Interdisciplinary News

The United States’ vast network of navigable inland rivers is vital to the nation’s economy, serving as an aquatic superhighway for the efficient shipment of critical commodities like agricultural goods, energy products, building materials and industrial chemicals to destinations within the U.S. and to deepwater ports for export. The Waterways Council, Inc. (WCI), which advocates for a modern, efficient and well-maintained inland waterways, often describes the network as “the…

Norwegian marine equipment and technology firm Kongsberg will provide scientific sensors and scientific handling equipment for Germany’s new ocean research vessel, the 135-metre Meteor IV. The new 10,000GT vessel will be able to house 35 scientists plus 36 crew. Meteor IV will be built by MeyerFassmer Spezialschiffbau (MFSB) for the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research. The vessel, due for delivery in 2026, replaces existing research vessels Meteor and Poseidon.“We…

The long-standing cooperation between Åbo Akademi and Meyer Turku has been further strengthened with the signing of a partnership agreement.The agreement period is five years and the focus lies initially on Åbo Akademi's Faculty of Natural Sciences and Technology and Meyer Turku's Business Finland funded green transition program NEcOLEAP. An important form of practical cooperation will be the "green transition lab", a shared workspace to be established on the Åbo Akademi campus, which supports the interaction between researchers and industry.

The Meyer Group's Neptun Werft officially laid the keel for the new German research vessel Meteor IV during a ceremony at the Rostock, Germany shipyard.The Meyer Group is building the research vessel together with the Lower Saxony shipyard Fassmer on behalf of the Federal Ministry of Education and Research."Only two months after the burning start, the assembly of the individual components for the Meteor IV is now beginning. At our shipyards in Rostock and Papenburg, and together with Fassmer Werft…

Jen Armstrong joins Waterways Council, Inc. as Director, Government Relations.She joins Dustin Davidson in this role for WCI.Armstrong was most recently Director of Navigation Policy and Legislation for the American Association of Port of Authorities (AAPA).Prior to that, she was Republican Staff Director/Clerk for the Senate Energy and Water (E&W) Appropriations Committee, representing Senate Republican interests in the development of the annual $52 billion Energy and Water Development (E&WD) Appropriations bill which funds the Corps of Engineers’ Civil Works mission…

In a first for UK ports, the Port of London Authority (PLA) and University College of London (UCL) have launched a fully electric, remotely operated survey vessel.It will support a MSc Hydrographic Surveying course they have run in partnership since 1999.The state-of-the-art platform, manufactured by Maritime Robotics, was acquired by the partners, following a successful bid and award of an £263,000 grant from the Engineering & Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC).The vessel features the most advanced sonar and scanning system from technology manufacturer NORBIT, called a WINGHEAD.

Schmidt Ocean Institute announced that its newly refitted research vessel has been launched and is ready to be used by scientists worldwide to push the frontiers of deep sea expedition.Funded by Schmidt Ocean Institute founders Eric and Wendy Schmidt, the 110-meter global-class research ship, Falkor (too), was refit at Freire Shipyard in Vigo, Spain, with sea trials taking place off Puerto Rico. It will now embark on a series of expeditions and be available to scientists and technologists globally at no cost in exchange for making their research and discoveries publicly available.

Maritime communications specialist Marlink signed an agreement with research institute Fraunhofer CML (Center for Maritime Logistics and Services) to identify Key Performance Indicator (KPI) data to accelerate digitalization and define the Return on Investment (ROI) scenarios for long term operational efficiency.Within this agreement, Marlink will leverage its BridgeLink solution to deliver data from core engine room and bridge systems including VDR, ECDIS, Radar, AIS, AMS, engine control systems, cargo systems, propulsion, and sensors.

One of the world's largest cruise companies Royal Caribbean Group announced it has signed a declaration with the aim to chart the way forward for innovative and sustainable shipbuilding in Finland.The declaration, signed with the Finnish government, represented by the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment (MEAE) and shipbuilder Meyer Turku Oy, has been signed with the goal to advance innovation, strengthen competitiveness and bolster the maritime industry's ecosystem, U.S.

On October 31, 2022, global maritime leaders of tomorrow graduated from the World Maritime University (WMU). The Class of 2022 has received the education required to contribute to maritime and ocean matters in their home countries and more broadly to the implementation of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs). Overall, the graduating class includes 276 graduates from 70 countries, and sets a record of 94 women graduates.WMU President Dr. Cleopatra Doumbia…

Capt. Tony Russell (CG Ret.) has been named as the Executive Director for the Center for Arctic Study and Policy (CASP) at the Coast Guard Academy.CASP serves as a Coast Guard-focused academic think tank to promote research, broaden partnerships, and educate future leaders about the complexities of the Arctic region. Through interdisciplinary efforts across the Academy, and in collaboration with U.S. Coast Guard sponsors and external partners, the Center promotes effective solutions…

It was 1914 when the English explorer Sir Ernest Shackleton set sail on his Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition aboard a ship called Endurance. It was an ill-fated journey: the ship got trapped in the ice and eventually crushed by pack ice in 1915. It sank to the bottom of Antarctica’s Weddell Sea. (Shackleton and his entire crew survived the ordeal by escaping in smaller boats.)It was difficult to believe that the Endurance might ever be found. The icy Weddell Sea is inhospitable and the wreck lay in more than 3000 metres of water.

Innovation Fund Denmark, the Danish investment entity, has announced the establishment of a consortium to develop a two-stroke, ammonia-fueled engine for maritime shipping. It aims to specify and demonstrate an entire, marine-propulsion system that will pave the way for the first commercial order for an ammonia-fueled vessel.MAN Energy Solutions will lead the consortium that also numbers: Eltronic FuelTech, the Danish fuel-system supplier; the Technical University of Denmark (DTU); and DNV GL, the leading classification society.

Industry stakeholders at PortPIC stressed the importance of more innovation, collaboration and aligned initiatives to shape sustainable solutions for in-water cleaning.This was the main message from the inaugural In-Port Inspection & Cleaning Conference (PortPIC) held last week, organized by Jotun and DNV GL.In his opening address, Geir Axel Oftedahl, business development director, Jotun Marine Coatings raised the issue of biofouling and emphasized, “There’s an increasing focus…

The provider of ship drydocking, repair and refit services in Greece Chalkis Shipyards S.A. has formed a collaboration with National Technical University of Athens (NTUA), the Hellenic Center for Marine Research (HCMR).The “WIndfloat.gr – Innovative Design of Floating Wind Plants for the Greek Seas” project seeks to exploit the wind potential of the Greek seas.WIndfloat.Gr seeks to exploit the wind potential of the Greek seas with the objective of significantly increasing the penetration of Renewable Energy Sources in Energy Production, thus helping the country achieve its ‘Green Energy” goals.Specifically, the project concerns the development…

Dry bulk carrier owner and operator Oldendorff Carriers has signed a research agreement with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology's (MIT) Center for Bits and Atoms (CBA) to make its vessels more green and economical.Oldendorff, together with CBA and its campus collaborators including MIT's Sea Grant Program, will investigate disruptive improvements in ship design and propulsion to achieve the IMO 2030/50 requirements.The initial emphasis will be directed at improving hydrodynamic efficiency, which builds on work CBA has been doing with the aerospace and automotive industries. This looks beyond traditional naval architecture to a deeper integration of form and function.Anticipated research areas include morphing structures…

At today’s opening press conference of the international maritime trade fair in Hamburg, political and business leaders discussed current challenges facing the shipping industry. The focus of the debate was on the 0.5 percent sulphur limit for ship fuels which will take effect on January 1,  2020, and the industry's goal to cut greenhouse gas emissions from global shipping in half by the year 2050. Roughly 2,300 exhibitors and the extensive conference program accompanying the trade fair will deliver answers to the industry's complex questions. Roughly 50,000 visitors are expected to attend.

DNV GL, the world’s largest resource of independent energy experts and certification body, has successfully completed comprehensive due diligence of the Dutch Windpark Spui, for a group of lenders who are providing the debt financing for the project. The power generated at Windpark Spui, which will supply renewable electricity to more than 24,000 households, will be sold to Eneco Group, a Dutch sustainable energy company, under a 16-year power purchase agreement. Eurus Energy, a leading Japanese renewable energy company, acquired the project from YARD, a Dutch-based developer of wind energy projects, and its co-developer prior to financial close. “We’d like to congratulate all the parties involved on this momentous achievement.

DNV GL, the world’s largest resource of independent energy experts and certification body, has successfully completed a comprehensive due diligence project on the 730 MW Borssele III/IV construction-ready offshore wind project in the Netherlands. The work was commissioned by Partners Group, the global private markets investment manager, in preparation for its successful bid to acquire a 45% stake in the project on behalf of its clients. The investment will make funds managed and/or advised by Partners Group the largest shareholder in the Borssele III/IV farm. The Borssele III/IV offshore wind farm will comprise seventy-seven Vestas 9.5 MW turbines across two sites in the North Sea, approximately 25 km off the Dutch coast.

MAN Diesel & Turbo recently signed a contract with Stena Line to provide its online service to two vessels. The Stena Hollandica and Stena Britannica are both conventional passenger-and-vehicle superferries that sail the daily route between the Hook of Holland and Harwich and are each powered by 4 × MAN 48/60CR engines. Dan Sten Olsson, CEO and owner of the Stena Sphere, and Bjarne Koitrand, Stena Line Technical Director, visited Augsburg, Germany to meet MAN Diesel & Turbo’s Dr Uwe Lauber, CEO, and Wayne Jones, Chief Sales Officer and agree the new deal.

A research team led by University of South Florida College of Marine Science professor Dr. Steven Murawski has been awarded a $1 million grant to explore how oil spills, such as the Deepwater Horizon (DWH) in 2010, impact the economic, ecological and social system aspects of fishing communities. The Gulf Research Program (GRP) of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine announced Thursday a total of $2.1 million in grants. Murawski’s team, which also includes Dr.

The Maritime Safety Research Centre (MSRC) is an industry-university partnership, involving Strathclyde's Department of Naval Architecture, Ocean & Marine Engineering, Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd (RCCL), and DNV GL. The world’s first centre of its kind, the MSRC will aim to improve safety at sea through a close collaboration between industry and academia, that targets interdisciplinary, common-threaded research and development. The Maritime Safety Research Centre was officially opened this week by the IMO Secretary General Kitak Lim, who looked at how the MSRC could play a role in the shift of maritime safety from empirical to risk-informed legislation and goal-based standards.

The Maritime Safety Research Center (MSRC) is an industry-university partnership, involving Strathclyde's Department of Naval Architecture, Ocean & Marine Engineering, Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd (RCCL), and DNV GL. The world’s first center of its kind, the MSRC will aim to improve safety at sea through a close collaboration between industry and academia, that targets interdisciplinary, common-threaded research and development. The Maritime Safety Research Center was officially opened this week by the IMO Secretary General Kitak Lim…