Danish Maritime Fund News

Over the past year, H2 Energy and DFDS have worked together on a project to analyze the feasibility of retrofitting large ferries with a hydrogen propulsion system.The project, supported by the Danish Maritime Fund, has led to the publication of a hydrogen propulsion feasibility study.With support from the Danish Maritime Fund, DFDS, H2 Energy and Lloyds set out to uncover the technical and operational feasibility of hydrogen propulsion systems by analyzing the main aspects of…

Maersk Supply Service, an offshore supply vessel branch of A.P. Moller-Maersk, is launching its offshore vessel-charging venture, Stillstrom, to support the decarbonization of the maritime industry by eliminating idle emissions.Together with the offshore wind giant Ørsted, Stillstrom plans to demonstrate the world’s first full-scale offshore charging station for vessels at an offshore wind farm, scheduled for installation later this year. "Maersk Supply Service’s pioneering new company will deliver offshore electric charging solutions to vessels at ports…

Danish offshore vessel specialist Maersk Supply Service and its compatriot offshore wind developer Ørsted have teamed up to test a prototype offshore charging buoy.The buoy will act as a safe mooring point and a charging station for vessels, potentially displacing a significant amount of marine fuel with "green" electricity. The prototype buoy has been developed by Maersk Supply Service while Ørsted is responsible for the buoy’s integration with the electrical grid at the offshore wind farm.

Two Danish companies have joined forces to test a novel workboat stabilizer for the first time at sea.DACOMA’s groundbreaking Airkeel-technology will be integrated on a 7-meter test vessel from Tuco Marine's ProZero workboat range to demonstrate heel compensation and optimization of roll damping in waves.The DACOMA stabilizer is based on the Airkeel, a submerged, air-filled flotation body mounted at the bottom of the hull. A computer-controlled mechanical drive system moves the Airkeel from side to side…

NORDEN partners with Danish based Kvasir Technologies, a spinout from the Technical University of Denmark with a patented technology to produce fuel from plant material.“At NORDEN, we want to drive the shipping industry towards a cleaner future. If we are to truly make a difference, testing fuel alternatives is the right starting point,” says Henrik Røjel, Fuel Efficiency and Decarbonization Manager at NORDEN. “The collaboration with Kvasir is highly welcomed, both as part of…

A new Danish maritime research, development and innovation partnership has been established under the name of ShippingLab.Danish shipping company J. Lauritzen together with Maersk Tankers, DFDS, Torm and a range of other shipping companies, industrial maritime suppliers, research and technology institutions and universities have formed the partnership, where industry and academia work together with the purpose of solving practical issues to the benefit of society.The overarching goal of the partnership is to develop Denmark’s first autonomous, environmentally friendly ship. The pathway to achieving that goal will also include workstreams on digital ship operation and decarbonisation.The workstream on digital ship operation will focus on the development of intelligent solutions…

Digitalisation and new business models will be in focus of the research and innovation project Blue INNOship II, which was included in the recommendations of the Maritime Strategy Team. A steering group counting participants from Danish Maritime, Danish Shipping, the Danish Metalworkers’ Union, the Danish Maritime Authority, DTU, CBS and Force Technology have – through the Danish Maritime Fund – created the basis for initiating the work through the hiring of a project manager. Director General of the Danish Maritime Authority Andreas Nordseth states:  “Blue INNOship II addresses central issues of importance to the competitiveness of Blue Denmark.

Danish Shipping launches a new guide regarding the implementation of the Ballast Water Management Convention, which will enter into force on 8 September 2017. In a few days, the Ballast Water Management Convention will enter into force. In future all new built ships must be equipped with a ballast water treatment system. For existing ships, systems must be installed as from 8 September 2019 to 8 September 2024. The Convention shall ensure that no invasive species such as zebra mussels and the North American comb jellyfish are transported in the ballast water of the ships from waters in one region to another. But the new rules are complex, and there are a number of conditions that officers have to cope with in order to avoid problems in relation with for example port state inspections.

In 2017, the Danish Maritime Authority will contribute to a pilot project on the development and testing of a system that collects real-time data from various components on board ships. The data flow will be transmitted continuously to shore-based organisations allowing the authorities, shipowners and marine equipment manufacturers to use the information in real-time. The Aalborg-based company GateHouse is behind the pilot project. A number of other companies and the Danish Maritime Authority will contribute to the testing of the new technology. They include shipowners such as Uni-Tankers and other companies such as Logimatic and two major Danish equipment manufacturers.

New technological developments and increasing competition from other countries may change future requirements for the education and competences demanded from Blue Denmark. This is shown in a new longitudinal study. Today, the Danish Maritime Authority – in cooperation with the Danish Agency for Higher Education – publishes a longitudinal study on the availability of qualified labour in Blue Denmark. In general, the report, which is sponsored by the Danish Maritime Fund, points to the fact that the maritime training programmes are expected to be able to meet the needs of the maritime industries as they look at the moment. Blue Denmark is faced with changes, including new technology, larger vessels, etc., which may change the need for education and competences in the future.

Many believe that masterless ships may become reality within a very short period of time. Surely, the technology for unmanned ships is coming, yet it remains unknown exactly where, when and to what extent. Now, the Danish Maritime Authority (DMA), together with the Technical University of Denmark (DTU), is seeking the answers for these unknowns by launching a prestudy on autonomous ships. DMA said the purpose of its cooperation with the DTU is, firstly, to increase the common knowledge base and to set the preliminary frames so that the development and use of unmanned ships can come about in an appropriate manner. Minister for Business and Growth…

The Alfa Laval Test & Training Center in Aalborg, Denmark will soon be expanded to five times its current size. This development, focused on liquefied natural gas (LNG) and other alternative fuels, aims to address new challenges and possibilities for marine customers as they strive to meet environmental and energy targets. Alfa Laval  said the expansion will create the world’s most advanced test center for environmental and combustion technology – regardless of fuel type. Alfa Laval describes its Test & Training Center as a cornerstone of customer-focused technology development.

Maritime key leaders, ministers and leading experts from all around the world will be accompanied by the Danish Crown Prince when they meet for the Danish Maritime Forum, October 7-8, 2015. “We are very proud to announce that the Danish Crown Prince will attend the Danish Maritime Forum. It emphasizes his great interest in the maritime industry and the positive difference it can make for the world,” said Michael Soested, Head of Secretariat of Danish Maritime Days. At the Danish Maritime Forum…

The new cruise terminals at North Harbor provide the innovative setting when global key leaders meet for the Danish Maritime Forum on 7-8 October. With just five meters to the blue waves of Oresund the World’s maritime key leaders will feel at home when they participate in the Danish Maritime Forum 2015. And if they get the time to take a glance out of the windows, they will be greeted by the view of the Copenhagen skyline, the Three Crowns Sea Fortress and an offshore wind farm. It is the cruise terminals at North Harbour that were inaugurated in May last year that will provide the innovative setting when global key leaders, policymakers, experts and other influential decision-makers and opinion shapers meet at this year’s maritime summit on 7 – 8 October.

The inaugural Danish Maritime Days was held with the goal of providing an open platform for a diverse range of industry stakeholders to collaboratively address some of the largest issues facing the maritime sector; but the event also showcased a resurging maritime nation asserting itself on the international radar. From October 6-10, 2014, maritime stakeholders from across the globe convened in Denmark for the inaugural Danish Maritime Days (DMD), held via a public-private partnership between Danish Maritime, the Danish Maritime Authority and the Danish Shipowner’s Association.

Denmark's DTU Mechanical Engineering , DTU Civil Engineering and DBI have received a grant of 5,090,000 Kroner from the Danish Maritime Authority Maritime Conversion Group and the Danish Maritime Fund to develop a new superstructure construction of carbon fiber and other lightweight materials for large passenger ships in the research project COMPASS. COMPASS stands for 'Composite Superstructures for Large Passenger Ships'. Associate Professor Christian Berggreen is the head of the project at DTU Mechanical Engineering and intends to demonstrate that it is possible to build a cheap and fireproof lightweight construction for superstructures on passenger ships to replace the existing steel superstructures used today.

SP Technical Research Institute of Sweden has long been engaged in research aimed at energy efficient vessels by increased use of lightweight shipbuilding materials. A major step forward was a recently completed concept development project where SP Fire Technology conducted life-cycle cost analysis and a comprehensive fire risk assessment for a car ferry in carbon fiber composite. The research project was performed within a Swedish-Danish-Norwegian cooperation MARKIS and received additional funding from SP and the Danish Maritime Fund.