Building 10–15% more cost-effectively while safeguarding strategic autonomy
Contributing to the goal set out in the Sector Agenda for the Maritime Manufacturing Industry (SAMMI)—to build ships in the Netherlands 10–15% more cost-effectively while safeguarding our strategic autonomy—was central to the Circularity Masterclass for the Shipyard of the Future working group. The session was organised together with our partner in crime BlueCity, in collaboration with InnovationQuarter / Maritime Delta.
Smarter use of materials: essential for a sustainable maritime future
Smarter use of materials is essential for a sustainable maritime future. Increasingly, materials are becoming critical and/or geopolitically complex, and reducing the quantities used can deliver direct economic benefits.
From basic principles to business opportunities!
Together with Damen, Royal IHC, Oceanco, Holland Shipyards Group, Neptune Marine, Kooiman Marine Group, Scheepswerf Slob, Den Breejen Shipyard, Mercury Yacht Construction BV (an Oceanco Company), Alblasserdam Yachtbuilding B.V., NMC Maritime Technology, and the Municipality of Rotterdam – Urban Development, we explored the basic principles of circular thinking and discussed the following business opportunities.
- Smart cable usage by Alewijnse, in close coordination with Damen, TKF (BV Twentsche Kabelfabriek), and Bureau Veritas | Marine & Offshore. They are exploring how smart ship design and collaboration can contribute to the goal of reducing cable usage on board ships by 20% by 2030. This approach saves valuable and critical raw materials, directly reduces costs, and results in lighter ships that sail more sustainably.
- Reuse of wear-resistant dredging components by Allard-Europe N.V. / Royal IHC. IHC has launched a pilot to recycle wear-resistant components—unique to IHC—in a dedicated process. The Allard Europe foundry now has access to a clean and affordable material stream that can be reused in its melting furnaces, rather than being sold off ‘cheaply’ as scrap. This contributes to a more sustainable dredging industry.
- Remanufacturing by AEGIR-Marine BV. In close collaboration with Delft University of Technology and Bureau Veritas | Marine & Offshore, AEGIR is currently investigating the disassembly and re-certification of a 20-year-old tunnel thruster. The aim is to demonstrate that remanufacturing enables a ship’s propeller (and potentially other components) to be reused and marketed as good as new. The good news: a Dutch shipowner is already planning to install the refurbished propeller on one of their vessels!
A brief update was also provided on other ongoing circular initiatives: CirclesOfLife by NMT | Netherlands Maritime Technology, Circolab by Damen, and CIRCOtracks by BlueCity.
More about the Sector Agenda for the Maritime Manufacturing Industry.