Of high speed and uncertainty

As we step into early 2025, the year 2024 is already receding into the past. For us, 2024 was marked by the completion of two major detail design projects. From the second quarter, we designed a total of 16 new builds and retrofits. Additionally, we delivered numerous individual calculations and assessments.

Our design work in the new and retrofit projects primarily included early project phases. This has sparked immense curiosity about their progress in the upcoming year. Together with our clients and the various committees involved, we are looking forward to positive decisions regarding the realization of these projects. 

Among the standout projects this year is a battery-electric passenger ferry, which builds upon our already extensive reference portfolio in the field of electric vessels.

Another highlight is a diesel-hybrid car ferry optimized for shallow-water operations. This ferry is set to establish benchmarks in the vehicle ferry sector, thanks to its modular design and the associated retrofitting strategy.

We are particularly pleased for our clients whom we had the privilege of supporting in securing funding under the "Sustainable Inland Shipping" [MK1] grant directive. This year, due to the government budget freeze, we delivered the final project in this area of activity. Over the past years, our projects have secured funding allocations in the eight-figure range for our clients.

However, our enthusiasm and anticipation for the new year are tempered by some challenges. The political decisions, often involving various committees and political stakeholders, turn the ship development process into a sprint with long recovery phases in between.

Adding to the complexity is the current lack of a definite model for propulsion technologies tailored to specific ship types. While this presents interesting challenges for ship design, it also leads to significant hesitation among shipowners regarding new builds and their development.

This year, we continued to grow and strengthen our team, establishing new and valuable capabilities. Developing our young talent remains as important to us as the ongoing education of our experienced employees. We continuously improve our processes and tools. Agile work methods, interdisciplinary teams, and a strong sense of camaraderie drive us to deliver high-quality solutions to the challenges we face. These attributes have had a remarkably positive impact on attracting skilled professionals, whether they are fresh talent or seasoned experts. At present, we are not facing a shortage of maritime specialists. However, finding profiles with a maritime background in the field of electrical engineering remains a challenge.

2024 brought us several highlights, including the delivery of new builds we developed to their satisfied owners. We received highly positive feedback on our presence in the maritime sector. The market has taken notice of our expanding portfolio in seagoing vessel construction, as evidenced by our conversations during the very successful SMM trade fair. We are already looking forward to the Europort in Rotterdam next fall.

Despite the current era of challenges and uncertainties, we will continue to set benchmarks in inland and coastal shipbuilding.

We are excited for 2025!