Singapore came out on top in the 2022 edition of the Leading Maritime Cities (LMC) report, which was launched recently. Oslo is the expert’s pick as the future leading maritime city for sustainable technologies and solutions for the oceans.
The LMC report is a cooperation between two Norwegian companies, classification society DNV, who is also a prominent and longstanding member of NBAS, and Menon Economics.
Strong performance across five key pillars secures Singapore their number 1 overall spot on the list.
“Singapore holds the top slot for Attractiveness & Competitiveness while also scooping the Maritime Technology title, thanks to the city-state’s unrelenting focus on digital transformation. Singapore gives way to Athens and Shanghai in Shipping and Ports & Logistics respectively, and losing some ground in Maritime Finance & Law,” notes Dr Shahrin Osman, Regional Head of Maritime Advisory at DNV and the report’s co-author.
Oslo predicted no 1 in green solutions
In addition to the data sources, Menon and DNV have based their analysis on the perception of 280 business executives. These are mostly shipowners and managers. Looking five years ahead, these experts predict that Singapore will remain the overall number 1.
Regarding the digital transformation, the experts see Singapore, Oslo, Shanghai and Copenhagen as best prepared. Oslo tops the list for sustainable technologies and solutions for the oceans, followed by Singapore and Copenhagen.
New business models will drive transition
The report is emphasising that dramatic developments over the last years. The changes inclued the pandemic and the increased urgency of the climate changes. This has caused shipowners, charterers, cargo owners and lenders to gear up.
“Maritime cities and clusters are generating unique strategies to cope with these global transformations. They will play a leading role in the green shift, with new business models that drive the transition,” says DNV Maritime CEO Knut Ørbeck-Nilssen.
Illustration by NBAS’ featured artist, Henrik Gjerstad. You can read more about him and buy his photos here.
