Maritime Design for the 90% of Us:

Implementing InnovationRoberta Weisbrod,

Ph.D.Sustainable Ports

SNAME Annual Meeting 2012

Content

Defining the need

Why could this be of interest SNAME members?

How do we make it happen?

Maritime Design for the 90% of Us

Safe affordable ferries for developing nations

Role of ferry transport to economic life and social cohesion

Need for safety

Record of fatalities in developing nations

Statistics

Affordability

Defining the Need

Interferry amassed statistics:

Based on press accounts (not complete)

Counted fatalities, not number of missing

Listed by nation, date, vessel and specific causes

800+ year

Statistics(2000-present)

Analyzed record of fatalities

Published peer reviewed papers

Pilot project with Bangladesh

Causes

Sudden hazardous weather

Poorly trained crew

Overloaded vessels

Inappropriate old vessels

What are the causes of ferry fatalities?

Demonstration projects in Bangladesh and findings from information sharing forum for South East Asia – other causes amenable to correction:

Weather

Training

Overloading

Government policies

Economics

Addressing causes other than vessels

Sudden hazardous weather – tornadoes on water

Chatty beetle

Texting alerts

Future likely to bring advances – multi-use device with alert

Weather

Ferry safety training

Developing world nations:

Can’t afford new developed world vessels

Purchase after-market vessels, not necessarily appropriate for waterways

To a degree overloading related to vessels; also government policy

IMO study to begin

Vessels have been The intractable problem

Vessels and their overloading

Emerging markets, EM ( S. America, Africa, Asia) to be larger than US + EU in 2025

US companies benefit from “Reverse Innovation,” designing for EM.

Design for Other 90%: Think Different, “Deep innovation” meet functional need but with extreme affordability

Real opportunity in growing market

What’s in it for SNAME members?

Vessels aren’t only cause

Vessels highly complex

If such a great idea someone else would have already done it

Arguments against vessel focus

Recognize the good

Nigeria Eko waterbus

Philippines RoPax

Encourage investments

IMF

Encourage deep innovative design

Design competition

Promotion of concept

How to Push Innovation

Recognize the good: Eko Water Bus for Lagos

Recognize the good: Philippines RoPax

Philippines RoPax (interior)

IMF (branch of the WB)

Finance for private sector infrastructure in EM

Everything but ferries

But In response to our work, IMF reached out to us

IMF will now undertake ferry infrastructure projects

Important as example to other investors in private sector

Get funding for vessels

What have we done so far

Formed Advisory Committee (mostly SNAME members)

Worked with academic institutions (Webb, Stevens, SUNY)

Developed schedule

Research agenda in addition to design competition

Stevens students underway (Navy funding)

Gather contacts from schools and trade associations

Promotion

Apply for funding

Mount a Design Competition

News! Obtained grant

Grant allows us to:

Outreach widely to promote competition

Raise amount of prize money

Have more prizes

Award judges stipend/honorarium

Have a recognition ceremony

Design competition status

Jan 1, 2013 start

RFP for ferries from developing countries themselves

This year Bangladesh ferry from Dhaka

Quantitative as possible in terms of comparative costs

Elements of the Design Competition

Materials

Modes of construction

Hull design

Power production

Use of IT

‘Technology transfer from sectors beyond maritime industry’

Opportunities for innovation

To fellow SNAME members:

Where are ideas that could be applied?

Help promote: Academic institutions and trade associations/media that should be contacted

Additional utility beyond the competition

Next steps