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The world’s largest shipowner has teamed with two universities and UK class society Lloyd’s Register to debut the International Maritime Future Technologies Innovation Centre. China’s COSCO is fronting the new organisation along with LR, Shanghai Jiao Tong University and the University of Southampton, two of the world’s preeminent tertiary maritime learning centres. The new virtual centre aims to advance research and development in low- and zero-carbon maritime technologies, intelligent ship systems and digital innovation. The centre will serve as a global platform for collaboration between industry and academia, translating research into practical, scalable solutions for deployment across global fleets. Using COSCO’s extensive operational data and fleet network, it will test and validate new technologies that can deliver practical, real-world decarbonisation solutions. The founding partners have also established a Technical Committee to oversee research direction, ensure the continuity of innovation and align the centre’s work with the maritime industry’s evolving technical and regulatory needs. Nick Brown, LR’s CEO, said: “This partnership is about turning ambition into action. Together with our partners, we are investing in the ideas, data and technologies that will help the maritime industry meet the challenges of the energy transition head-on and drive change that benefits both business and society.”
