New marine facility at UK university

The new facility, which cost a total of £19m, will be home to the University’s Marine Institute and will be used to conduct significant maritime research. It will be home to the country’s most sophisticated wave tank testing facilities and a modern ship simulator, which will be used to train the next generation of mariners.

Adam Corney, marine commercial director, Plymouth University, told Maritime Journal: “Our aim is to use the cutting-edge facilities within the Marine Building to develop research relationships with other marine renewable partner companies and organisations. Our wave tanks will enable world-class developments of this technology and secure the South West as a centre of excellence in this research.

He added: “Ahead of the Royal opening in October, we’ve already completed the first successful commercial experiment for a client, simulating extreme conditions to test their wave energy device, and we’ve been inundated with enquiries from the sector.”

The Marine Building includes Coastal Ocean and Sediment Transport (CoaST) laboratories, which will be used by engineers to test devices using different simulated conditions using wave, current and wind-generation technology.

The building will also contain the Marine Navigation Centre, complete with a ship simulator with a 270-degree screen, where students will be able to ‘navigate’ a range of vessels in various international locations. A business incubation centre will also be available for companies to utilise from across the marine renewables and engineering sectors.