VESSELS OF THE FUTURE EUROPEAN RESEARCH ASSOCIATION DR PIERRE SAMES SHIPPING WEEK BRUSSELS

Dr Pierre C. Sames from DNV GL, introduced the Vessels for the Future initiative at the European Shipping Week in Brussels on the 3rd of March 2015. The aim of the new research association being to spur maritime transport’s competitiveness.

EUROPEAN RESEARCH ASSOCIATION

Launched in November 2014, over 50 companies, research institutes, academic organizations and interested associations have already signed up to take part in the initiative to work towards a more sustainable European transport system. Dr Sames is quoted as saying: “Aiming at a private public partnership is important not only as it allows us to have a coordinated research, development and implementation (RDI) programme which covers both vessels and waterborne operations, but it demonstrates a clear commitment from all stakeholders to meet the ambitious goals of the initiative.”

The initiative focuses on the three key areas for the maritime transport cluster: safe and efficient waterborne transport and competitiveness of the maritime sector in Europe. Vessels for the Future has set ambitious goals in a 2050 perspective: an 80 per cent reduction in CO2 and 100 per cent reduction in SOx and NOx emissions, and a reduction in risk by a factor of 10.

Five maritime technologies are seen as vital to unlocking greater efficiencies and improving environmental performance: new materials and processes, fuels and propulsion systems, information and communication technology (incl. e-maritime), hull water interaction, energy management and novel vessel design concepts. In addition, Vessels for the Future aims at creating the first European vessel demonstrator to test new technologies at ship level. Advances in these areas are also capable to strengthen industrial competitiveness and job creation in our sector.

By developing energy efficient and safe vessels (or vessels for the future), the initiative will address the societal challenge of moving towards sustainable transport. At the same time it will maintain the cutting edge design, manufacturing and innovative production capacities, having a positive impact on employment and the global competitive¬ness of the European economy.

“We are now looking forward to taking more action on this initiative,” said Dr Sames. “The programme has the potential to greatly increase the introduction of innovative enabling waterborne technologies. And the focus on demonstrating the cost vs. performance benefits of the innovations will ensure that they find a place in the market. This will further improve the profitability of industrial research by increasing market share, thereby enabling more investment in long term technological competitiveness. The next step for our initiative is to engage with the EU Commission to move towards a contractual private public partnership.”

European Shipping Week will take place over the course of the week of 2-6 of March 2015 and will feature a variety of events. European Shipping Week is intended to be a platform where policy-makers from the main EU institutions will meet and engage with European shipowners and other stakeholders from the shipping sector. The focus will be on shipping, in all its different aspects.

European Shipping Week is the brainchild of the European Community Shipowners' Associations (ECSA) and is run by a Steering Group made up of Europe's main shipping organisations as well as the European Commission and Shipping Innovation. The shipping organisations involved on the Steering Group include: ECSA; Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA) Europe; European Community Association of Ship Brokers and Agents (ECASBA); Interferry; the European Dredging Association; the World Shipping Council, as well as the European Tugowners' Association.

At a press on the 3rd of March 2015 ECSA presented the results of a recent update of the Oxford Economics study on the economic value of the EU shipping industry, which highlights the industry’s important contribution to the EU economy based on new and more reliable data.

According to the study, the overall contribution of the European shipping industry to the EU’s GDP in 2013 is estimated to have been €147 billion. Moreover, for every €1 million the European shipping industry contributes to GDP itself, it creates another €1.6 million elsewhere in the European economy.

In terms of employment, the industry provided jobs to an estimated 2.2 million people both on board vessels and ashore in the wider maritime cluster. The industry directly employs more workers than the aviation sector, while, between 2004 and 2013, direct employment grew by 25%. Moreover, EU shipping is far more productive in terms of GDP generated per worker than the EU average.

‘Europe controls the world’s largest and most innovative fleet of ships’ remarked Patrick Verhoeven, ECSA Secretary General, adding ‘this very important fact is often overlooked despite the fact that it plays a key role in the economic impact of our industry on the European economy’.

As the study shows, the ultimate ownership or control of 40% of the world’s gross tonnage lies in an EU country. What is more, the EU controlled fleet has grown strongly. Between the start of 2005 and the start of 2014, the EU controlled fleet expanded by more than 74% in tonnage, and by 72% in terms of deadweight tonnage.

In the UK (2013) the TSB kicked in £190,000 to help develop the concept on the left. On the right is a counter-trading (balanced) pendulum based generator from the University of Aberdeen, using rotational motion of the parametric pendulum mounted on a floating structure and excited by the waves to extract the energy from the sea.

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DNV GL is the world’s leading classification society and a recognized advisor for the maritime industry. We enhance safety, quality, energy efficiency and environmental performance of the global maritime industry – across all vessel types. This includes offshore structures for oil and gas production and renewable energy. We invest heavily in research and development to find solutions, together with the industry, that address strategic, operational or regulatory challenges.

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European Community Shipowners’ Associations

The European Community Shipowners’ Associations (ECSA), founded in 1965 under the name of “Comité des Associations d’Armateurs des Communautés Européennes (CAACE)”, is the trade association representing the national shipowners’ associations of the EU and Norway (close to 99% of the EEA fleet or about 20% of the world fleet). Our aim is to promote the interests of European shipping so that the industry can best serve European and international trade and commerce in a competitive free enterprise environment to the benefit of shippers and consumers and help formulate EU policy on critical maritime transport-related issues.

Holman Fenwick Willan

Holman Fenwick Willan (HFW) is an international law firm and one of the world’s leading specialists in shipping, maritime transportation, insurance, reinsurance and trade. Our shipping lawyers provide a comprehensive service to the global maritime business community and have a sound understanding of how the market works across dry shipping, admiralty and crisis management, and transactional/regulatory work.

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ADS Insight

ADS Insight is Brussels’ leading EU government relations consultancy, with a special focus on maritime policy. With regional offices in Germany, Sweden and Poland, we advise and assist organisations in understanding and effectively contributing to EU law-making processes, and applying for funding (e.g TEN-T, Horizon 2020).

Consulate General of Panama

At the Consulate of Panama in Antwerp we provide a range of Maritime Services, including:

Vessel registration with Panama Flag
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Registre International Français

The RIF is the French International Register for commercial vessels and large commercial yachts. Ten years after its creation, the performance of the RIF is now fully recognised by ICS&ISF. As a leader in maritime safety and environmental protection , the RIF is also at the top of Paris MoU whitelist for the second consecutive year and has obtained the US Coast Guard label, QUALSHIP 21 , thereby confirming the high degree of compliance to the international standards reached by the RIF certification system.

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Mercy Ships provides a variety of training opportunities for medical professionals (surgeons, nurses, administrators, and community health workers), along with curative surgical interventions.

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