Opinion: Collaboration and education key to addressing the maritime decarbonization challenge

By Associate Professor of Engineering Practice Thomas McKenney

As a newly appointed Associate Professor of Engineering Practice, my goal is to help strengthen the collaborative bridge between academia and the maritime industry to maximize global impact. The decarbonization of the maritime sector represents a pressing challenge of our time, necessitating both collaboration and education to achieve tangible results. 

Maritime decarbonization is a complex challenge with no one-size-fits-all solution. Numerous alternative fuels and ship technologies, both existing and under development, complicate the landscape. Industry stakeholders also encounter uncertainties and dynamics such as shifting regulations, unclear technology development timelines, volatile fuel availability and pricing, and geopolitical events.

The need for immediate action, coupled with numerous options and evolving conditions, requires a shift in the approach of academia and industry players. My proposed approach consists of three main aspects: 

• Research to reality: Facilitating the accessibility and understanding of relevant academic research with high short-term impact potential to a wider range of maritime industry stakeholders,
• Student preparation: Cultivating students, equipped with the required knowledge to take on the decarbonization challenge post-graduation, and
• Professional development: Establishing career development opportunities to assist industry professionals in better understanding decarbonization challenges and implementing solutions within their respective organizations.

Collaboration between academia and industry is a two-way street that includes highlighting research and studies with immediate relevance and impact potential for the broader maritime industry as well as identifying research gaps and providing relevant use cases and necessary background and data from industry to academia.

Although collaboration is frequently highlighted as necessary, less focus has been dedicated to education as a key decarbonization enabler. A just transition for seafarers is often considered, but the engineering workforce receives comparatively less attention. Exposure to the latest maritime topics, including sustainability and decarbonization, can help bridge the gap between theory and practice for undergraduate and graduate students, as well as industry professionals. 

My research and teaching will be driven by this approach, aiming to strengthen the collaborative bridge between academia and industry.