Maritime Museum Rotterdam to Stage First Offshore Exhibition
Over 45 companies in the shipping and offshore maritime sector are among those who have contributed to the funding for the first exhibition in the Netherlands dedicated to the offshore sector, to be housed at The Maritime Museum Rotterdam for the next seven years. Offshore Experience, which will open in mid-December, will provide visitors with a spectacular overview of the search for oil, gas, wind energy and renewables at sea.
Frits Loomeijer, General Director of the Maritime Museum says, “As the worldwide transition from fossil fuels to renewable energy continues, energy assumes increasing importance for the economy and is essential for everyday living. A lot of the energy comes from oil, gas or wind and is obtained offshore at sea. The question for the future is not whether we will be able to drill deeper or under increasingly difficult circumstances, but how we can be more sustainable. In a world where everyone has an opinion on energy, the Maritime Museum is offering its visitors a unique experience around energy production at sea, both now and in the future.”
Visitors of all ages will be able to embark on a challenging search at sea for energy. They will experience what it is like to be on an offshore construction in the middle of the sea. A 360° film projection stimulates the senses. Ships come and go and helicopters land. Models of the newest and most advanced offshore ships will demonstrate their capabilities.
Offshore employees will offer a glimpse into their lives at sea, and simulated presentations will enable visitors to experience for themselves how drillers, crane drivers, wind turbine specialists and helicopter pilots undertake their demanding tasks on the open sea, in a constant battle with the elements. A lift will take visitors down to a mysterious undersea world. The adventure ends in the future, as visitors vote for the best sustainable idea for producing energy at sea.
As well as developing the exhibition, the museum is also expanding the limits of Holland’s maritime heritage by adding offshore to its collection policy. It is carrying out extensive research into the history of the offshore sector in collaboration with Erasmus University and setting an innovative course in terms of technology education and project-funding.
The Offshore Experience has attracted strong support from the commercial sector. Offshore companies together with a large number of other organisations, are financing two-thirds of the project, and are contributing knowledge and items for the collection. Erwin Kooij, CEO of Peterson Offshore Group, says, “We are proud of our sector and I think it’s time to show that to everyone”. Jan-Pieter Klaver, CEO of Heerema Marine Contractors, adds, “The Offshore Experience is a unique opportunity, a challenging way of getting young people to be enthusiastic about technology.”