CHEK project interacting with stakeholders - workshop at Maritime Academy
One key aspect of the ongoing CHEK project is to raise awareness of the technologies, to communicate and disseminate results to ensure wide public engagement and to strengthen competence of maritime industries and companies within the field of sustainable shipping. The project partners are organizing several engaging workshops for relevant stakeholders including cruise vessel shipyards, bulker construction yards and maritime academies.
Recently the first workshop at a Maritime Academy was successfully executed in Finland. About 30 students in engineering, Maritime Technology, participated in the half day event at the Novia University of Applied Sciences in Turku.
Kenneth Widell, Senior Project Manager at Wärtsilä Finland and Innovation Manager of the CHEK project, introduced the CHEK project to the students and outlined the studied technologies.The programme covered an inclusive summary of hydrogen properties, hydrogen engine development based on the literature, and aspects of hydrogen legislation given by Professor Seppo Niemi and Senior Researcher Carolin Nuortila, University of Vaasa. An additional outlook on future fuels by Kenneth Widell completed the introduction.
- The workshop opened a nice opportunity to tell about the fundamentals of hydrogen engines to an audience, being composed of future experts in marine machineries. We can be sure that these people will use several completely new fuels and powertrains during their career, says Seppo Niemi.
Participants at the workshop got an opportunity to learn and discuss about sustainable technologies, consider how green transition and new technologies will affect their work life.
- It was especially interesting for the CHEK consortium to hear what the future seafarers think about the CHEK technologies and how green transition could be accomplished in their opinion, says Kenneth Widell.
Project partners will analyse the input gathered from the students and consider it during the project and also later in the future work. Engagement with different stakeholders, policymakers, ship-owners, crews and students is a crucial part of the project to ensure successful societal acceptance, market-uptake and exploitation of project results. More workshops at Maritime Academies will be arranged in the beginning of 2024.