Maritime Economy

Working For You: in, at, and on the Water

We develop smart applications and systems for companies of the blue (maritime) economy and their suppliers. Our focuses are offshore energy, shipbuilding and ship operation, aquaculture, and protecting the marine environment.

Thanks to our maritime digitalization competence, we’re able to offer companies considerable benefits in terms of efficiency and quality in global markets. We help them achieve their maritime sustainability targets while complying with legal requirements and taking advantage of opportunities to adopt new business models. Our joint projects also help them protect and sustainably use the Earth’s seas within the scope of their value chains.

Specific maritime economy topics

We’ve been setting standards in visual computing for over 30 years while reliably providing support as your partner.

Our success is based on our knowledge and enthusiasm for applied research.

  • Underwater computer vision: image improvement, surveying, object recognition

  • Processing of underwater data and data processing under water (including anonymous systems, maintenance, and inspection)

  • Automatic analysis of maritime data

  • Interactive visualization (AR, VR, user interfaces) for maritime applications

Selected references: visual computing in use

Federal Maritime and Hydrographic Agency of Germany

Evaluation of new digital technologies for maritime shipping

EOMAP GmbH & Co. KG

Automatic classification of plastic objects on and in the water using embedded AI for detection of plastics in the environment

FERI AG

The study “Blue Economy: Future Technologies and Oceans” on investment opportunities

 

Referenzprojekte

FIUM GmbH & Co. KG

System for automatically evaluating captured underwater images

Howaldtswerke-Deutsche Werft GmbH

AR/VR solution for ergonomic design in shipbuilding

Hyperion Robotics OY

POC testing of 3D-printed coral reefs in the Digital Ocean Lab

Consortium for Marispace X

Support for application and formation

MEYER WERFT GmbH & Co. KG

Evaluation of the use of exoskeletons in shipbuilding within the scope of company health management

MonitorFish GmbH

Visual monitoring of the condition of fish to improve aquacultures

TAMSEN MARITIM GmbH

Virtual CAD modelling of ships to avoid the need for physical 1:1 models

thyssenkrupp Marine Systems GmbH

Visual characterization of a school of fish for preventing bycatch

Van Oord AG

Strategic support and development of business areas for an offshore operator in the field of ocean health

Large Projects and Networks

 

The Ocean Technology Campus in Rostock

Our Ocean Technology Campus is devoted to enabling more sustainable use of the oceans – at one of Germany’s most tradition-steeped maritime locations, namely Rostock.

OceanTechnologies@Fraunhofer

Collaboration across different fields of technology is key for developing novel solutions with practical advantages for use in shallow waters and the deep sea. For this reason, the institutes of the Fraunhofer Society have bundled their knowledge and abilities to forge innovative technologies, such as underwater vehicles and stationary observation stations for aquaculture facilities and systems for detecting old munitions on the seafloor.

 
 

Munitect

The Munitect network is a group of companies and research facilities that have joined forces to develop cost-effective munitions detection systems for underwater use.

 

Mini-ROVs

Remotely operated vehicles (ROVs) enable safer, more efficient diving operations for inspecting underwater structures or completely replacing them.

Presse

 

Virtual and physical testing of underwater technology

 

Sustainable Ocean Business: One Ocean – One Challenge – One Network

 

AR and pioneering sensors to enhance safety for diving expeditions recovering munitions

 

Interdisciplinary Fraunhofer Research Group Smart Ocean Technologies

 

Marispace-X: the oceans’ data cloud

Get to know us!

 

Contact

Interested in collaborating? Let us know!

 

Research

Fraunhofer stands for topnotch research – and we’re known for our expertise in visual computing. Find out which areas of research we’ve been driving for 30 years.

 

Services

From prototyping to implementation and dealing with specific issues, we precisely tailor our offering to your needs.

 

Your expert

Prof. Uwe Freiherr von Lukas, Head of the Maritime Economy Competence Center