Technical University News

The Lloyd’s Register (LR) Maritime Decarbonization Hub is collaborating with five leading shipowners as founding members in the establishment of a not-for-profit Athens-based global Maritime Emissions Reduction Center (M-ERC) that will focus on optimizing the efficiency of the existing fleet.The M-ERC is being created with the goal of removing technical, investment and community barriers for the uptake of solutions to reduce the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions of the existing global fleet…

Thordon Bearings and Wärtsilä have announced the formation of the Blue Ocean Alliance to develop and promote a stern tube-less ship concept.The Blue Ocean Alliance brings together Thordon Bearings, Wärtsilä, the School of Naval Architecture & Marine Engineering of the National Technical University of Athens (NTUA), naval architect SDARI (Shanghai Merchant Ship Design & Research Institute CSSC) and ABS.The companies say that the concept of a ship design that does not require a…

Meyer Group has appointed Bernd Eikens as Group CEO starting in December 2023.Eikens has worked in different management positions for UPM-Kymmene for 25 years, since 2013 as a member of the group executive team. His international career includes positions in the US, China, Germany and Finland. Most recently, he headed the successful implementation of a pulp mill project in Uruguay with an investment volume of $3.5 billion.He has been a member of the Meyer Turku advisory board since 2019 and…

Port agency and marine services company Inchcape Shipping Services (ISS) announced it has appointed Harun Duzgoren as the regional chief executive officer for the Americas, effective September 1, 2023.Duzgoren brings to the role 23 years of managerial experience in the global marine services industry. Prior to joining ISS, he served as the chief commercial officer of Subsea Global Solutions. Before that, he spent 16 years at V.Group, where he held various senior international positions.

Germany's Anneliese Jost has been selected as the recipient of the International Maritime Prize for 2022, the the International Maritime Organization (IMO) announced. The decision was made by the IMO Council at its 129th session, being held July 17-21, after Jost was nominated for the award by the Government of the Federal Republic of Germany.In its statement supporting her nomination for the prize, Germany cited Jost's "crucial contribution towards achieving the objectives of IMO…

MAN Energy Solutions announced it will begin developing retrofit solutions for medium-speed marine engines as part of a research association including WTZ Roßlau gGmbh and TU-Darmstadt. The three-year research project, ‘CliNeR-ECo’, is funded by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action (BMWK) with initial work having already commenced at the beginning of 2023.CliNeR-ECo aims to develop concepts for diverse, medium-speed, marine engines that will enable the retrofitting of entire ship fleets at reasonable economic and technical costs.

bound4blue announced the appointment of Elias Boletis as an external advisor to the company.Boletis has a Doctorate in Applied Sciences from the University of Brussels and holds a MSc in Mechanical and Electrical Engineering from the Technical University of Athens (Greece) and a MSc in Turbomachinery and Fluid Dynamics from the Von Karman Institute (Brussels, Belgium). He has also been recognized with several industry awards and accolades for his contributions to the field such as integration of new technologies…

ABS has appointed Panos Koutsourakis to head its global sustainability team. Koutsourakis is an 18-year industry veteran who has key industry experience with shipping companies, classification, operations, design and new construction, decarbonization technologies and strategic planning.As Vice President, Global Sustainability, Koutsourakis heads-up a global network of sustainability centers in key maritime locations, including Singapore, Athens, Houston, Copenhagen and Shanghai.

Adding a flap to a Flettner rotor can lead to improved performance and significant reductions in both emissions and fuel consumption, according to a recent assessment.The study, conducted by wind-assisted ship propulsion specialist Blue Wasp Marine on behalf of the Technical University Delft (TU Delft) and the Sea Axe Fund, leveraged in-house developed Pelican software to assess the potential of a straightforward adjustment to a Flettner rotor, a vertical cylinder that spins and develop lift due to the Magnus effect.In the circumstances covered by Blue Wasp’s tests…

Supporting hydrogen propulsion and foiling technologies development to reduce emissionsLogistics provider Marinetrans is now partner of the foiling hydrogen boat project of Delft Technical University. Together with other maritime companies Marinetrans now supports this diverse team of students to compete with a foiling hydrogen-power boat in the Monaco Energy Boat Challenge, a project to exhibit viable sustainable propulsion solutions.At Marinetrans, several emission-reduction schemes are currently unfolding…

The European Commission has chosen Technip Energies, X1 Wind, and a consortium of ten international entities, to deliver the NextFloat project, a program aimed at accelerating industrial-scale floating wind.NextFloat project's main objectives are to demonstrate a competitive, sustainable, and integrated floating offshore wind solution optimized for deep waters and to accelerate the industrial-scale deployment of floating offshore wind. The integrated solution relies on X1 Wind's floating offshore wind technology…

Thordon Bearings said ABS issued an Approval in Principle to the “sterntube-less ship” concept developed in cooperation with the Shanghai Merchant Ship Design & Research Institute (SDARI), the National Technical University of Athens (NTUA) and Thordon Bearings Inc.The design replaces a vessel’s sterntube with an irregular shaped chamber that allows a shorter, water-lubricated propeller shaft to be inspected and maintained while the vessel is afloat, without having to withdraw…

ABS has granted Approval in Principle (AIP) to the Shanghai Merchant Ship Design and Research Institute (SDARI) for its vessel design with a novel aft layout, which eliminates pollution and promotes efficient vessel operations.The SDARI design, developed in cooperation with Thordon Bearings Inc. and the National Technical University of Athens (NTUA), introduces a new approach to the vessel’s aft layout, including removal of the stern tube casting, employing seawater for lubrication…

A first-of-its-kind emissions-free push boat has been christened and delivered in Germany.The unique and innovative vessel, Elektra, was built over the course of nearly 2.5 years at Hermann Barthel GmbH in Derben and features battery-electric propulsion system combined with hydrogen and fuel cell technology, reportedly the world's first for a push boat. It will now undergo long-term prior to commencing commercial operations.The basis of the newly developed hybrid system is the battery package…

Berg Propulsion opened new offices in Istanbul to reinforce its presence in Turkey and the surrounding region. The operation will be led by Mustafa Müslüm, who has been appointed General Manager, Berg Propulsion Eurasia.Müslüm is familiar with the Berg Propulsion organization, having led regional activities on behalf of Berg Propulsion between 2005 and 2013 Istanbul and Dubai. He went on to serve Reintjex Eurasia and then Schottel Turkey, building on his network of contacts with local designers, owners and yards.

Jan Pieter Klaver will start as CEO of Royal IHC on January 1, 2022, taking over from Gerben Eggink, who fulfilled the role of CEO on an interim basis for more than a year and a half. With Klaver Royal IHC is bringing in an experienced CEO from the maritime sector, and together with Paul van der Harten (CFO) and Kees van der Snel (COO), they form the three member Executive Board.After his training as a civil engineer at the Technical University of Delft, Klaver started at Heerema.

As the maritime industry embarks on 'the path to zero', it is widely acknowledged that there is currently not a 'silver bullet' solution, nor is it likely that a solution will emerge from a vaccum. Collaboration is the path forward, and efforts such as MethanQuest offer promise.The project MethanQuest was launched in September 2018 with 29 partners from research, industry and the energy sector to work on processes for producing hydrogen and methane from renewables and for using them to achieve climate-neutral mobility and power generation.

Swedish equipment manufacturer Alfal Laval said it is ramping up for soon-to-begin major tests of methanol as a marine fuel at its test and training center in Aalborg, Denmark. Working alongside engine manufacturer MAN Energy Solutions and other partners, Alfa Laval will explore the possibility of running the center’s four-stroke, 2 MW diesel engine on methanol without modifications or another pilot fuel.The testing is the third stage in an ongoing research project funded by Danish EUDP (Energy Technology Development and Demonstration Program).

The Mærsk Mc-Kinney Møller Center for Zero Carbon Shipping on Tuesday announced its management team. to join CEO Bo Cerup-Simonsen in building an organization capable of facilitating the transition to a carbon free global shipping industry.Made possible by a DKK 400 million ($63.5 million) donation by the A.P. Møller Foundation, the Center was formed in June by a group of global shipping entities committing themselves to decarbonizing the maritime industry. The Center, which recently revealed its Board of Directors and a location at the heart of the Danish Shipping cluster in Copenhagen…

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.

When will the first fully digitized, autonomous and environmentally friendly ship be ready to sail? The answer is uncertain but the Danish Maritime Authority’s ShippingLab project aims to have most of the technical and managerial challenges solved in as little as two years from now. Tom Mulligan reports.Denmark’s ShippingLab project is a three-year initiative that commenced its work in March 2019 with the aim of developing the first fully commercially operational, fully digital, autonomous and environmentally friendly ship.

Kasper Karlsen, Senior Director at Maersk Drilling, will join Svitzer Europe as Chief Operating Officer from 1 July 2020, the company has announced today.Karlsen joins Svitzer Europe as COO after nearly 13 years with Maersk Drilling, where he has held a variety of leadership roles spanning the organization’s operational, technical and support functions. He was recently Head of Transformation Office and Customer Solutions at Maersk Drilling. Karlsen holds a Master's Degree from the Technical University of Denmark in Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering…

Naval architecture students in Galati, Romania and Gdansk, Poland, used their technical and soft skills to compete in the final of ShipDX (Ship Design Exercise), the first naval architecture competition in Romania.GLO Marine, the organizer of the competition, looked at current industry trends to propose the theme of this year’s edition: the concept design of a highly autonomous, self-propelled floating house, with a focus on integrating green and sustainable technologies into the smart design.