News

TU Delft is launching a new research programme on 31 October to explore the possibilities of wind-assisted propulsion for cargo vessels. The aim is to reduce fuel consumption by 30%.

The faculty building, which had been somewhat empty during the summer holiday, was enlivened by the visit of 40 enthusiastic children of above-average intelligence. The group was given an interactive introduction to the world of Marine Technology.

It is with sadness that we learned of the passing of our dear colleague Cees van Rhee on Saturday 15 July 2023 during his holiday in France. Cees was professor of Dredging Technology at the Department of Maritime & Transport Technology at TU Delft since 2007.

Nature published an article ‘Autonomous ships are on the horizon: here’s what we need to know’ about autonomous ships that highlights research gaps in six key areas. Rudy Negenborn and his co-authors touch upon critical challenges in the development and deployment of autonomous ships in practice, that are not receiving sufficient attention in research and innovation.

A number of internal relocations have taken place in the 3mE building the past year and one of them was the relocation of the Wave-Flume Tank. The tank has been moved from building section J to the API hall nearby in Leeghwaterstraat to create space for projects being conducted in the Fluid Mechanics Lab. The Wave-Flume Tank has returned home: at the Ship Hydromechanics Lab.

The first fully-automated demo of AVATARs - autonomous emission-free waterways vessels - took place on the pond in front of the 3mE building. Three model-scaled vessels neatly demonstrated their manoeuvrability, precision controlled turning and steering capabilities thanks to long-range Wi-Fi and 4G communications and newly-developed AI directed collision-avoidance technology.

At the bottom of the ocean lie lumps of valuable metals such as copper, manganese, nickel and cobalt - materials crucial to accelerating the energy transition. A collaboration between five European countries called ‘Blue Harvesting,’ has designed and now tested a new collector that can gather these nodules from the deep sea bottom with minimal disturbance to the natural environment.