Over 40 seminars, hearings, meetings and mingling on several different scenes. Shipping and the maritime sector were active and appeared in many places during Almedalen Week.

The Chairman of the Swedish Parliament´s Committee on Transport and Communications, Karin Svensson Smith visited the Maritime garage and Lighthouse seminar "Shipping as part of society's sustainable growth?" and noted with experience from twenty Almedalen Weeks that the maritime sector is becoming more important.

- I conclude that the recognition of energy as quite crucial for the efficiency of the transport sector, and that shipping is a way to hoist the question. When I entered the Swedish parliament in 1998, shipping was really a side-line, a track for itself where the then Swedish Road Administration and the Swedish Rail Administration had completely different status among politicians, their questions were on the agenda. Shipping was a bit old fashioned and lived its own life. But now shipping is included in the game, what comes now is to agree on the next steps regarding the issues that are important to implement, Karin Svensson Smith says.

On site at the Maritime Garage she urged that shipping also requires more demonstration projects for the development of future fossil-free transportation.

- No one knows how the fossil-free transportation system looks and at the moment about 95 percent of on-going transport research concerns rubber wheels. It is clear that you should invest in these matters, but it would be reasonable to have a more even distribution between different transport modes in terms of research and demonstration projects. The shipping industry takes a very big responsibility, and that's good, but it is reasonable that the politicians also take responsibility when it comes to funding research and making demonstration projects, since this reflects the kind of future we want to see, Karin Svensson Smith says.

Workshops and hearings

Lighthouse was a co-organizer of the Maritime Meeting place and the Shipping garage along with Swedish Shipping Association, the Maritime Forum and several other players. The maritime community had a packed programme of seminars which was often visited by a large audience and the Shipping Garage held an exhibition on the importance of shipping as well as short mini-seminars and hearings with youth politicians.

- One of the highlights of the week is the youth politicians, it's so fun to see their commitment and that they take sustainability so seriously, it is a question that will become even more important in the future, Swedish Maritime CEO Pia Berglund says.

- Many people talk about shipping and that's where we want to go, that other people are talking shipping and begin to understand the importance of a Swedish shipping. It has worked really well with the maritime cluster, we have come together. But in the future we can become even sharper and clearer, Pia Berglund says.

That the maritime sector needs to take more space and make themselves heard was something that several politicians who took part in the sector's various seminars during the week highlighted.

News from Lighthouse 

Lighthouse presented an entirely fresh pre-study on smart ship, which you can read about here.

- Lighthouse emphasized that we are far ahead in the knowledge of automatization, we have identified the issues to work on, and companies like Ericsson and Saab show interest in what we do, Åsa Burman, Lighthouse Director, says.

Other news from Lighthouse is the launch of Lighthouse postdoctoral programme, which gives several researchers the chance to immerse themselves in the maritime issues. The program is in collaboration with Chalmers, KTH, Linnaeus University and the Business School at Gothenburg University.

- It feels great that we have launched the postdoctoral programme and that we received such a positive response, Åsa Burman from Lighthouse says.

- Expertise and research are crucial questions for the future and that we have been able to launch the postdoctoral program and present it during Almedalsveckan is fantastic, says Pia Berglund, Swedish Shipowner´s Association.

Three Tweets from Almedalen:

Politicians who appeared on the maritime scenes:

Anna Johansson, Infrastrukturminister, Sveriges Regering

Karin Svensson Smith, ordförande, trafikutskottet, Miljöpartiet
Anders Åkesson (C), ledamot, trafikutskottet
Rikard Larsson (S), ledamot, trafikutskottet
Boriana Åberg, (M), Trafikutskottet
Niklas Nordström, (S) kommunalråd, Luleå kommun
Stina Bergström (Mp), Riksdagsledamot, suppleant Trafikutskottet
Helena Lindahl, (C), riksdagsledamot, Näringsutskottet
Anna-Caren Sätherberg, (S) riksdagsledamot, Näringsutskottet
Lars Tysklind (L), riksdagsledamot
Emma Nohrén (Mp), riksdagsledamot
Dag Klackenberg, (M), Försvarsutskottet
Kalle Olsson, (S), Försvarsutskottet
Betty Malmberg, (M), riksdagsledamot, Utbildningsutskottet
Stina Bergström, (Mp), riksdagsledamot
Johan Büser, (S), riksdagsledamot
Thomas Strand, riksdagsledamot (S), Utbildningsutskottet
mfl.