Marine
Airbags for ships save lives, environment and cargo Airbags for ships save lives, environment and cargo

Innovative rapidly inflating balloon technology could keep damaged ships afloat. But more fine-tuning needs to be done and there are some concerns about reliability.

June 2014
Sponge Metal Ships Sponge Metal Ships

Sponge metal is tested to cut the weight of ships by 30 percent. Researchers from Fraunhofer Institute in Chemnitz, Germany, have developed an aluminum powder that foams when heated up. The new material is lighter than water and has a high stiffness

January 2011
A new material to cut the weight of ships by 30% A new material to cut the weight of ships by 30%

A new material is tested to cut the weight of ships by 30 percent. For an average sized freight vessel with a capacity of 7000 m³ this corresponds to a weight reduction of more than 1000 tons. Researchers from Fraunhofer Institute for Machine Tools and Forming Technology in Chemnitz, Germany, have experimented with an aluminum powder that foams when heated up

January 2011
Dr Thomas Hipke: “Aluminium foam to create a new generation of lightweight construction ships” Dr Thomas Hipke: “Aluminium foam to create a new generation of lightweight construction ships”

The advantages of changing from roads to rivers wherever it is possible are obvious: a ship can take much more payload and wouldn’t cause extra traffic on the roads. The use of a new material could even make ships greener

January 2011
Greener Boats, Cleaner Coasts Greener Boats, Cleaner Coasts

Diesel engines used on ships are among the dirtiest in the world. Now a new type of propulsion system could make marine travel much greener. European coastlines will profit from this research by CORINNA LUECKE (Jan. 11)

January 2011
Molten Carbonate Fuel Cells: an alternative and cleaner power supply for ships Molten Carbonate Fuel Cells: an alternative and cleaner power supply for ships

A new application of Molten Carbonate Fuel Cell (MCFC) has been developed by the European-funded MC WAP research project to be eventually used as an alternative power supply for ships. This will be cleaner and avoid the pollution of the marine diesel engines which currently provide the power in the vast majority of the world’s ships

January 2011
Oil Spills: A Deep Water Solution Oil Spills: A Deep Water Solution

The current oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico shows again how dangerous oil exploitation and oil transport can be: no reliable system exists to capture the oil at its source before it reaches the surface. But scientists recently came up with a remarkable solution which is easy to apply and effective - no matter if the oil spill origins from an open well or a sunken tanker

July 2010
Dr Fivos Andritsos: “No need to wait for the next disastrous shipwreck to test a new remarkable solution” Dr Fivos Andritsos: “No need to wait for the next disastrous shipwreck to test a new remarkable solution”

Dr Fivos Andritsos of the Joint Research Centre of the European Commission has come up with an innovative solution to deal with oil spills that could be adapted not only to shipwrecks but also to oil-well blowouts

August 2010
Dr Hans Cozijn: “Tests on the DIFIS solution proved successful also in deep water and severe storm conditions” Dr Hans Cozijn: “Tests on the DIFIS solution proved successful also in deep water and severe storm conditions”

The DIFIS structure was then tested in extreme storm conditions simulating waves twelve meters high. Below the water, the buffer bell and the dome hardly moved. The installation of the whole structure remains the real challenge 

August 2010