Fraunhofer Institute for Computer Graphics Research IGDFuture of Maritime Research in MV
Maritime companies are key pillars of the economy in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern. Whether in logistics, shipbuilding, or underwater technology – the Baltic Sea benefits from the collaborative research of the state. The trends and potentials currently emerging were the central theme of the eighth Future Conference of the Maritime Economy of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, held in the Hanseatic city of Rostock. On November 28, the event provided a platform to learn from best practices, showcased the economic strength of maritime companies, and allowed professionals and scientists to discuss the transfer of research into practice. The four sessions covered projects in port economy & logistics, shipping, shipbuilding & supply, and offshore, each presented through three practical examples of how these projects are being applied in businesses.
One remarkable project that could make the city of Rostock a unique research location was presented by Tommy Kaltofen from ATLAS ELEKTRONIK GmbH: The Ocean Technology Campus (OTC) aims to revolutionize technological underwater research with a versatile test field near the coast. The Baltic Sea offers ideal conditions for the development of high-tech solutions due to its relatively shallow waters. Various areas of the offshore garden Digital Ocean Lab will be used to train ROVs, test munition recovery, and trial new cable coatings, for example. Adaptations of the underwater test field to meet further current needs will be easily possible.
The major project is led by the Fraunhofer Society and supported by a strong consortium of partners from industry, research, as well as politics and administration. Prof. Dr.-Ing. Uwe Freiherr von Lukas, head of the Fraunhofer IGD site in Rostock, urged all maritime sector participants present to actively engage: "See the upcoming lighthouse project as an opportunity to actively help shape it – we (Fraunhofer) cannot do this alone."
Following this, Prof. von Lukas reported on future IT challenges. With the increasing digitization in the maritime sector, there is a need to think about the efficient organization of the data generated: an overarching data management and analysis system will provide a solution. The idea is based on the Industrial Data Space, which, as a Network of Trusted Data, provides open access to data while ensuring security and sovereignty over data and services by the companies. The Maritime Data Space (MarDS), as the name suggests, focuses on the maritime sector, such as fleet management, port logistics, or digital life records of ships. In this context, he also appealed to participants to get involved in the federation. The work on and with digital twins, as well as artificial intelligence for the automated analysis of large data sets, represents the future of the industry – but for the necessary data foundation, the input of all is required.
The conference was organized on behalf of the Maritime Committee of the Chambers of Commerce in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern by the Rostock Chamber of Commerce.