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Magazine 3 - 2013

SHIPPING ABROAD

MAERSK TRAINING

NEW MUSEUM

Danish shipping in the USA

New build crew drilled to perfection

The Maritime Museum of Denmark

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SHIPPING ABROAD Danish shipping in the USA

NEW MUSEUM The Maritime Museum of Denmark

danish Maritime magazine

ISSN 1903-5888 EDITOR Martin Uhlenfeldt Phone: +45 23 66 28 99 mu@maritimedanmark.dk ads René Wittendorff, CEO Phone: +45 70 20 41 55 Fax: +45 70 20 41 56 rw@maritimedanmark.dk publisher Maritime Danmark ApS Esplanaden 30.4 1263 Copenhagen K Phone: +45 23 66 28 99 Layout Michael Storm, Designunivers Printing: PE Offset A/S, Varde

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MAERSK LINE LIMITED A fleet of 56 ships

OCEAN TEAM Cleaning of fluid transfer systems

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VIKING SUPPLY SHIPS Simply the best

FORCE TECHNOLOGY Soft-skill courses

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MARITIME CLUSTER The Maritime Cluster on Funen

GREEN OIL A green triple jump

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MAERSK TRAINING New build crew drilled to perfection

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M aritiMe MaritiMe DanMark

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Magazine

PROFILEs are produced in cooperation with our partners

3 - 2013

Next issue: 2nd January 2014 advisory board Klaus Kjærulff, Chairman SeaMall (Chairman) Jenny Braat, CEO Danish Maritime Jan Fritz Hansen, EVP Danish Shipowners’ Assiciation Per Jørgensen, Chairman MMF and Federation Internationale de Cadres des Transport Bjarne Mathiesen, CEO Port of Aarhus Steen Sabinsky, CEO Maritime Development Center of Europe / EMUC Kurt Skov, CEO Blue Water Shipping Lars Thrane, Founder af Thrane & Thrane

SHIPPING ABROAD

MAERSK TRAINING

NEW MUSEUM

Danish shipping in the USA

New build crew drilled to perfection

The Maritime Museum of Denmark

Royal Arctic Line – when experience and flexibility counts

Bringing off shore equipment to Greenland is a challenge – but Royal Arctic Line is up for it

Co-founder of

As the national shipping line in Greenland we offer: · Ships and equipment designed for Arctic conditions · Weekly service from Europe to Greenland · Own terminal facilities, and personnel in 13 Greenlandic harbours · Many years of experience in navigating and operating in Arctic waters

Daily news on www.maritimedanmark.dk

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BY Martin Uhlenfeldt

Danish shipping in the USA The U.S. has everything - just bigger. This statement is almost always correct. But not when it comes to shipping. Although the United States has the world’s strongest economy and a huge consumption, the U.S. merchant fleet is rather modest. Americans prefer to have their goods brought to them and their products delivered. A task the Danish shipping companies have happily embraced. Today, Danish shipping companies transport 15 percent of all goods entering or leaving the United States by ship.

-It is not important for the U.S. government to have a large merchant fleet under the American flag, says Christopher L. Koch, CEO of the World Shipping Council in Washington.

-The important thing for the government, is that there are enough ships under American flag, to solve any military transportation needs, says Koch.

-As long as there are enough ships under the American flag to solve the military tasks, the government do not care whether the transport of goods to and from the United States, takes place on U.S., Japanese or Danish ships - as long as there is a healthy competition in the market, says Christopher L. Koch to Maritime Denmark.

The liberal U.S. approach to maritime matters fits perfectly with Danish shipping. As a small country with a large merchant fleet, Denmark is dependent on being able to transport goods between other countries in free trade.

That is why Danish shipping companies are so well represented in the United States.

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-The U.S. is the second largest market for Danish shipping, surpassed only by China. In fact, a Danish vessel is entering or departing from a U.S. port every hour around the clock, says Jan Fritz Hansen, Deputy Director General at Danish Shipowners Association.

In terms of money, the Danish shipping companies estimate that this year’s revenue will be between 6 and 8 billion dollar in the U.S. market. Only surpassed by the Chinese market in which there is revenue of between 8 and 9 billion dollar a year.

In recent years the Chinese economy has been declining, partly because of lower demand in Europe. Therefore, the Chinese turn their attention towards growing economies elsewhere in the world.

While European economy is still recovering, the U.S. economy is getting increasingly stronger.

-It seems as if the U.S. economy is kicking into gear, which is very good news for Danish mari-

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time. We are well positioned in the U.S, says Deputy Director General Jan Fritz Hansen to Maritime Denmark.

Shale oil One of the things that may prove to be crucial for Danish shipping in the U.S. in the coming years, are the very large deposits of shale oil found. A large part of the oil is located ​​in North Dakota in the northwestern United States, where it is sent to the major refineries in the Gulf of Mexico, via train.

American law prohibits the export of crude oil from the U.S. Because of this, the oil is processed at U.S. refineries before it is exported. In just three years, U.S. exports of processed oil products more than doubled.

The transport of these processed oil products are there for the taking for many Danish shipping companies.

-From 2011 to 2012, Norden has doubled its tanker activity in the United States. All due

to shale oil, says Jesper R. Rask, who is the head of Norden’s tanker operations in the U.S. -Before the shale oil the U.S. was very dependent on imports of crude oil. The U.S. oil production rapidly decreased from 1985 until 2008, where it fell to 5 million barrels a day, which was about the same as in 1949. Then came the discovery of the shale oil and today the production rate is 6.5 million barrels a day, says Jesper R. Rask.

-We are more focused on the U.S. market today, and we have more ships in the area. We also get a better rate, but there are still many ships on the market, says Rask.

Another change is that the companies previously received the highest payment to sail refined products from Europe to the

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United States. Today it is just the opposite. The most profitable trip is now the one to Europe.

Shale oil is a very competitive product. It is quite cheap to produce and at a price of $ 50 per barrel you still make a profit. But not all Americans are enthusiastic about the new findings. Environmentalists strongly oppose the shale oil, because of the huge amounts of water used in production and in addition to that, the risk associated with transporting the oil over large distances to the refineries.

-A consequence of the cheap shale oil is that the domestic demand for coal has fallen, which opens up new opportunities for us, because the U.S. may become a major coal exporter, says Adam Nielsen, Head of Norden’s American subsidiary, Norden Tankers & Bulkers , based in Annapolis, northeast of the U.S. capital Washington.

-We started in the U.S. in 2001. Some of our oldest and largest customers are American, and although the U.S. market in terms of dry goods is not growing as much, there are still plenty of business to be conducted, says Adam Nielsen.

Stamford Norden is far from the only Danish shipping company that has an office in the United States.

Some even have more than one.

In Stamford, about an hour’s drive northeast of New York City, there is a small cluster of Danish shipping companies located. Torm, J. Lauritzen and Clipper all have offices here.

-The U.S has gone from being an import market as far as oil is concerned, to now being an export market - and it is the shale oil that has caused the market to turn around. That’s what everyone is talking about at the moment over here, says general manager Claus Albrektsen, Head of Torm’s office in Stamford.

despite the downswing, Albrektsen says that it has not shaken the company’s strong brand and the fact that Torm is still one of the biggest players in the market for clean products.

Next year they are moving their office to the U.S. oil capital in Houston, Texas.

-The center of all shipping at the moment is in Houston. Because there is such a large output of refined products from the Gulf, Albrectsen states.

J. Lauritzen.

-The U.S. is a very interesting market for people like us, who have a lot of MR tonnage. And I believe that the market over here will grow even more, Albrektsen says.

The optimistic approach continues at J. Lauritzen, but opposite Torm and Norden, they only operate in the dry cargo market. Their office in Stamford holds eight people.

-Because of the shale oil, the refinery closures on the U.S. East Coast that we expected 5 10 years ago never came. But everyone had already ordered ships so they could sail long trips to the United States. Instead we now have a reverse market.

-We are basically optimists, says Jesper Bab, Head of Lauritzen’s activities in the United States.

-Lauritzen Bulkers have made future contracts for both the Handysize and Supramax. We have a strong and passionate belief in rising shipping rates, says Bab.

Torm’s office in Stamford has four employees.

Previously they were more in the office, but

The department works as a sales office for Lauritzen Bulkers in Copenhagen, and covers all of

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North America, Central America, the Caribbean and the central part of South America.

Lauritzen has had a checkered career in the United States since it opened its first office in the country in 1972. To begin with the office was located in Houston, the city Torm is now moving to. At that time the Lauritzen Group was very different than it is today, and the focus on the U.S. market was aimed at the oil and offshore sector.

Since then, the office has moved several times before settling in Connecticut. Today, the company works exclusively with dry goods.

-If someone asks us if we can do some tank or gas, we of course direct them to our colleagues in Copenhagen or another place they can handle their request, says Jesper Bab. The office has more than enough work to be done and has been looking for a new employee for a while, but has not managed to find the right person yet.

The only Danish shipping company that has chosen to settle down directly at the waterfront is Clipper. From its offices in Southfield Avenue

there is a magnificent view of Stamford harbor.

Also when it comes to business, Clipper puts the bar high.

Clipper -We are very focused on quality, says Bo Westergaard, who is the Head of the daily operations for Clipper Bulk.

-We operate a fleet of around 100 ships and their average age is now around 5 years. In addition to that, we have nine new ships on the way, all built in Japan, says Westergaard.

-Handysize plays the biggest part in our operations, and we currently have more than 60 of them. We operate about 25 Handymax and currently approximately 5 Panamax. Handysize vessels are the cheapest to buy, but it requires great knowledge to operate them because they operate in the niche markets.

Gary Vogel is CEO of Clipper Group, where he is responsible for the company’s dry goods business. In addition to that, he is responsible for the company’s office in Stamford, which currently has 15 employees. Vogel underlines the great importance of the offices American roots.

-We are an American company. 90 percent of our employees are U.S. citizens or permanent residents. In my opinion, this is where we differ significantly from other “Danish” shipping companies in the United States, says Gary Vogel .

-Our employees here in the U.S. have on average been with us for 15 years, and I think that is a pretty strong statement. Also all of our employees can sign and conclude agreements.

They do not have to wait for the headquarters to give them the green light. This separates us from the competition and it gives us an advantage in the market, Gary Vogel firmly states.

The biggest Danish shipping company in the U.S, Maersk Line Limited, like Clipper, also takes great pride in being an American company.

Maersk Line Limited, whose headquarters is located in Norfolk, southeast of Washington, is currently the largest employer of American sailors in the United States. Read more about Maersk Line Limited on the following pages.

Other Danish shipping companies in the United States include Ultrabulk and Stena Weco, which is a joint venture between the Danish Weco Group and Swedish Stena.

The Jones Act The Danish ships can only, like any other foreign ships, transport goods between the United States and other parts of the world. The Americans will not hand over the domestic shipping to anyone else. This is where the so-called Jones Act comes into play to ensure that only U.S. built, manned and flagged ships can solve these domestic tasks.

The Jones Act is probably not on the agenda in the recently initiated negotiations between the U.S. and Europe on a free trade agreement.

But if the free trade agreement would be made, calculations show that it will bring a profit of nearly 150 billion dollar a year to the E.U and the Americans a profit of 125 billion.

The gain is not so much in the tariffs, they are already very low. The big advantage is that a removal of the Jones Act will eliminate a large number of resource wasting barriers in the form of various standards and procedures.

In Denmark, an agreement would create up to 20,000 new jobs, while the Danish shipping companies could look forward to an increased profit of between 1 and 2 billion dollar per year.

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56

By Bent Mikkelsen

ships in Maersk’s American fleet

With a fleet of 56 ships, A.P. Moller - Maersk’s American shipping company, Maersk Line Limited, which is based in Norfolk, Virginia, is becoming a rather large shipping company. The fleet is evenly divided between vessels owned by Military Sealift Command and vessels owned by Maersk Line Limited or its subsidiaries.

B

y the end of September this year, Maersk Line Limited renewed several options on the operation of a number of American ships on behalf of The Military Sealift Command in Washington. The contracts amount to 82.8 million U.S. Dollars and include 15 ships.

These 15 ships were already under the administration of Maersk Line Limited and it is in several contracts the third option in 12 months, which were utilized by Military Sealift Command. The 15 ships under these contracts are added to the already existing fleet of Maersk Line Limited. The fleet now consists of 56 vessels, one of which is sailing under the Marshall Island flag. The remaining 55 vessels sail under the American flag.

Maersk Line Limited currently has 24 container ships, four tankers, two break -bulk vessels

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(with heavy lift gear) and four car carriers.

The latter ships are four former car carriers that holds 6,000 car units and is owned by Alliance Navigation, a subsidiary of Hoegh Auto Liners in which AP Moller - Maersk has a significant shareholding in, after the sale of all AP Moeller (Singapore )’s car carriers to Hoegh Auto Liners. The four US - flagged ships are operated by Farrell Line, which was a U.S. shipping company (founded in 1925), which was purchased by Maersk Line Limited in connection with the acquisition of the Sea-Land Group in 1999. The four car carriers engage in transport service from a number of ports on the U.S. east coast to a variety of destinations in the Middle East and the Arabian Gulf. One of the major customers is the U.S. military that ships supplies for their forces in the Middle East via Farrell Lines service.

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Container Ships In 2013 Maersk Line Limited strengthened its fleet significantly; they purchased seven container vessels from AP Moller (Singapore) Pte to improve sea transport under the American flag. The ships purchased are of the K- class and built by Hanjin Heavy Industries. It is container vessels of 84,000 DWT or 6,400 TEUs. The ships are used with the other container ships under the American flag, on primarily two routes.

One is the so-called TP5 (Trans Pacific 5), which goes from Japan and Korea via Dutch Harbor in Alaska, to Oakland and Long Beach on the U.S West Coast. The second is MECL1 (Middle East Central Line), which like Farrell Lines ships sail from four ports on the U.S. East Coast via Algeciras to Jebel Ali , Pakistan and India.

Maersk Line Limited also provides services for Maersk Line on other routes. This includes the

feeder service from Salalah to the very troubled areas along the East African coast, where the ship Maersk Alabama was known worldwide when it was hijacked by Somali pirates, and later liberated, thanks to the heroic efforts of the crew and the U.S. Navy. A sister ship is servicing a route in the Arabian Gulf including supplies to Iraq. Another sister ship of the A- class under American flag, Maersk Arkansas, sail the feeder route that connects St. Petersburg, Riga and Aarhus in Bremerhaven on a weekly tour.

The overseas container ships sail with subsidies from the U.S. government, who pays for having the ships under U.S. flag under the condition, of having the ships available, in situations of need and with very short notice. This is part of the so-called Maritime Security Program, where it is agreed upon, that a certain amount of goods is transported on U.S. flagged ships and at an already arranged price. An example of this is a contract with the International Ocean and Intermodal Distribution Services which provided 2.1 billion U.S. Dollars to Maersk Line Limited, for transport during a period from July 2012 to the end of August 2013, in an agreement with the U.S. Transportation Command.

Military Ships The military ships sailing under the contracts which were renewed by the end of September 2013 include five so-called prepositioning ro / ro ships. The ships are large ro / ro ships with cranes on board for handling containers. They are manned by civilians, even though they are prepared to transport goods in case of war. The five ships named are 2nd LT John P. Bobo , SGT William R. Button, 1 ST LT Baldomero Lupez , 1 ST LT Jack Lummus and PFC Dewayne T. Williams, and are stationed at either a U.S. port or on

the Island of Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean . Here the ships are ready for a quick departure with supplies and equipment, such as military vehicles and other supplies (except ammunition), if it should come to a conflict requiring a military response.

The operation of the five prepositioning ro / ro ships is compensated with 31.8 million U.S. Dollars. The U.S. fleet of prepositioning ships also includes five former container ships that the AP Moller Group sold to Newport News Shipbuilding and National Steel & Shipbuilding in San Diego, for conversion to prepositioning ro / ro ships. It was the two former EAC container ships Tiffany, now Gilliand and Jutlandia, now Gordon and Laura Maersk, now Shughart, Leise Maersk, now Yano and Lica Maersk, now Soderman.

Simultaneously there was a contract signed, concerning five surveillance ships and two missile targeting vessels which also during the next 12 months will be under the administration of Maersk Line Limited. This contract has a value of 18.6 million U.S. Dollars.

On the same day, a contract on another prepositioning ship the GYSGT Fred W, Stockman was signed, at a value of 7.8 million U.S. Dollars for the third 12-month period.

There have also been contracts signed for the manning and operating of two special ships (former container ships) which now act as ammunition transport ships. It is SSG Edward G Carter and LTC John U.D. Page. The two ships are used for sailing ammunition to the permanent bases around the globe. The vessels are equipped with special and extensive security measures when the transporting explosives.

Tankers Maersk Line Limited has also contracted the ice reinforced tanker Maersk Peary that operates under the U.S. Military Sealift Command, which in December 2012 extended with an option for another 12 months. The contract has a value of 13.9 million U.S. Dollars. Shortly after the contract extension, the ship was sent to Antarctica with supplies for the U.S. base in Mc Mondo. The ship delivered six million gallons of fuel, jet fuel, gasoline and diesel fuel in January 2013 at the annual supply trip to the South Pole.

The tanker fleet under the American flag includes Bro Hawaii and Maersk Michigan, while Maersk Rhode Island, formerly under U.S. flag has moved to Marshall Island flag, but is still owned by Maersk Line Limited.

History Maersk Line Limited in Norfolk was founded in 1947 by Maersk Mc-Kinney Moller shortly before he moved back to Copenhagen after having been in the U.S. since April 1940. The company began to manage ships in 1983, when several units of the E- type (Emilie Maersk etc.) were sold to a U.S. consortium for charter to the Military Sealift Command.

The five ships, built in 1979/80 was decommissioned in 2008 and sold to Maersk Line Limited after 25 years of operation and were subsequently sold for scrap in China. The five ships provided the foundation for the Military Sealift Command’s transport pattern. Until 1983, all transportation was with traditional shelter covers from the large stocks of vessels including the war built Liberty and Victory ships.

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By Mette Vaabengaard

Challenges under extreme conditions There is a magnificent view from Viking Supply Ship’s offices on Islands Brygge in Copenhagen, and the corporate outlook also appears promising with a new corporate bond, a lean organisation and a market on the rise.

W

hen CEO Christian Berg joined Viking Supply Ships in 2011, he accepted the challenge of a complete turnaround. The company had a strong brand name within the offshore market based on 39 years in operation, but it was led as a joint venture between the Norwegian Viking Supply Ships AS and the Swedish company Rederi AB Transatlantic. Operations and activities were spread over a large geographic area.

And there were four new built anchor vessels on order in a period of deep general recession.

-I was hired to unite activities, restructure the company and increase focus on core business which is rig moves, platform supplies and icebreaking. So I opened a new head office in Copenhagen, says Christian Berg who is a Norwegian citizen. He has a maritime background with a captain’s license and came from a position as CCO with Siem Offshore.

United in Copenhagen or those who find it strange that a company with Norwegian and Swedish roots should settle in Denmark, there is a perfectly logical explanation.

The new vessels were built on a tax lease in Spain, which meant that Viking Supply Ships should be based in the European Union and that excludes Norway. Sweden is one of the few countries in Europe that does not have tonnage

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tax, making it very hard for Swedish ship owners to remain competitive. And Copenhagen has a strong maritime cluster, where it is relatively easy to recruit highly qualified and competent staff members.

-We are blessed with high degree of loyalty.

People like the challenge of working in a brutal climate under extreme conditions and in some areas like seismic support in North East Greenland we are doing pioneer work, says Christian Berg.

In July this year Viking Supply Ships centralized all support functions and operational management under one roof which involved closing the office in Gothenburg, Sweden, and turning the representation in Kristiansand, Norway, into a commercial office.

Back to core business A focus strategy implemented in 2011 means that Viking Supply Ships has become very conscious about their services and areas of operation and the global ambitions have been shelved.

-The organizational restructuring was announced in January with effect from July 1, 2013, so the employees who were made redundant had extra time to find new jobs, and we tried to help them with outplacement counselling. Some of them also moved with us to Copenhagen, so today they have all moved on and no one has been left out of work by the manoeuvre, Christian Berg emphasizes.

People and teamwork The CEO’s emphasis on staff care reflects Viking Supply Ships corporate vision which is “To be the preferred partner within the harsh environment offshore market with a strong focus on people and teamwork – Simply the best”.

Rig moves and icebreaking in the North Sea and Arctic waters are very complex and demanding operations that require great skill and experience from the seagoing staff regardless of whether they work in the engine room, on deck or on the bridge. People have to cooperate and look out for each other in order to live up to Viking Supply Ship’s goal of being an incident and injure free workplace.

Viking Supply Ships’ fleet count 8 AHTS vessels and 6 PSVs and 5 Icebreakers on Management.

The open stern AHTS are used for ice management, oil rig towing and anchor handling, while PSVs are specially designed to bring supplies to offshore platforms. The ships are manned by app. 500 staff many of whom have worked for the company for years.

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-When I joined the company we had to call a vessel back from Brazil. It is too far from our area of interest and we are too small to be competitive on long distance. Now we focus exclusively on the North Sea and the Arctic which includes Alaska, Greenland and Sakhalin 8,5 hours flight east of Moscow, so we still cover a very large part of the world.

The primary services are offshore supplies and rig moves, but Viking Supply Ships also experiences a growing market for ice management and seismic support.

-Energy companies are moving North in their search for oil and gas which means that ice management is in high demand. We have icebreaking experience from years in operation on the Baltic Sea, and we have established the cross industry Ice Council and the Ice Academy in order to accumulate further knowledge and upgrade the qualifications and training of our employees, says Christian Berg.

Positive outlook despite volatile market Development of new business areas combined with an increase in the number of offshore rigs and a decrease in supply ships operators explain the positive outlook from Christian Berg’s office in Copenhagen, yet the company issued new bonds earlier this summer to secure the cash buffer.

-The whole industry has suffered from a weak market over the last 3-4 years. In 2008 AHTS’

spot rates peaked at NOK 2.5 million per day which is three times the current rate and 10-fold more than the rates at the beginning of August this year. The spot market is extremely volatile.

There is always some X-factor like unpredictable summer weather or an inexplicable helicopter crash that affect the balance between supply and demand.

In consequence, Viking Supply Ships has moved several vessels from the spot market to long term charter contracts. The chartered vessels are on constant stand by for one company who use them for ice breaking, rig moves or the transportation of passengers and cargo to offshore rigs. Some of the chartered vessels are even equipped with ROV subsea technol-

ogy for bottom surveys and can be used for all round services.

-Stabilized revenues combined with improved market prospects mean that the issuance of new bond was a onetime occurrence. Viking Supply Ships’ financial turnaround is nearly complete, and our Q2 results were satisfactory, concludes Christian Berg.

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Profile

Greenoil is growing:

Triple-E participation is a green triple jump

A relatively small Danish enterprise is successful in combining green technology with energy efficiency and operational plus. The world market is now waiting.

F

or the oil cleaning specialist GreenOil it is a seal of approval to be supplier for Mærsk’s great Triple-E project which is aiming to further green and energy-efficient measures, to a high degree.

As the name indicates, the environment and energy part is the focal point for GreenOil, which combines operating efficiency with the green aspect. With GreenOil’s patented filtration product it is possible to maintain oil in ship equipment in such a good condition that changes of oil become seldom – and one change of oil fewer is often enough to pay the investment in the product.

With the participation in Triple-E the young enterprise GreenOil situated in the city of Ebeltoft not only achieves the recognition of being chosen as supplier for such a prestigious project.

The global spread and reputation of the Mærsk name is at the same time a new window to the world market, which GreenOil focuses on, to an increasing degree, from the platform it has now established for itself.

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Because even if GreenOil is only a few years old, the patented product has already passed the test of several years of practical operation on board Mærsk ships as well as on board other large and small shipping companies’ fleets both in new ships and in retrofits.

Triple-E recognition -Our core competency is to take water out of oil in a green and energy-efficient way, CEO Hans Lund says.

-We are both happy and proud to be part of the Triple-E project. For a number of years, we have made a great effort of impressing Mærsk and, among other things, supplied filters for the three most recent series from Mærsk Line, so Mærsk Line has had long operation experience with our products.

We see it as a seal of approval of both our business and products, Lund says.

-We emphasize adaptation of our products to the requirements of the customers, typically in relation to the limited space on board ships. That is why we make a great effort of making installation units which are very easy to install. We do not just supply a standard product. We meet with ship owners and go through drawings or speak with crew members on board ships to know what parts are needed to install the system just as we supply drawings and instructions – that is a very customer-friendly approach, the CEO says.

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The product itself The special feature of GreenOil’s patented solution is that it can take water out of oil without the use of components or extra substances.

-Traditionally, it is either very energy-consuming to take water out of oil or principles are used where extra substances take water out of oil – a bit like kitchen tissue. But we have developed a technology where water is removed in a very energy-efficient way and without using extra substances. We vaporize water out of oil without damaging the oil. And it is a technology, which we have patented and are selling many places for many different purposes, he emphasizes.

Both at sea and on land Even though GreenOil at an early stage has chosen to concentrate mostly on maritime use, the technology has also a broad variety of application possibilities in industries on land.

The water problem in connection with oil is of great significance on board a ship since a good deal of deck equipment is operated by oil systems, and ships experience great fluctuations in temperature with a high degree of condensation from the air in its systems plus leaks where sea water enters.

-Our technology can handle it. And from the very beginning we experienced great response from the maritime world – for example from small ferries – even if the product originally was born as an industrial solution.

actually pay for the systen – an easy calculation, where the operating economy alone pays for the system. However, the greatest cost reduction lies in reduced maintenance expenses in connection with the attached machinery where wear and tear is reduced because of clean oil.

And the payment period is scalable. Both small and large enterprises have the advantage, he says and mentions another green detail:

-The product has been developed by two Danish technicians, of whom one is our technical manager today. I came to GreenOil five years ago, when the commercialisation of the enterprise really started, Hans Lund says.

-The product is 100 per cent Danish, and we produce in Denmark. We assemble, test, and re-examine ourselves. We own the drawings and it is our construction, even though many of the main components are manufactured by sub-suppliers. We do not have a great factory building. It is more correct to call GreenOil a small assembly plant.

-During the development process we have tested the technology with customers and, in that way, we have been able to adapt the concept. Originally, Mærsk was also a test customer, he says and sums up: -To begin with, we had a limited range of products. Now, we have a programme where we can handle anything, broadly speaking, in connection with oil cleaning on board ships – from small hydraulic systems to large-scale lubrication oil systems. From the Venø ferry to Triple-E. -So, we have been through a great development process the past five years, but based on the same originally patented concept.

We have a strong platform for further development – maritimely and in other lines of business.

A little is better than nothing Hans Lund assesses that the breakthrough is due to several aspects apar t from G re e n O il ’s technology.

-Mærsk’s aim is to use green energy, and Triple-E focuses greatly on energy conservation, so even if our products are small in this context, we can contribute with a range of products with very low energy consumption and, at the same time, we save expenses for our customer. Our strength is to maintain oil in good condition so that it is not necessary to change it as frequently. We do not take up much space in their oil accounts, but a little is also important, when focus is on cost savings.

-This means that we both stress that the operating efficiency of our products and the investment economy are sound. Our patent is based on simple principles which make us very competitive. The payment period for the investment is most often less than a year in a given cased for a system, he points out.

-We make a practice of saying that if it is possible to save changing the oil in a system once with the product we use for keeping oil clean, it can

-At the same time, it is important to us to consider the crew on board ships. When you change the oil filter in a car, oil will spill. It has to be cleaned up, and it makes a mess. With our technology, the filter can be changed without spilling one drop of oil. Oil rash is a problem for many employees. With our system you do not get oil on your skin.

Environmental requirements increase interest GreenOil sees its current platform as ready for the world market, which is not likely to lose interest in energy-efficient oil cleaning just yet, since both IMO standards, environmental requirements, and fierce competition between shipping companies make all the efficiency available necessary.

-In Denmark, we are probably known by all shipping companies. Also in Northern Europe we have a name, and we are making progress in Southern Europe. We have supplied for the USA and for part of the Far East, where the building of ships takes place. Moreover, we are active in the Middle East, South Africa, and Australia.

So, we are making progress internationally.

And GreenOil has the capacity for it all: -We have placed the manufacturing of components with sub-suppliers and contribute ourselves with assembling, so we can easily multiply our production by delegating to subsuppliers, of which there are many worldwide.

It does not require a lot of means for us to scale up the business. We are built for it, Hans Lund states.

GREENOIL Julius Kajusvej 14 8400 Ebeltoft Denmark

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Tel. +45 87 52 00 84 Fax +45 87 52 00 85 info@greenoil.dk www.greenoil.dk

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Maritime magazine

By Maersk Training

New Build Crew Drilled to Perfection For all fifty-five people ‘on board’ it was a surreal situation. The vessel had contaminated fuel in three of its tanks and the final tank was running dry fast. Meanwhile the crane operator was struggling to get an emergency fuel line from a supply vessel; an operation made all the more tricky because it had an injured man on deck who needed urgent medical assistance. Thankfully a helicopter was due in half an hour.

W

ith some skill they might just pull it off.

Then in the middle of a crew change, the supply vessel strikes the starboard side and the fuel line is lost. The crew going off duty exchange handover notes, wish their colleagues good luck and then step outside into the dying moments of a Danish summer evening.

Around them not waves and the droning of a helicopter; they could see trimmed grass and watch children running towards the sound of the bell on a distant ice cream van. It was the strangest of unreal scenarios.

It had been strange all week. Coming together were men used to the stability of a rig and those for whom freedom was crossing an open sea.

Men from different countries and occupations were brought together under one cause, they were shipmates for a ship yet to be sailed, the first of Maersk Drilling’s four drillships. The ships, being built in Busan, Korea are due to start trials and introductions to the crews from November, the first ship to be deployed in the Gulf of Mexico.

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Drillships bring together many and various skills and trades and they were all gathered under the roof of Maersk Training’s MOSAIC simulator complex in Svendborg. The four vessels each have two crews of 55, and they each have a week in which they have done, or will do over the next few months, routine teambuilding and definitely non-routine sessions of self examination.

to what is vital in the oil industry, the customer acceptance test.

Mosaic It’s all part of a new concept in training devised and focused around Maersk Offshore Simulation and Innovation Centre, hence MOSAIC. Just as a mosaic is a collection of disparate pieces of coloured glass that come together to form a picture, out of the Performance Enhancement Course a group of disparate characters with differing roles come together to create a single image, a deepwater drilling unit. The image in the mind of Maersk Drilling’s Head of Organisation Capabilities, Erik Rosen Larsen is a stunning one. With three more crews to follow he believed that the first team emerged as the best trained unit that had ever headed

Erik explained ‘There is a major difference between normal training exercises and this, in that this is scenario-based so we are following a script. The script has a starting point and maybe has an idea of where it is going to end but that depends on the decisions the leaders are making. They have a decision tree out there and whether they go for X, Y or Z we don’t know, so the scenario develops throughout the evening.’

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What was achieved in little under a week was, according to Erik, quite remarkable. He likened it to a Hollywood movie in terms of preparation and execution, but one where they only knew the start and maybe the intended end point.

The script Like a Hollywood movie the script had many locations. There was the dog house, where the drillers worked, the bridge where DP operators

kept the vessel hovering a precise point, the engine room where most of the problems stemmed from in the exercise, the crane operation who tried to link the ship to the supply vessel, which was in itself a separate computerised entity. Away from the technical side there was an operations room providing logistical backing and totally out of the building, hastily called from their homes in Copenhagen, a response team had just 17 minutes to get to an emergency control centre.

This ultimate scenario test was not in the scheduled programme as far as the team were concerned – but it had been the result of months of planning by a team of nearly 20 instructors who operated behind the scenes creating the environment and situations of pressure.

All this was as if to underline the message of the previous three days which stressed that how you eat, sleep and relax are a vital part in indicating how fit you might be to meet such a challenge.

MOSAIC is in itself the result of the bringing together of many diverse talents. Originally opened four years ago it boasted an surreal environment which allowed seafarers to create, right down to the finest detail, routine situations and those they hoped they’d never face in real life. These were mostly around anchor handling but when Maersk Drilling saw the way participants developed with scenarios, which could be reviewed and analysed in the cold light of day, they wanted something of the same for their crews. The bonus was that for the first time not only could a drilling team work with a supply vessel, but that afterwards they could meet and share common problems and gain a greater respect for each others’ roles.

There is no other training facility on the planet where the coffee machine can be the fulcrum for such valid inter-industry debate.

Daily news on www.maritimedanmark.dk

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Maritime magazine

BY Martin Uhlenfeldt

Dazzling framework for Danish maritime history The new M/S Museum of Maritime in Elsinore is a masterpiece. On the surface, it is a breathtaking meeting between raw concrete and razor sharp structures of glass and aluminum and on the inside, an interactive journey through time, staged in a new and completely different way. Altogether, an excellent representative of The Blue Denmark.

- When I see it all in real life for the first time, it’s far more dramatic than I had imagined. More dramatic and more sculptural, says architect Bjarke Ingels.

Along with David Zahle, he is at the head of the architectural firm BIG, who in 2007 won the right to decorate the museum in the Elsinore Shipyard’s old dry dock 1. The dock is located right next to the Kronborg castle, which is protected from new structures being built around it.

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Daily news on www.maritimedanmark.dk

The basic idea of BIG’s project is to place the museum underground behind the thick walls of the dock, and then tie it together with selfsupporting walkways of glass and aluminum.

So simple and levitating that the architecture is a work of art in itself.

- I always knew that it couldn’t be anything but incredible. When I see it today, I tell myself, this has turned out so well, says a proud chairman of the museum, Erik Østergaard.

On the inside, the rooms are filled with angles, which quickly bring to mind sloping decks and rocking oceans, while the senses are constantly bombarded with a verity of sights, sounds and surprising forms.

The traditional chronology has been replaced by thematic setups that eventually slowly lead visitors up to today’s modern container minded operations.

- I think there is a good flow in the exhibition. The narrative works really well. The entrance where you almost get squeezed in and the war room that is narrow and high –and it almost fells like being caught between ship and port. And the surprise at the end, where it all opens up and becomes large and industrial says Ingels.

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Maritime magazine

The construction of the museum has not only cost more than planned, it has also encountered a wide spectrum of technical problems: Engineers putting their helmets on the table and saying that this just could not be done. But it did get done. By using ingenuity - and many hundreds of anchors, deep in the ground and into the chalk layer below the dock.

- When you do something like this, which indeed not a lot of people have tried before, there are bound to be many challenges involved. I enjoy telling people that this is actually the tallest house we have built in Denmark. But instead of rising above ground, it goes deep underground. To be more precise, it is 42 meters from top to bottom. I find this kind of funny, says Bjarke Ingels, emphasizing his point with a boyish smile.

Today the museum has come so far that there is a solid economy and an opportunity to take advantage of some of the obvious possibilities, which could expand the museum’s revenue through special events.

- It has been a long process and there have been some challenges underway. Both the construction and the economical aspect. But the results have become a great window of opportunity for The Blue Denmark, says Erik Ă˜stergaard.

As is often the case in The Blue Denmark, tradition and innovation comes together on the new M/S Museum of Maritime in Elsinore. The talented Dutch exhibition designers from Kossman Dejong allow us, to not only see, but also experience Danish shipping history.

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In addition to the museum’s permanent display, there will occasionally be organized exhibitions , conferences and other events in the museum, in which there is a cafe and a shop, selling everything from sailor sweaters, books, artwork and toys.

The 300 million kroner museum was built with funds donated by a number of foundations, including the maritime funds: Steamship Company Orient Foundation, The Danish Maritime Fund, Lauritzen Foundation, TK Foundation, TORM’s Support Fund, EAC Foundation and AP Moller & wife Chastine Mc-Kinney Moller Foundation for General Purposes.

The M/S Museum of Maritime is open Tuesday to Sunday from 11 to 17 o’clock. In the summer the doors open an hour earlier.

Admission price is 110 kroner and is free for everyone under the age of 18. Seniors and students receive a discount.

Daily news on www.maritimedanmark.dk

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Maritime magazine

Profile

By Tina Altenburg

Save money by having fluid transfer systems cleaned Ocean Team Scandinavia is specialized in cleaning of fluid transfer systems of all kinds. The company is experiencing growth and is hiring people – with good reason. There is money to save by taking cleaning of such systems seriously.

18 years ago, Ocean Team Scandinavia was founded in the Danish town of Esbjerg, as the founders saw a need for cleaning of oil and hydraulic systems. A lot has happened since then, and today the company is covering every kind of fluid transfer systems including systems for drinking water, waste water and much more.

Ocean Team Scandinavia provides service to coolers, heat exchangers, compressors etc. and removes contamination by using oil flushing, filtration, chemical, or mechanical cleaning.

While Ocean Team Scandinavia in the beginning primarily was working for the offshore oil and gas, the business area today is also the energy sector, heavy industry, wind farms offshore and not least the maritime industry.

-In the oil and gas industry safety has top priority; therefore our technicians are especially

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Daily news on www.maritimedanmark.dk

trained to always think safety first. Ocean Team Scandinavia has a fine result with no serious accidents for the past 15 years. This justifies that Ocean Team is one of the highest esteemed service partners offshore, says Technical Manager Anders Sloth.

Much money is on stake Although the cleaning of systems does cost money, it is nothing compared to the damages, which will eventually appear, if the systems are not cleaned.

The cleaning is thus in the long run a way to save money.

-It costs a minor amount to have the systems cleaned, but it costs much more, if the damage occurs. Recently, I saw a pipe, which I believed to be eight years old. It was, however, only two months old. The reason was that bad

maintenance had caused a major damage, Anders Sloth tells.

also provides the service, depending on what solution the customer prefers.

-Our goal is that cleaning of fluid transfer systems should be taken seriously. The systems have to be clean, and we give advice on how to keep them clean, as the damages really costs much money. So increased focus on purity is in the long run cheaper, as it minimizes breakdowns, he says.

It is possible to reach the company by phone day and night if any problem occurs, and the right person to fix the problem will immediately be found.

He adds that 80 per cent of interruptions in operations are caused by particles or coatings, which should not be in the system.

-Regardless of where in the world the customer is, we can provide the parts, which are needed, and we can send a man to handle the problem, Anders Sloth explains.

-The customers can therefore save large amounts just by asking us for advice.

Global company The head quarter is in Denmark, but Ocean Team has also service departments in Qatar, India and Mexico.

Open 24/7 Ocean Team Scandinavia not only gives advice on how to keep the systems clean, the company

-Our strategy is to follow our customers. When we establish a new department we don’t move many Danish employees, only one or two su-

pervisors, and the rest will be local people to handle the jobs, Anders Sloth says. Regardless of where Ocean Team’s people are working, the office in Esbjerg serves as a knowledge bank for the rest of the organization and also helps finding the right person to fix a problem for a customer. So Esbjerg plays an important role for the whole company.

For further information please see www.oceanteam.eu OCEAN TEAM SCANDINAVIA A/S Vesterhavsgade 56 Tel.: +45 7518 0077 DK-6700 Esbjerg Fax: +45 7518 1056 Denmark ots@oceanteam.dk

www.oceanteam.eu

Daily news on www.maritimedanmark.dk

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Maritime magazine

By Guillermo G Garay, FORCE Technology and Hanna Vágsheyg, Maritime Development Center of Europe

Lack of “soft-skills” still the common causes of major accidents “Based on my experience, I dare say, that when conducting on-site assessments whether in North America, South America or Europe, “soft-skills” in fact do not often exist in practice. It is like observing pieces of isolated knowledge that are not utilized in a consistent, systematic and practical way. Managers have the knowledge but as such, no practical implementation. And when investigating incidents, the absence of leadership at critical moments, is more than evident.” Captain Guillermo G. Garay, Senior Instructor, FORCE Technology.

R

equiring knowledge about the Human Factors is coming to terms with the fact that major accidents like the Texas City refinery explosion, P-36 Petrobras and Deep Water Horizon, all demonstrated lack of practical implementation of human factors and poor leadership in critical situations. The courses offered by Force, together with the Danish Maritime Cluster Project, highlight the practical use of this knowledge in critical situations.

-Human Factors knowledge builds on man´s strengths and weaknesses´ to help ensure that individuals are not exposed beyond their capabilities – a situation that could mean disastrous consequences in safety critical domains e.g. the off shore sector, says Captain Guillermo G. Garay.

Together with colleagues captain Garay has been developing two innovative courses that address the challenges of Human Factors and leadership.

State-of-the-art simulator systems, a highly qualified staff and 50 years of experience within innovative development and use of knowledge, are the basis of FORCE Technology as a recognized training facility.

-At Force Technology we not only deliver a solid technical expertise – we also offer a profound pedagogical knowledge on the importance of

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the human factors when working in the maritime sector. Poor knowledge on this subject can mean serious consequences’ for both people and the environment, says captain Garay.

-The two courses offer both insight and training in the two subjects, Human Factors and Leadership. Although we have come a long way, in the area of safety, since the Herald of Free Enterprise and Piper Alpha, there are still lessons to be learned about the importance of Human Factors and Leadership when assuring the safety of the personnel and protecting the environment. says captain Garay.

Deep Water Horizon – a sad example One of the latest and most serious examples on how the so called “soft-skills” namely Human Factors and Leadership, played a role in a major off shore accident is Deep Water Horizon.

Considered as the largest marine oil spill in the history of the petroleum industry, the Deep Water Horizon is a good example of how lack of knowledge and poor implementation of soft-skills can have fatal consequences, says captain Garay.

-Deep Water Horizon exemplifies why courses as the ones we offer are essential to safety, performance and reliability in safety critical domains. In the case of the Deep Water Horizonaccident it has been proved that e.g.

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More than 20 sensors indicated a high level of gas but still the personnel didn´t trigger the general alarm.

Training had not included scenarios with a major blowout, explosions, fires and a total loss of power.

Despite gas alarms, oil-mud and gas gushing out of the platform, no warning was given to the crew.

Policies and procedures were ambiguous and open to free interpretation.

Poor maintenance prevented the normal activation of core safety components during critical moments.

The warning system was too complex and could not be properly managed in critical situations.

Warning signs were missed or wrongly interpreted for a long period Guillermo G. Garay goes on to say, that from experience he can see that often there is a lack of consistency between the knowledge people have and how they actually respond in real life.

-Based on my experience, I dare say, that when conducting on-site assessments whether

in North America, South America or Europe, “soft-skills” in fact do not often exist in practice. It is like observing pieces of isolated knowledge that are not utilized in a consistent, systematic and practical way, managers have knowledge but as such, no practical implementation. And when investigating incidents, the absence of leadership at critical moments, is more than evident, says Captain Guillermo G Garay.

-The two courses FORCE and the Danish Maritime Cluster Project are offering will contribute to changing attitudes on dealing with the use of Human Factors and will allow personnel to identify the areas in need of leadership improvement, promises captain Garay.

Free of charge for SME´s As a partner in the Danish Maritime Cluster Project, FORCE Technology is able to offer the courses free of charge to small- and medium sized companies (SME´s).

Project manager from the Danish Maritime Cluster Project and the Maritime Development Center of Europe, Lene Rasmussen, says that the project indeed has a firm focus on competence

development and competence input for SME´s.

-We are quite happy about being able not to offer the courses free from tuition fee for participants representing a so called SME. We are aware of the fact that these companies are not always able to pay large tuition fees for courses, and at the same time, studies show that a great growth potential can be located within precisely these types of companies. Given the right framework and competences SME’s can be a main contributor for growth in the Danish Maritime Sector and developing competences in “soft-skills” is indeed another core point within the Danish Maritime Cluster Project as a maritime competence developing project, says project manager, Lene Rasmussen.

The courses will be carried out at FORCE Technology’s facilities in Lyngby, Copenhagen during 2014, starting by the end of January 2014 with the first pilot courses. The courses are partly funded by the European Social Fund and Vækstforum Hovedstaden.

Facts about the Danish Maritime Cluster Project As an initial part of the maritime skills development project “The Danish Maritime Cluster Project”, the project partners have carried out a number of analyses of the Danish Maritime Cluster. The aim has been to identify the challenges, opportunities and needs of the maritime sector in Denmark in relation to education, skills and labor. On this background the partners in the project are well underway developing and offering a number of new courses and supplementary training for students as well as maritime personnel. The project focuses particularly on small and medium sized companies – SMEs – and on how to best increase the level of competence in these businesses.

Several of the partners in the Danish Maritime Cluster Project offer courses free of charge for employees at SMEs. The first “pilot courses” together with project partner FORCE Technology, will be offered next January 2014 and following courses will take place in March and May at Force Technology in Lyngby.

The subjects of the courses are, as mentioned, Human Factors and leadership training.

Partners in the Danish Maritime Cluster Project are: Aarhus School of Marine and Technical Engineering, CBS (Copenhagen Business School) Executive/ Blue MBA, CBS Maritime and CBS Department of Operations Management, Copenhagen Marine Engineer College, Danish Maritime, FORCE Technology, SIMAC, Technical University of Denmark, University of Copenhagen/Faculty of Law, Maritime Development Center of Europe (Lead-partner) For more information please contact program manager Guillermo G. Garay, e-mail: ggg@force. dk or visit the Danish Maritime Cluster Project webpage: www.dkmk.dk

Daily news on www.maritimedanmark.dk

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Maritime magazine

By Hanna Vágsheyg, Maritime Development Center of Europe

The Maritime Cluster on Funen The initiative to establish a maritime cluster on the Danish island of Funen, aims at increasing collaboration amongst the islands many maritime businesses´.

Having received funding, the partners are presenting a new strategy for the future of the cluster.

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B

usiness Development Manager at the Maritime Development Center of Europe, Jan Boyesen says, that the obtained funding will help support the development of cluster activities for the benefit of maritime companies on Funen.

- With the funding we are able to create a range of networks, that support the companies within the cluster in preparation to attain better business opportunities. Up until now there has been no such forum on Funen to systematically and continuously support the islands maritime companies with for instance helping create increased collaboration with research and educational institutions. Hence, the funding for the Maritime Cluster of Funen provides us with the possibility to facilitate these development groups. Our local secretariat

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at SIMAC assists, along with the partners, the cluster companies in sharing knowledge and experiences within several relevant topics, says Jan Boyesen, Business Development Manager at the Maritime Development Center of Europe.

The five project partners provide several activities to the cluster companies. Amongst others, these are: • Business Networks between the companies inside as well as outside the cluster.

• Collaboration on innovation between companies and educational institutions, for instance about new business projects, technology transfers and development of knowledge.

• Development of the potential for internationalisation.

• Joint branding of the cluster and its companies as well as establishment of a cluster image.

The main objective of the Maritime Cluster of Funen is to create a professional network for cooperation and knowledge sharing amongst the companies and educational institutions situated on Funen, and hereby develop new areas of business and products within the maritime industry. The cluster network will be a forum to enhance dialogue, innovation, growth, as well as dissemination of knowledge.

One initiative within the cluster has been the establishment of maritime development groups, that on a regular basis, meet at the Svendborg International Maritime Academy (SIMAC). The groups aim at creating a forum for development of ideas, business opportunities, and new initiatives within certain areas of business.

The maritime cluster of Funen is currently facilitating development groups within construction and materials, maritime support and consultancy, shipbuilding, as well as offshore services and propulsion.

New cluster strategy – the future of the cluster Jan Boyesen goes on to say, that besides concentrating on how the cluster can support the participating companies, it is likewise important to look closer into the input ensuring the future of the cluster. For this the partners received help

from the consultancy house MADE to develop a strategy for the cluster.

Developing Fyn Municipal Ltd and Maritime Development Center of Europe (MDCE).

-With help from MADE we have defined the main drivers of the cluster’s brand. When developing the cluster it is central to be aware of your limitations, and as the saying goes; not place all your eggs in only one basket. This is the reason why the Maritime Cluster of Funen has to focus on its strengths and develop a strategy on the basis of these strenghts. The strategy will hence focus on the companies of Funen as good subcontractors, supporters of competencies, and creators of business opportunities.

Looking for more info contact the Maritime Development Center of Europe (+45) 33 33 74 88 or the Maritime Development Center of Funen (+45) 31 70 88 35

Jan Boyesen goes on to say, that the cluster strategy now will be presented for the participating companies,giving them the opportunity to share their comments and inputs. Meanwhile, the cluster will continue their work on creating network, increase the competencies amongst the cluster companies, initiate new innovation projects, and promote the Maritime Cluster of Funen.

The cluster initiative is conducted in cooperation between Svendborg International Maritime Academy (SIMAC), University of Southern Denmark, The Innovation Folk High School Ryslinge,

Facts: Maritime Development Center of Funen The center is situated at SIMAC in Svendborg and is coordinated by Susanne Malling Ude Pedersen.

“Our goal is to facilitate more cooperation amongst the maritime companies on the island as our belief is, that we together stand stronger. Studies have revealed that the development of clusters is an effective way of creating regional growth, development, and new jobs. It is our objective to support this development within the maritime sector on Funen.” says Susanne Malling Ude Pedersen.

The center of Funen is part of the Maritime Development Center of Europe.

Daily news on www.maritimedanmark.dk

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Maritime magazine

By Susanne Malling Ude Pedersen, Maritime Development Center of Funen

SIMAC: We believe in The Maritime Cluster Svendborg International Maritime Academy (SIMAC) is pleased to be a central player in the new cluster cooperation initiative, says President at SIMAC, Jesper Bernhardt.

Along with The University of Southern Denmark, The Innovation Folk High School Ryslinge, Developing Fyn Municipal Ltd and Maritime Development Center of Europe (MDCE), the maritime academy is a partner in the The Maritime Cluster of Funen.

-We are a platform providing both practical support, location facilities etc. for the partner and morning meetings in the development groups. But also we deliver graduates with competencies that are in high demand within the maritime cluster. As an educational institution we are a participant, a coordinator, and a project partner, says Jesper Bernhardt.

Prerequisites for cluster success In response to the question of what SIMAC sees as the prerequisites for the cluster to be a successful initiative, Jesper Bernhardt says: -The composition of the cluster must be carefully managed and composed. If the cluster grows too large and inhomogeneous it will be difficult to foster real collaboration. Furthermore, it requires trust to be open about your company’s needs and to allow others to have a look into the control room. The cluster participants are busy individuals and it takes a large amount of

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time to run a modern company in an optimal way. Therefore the time that is invested in the cluster must provide results rapidly. Even now the cluster has achieved 20 collaboration agreements between the participating companies and 9 collaboration agreements between SDU, SIMAC and the companies. We focus on exchanging know-how , ideas for innovation, and specialized knowledge to generate growth.

fit between our student’s bachelor projects and those problems the businesses face. We have seen several cases where the solutions and ideas offered in a student project find practical application in a company�,says Jesper Bernhardt.

What is the significance of the cluster cooperation for SIMAC? -The result is an even closer collaboration with the industry that employs our graduates. We therefore have received a better understanding of the needs, challenges, and solutions that businesses have. It means that we can exchange knowledge and experience. We have lecturers with highly specialized competencies and on the other hand we have an opportunity to benefit from competencies within the companies.

Furthermore, we expand the basis for creating

-SIMAC has invited the Maritime Development Center of Funen and Developing Fyn Municipal Ltd into the schooland providind them with office facilities. . Two persons are working from within our facilities. They act as the secretariat of the cluster and with their presence at SIMAC the distance to the companies becomes shorter.

Again the intention hereby is to create better relations between the companies and the students, says Jesper Bernhardt, President at SIMAC.

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As mentioned SIMAC has actively been taken part in the cluster initiative by providing premises for partners in the cluster.

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