Vital issues
RH Marine places great value on cultivating enduring partnerships with clients, government bodies, and knowledge institutes. Our focus is on critical issues such as the energy transition, technological advancements in autonomous sailing, optimized crew numbers, and enhancing on-board safety.
We are also addressing growing international competition within the maritime manufacturing industry. These urgent matters are a priority for several ministries in the Netherlands and across the European Union. To support this, various subsidies have been made available, and numerous consortia have been established to collaborate on a range of maritime projects.
RH Marine is actively engaged in several related consortia, including EDINAF, Menens, and Dutch Naval Design.
European Digital Naval Foundation (EDINAF)
EDINAF is a European Defence Fund (EDF2021) project funded by the European Commission.
Led by Navantia, the EDINAF consortium comprises 31 partners from eight countries—Spain, Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, and Sweden. The consortium aims to initiate a digital revolution in the naval industry by developing the foundational elements necessary for this transformation:
- Digital Reference Architecture: Creating a coherent set of resources, services, and data solutions to support core warship operations.
- Digital Platform: Establishing a standardised IT infrastructure derived from the reference architecture, offering basic services shared between user applications for development of the next generation of warships.
- New Digital Engineering: Adapting processes, methodologies, and tools required for managing an increasingly complex, interdependent system of systems during the three-year project.
For more information visit EDINAF.eu
Methanol as Energy Step Towards Emission-Free Dutch Shipping (MENENS)
The MENENS project is a critical component of the Netherlands' Master Plan to realise 30 emission-free ships by 2030. In this initiative, 23 partners collaborate to develop and field-test technology for using methanol as a fuel. This includes improving the efficiency of on-board energy systems, with contributions from suppliers, designers, shipyards, shipowners, knowledge institutions, and the Netherlands’ Royal Navy.
Methanol is viewed as a promising alternative to diesel, with the potential to enable climate-neutral waterborne transport at a reasonable cost. The transition to methanol as a maritime fuel necessitates innovations in engine technology, safe storage methods, and systematic integration strategies. This initiative will provide the Dutch maritime sector with valuable experience and knowledge that will also benefit the development of other future fuels, such as hydrogen and ammonia.
Read more about the project here.
Dutch Naval Design
Dutch Naval Design is a partnership between maritime defence experts from industry and academia. This project aims to harness the strengths of Dutch naval capabilities and advance decisive naval technology for the future. Although currently in its start-up phase, Dutch Naval Design is beginning to take a clear shape. A recent agreement formalised the collaboration between DMO, MARIN, the Netherlands Aerospace Centre (NLR), TU Delft, TNO, NIDV, and the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Climate.
In March 2020, the FlexShip was presented—a vision of the "naval ship of the future" that encapsulates the joint parties’ goals. It is intended that future Dutch naval vessels will benefit from these innovative plans.
Find more about Dutch Naval Design in our news article.