The theme for this year’s national symposium in marine technology 2019 NSMT2019 “ Confronting Challenges and Capitalising opportunities in the ship building and ship repair technology” – is very timely as we are confronted with huge disruption in the maritime sector globally particularly in the shipbuilding and the ship repair industry. These disruptions are created and caused by the need to be more efficient, more frugal to the environment and also for the need of bringing productivity to the next level. A sacrosanct driver of advanced economies.
NSMT2019 looks at this sequel from this vantage point and sets the level of field on to which local industries can essence the means of driving towards attaining technological capability. However it would also by in vanity to assume that this is the role of the industry alone to acquire technology. Credible government has also a significant hand in describing favorable policy to ensure that assistance is accorded to local industries.
The present technological development is creating a “do or die” scenario for developing economies of which they must scramble to gain technology access or remain at the bottom of the economic value chain destined to consumerism. Gargantuan challenges are now being presented to the traditional shipbuilders who are caught out of their own ignorance or being trapped by traditional practices of non-conforming to a set of practical and ethical guides for sustainable development in the industry. Numerous grand technologies are now becoming pillars of future development and must be grasped by countries that want to achieve a certain level of economic sovereignty.
By and large there are opportunities for the local ship building and ship repair industry. Stemmed by the domestic requirement of new ships and marine platforms over the next few decades, the local industries is hoped to be in the first line of receiving these opportunities. The maritime and offshore industry has been through a challenging year with 2015 being a year of slow global economic growth and falling oil prices. Malaysia maritime industries and particularly the SBSR, within the context of the present symposium, companies are being badly hit by these situation probably more so to being a more of a service driven industry and not a SBSR based on the design and technological capability.
Trends in design and technology will definitely alter business model and the sustainability of the SBSR industry. To be more competitive in the global market at present is to give due regards to the encompassing industry 4.0. To get into the IR 4.0 high way, a fundamental apprehension with new mindset and the ability to command design and technology must be pursued at all cost with the greatest vigor, strength and ingenuity.
Ensuing competitive and sustainable maritime industry in the new millennia is all about technological, design capability and innovativeness. The trend of attributing design and technological upper hand through-out the industry value chain will have a telling influence on ship owners, shipyards, shipping industry stakeholders, knowledge industry, seaborne transport and finally the national economy.
