Korean marine equipment firms target Europe's green, AI shipbuilding market

KOTRA and the Korea International Trade Association (KITA) jointly operated a Korea Pavilion featuring 10 domestic marine equipment companies at the 2026 SMM Hamburg international maritime trade fair in Germany, KOTRA announced Monday. The event ran from Sept. 1 to Sept. 4.

SMM is Europe's largest biennial trade fair dedicated to shipbuilding and marine equipment, held in Hamburg, Germany. This year's edition drew more than 2,200 companies from 70 countries, filling booths across 12 exhibition halls.

The fair's core themes centered on future vessel technologies, including decarbonization, energy efficiency, electrification, alternative fuels and AI.

Demand for eco-friendly and high-value-added vessels has been rising rapidly across the global shipbuilding industry. South Korean shipbuilders have been strengthening their competitiveness in green ships and premium vessel types for several years. According to Clarkson Research, a British shipbuilding and shipping research firm, domestic shipyards secured a combined 7.97 million compensated gross tons across 195 vessels in the first half of this year — a 60 percent increase from the same period a year earlier.

European shipbuilders still hold strengths in large cruise ships and naval vessels, but they are accelerating the adoption of automation and eco-friendly technologies as aging workforces shrink the pool of skilled labor and decarbonization regulations tighten. Interest in green and smart marine equipment from Korean suppliers has grown accordingly.

Companies participating in the Korea Pavilion showcased a range of products, including vessel management and navigation automation systems, automatic control systems, safety management products, valves, and engine and piping components.

Before the fair opened, KOTRA had already introduced participating Korean firms to European shipyards, shipping companies, ship management firms, engine and maintenance companies, and equipment distributors, while identifying potential purchase demand.

The groundwork yielded more than 300 business-to-business consultations on the show floor. KOTRA said it plans to support follow-up negotiations, sample testing and joint development based on the demand identified after the fair.

A representative of one of the Korea Pavilion participants said the European maritime industry places strong emphasis on supply stability and long-term relationships, not just technology and quality. "We will use the demand we identified this time to build lasting business relationships with European companies," the official said.

A representative of a German shipbuilding company who visited the Korea Pavilion said eco-friendliness, supply chain stability and the shift toward automation driven by skilled labor shortages are becoming increasingly important in the shipbuilding and marine equipment market. "Korean marine equipment companies are competitive not only in terms of experience and quality, but also in reliability and the integration of digital technologies," the official said.

Kim Yeon-jae, head of KOTRA's Europe regional headquarters, said growing global demand for green solutions, automation transformation and supply chain diversification is opening new doors for Korean equipment companies with proven reliability and technology. "We will step up buyer outreach and follow-up support so that Korean companies can seize new opportunities not only in the United States and ASEAN, but also in Europe — a traditional powerhouse of shipbuilding," Kim said.