New MARIN Director Committed To Further Cooperation
As of January 1, the Maritime Research Institute Netherlands (MARIN) is being led by Bas Buchner (front). He takes over from Arne Hubregtse (back), CEO of BigLift. Buchner: “Under the leadership of my predecessors George Remery and Arne Hubregtse MARIN has evolved into an entrepreneurial organisation in the middle of the Dutch and international maritime market and is the world’s largest of its kind.
He continues: “On this course we will continue: pushing the boundaries of our knowledge with enthusiasm, in order to timely provide solutions to our customers in a rapidly changing maritime world. It is all about innovation in terms of efficiency, safety and sustainability.” Buchner places great emphasis on open collaboration with customers and partners in that process, because the problems of the future are very complex. Buchner: “Think of reducing fuel consumption and emissions from ships: for this you need knowledge about the resistance and propulsion in all conditions, but also of engines and fuels. The total is just too complex to solve alone. Therefore you have to cooperate and more openness is required: you must like to share your knowledge. Keeping knowledge to yourself is no good.”
Familiar
It is the kind of cooperation Buchner has grown familiar with over the years. As manager of MARIN’s Offshore department he started many international ‘joint industry projects’ in the oil and gas industry: projects in which they, with other specialists, solved common problems for larger groups of companies. Buchner: “It is very encouraging to see that, by MARIN’s independent position, competing companies were able to get together at the table. This provided knowledge that have made offshore operations more efficient and safer.”
RENT
He also finds it important to apply MARIN’s maritime knowledge to social challenges, such as renewable offshore energy. Two years ago Buchner founded the MARIN-wide Renewable Energy Team (RENT), in which MARIN knowledge is used to make offshore energy from the wind, the waves and the tide more reliable and economical. “To get this done, maritime knowledge from shipbuilding and offshore is indispensable”, says Buchner. “We are now looking together with Dutch shipyards, engineering firms, suppliers and energy specialist ECN whether we as the Dutch maritime industry can develop this into a new market.” These activities have not gone unnoticed: The US government recently opted for MARIN’s basins to test the systems for the first serious floating offshore wind farm (off the coast of Maine) this Spring.
Green Water
Dr Bas Buchner (44) studied Shipbuilding in Delft, the Netherlands and started in 1991 as a project manager at MARIN. In 2000 he became head of the Offshore Division. Besides working for Dutch and international clients as project leader and manager, he remained technically active. So, he did his PhD research on ‘green water loading’ of ships in high seas which can damage a vessel’s superstructure , in addition to his regular work. He later used that knowledge to develop a wave energy concept, where the ‘green water’ rather than a problem, would be an opportunity to produce energy from waves. Buchner: “These kind of activities are necessary for a manager to stay close to your customers and technology.”