Bellona Foundation and Damen to cooperate on low-emission designs
The Oslo-based NGO Bellona Foundation has launched a three year partnership with the leading Dutch company Damen Shipyards Group. The main goal of the partnership is to explore and develop concept vessels for the future. The agreement will be officially signed on March 18 during an industry event in Stavanger.
The Bellona Foundation and Damen both acknowledge that today’s global shipping industry will need to undergo substantial change in order to achieve its own climate and environmental objectives. The NGO and Damen have joined forces to work towards reducing the impact on the climate of a wide range of commercial and leisure vessels, as well as fleets employed by the aquaculture industry.
“One of Bellona’s goals is to make the ships of the future independent of fossil fuels. This partnership will provide us with new knowledge on innovative shipping construction that will contribute towards achieving that objective, said Frederic Hauge, founder and president of The Bellona Foundation. “Today the global shipping industry emits large amounts of CO2, sulphur dioxide, nitrogen oxide and other gases harmful to the climate and environment, and the European fleet is large and in need of renewal. The next three years of partnership with Damen will make us better equipped to handle the challenges, both domestically and internationally.”
“We are very pleased to be starting this partnership with Bellona, ” added Damen’s Remko Hottentot, Sales Manager Norway, stationed at Damen’s Norway Office in Stavanger. “We have a strong focus on sustainability and the vision of each organisation complements the other in terms of environmental awareness. At Damen the focus will be on creating alternative solutions that contribute to reducing harmful maritime emissions into both the air and the water. This will go hand in hand with initiatives to develop cost-effective efficiencies through reduced consumption of potentially harmful inputs such as fuel, paint and lubricating oil. During this long term relationship we foresee in general a valuable focus on co-operating in the creationof environmental technical sustainable solutions and the fostering of political support.”
Hauge believes that the Bellona Foundation, as well as Norway’s maritime community as a whole, can learn a good deal from Damen when it comes to developing the next generation of low-emissions vessels. He sees Damen as an international trendsetter challenging the Norwegian mindset in a positive manner.
From his perspective this partnership will improve the Bellona Foundation’s capability to influence both the Norwegian and European shipping industries. Bellona has a 29-year track record of working on maritime political matters at a high international level, from their offices in both Oslo and Brussels. The partnership with Damen represents an important milestone for the organisation, giving it access to new knowledge and technology that will enable it to influence Norwegian and European politics even more than before.
The Bellona Foundation:The Bellona Foundation was founded in 1986. It currently has 65 employees, working at the main office in Oslo and at its three international branches in Brussels (Belgium / EU) Murmansk (Russia) and St. Petersburg (Russia).
Its area of expertise is broad, and the staff is comprised of individuals with varied professional backgrounds. With 29 years of experience, it has established a unique network both nationally and internationally, and its work has gained international attention within several disciplines. Bellona`s advisors are frequently cited on climate change issues both in national and international press.
Damen Shipyards Group
Damen Shipyards Group operates 32 shipbuilding and repair yards, employing 9, 000 people worldwide. Damen has delivered more than 5, 000 vessels in more than 100 countries and delivers some 160 vessels annually to customers worldwide. Based on its unique, standardised ship-design concept Damen is able to guarantee consistent quality.
Damen’s focus on standardisation, modular construction and keeping vessels in stock leads to short delivery times, low ‘total cost of ownership’, high resale values and reliable performance. Furthermore, Damen vessels are based on thorough R&D and proven technology.
Damen offers a wide range of products, including tugs, workboats, naval and patrol vessels, high speed craft, cargo vessels, dredgers, vessels for the offshore industry, ferries, pontoons and superyachts.
For nearly all vessel types Damen offers a broad range of services, including maintenance, spare parts delivery, training and the transfer of (shipbuilding) know-how. Damen also offers a variety of marine components, such as nozzles, rudders, anchors, anchor chains and steel works.
In addition to ship design and shipbuilding, Damen Shiprepair & Conversion has a worldwide network of 15 repair and conversion yards with dry docks ranging up to 420 x 80 metres. Conversion projects range from adapting vessels to today’s requirements and regulations to the complete conversion of large offshore structures. DSC completes around 1, 500 repair and maintenance jobs annually.
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