News

World Maritime Forum 2027: What Crews and Fleet Managers Need to Know Before Copenhagen

Event Desk Updated

showregattarendezvousfestival

Copenhagen returns to the maritime calendar on 23 and 24 February 2027, when the World Maritime Forum reconvenes at the AC Bella Sky Convention Center for its latest two-day gathering of shipowners, ship managers, ports, authorities and suppliers 1. For crews and the businesses that serve the fleet, the forum has become one of the fixed points in the early-year events calendar, and this year's programme is built around the investment decisions now facing owners and operators 1.

Whats changing this year

Organised by IGGS Group, the 2027 edition is expected to draw around 800 attendees, 70 speakers and 50 exhibitors, with more than 300 buyers anticipated among the delegates 1. The 2026 edition was held on 17-18 February 2026 under the theme "One event. World of maritime" and also drew more than 800 senior decision-makers, including shipowners, operators, port authorities, technology providers, classification societies, regulators and government representatives 2. That 2026 programme featured twelve panel discussions 2, and the 2027 agenda carries the same format forward with twelve new panel discussions and two on-stage conversations 1.

The 2027 agenda is built around fleet investment, business continuity, workforce preparedness and the move from digital experimentation to operational use 1. Topics confirmed for 2027 include IMO measures, EU ETS and FuelEU Maritime, alternative fuels and bunkering infrastructure, retrofit results, transition finance, sanctions and shadow-fleet risks, cyber and GNSS security, crew development, artificial intelligence, vessel design, and remote and autonomous operations 1.

Who should go

The organisers are pitching the event at shipowners, ship managers, shipbuilders, ports, authorities, maritime suppliers and service providers 1. Delegates are expected to include professionals from fleet, project, procurement and technical management, alongside decision-makers in sustainability, crewing, port operations, finance and IT 1. For crewing and manning agencies, the panel on crew development sits alongside sessions on AI adoption and vessel efficiency 1.

Vendors serving the fleet should note the exhibition running alongside the conference, aimed at more than 300 expected buyers among the delegates 1. That scale makes the exhibition floor as much a commercial venue as the panel rooms.

Logistics and venue

The forum takes place at the AC Bella Sky Convention Center in Copenhagen, which also hosted the 2026 edition and was described at the time as Denmark's largest and most advanced conference venue 12. Conference sessions, exhibition stands and business meetings sit within the same complex. Crews travelling in for the event, or businesses sending technical and commercial staff, should plan for a compact two-day schedule with panels, an on-stage conversation format and exhibition browsing running in parallel, so early registration and a clear priority list of sessions is worthwhile given the twelve-panel agenda 1.

What crews and businesses should prepare

Given the stated agenda, a few things are worth preparing before travelling.

With IMO measures, EU ETS and FuelEU Maritime all on the panel list, technical and operations staff should arrive briefed on how these frameworks affect their current fleet and routes, rather than treating the sessions as a first introduction 1. Sessions on transition finance, retrofit results and alternative fuels suggest owners and managers should come ready to benchmark their own newbuild, retrofit or bunkering plans against what peers present, particularly if capital decisions are pending 1. Cyber and GNSS security and crew development are both on the agenda too. Safety and HR functions would do well to identify specific questions on workforce skills gaps and vessel cyber exposure to put to panellists, since the sessions are pitched as first-hand industry experience rather than vendor pitches 1.

The forum's own description frames it as bringing together "various types of leaders and experts across the value chain" over two days of presentations and panel discussions 1. This year's panel list points toward hard investment and compliance decisions rather than general sustainability messaging, and businesses weighing whether to attend, exhibit or send technical staff can use that list now to match their delegation against pending fleet, technology or workforce decisions.

Sources

Be first aboard

The app is nearly ready.
Your craft already is.

Leave your email and you'll be first to know when U-Crew opens — the U-Factor, the Daily Check-in and the Vent, built for this world and no other.