“ We ’ re in the process of appointing the professorship in sustainability that Meyer Turku will finance , with a particular focus on process technology , energy technology and industrial engineering and management ,” says Wikström , adding that the collaboration is a very significant one from the perspective of the university .
“ We will fill the professorship by the end of the year ,” he believes .
DIGGING DEEP
Talking about ways to cut down carbon in the marine industry , Wikström acknowledges that green fuels are trending very strongly , but there are other sustainable moves to make , too .
“ Use of space on ships is one issue . If you rethink functions in the ship ’ s public areas and cabins , you can achieve surprising results ,” he says . For example , instead of ships having laundry services onboard , would it make sense to do the laundry on the shore ?
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Another development area involves digitalization and Big Data .
Another development area involves digitalization and Big Data . “ With all the information available , we can manage and optimize the flow of people on ships .”
The big thing on the backburner is making ships out of green steel . “ Ships require vast amounts of steel , so making that steel in a carbon-neutral way would be a tremendous improvement ,” says Wikström .
Green steel fleets are still probably decades away , but in terms of competitive advantage , it makes sense to be among the early adaptors in this field . “ Also regulation keeps tightening and it helps to be proactive , instead of just following the pack .”
NECOLEAP PUSHES MARITIME R & D
The new collaboration fits seamlessly into the wider framework of NEcOLEAP , the green transition lead program which kicked off in 2022 . In the Business Finland funded program , Meyer Turku heads a group of companies , universities and research institutes in order to develop innovative and sustainable technological solutions for the needs of the maritime industry . The program will run until 2025 .
The research and development topics within the NEcOLEAP program focus on four areas : the designing of the cruise ship itself , the shipyard ’ s operations , i . e . the different phases of shipbuilding , and the introduction of smart technologies and the open-minded professionals of the future .
Regarding the shipyard , the goal is to develop the concept of a carbon-neutral cruise ship by 2025 and make the entire shipyard climate-neutral by 2030 .
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