Annual report 2020

Department of Marine Technology | NTNU

Looking Back

2020 will be remembered as the year of the Corona virus. We started to read about it in the news late in 2019. One of our Chinese PhD students offered me to import face masks for use in the department. At the time, I had never worn a face mask except when doing construction work, so I turned down the offer. I came to regret that when the pandemic hit.

Even if we could have been better prepared with respect to face masks, the people in the department shall have praise for how quickly they adapted to the new situation with home office and remote lecturing. A good thing about the pandemic is that we suddenly learnt how to use video and other online learning tools as part of our regular teaching.

We have also seen an important influx of new research centres this year; the VISTA Centre for Autonomous Robotics Operations Subsea (CAROS) headed by Asgeir J. Sørensen, and significant participations in SFI Autoship, SFI Harvest, SFI Blues as well as FME Northwind on offshore wind energy.

Bilde av Sverre Steen
Sverre Steen, Head of Department of Marine Technology NTNU
Bilde av Ocean Space Centre
This is how the Seakeeping basin in the Ocean Space Centre can look like if the department get funding. Illustration: Snøhetta

Our mission

NTNU’s mission is to educate outstanding graduates with strong analytical and practical abilities. The research goal in the technological areas is to expand knowledge in science and technology for a better world. IMT’s mission is to contribute to environmentally and economically sustainable ocean industries in Norway and globally.

The most important outcome of IMT is the candidates we educate. Producing research results which drives the technological forefront further, and which can be useful for the industries, is also important. In line with NTNU’s goal to move from mission to action, we address the UN goals for sustainability (SDGs) (ntnu.no/baerekraftmaal) that are relevant based on the research and educational activity in the department.

goals_cond

2020 Numbers

SOME OF OUR PHDs

Amrit Shankar Verma

Finished his PhD on “Modelling, Analysis and Response-based Operability Assessment of Offshore Wind Turbine Blade Installation with Emphasis on Impact Damages” in the beginning of 2020.

He is now an Assistant Professor in Mechanical Engineering at the University of Maine on the east coast of the US – close to the Canadian border. Our department with Professor Amir Nejad and Assistant Professor Verma in the lead has agreed on a partnership in higher education and research for strengthening the development of next generation offshore wind infrastructures (NUWind).

Bent Oddvar Arnesen Haugaløkken

Completed and defended his thesis on “Autonomous Technology for Inspection, Maintenance and Repair Operations in the Norwegian Aquaculture”. He is now a researcher at Sintef Ocean, working on research and development within automation and utilization robotic systems for aquaculture and subsea inspection, maintenance and repair operations.

Jose Jorge Garcia Agis

thesis was about “Effectiveness in Decision-Making in Ship Design under Uncertainty”. After finishing his PhD, he went south – as far as Ulsteinvik in the county of Møre and Romsdal where he became Deputy Managing Director at Ulstein International.

Jose's responsibilities rely on closing the gap between technical, commercial, and operational aspects of maritime operations. Through Ulstien International, Jose supports the ship design and shipbuilding activities of other Ulstein companies. Jose is still closely related to research at NTNU through multiple R&D initiatives.

Sandra Hogenboom

after finishing the PhD about “Decision-making within Dynamic Positioning Operations in the Offshore Industry – A Human Factors based Approach,” She continued to work as a Human Factors Consultant in DNV – working on risk analysis related to human factors and working environment within the oil and gas industry.

John Marius Hegseth

wrote and defended his thesis about “Efficient Modelling and Design Optimization of Large Floating Wind Turbines”, and continued to work in Dr.techn. Olav Olsen as a Senior Advisor on the renewable energy business area, focusing mainly on floating wind turbines.

Research and Highlights

Participates in three new SFIs

The Norwegian Research Council has created several new Centres for Research-based Innovation (SFIs). Three will be connected to the research groups at our department.

  • SFI Harvest - Technologies for sustainable biomarine value creation, led by Sintef
  • SFI Blues - which will conduct research on floating construction for the future needs in renewable energy, aqua culture and coastal infrastructur, led by Sintef.
  • SFI Autoship - Autonomous ships, led by NTNU

Teaching and studying from home

Due to the shutdowns of the Corona pandemic the department has gone from in-person lectures to digital teaching. While different, and at times challenging, both students and educators are pleased with how well the new methods work.

At the department silence hangs in the air in the auditoriums and study rooms. Usually full of students from early morning to late night, the classrooms have stood empty for several weeks. The Covid-19 virus has forced universities and schools all over the world to change the way they operate.

New test method for ocean wind turbines

Researchers at the Department of Marine Technology and SINTEF have developed a new test method that can help reduce the price of offshore wind energy production, and hopefully make Norwegian offshore wind investments even more viable. In March this new "Real-Time Hybrid Model" testing method was used on commercial testing for the first time.

Participates in a major new research centre on offshore wind

NTNU and SINTEF will partner up in the newly funded FME NorthWind research centre, which will develop competitive offshore wind farms within ten years. The NorthWind Research Centre for Environment Friendly Energy (FME) has been awarded NOK 120 million for the next eight years by the Research Council of Norway.

Professor Martin Ludvigsen receives prestigious award

The IEEE OES Autonomous Maritime Systems Rising Star Award for 2020 has been awarded to Martin Ludvigsen at the Department of Marine Technology and NTNU AMOS.​​​​ It is a mid-career award meant to recognize faculty and researchers who have done exceptionally good work.

New Vista centre grant to NTNU’s autonomous underwater robotics research

The Norwegian Science Academy (DNVA) and Equinor are providing 25 million NOK to a new research center at NTNU. The center will increase our knowledge of the ocean by developing new underwater-robotics technology. The centre will function as a spin-off from NTNU AMOS and will be connected to the Department for Marine Technology and the Department of Engineering Cybernetics.