SMM Hamburg has been one of the major events on our calendar since Ankeri was founded, making our return to Hamburg particularly special as we celebrate 10 years of building software for the shipping industry.
This year, ten colleagues represented Ankeri at SMM, while the rest of the team kept everything running for our customers around the world. We joined 50,000 visitors and 2,300 exhibitors from 66 countries for four busy days of meetings, conversations and industry exchange.
Throughout the week, we had the opportunity to meet customers, partners and new faces from across the maritime community. Many of the conversations reflected a common challenge: shipping companies have more data and more digital tools than ever, but they are still siloed and governed by manual processes.
Bringing time charter operations into one connected system
At our stand in Hall B6, we demonstrated how Ankeri brings together charter party terms, operational events, reconciliation, invoicing and emissions around the same operational data. Ankeri’s Time Charter Operating System brings these processes together around the same operational data and context. At SMM, we also shared the latest developments across the platform, including our new advanced fleet scenario planning tool, Fleet Transition, for longer-term fleet planning and Ankeri AI, working with the information and context already available in Ankeri.
The conversation continued on the SMM Exhibitor Innovation Stage, where our CEO, Kristinn Aspelund, presented “Your Time Charter Operating System: Turning Maritime Operations into an AI-Operable System.” Kristinn shared how connecting hire settlements, invoicing and emissions data creates a stronger digital foundation for shipping operations and future automation.
We were also pleased to see Ankeri featured in the Ship&Offshore SMM Daily News, highlighting our Time Charter Operating System and its continued development.
Of course, SMM for Ankeri would not be complete without one of our favourite event traditions.On Thursday, we brought a little piece of Iceland to Hamburg, inviting visitors to the stand to try Icelandic lamb, beef and fish jerky and, for the more adventurous, traditional fermented shark, Hákarl, accompanied by Brennivín. Safe to say, the Hákarl (fermented shark) left a lasting impression on those who tried it, and probably our neighbouring stands too. A true taste of Iceland they won’t forget anytime soon!
SMM also gave us a chance to look back. In 2022, Ankeri won the “Maritime Startup of the Year” at the SMM Maritime Startup Night award, a memorable moment in our journey. Four years later, and now celebrating our 10th anniversary, it was great to return and reflect on how much has changed since then, from the platform we are building to the team, customers and community around Ankeri today. It was with gratitude that we helped to celebrate the 2026 Maritime Startup of the Year.
Thank you to everyone who visited us, joined Kristinn’s session and spent time with the Ankeri team throughout the week. And a big thank you to our colleagues in Hamburg and back home who kept everything moving.
A special SMM for our 10th year- see you next time, Hamburg!