, the biggest challenge facing the global maritime industry, according to Nordseth, is becoming climate neutral. Denmark is strongly advocating that international shipping must set a target to become carbon neutral in 2050 and believes it is necessary to set the target now to move ahead and get investments from private industry.
“Ports play a key role in the industry’s green agenda, particularly in creating green hubs and corridors,” adds Nordseth.
In conclusion, Nordseth sees a bright future for the Danish maritime industry, driven by innovation and sustainability. “We need to continue collaborating and working together to make sure we reach our goals.”
Thomas Roslyng Olesen, PhD, Head of the Maritime Research Alliance agrees:
“The green transition of the maritime industry is a task that requires collaboration between many different actors. Therefore it is important to have organizations that work to facilitate collaboration and connect the Danish maritime research and educational institutions with industry players, regulators, NGO’s and other maritime actors. This is what we strive to do in the Maritime Research Alliance.”
