Also this year, HANSA has presented »Maritime Innovator Awards« during the HIPER conference.
Maritime Innovator Award
The »Maritime Innovator Award« goes to Kenneth Goh, General Manager at Knud E. Hansen in Australia, a globally recognized innovative ship design office. He has contributed significantly to driving innovation not[ds_preview] only at Knud E. Hansen, but also the larger maritime community, both in digitalization and decarbonization, striving for greener ships designed in a smarter way. His two papers at this year’s HIPER conference are prime examples: using Virtual Reality in the design process and the concept of a proa WindShip propelled predominantly by wind power. The jury singled Kenneth Goh out for various reasons. First of all, in the good tradition of all true innovators, he dared to leave the traditional comfort zone of naval architects, exploring new technology options, and questioning the »we have always done it this way« mind set. Secondly, his papers are concise and clear, avoiding pretentious jargon. As with many good ideas, once presented, they appear to be simple. It is the merit of Kenneth Goh to make us forget that the convincing larger picture presented is the result of much work and fine engineering minds at work. The designs and design processes of Knud E. Hansen, as presented by Kenneth Goh, can inspire future naval architects to follow the lead towards a better, greener, and smarter future – through innovation.
Young Innovator Award
The »Young Innovator Award« goes to Lars Ravens, Managing Director at eCap Marine, a Hamburg-based company dedicated to environmental-friendly and flexible clean power solutions. The common theme is having compact, mobile power systems that can deliver clean energy to multiple locations wherever and whenever needed. The first demonstrator of the mission of creating clean power solutions was in the port of Hamburg where the world’s first floating power plant, the Becker Power Barge »Hummel«, supplied LNG powered electricity to cruise ships. The portfolio has been widened, adding fuel cell and battery systems, and work-ing with many more gaseous fuels including Bio-LNG, Biogas, Bio-Methane, synthetic fuels, and of course with Green Hydrogen. Ravens combines entrepreneurship with engineering excellence in the best of traditions of the German »Mittelstand«, where rapid prototyping and agile product development were lived long before the buzzwords were coined. Rather than discussing political visions, he gets us all a concrete step or two ahead in the right direction – towards zero carbon shipping. His paper gives a concise and accessible overview of alternative fuels, with pros and cons, and particularly suitable applications.
