A new maritime research centre was officially open in Elsfleth, Germany on June 4. Bearing the slogan "Create Oceanowledge", the Centre of Maritime Research is part of the Elsfleth Maritime Campus which serves as a platform for applied research in the field of shipping and ocean technology.
Its purpose is to initiate and oversee projects which are conducted in conjunction with maritime institutes, universities, shipyards, shipping lines and private enterprises.
"Research is the source of new growth, and we need creative specialists to keep ahead on an international level," said Niels Stolberg, CEO of the Beluga Shipping, which holds a 51 percent share of the public-private partnership. The other 49 percent is in the hands of the University of Applied Sciences Oldenburg/Ostfriesland/Wilhelmshaven.
"We will bundle maritime skills and resources, enhance research and quickly apply the results in practice," said the Dean of Elsfleth's Nautical Studies Department, Professor Dr. Klaus-Jürgen Windeck.
The projects undertaken at the Maritime Research Centre are interdisciplinary in their orientation and cover the whole gamut of issues relevant to the shipping sector ranging from ballast water treatment, antifouling coatings and oil sensors to innovations increasing the ship's efficiency.
Other central fields of research are the reduction of emissions through alternative power sources like wind, solar or fuel cells, the further development of maritime information and communication technology, the enhancement of maritime infrastructure, for example in port management or loading technology, and the sophistication of education of future maritime experts at sea and ashore.
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