The German national masterplan for maritime technologies

The Masterplan aims to pool resources and know-how in a way that allows us to find the right answers to the most important challenges. It is intended in particular to better coordinate maritime instruments on the national level and on the level of the Länder and to specifically address difficult issues as well as to develop concepts together with the actors in the sector. This enables us to make better use of the possibilities offered by the growing maritime markets and to improve the position of the German industry on the global market.

The first version of the NMMT was developed under the leadership of the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action and adopted by the Federal Cabinet in August 2011. The Masterplan is an instrument for the Federal Government Maritime Coordinator and at the same time a platform for industry, policy, the Länder, science and maritime associations. The Plan and its further development are an integral part of the 2025 Maritime Agenda.

The Federal Government is interested in strengthening the maritime industry by increasing its capacity for innovation, in maintaining and exploring important markets, providing impetus for climate change mitigation and environmental protection, and in the course of this, securing and creating highly qualified maritime jobs.

The NMMT is shaping the future of the maritime industry by strengthening the innovation capacities of the maritime sector, exploring new market opportunities and improving the business environment for example through political backing and export support. The Masterplan also serves to create networks, standardise, offer education and advanced training and to contribute to an integrated maritime policy.

The Masterplan focusses on international markets. In its current version, the NMMT aims at

• innovative shipbuilding
• strong suppliers
• offshore and marine resources
• a strong logistics chain
• environmental technologies and coastal protection
• fundamentals and knowledge networks and
• the digitalisation of the value chain.

Fields of action of the National Masterplan

The NMMT defines central strategic fields of actions that are considered to be future technological priorities and links these to concrete actions. It is dynamic, modular and open to development. This means that further measures can be added in future and existing ones can be specified more precisely or marked as completed. A steering committee that meets annually and is headed by the Federal Government Maritime Coordinator is the central body to decide on its policy actions.

Companies participating in the Masterplan, the Federal Government, Federal ministries, the Länder and universities and research institutions provide important impetus to implement the plan. Implementation requires intensive networking and cooperation between all actors.

The current version of the NMMT defines the following technological priorities as being of future importance:

• renewable energies and offshore wind energy
• civil maritime security technologies
• deep-sea mining
• innovative special shipbuilding system integration, energy efficiency, lightweight construction and high-performance production systems on board
• low-emission and climate-friendly maritime transport chains: “green shipping”
• offshore oil and gas
• technologies for seaports
• Industry/Maritime 4.0
• industrial submarine technology
• ice and polar technology

Structure and organisation

The NMMT is guided by a central steering committee. The Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action is head of the steering committee, which consists of representatives of the Federal ministries, the Federal Länder and industry associations. The associations include the German Association for Marine Technology (GMT), the German Mechanical Engineering Industry Association (VDMA), the German Mechanical Engineering Industry Association (VDMA), the German Shipbuilding and Ocean Industries Association (VSM), the German Association of Ports (ZDS), the German Port Technology Association (HTG), the German Hydrographic Association (DHyG) and the Foundation Offshore-Windnergie.

The NMMT uses this body to develop and implement joint strategies for maritime technologies. The steering committee adopts updates of the NMMT, agrees on special steering measures and sets priorities for their implementation. Individual working groups with a focus on specific priorities support the NMMT.