Seawork 2023: The Commercial Maritime Show that Never Disappoints
Saltwater Stone’s Account Director Karen Bartlett shares her thoughts;
As Europe’s largest commercial marine and workboat exhibition, Seawork once again provided the ideal platform for the Saltwater Stone team to showcase its commercial clients’ products, catch up with familiar faces, and connect with new contacts.
There was a more positive and upbeat vibe at this year’s show and lots of buzz from company representatives exhibiting at the show about new contracts, new developments, and new strategic partnerships. It was refreshing to hear this – the last time I personally attended Seawork was pre-Covid and the disruption this caused to the industry in the intervening years most definitely seemed to be dissipating.
The show was much bigger too, with a new, more structured layout with virtually every booth filled. A packed itinerary of on-water demos, side events, conferences and expert speakers provided plenty for visitors to see and discuss.
Emissions, electric systems, and the future of marine fuel were a common theme of this year’s show.
Saltwater Stone’s client Fischer Panda UK’s specialist team was on hand to demonstrate how the demand for more efficient and smarter hybrid systems for retrofit and new vessels, has resulted in a number of improved models across the Fischer Panda range, offering eco-friendly and efficient system capabilities to support the wider move towards more sustainable solutions.
Located in a prime position on the quayside with its impressive demonstration trailer displaying climate control systems from Dometic and power electronics from Mastervolt, the company provided an opportunity to learn about a range of power generation, power electronics and propulsion equipment in a practical way with live demonstrations.
The most impressive boat on the water for me was the stunning Archipelago 47 expedition yacht, the brainchild of Dr Stephen Weatherley who collaborated with next-generation vessel designers Chartwell Marine, to create an impressive ocean-crossing catamaran specifically aimed at the adventurous yachtsman who wants onboard comfort.
The weather was kind, and the atmosphere was the most upbeat I have experienced for a while at a major marine event. Seawork 2023 most certainly delivered.
