Meet Raymond Siliakus: Why Europort 2027 matters for UK maritime companies

As UK maritime companies look towards Europort 2027, we spoke to Raymond Siliakus, Director of Europort, about the opportunities the exhibition presents for UK suppliers and what companies can do to maximise their participation.

Raymond highlights opportunities for UK businesses working across green shipping, digitalisation, automation, alternative propulsion, energy efficiency and specialist maritime engineering. He also discusses how the SMI-hosted UK Pavilion provides a collective platform for British maritime capability, while giving individual exhibitors their own space and identity.

Looking ahead to 2027, Europort will focus on three key themes: Maritime Resilience, Intelligent Ships and Net-Zero Shipping. Raymond also shares practical advice for exhibitors, including identifying priority customers and partners early, arranging meetings in advance and making full use of opportunities such as Europort’s Smart Stage and Green Stage.

Read the full interview with Raymond below to discover what UK companies can expect from Europort 2027 and how to make the most of exhibiting as part of the UK Pavilion.

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What makes Europort particularly relevant for UK maritime companies, and where do you see the strongest opportunities for UK capability in 2027?

Europort has a distinctive position in the international maritime exhibition landscape, combining the unique location of Rotterdam — the Maritime Capital of Europe and one of the world's leading maritime hubs — with a clear focus on high-tech, specialised vessels and advanced technologies. This combination brings together an international maritime network and a highly relevant audience of shipowners, shipbuilders, operators and technology specialists.

For UK companies supplying innovative equipment and specialist maritime solutions, Europort offers a particularly valuable opportunity to connect with the right people, showcase their expertise and develop new business relationships. Rotterdam's strong maritime ecosystem provides an excellent gateway to the Dutch market and wider European and international markets. Its concentration of shipbuilding, offshore, dredging, inland shipping and maritime engineering expertise creates opportunities for British suppliers to engage with customers and partners across multiple sectors.

I see particularly strong opportunities for UK suppliers whose technologies address pressing industry priorities in the field of green shipping and digitalisation. Opportunities include advanced propulsion and energy-efficiency systems, emissions reduction and alternative-fuel technologies, digital monitoring and predictive maintenance, automation, connectivity, cybersecurity, safety systems and specialist engineering services. There is also potential for suppliers serving specialised vessels, offshore operations, workboats, dredging, ferries and other demanding maritime applications.

The commercial opportunity is to demonstrate how their technologies and services help customers improve vessel performance, reduce operating costs, strengthen operational resilience and meet environmental objectives.

Ultimately, Europort offers UK maritime suppliers a valuable combination: a specialist exhibition focused on advanced maritime technology, access to an international audience in the heart of Europe's maritime capital, and the opportunity to build relationships that can translate into future business.”

What types of visitors and decision-makers can UK Pavilion exhibitors expect to engage with?

Europort attracts a broad cross-section of the maritime value chain, which is one of its principal advantages for exhibitors. The audience includes shipowners and fleet managers, shipbuilders and repair yards, equipment manufacturers, marine engineers, system integrators, technology companies and specialist maritime service providers. Researchers, start-ups and policymakers also contribute to the wider industry dialogue.

The 2025 edition attracted 23,113 maritime professionals from 86 countries and featured around 1,100 exhibitors including 13 national pavilions. These figures demonstrate the global reach of the event and the potential to meet contacts well beyond the immediate Dutch

For UK Pavilion exhibitors, the value lies in reaching both the technical people who assess and specify equipment and the commercial decision-makers who influence purchasing, fleet investment and supplier selection. Depending on their sector, companies may engage with technical directors, fleet and vessel managers, procurement teams, naval architects, shipyard project managers, maintenance specialists and executives responsible for operational performance.

The audience is also relevant to companies seeking distribution partners, local representatives, system integration opportunities or collaboration with European shipbuilders and equipment manufacturers.

Of course, the precise contacts will depend on each company's product and target market. My advice would be to approach Europort with a clear profile of the customers and partners you want to meet, rather than simply aiming to maximise footfall at your stand.

What does the UK Pavilion add in terms of visibility and creating a focal point for UK capability at Europort?

The UK Pavilion, hosted by the Society of Maritime Industries (SMI), is a great example of how Europort and SMI work together to support the maritime industry and create opportunities for international business.

The Pavilion provides a strong, collective platform for British maritime companies. It brings individual exhibitors together under one recognisable UK identity, creating a focal point for international visitors looking to discover the capabilities, technologies and services offered by the UK maritime supply chain.

An important advantage of the UK Pavilion is its plug-and-play concept. It offers companies a convenient, ready-to-use exhibition presence, while allowing each participant to showcase its own company branding, products and identity. This means companies can benefit from the visibility and impact of a larger UK cluster without losing their individual identity or having to organise a stand entirely on their own.

The design combines a prominent Great Britain and Northern Ireland identity with dedicated spaces for individual exhibitors. The result is a balance between collective visibility and individual commercial presence: visitors can immediately recognise the UK Pavilion as a destination for British maritime expertise, while each company has its own space to engage with prospective customers, demonstrate its offering and develop business relationships.

This approach is particularly attractive to small and medium-sized enterprises and specialist suppliers that want to expand their international reach but may prefer a more straightforward and cost-effective route to exhibiting. By participating in the Pavilion, they can be part of a larger national presence while retaining the flexibility to communicate their own value proposition.

What can UK companies do ahead of the show to maximise the commercial value of participating?

The most successful exhibitors are those who take an active approach before, during and after Europort. Exhibiting is not simply about being present on the show floor; it is about bringing the right people to the exhibition and creating opportunities for meaningful business conversations.

One of the ways Europort supports this is by offering exhibitors complimentary entrance tickets that they can share with their own valued customers, business relations and prospective clients. We actively involve our exhibitors in inviting the people they want to meet, because they are often best placed to identify the contacts most relevant to their business.

This approach helps us attract a more targeted, high-quality audience and gives exhibitors an opportunity to turn existing relationships into face-to-face meetings, while also introducing new prospects to their products and services.

My advice to UK companies is therefore to start early: identify priority customers, shipowners, shipyards, technical specialists and potential partners; invite them personally using their complimentary tickets; and, wherever possible, arrange meetings in advance. Make sure your invitations explain why a visit would be valuable to them and what you would like to discuss.

The key message is simple: the more actively exhibitors engage with their own networks and the wider maritime community, the more they can get out of participating. Europort provides the platform, but exhibitors who help bring the right people to the show and invest in building relationships are best placed to maximise its commercial value.”

What is new or developing for Europort 2027 that potential UK exhibitors should know about?

Europort 2027 will put three important developments at the heart of its agenda: Maritime Resilience, Intelligent Ships and Net-Zero Shipping. These themes reflect the major challenges and opportunities facing the maritime industry and provide a strong framework for UK companies to position their products, technologies and services.

Maritime Resilience highlights the growing importance of safety, security, reliability and operational continuity. Intelligent Ships focuses on digitalisation, automation and data-driven operations, while Net-Zero Shipping addresses the transition towards lower-emission and more energy-efficient maritime operations.

All three themes offer relevant opportunities for UK suppliers, from advanced engineering, navigation and safety systems to digital technologies, smart vessel solutions, energy efficiency, alternative propulsion and emissions-reduction technologies. The commercial opportunity is to demonstrate how these solutions help shipowners, shipbuilders and operators improve performance, reduce costs and respond to changing industry requirements.

Another opportunity I would encourage exhibitors to explore is the Smart Stage and Green Stage. These give companies the chance to go beyond presenting products at their exhibition stand and showcase their knowledge, experience and innovative thinking directly to a live audience.

Whether it is a new digital solution, an approach to improving vessel performance or a technology supporting maritime decarbonisation, presenting a relevant case study or sharing technical expertise can help companies raise their profile, demonstrate thought leadership and engage with a wider audience of maritime professionals.

This can be a valuable complement to exhibiting in the UK Pavilion. By combining a visible presence on the exhibition floor with the opportunity to share expertise on stage, companies can communicate not only what they offer, but also the knowledge and experience behind their solutions.