Annual report 2024

Department of Marine Technology | NTNU

Recap

Photo: Kai T. Dragland / NTNU
Photo: Kai T. Dragland / NTNU

In 2024, we had the best recruitment of new students to our important 5-year integrated master program MTMART. 119 very well qualified students started, of those 35% female, even though the two extra credits for women were removed this year.  

Students are our first priority, and recruiting well-qualified students with marine technology as their top priority is very important. On the less positive side is the decline in foreign students in our two-year master programs, driven by the recent introduction of tuition for students from outside Europe. 

In 2024, economy reached top of the agenda for the university, with staff reductions and widespread pessimism. The IV faculty and Department of Marine Technology is so far, an exception. A good project portfolio and good economic control means that there is not any economic crisis. However, the outlook is reduced government grants and harder competition for the research grants from the Research Council. Fortunately, we have become more successful in getting also EU research projects.  

The Norwegian Ocean Technology Centre project continued with full force in 2024. The biggest and most challenging part of the project, the Basin building, completed the groundwork. For Department of Marine Technology, the grant for Fjordlab was the single most important event in 2024. Almost 400 million NOK to equipment will be a big step forward in our use of the Trondheim fjord and the ocean in general as a research lab.  

A disappointment was that the financing for new buildings and other land-infrastructure in Fjordlab was not granted. 

I would like to thank all our employees for their great efforts. Many people put in a lot of work to produce our good results in teaching and research! 

The female first-year students at the five-year master programme in Marine Technology the day before the immatriculation.

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. The Department of Marine Technology shall contribute to environmentally and economically sustainable ocean industries in Norway and worldwide.

The Department of marine technology research and education contributes to develop sustainable solutions, helps solve complex problems and global challenges to assure effective resource utilization. In line with NTNU’s goal to move from mission to action, we address the UN goals for sustainability (SDGs) that are relevant based on the research and educational activity in the department.

goals_cond_oppdartert

The grant for Fjordlab was an important event in 2024: Fjordlab consists of both labs in the Trondheim area and the Ålesund area. The labs are both run by NTNU and SINTEF Ocean. The goal is more interdisciplinary collaboration and to create world-leading labs in both subsea operations, testing of maritime autonomy and maritime operations, ocean monitoring and sensor systems for aquaculture.

2024 Numbers

SOME OF OUR PHDs

Dennis David Langer

Defended his PhD thesis on Hyperspecral Push-broom Systems: Operations Software Development and Spatial Resolution in the beginning of January. Professor Asgeir J. Sørensen has been the main supervisor, Professor Tor Arne Johansen at the Department of Engineering Cybernetics and Professor Geir Johnsen at the Department of Biology co-supervisors. This was a truly interdisciplinary PhD with the first tests of the observation pyramid on Svalbard as a milestone! Dennis continues as a post doc at our department, and a new small satellite for ocean research is already launched.

Photo: Live Oftedahl/ NTNU

Jens Einar Bremnes

Defended his thesis Safe Autonomy in Marine Robotics in January after moving to Oslo and starting to work as a scientist for the Norwegian Defence Research Establishment - FFI. Professor Asgeir J. Sørensen has been the main supervisor, with Professor Ingrid B. Utne and Senior Scientist in FFI Thomas Røbekk Krogstad as co-supervisors. In the defense he claimed among other things that his aim is to make robots more afraid of dying.

Photo: Live Oftedahl/ NTNU

Tale Egeberg Aasland

Defended her thesis Numerical studies of viscous flow around straight and curved tandem cylinders in March. Her research is ultimately about floating bridges. Tale works in the Norwegian Public Roads Administration (Statens vegvesen) and is one of our PhDs which is financed by her current employer. She has been supervised by Professor emeritus Bjørnar Petterson, and co-supervised by Professor Helge Ingolf Andersson, Department of Energy and Process Engineering, Senior Engineer Xu Xiang, Statens vegvesen and Research Scientist Fengjian Jiang, Sintef Ocean.

Photo: Private

Thomas Johansen

Defended his thesis on Risk-Based Control of Autonomous Surface Ship in May. Professor Ingrid B. Utne has been the main supervisor, while Professor Asgeir J. Sørensen, and Tor Arne Johansen, Department of Engineering Cybernetics have been co-supervisors. His thesis is part of the green shift in shipping where developing autonomous ships that can operate safely will be crucial. LinkedIn tells us that Thomas has worked as a Senior Researcher in Equinor since September 2022.

Photo: Private

Irene Rivera-Arreba

Was our first PhD candidate to have an all-female and top-notch panel in her PhD-defense. Her thesis Atmospheric stability and wake meandering on floating wind turbines was defended in August. Her main supervisor has been Erin Bachynski-Polić and co-supervisor Lene Eliassen in Equinor. The 1st opponent was Julie Lundquist from the John Hopkins University and 2nd opponent Charlotte Obhrai in Equinor. Professor Marilena Greco was administrator of the committee. Irene continues as an Engineering Consultant in DNV Denmark.

Photo: Ole Martin Wold

Tore Mo-Bjørkelund

Gave his best to defend his thesis on Applied and adaptive collaborative sampling for autonomous underwater vehicles in December. Martin Ludvigsen has been his main supervisor. He continued his venture with the start-up company Skarv Technologies together with fellow PhD students at the Department of Marine Technology where he is currently the Head of Operations.

Photo: Live Oftedahl / NTNU

John Martin Kleven Godø

Was the last to defend a PhD thesis in 2024 with the thesis Zero-Emission Hydrofoil Fast Ferries: Design, Modelling and Performance Evaluation. His main supervisor has been Sverre Steen. Godø has been on a long journey: After the master thesis he was the Co-founder and CTO of Flying Foil with the aim to commercialize hydrofoil technology developed in his master thesis. His journey after the PhD goes south to the Oslo-area, but which company is still a secret.

Photo: Kai T. Dragland / NTNU
2024 PhD theses
IMT 2024 Tabell
Kode Navn Tittel
IMT-01-2024Dennis David LangerHyperspectral Push-broom Systems: Operations, Software Development, and Spatial Resolution
IMT-02-2024Jens Einar BremnesSafe Autonomy in Marine Robotics
IMT-03-2024George KatsikogiannisEstimation of Long-Term Fatigue and Extreme Responses of Large-Diameter Monopiles for Offshore Wind Turbines
IMT-04-2024Alexandre CardaillacTowards autonomous underwater navigation and perception for end-to-end ship hull inspection
IMT-05-2024Tale Egeberg AaslandNumerical studies of viscous flow around straight and curved tandem cylinders
IMT-06-2024Felix MehlanDigital Twins for Fault Prognosis in Offshore Wind Turbine Drivetrains
IMT-07-2024Thomas JohansenRisk-Based Control of Autonomous Surface Ships
IMT-08-2024Sheng XuShipping safety in the Arctic Contributions to the understanding of shipping risk during escort and convoy operations
IMT-09-2024Maël MoreauNumerical and experimental hydrodynamic study of a vertical circular floating dock in waves
IMT-10-2024Mathias MarleyHybrid and nonhybrid control barrier functions for constraint satisfaction in dynamical systems
IMT-11-2024Irene Rivera-ArrebaAtmospheric stability and wake meandering on floating wind turbines
IMT-12-2024David R. WillamsonAutomated Monitoring of the Early Life Stages of Fish
IMT-13-2024Renan Guedes MaidanaRisk Assessment for Decision-Making in Autonomous Marine and Maritime Systems
IMT-14-2024Tore Mo-BjørkelundApplied adaptive and collaborative sampling for autonomous underwater vehicles
IMT-15-2024John Martin Kleven GodøZero-Emission Hydrofoil Fast Ferries: Design, Modelling, and Performance Evaluation
IMT-16 + DTU 2024Raphaël Emile Gilbert MounetSea State Estimation Based on Measurements from Multiple Observation Platforms

Research and Highlights

29 mill. NOK to make robots smarter

April 11: EU supports Prof. Ingrid B. Utne’s work with an ERC Advanced Grant to make robots and autonomous systems to better understand and handle risk, and to give operators insight into what the systems are “thinking”.  

The grant is given to researchers who have been doing excellent research for more than 10 years.  

In her research and teaching at our department, Utne belongs to the MESA research group – Marine Energy Systems and Autonomics.

Photo: Ole Martin Wold

Read more:

Gemini
NTNU Nyheter

The Ocean Technology Day 2025

17 April: The Department invited all students and employees, as well as the industry to an inspiring day about the future and the trends we see in marine technology. This year’s topic was: The future competence need in the ocean industries.  

There were four sessions. The first session was about floating wind, the second about the aquaculture industry, the third about marine cybernetics and control engineering, and finally a session about the green shift in shipping and marine energy systems technology.  

The speakers were both from the industry and the department. This year 12 of our PhD candidates pitched their project to the audience, which was very well received. In the weeks in advance, we also had done some pitch training of the PhDs.

Photo: Live Oftedahl / NTNU

Bridgehead Aquaculture – to be continued

3 June: “Bridgehead Aquaculture will from now on stand on its own feet and be further developed. We will continue to improve the recruitment, strengthen the relevance in our education and contribute to higher value creation and sustainability in the aquaculture industry,” said Pro-Rector of Innovation Toril Nagelhus Hernes on the official opening of the continuation of Bridgehead Aquaculture. 

The first edition of Bridgehead Aquaculture was launched in 2012 with the support from the Norwegian Research Council (RCN). Now this important cooperation between educators and the industry continues without the RCN support. 

19 partners are involved.  

“The Bridgehead movement has led to better recruitment in the aquaculture industries and more innovation,” said Alexandra Neyts, the project leader for both Bridgehead Aquaculture editions.

Photo: Eva Hilde Murvold/NTNU

Opening of the Norwegian Ocean Technology Centre’s first two labs

August 21: “This is the place where green talk becomes green reality,” said Minister of Fisheries and Ocean Policy Marianne Sivertsen Næss during the opening of the first two laboratories in the Norwegian Ocean Technology Centre. 

The new Structures Lab and brand-new Maritime Energy Systems Laboratory was officially opened at Torgard south of Trondheim. 

The laboratories are part of the major initiative Norwegian Ocean Technology Centre, which will have its main base at Tyholt in Trondheim but will also have facilities in other locations. 

“The centre will contribute to the development of renewable energy, ocean monitoring, sustainable food production, and environmentally friendly ships,” said the Minister.

Photo: Kai T. Dragland /NTNU

New first-year students

August 11: “Tjuvstarten”, where the new female students meet for the first time - the day before the matriculation, showed us this year’s female students both have power, humour and humility, a good combination for success in engineering studies.  

112 students at the five-year programme in marine technology (MTMART) showed up the first day. The first graders have the best grade point average ever with 57,9, according to Prof. Eilif Pedersen, head of the study programmes.

38 percent of the first graders that showed up the first day are female students.

We have increased the intake in the 2-year programme, and 26 met the first day. 16 students started their 5th year in MSMIR – the Erasmus Mundus Joint Master for Marine and Maritime Intelligent Robotics.

Due to changes in the Norwegian rules for international students outside EU, which now must pay a tuition fee to attend universities in Norway, the amount of international students has dropped like a stone.

Photo: Live Oftedahl/NTNU

Symposium and jubilee

September 20: To celebrate the 80-year anniversaries this year, the internationally recognized Professor Emiritis Odd Faltinsen and Torgeir Moan invited eight speakers from three continents to talk about the future.

The days main topic was the future of marine hydrodynamics and structural mechanics.

100 participants from the department, the university, research institutions and companies spent the Friday listening to the speakers, giving inspiring questions and engaging in discussions, which made the event a dynamic and special occasion.

Photo: Live Oftedahl/NTNU

Mission Mjøsa: Interdisciplinary cooperation for a cleaner lake Mjøsa

Researchers at NTNU Trondheim and Gjøvik har cooperating closely on the Mission Mjøsa. This research programme has major local, national and international interest, and is a part of NTNU’s strategic area Ocean and Coast (2024–2031).

In October 2024, researchers from Mission Mjøsa deployed the snake robot Eely to study dumped ammunition on the seabed near Gjøvik.

Eely was equipped with a range of sensors capable of mapping large areas and closely examining individual objects.

The ammunition dumped after World War II and up until the 1970s, poses a ticking environmental threat. It is critical to gain better knowledge of the dangers it presents to both humans and the environment, and to develop new methods for detection and monitoring.

Some of these researchers are connected to Fjordlab in the Norwegian Ocean Technology Centre, which among several things are doing subsea operations research.

Photo: Pedro De La Torre/ NTNU AUR-Lab

Two of our apprentices fulfilled their subject test with excellency

Mia Bolland Samdal took the subject test in the spring after two years of apprenticeship and got the best grade. She continued to work in SINTEF Ocean as a Technical Worker. 

Alfred Thorvik Lien took the subject test early in the autumn and got the best grade as well.

Gisle Haugseth was their main supervisor.

In 2024 NTNU also received the apprentice award – as the best state apprenticeship company of the year.

Karianne Tung, the Minister of digitalization and public governance brought the good news to NTNU.

She said that NTNU can be proud to receive this award.

“We are good at apprentices in the state, so there has been tough competition. Apprentices at NTNU can be confident that they will receive the follow-up they are due," said Karianne Tung.

Photo: Live Oftedahl (Alfred) and Kai T. Dragland (Mia)

Women in all roles at a PhD defense in Marine Technology

August 9: “Women are still underrepresented both as researchers and PhD candidates in engineering fields and in the marine industries. Therefore, it’s a milestone to have a PhD defense where all roles are held by women,” says Prof. Erin Bachynski-Polić.

Rivera-Arreba’s dissertation investigates various wind models for floating offshore wind, including models for standalone turbines and turbines in larger wind farms.

Photo: Ole Martin Wold