Many of the main events at this year’s conference took place outside of the plenary room. Three different technical visits coupled with a drinks reception, conference dinner, 3 lunches and an additional group dinner ensured that attendees were given ample networking opportunities.

Expert speakers from all areas of the industry took to the podium at GFS 2017 to share their recent experiences and developments with attendees, however, social events such as the GE sponsored Conference Dinner and the numerous technical visits, sponsored by Wärtsilä, proved just as valuable in terms of knowledge sharing and connecting with fellow delegates.

On the evening of day two of the conference, delegates attended the Conference Dinner sponsored by GE marine. After a full day of presentations, the dinner provided the opportunity for attendees to talk in a relaxed environment and ask the questions that were important to their businesses in an informal setting. Ivan Bach, Program Manager at GE Marine, gave the official opening speech at the dinner, positioned at the bow of the ship, offering panoramic views of the Mariella’s journey across the Baltic.

Much of this year’s conference indicated that LNG as a marine fuel is nearing maturity. Presentations covering anything from flettner rotors, other low flashpoint fuels, batteries, hybrid solutions and even the potential for hydrogen as a marine fuel, meant that technical visits to the methanol fuel cell on board Mariella were a welcome practical example of the future of the shipping industry.

Throughout the conference the crew onboard Mariella hosted visits to the bridge and the engine room, where delegates also had a chance to inspect the ship’s unique humid air module, which helps reduce NOx emissions, reduce fuel consumption and increase power output on the four 12-cylinder Wärtsilä 40 engines.

We hope to see you at next year’s conference entitled ‘Propulsion & Future Fuels’, our new conference celebrating 40 years of The Motorship’s Propulsion & Emissions conference, and nearly 10 years of the Gas Fuelled Ships conference. 2018 will see the launch of this one large combined and enhanced event. See you there!

For more information contact the Events team on +44 1329 825335 or email gasfuelledships@motorship.com