Houlder Limited

Jakki Hill, Director, People and Culture alongside Andy King, Director, Stability and Statutory attended Maritime UK Solent’s ‘Future of Maritime Skills’ event. Houlder was delighted to be asked to take part in the discussions. We agree that succession planning is important for the industry and is something we will continue to focus on this year. As a business, we are committed to inspiring the next generation alongside all the key players in the Maritime sector. They both commented “The event was energising. Collaborating with other industry stakeholders on how we can inspire the next generation of engineers and naval architects is motivating and the event was very positive. We look forward to taking part in the next discussions and seeing how this initiative progresses”.

Last week, Houlder attended the final in-person workshop for the SWOPP programme, where IEBUM SHIN, Data Analytics lead, alongside Rhys D., Senior Naval Architect presented their work on fuel-saving predictions for both rotor sails and rigid wing sails. The session was incredibly productive, bringing together research and industry leaders to share insights and discuss the next steps in advancing wind-assisted propulsion. We’re proud to have used our HOME (Houlder Optimisation and Modelling Environment) platform to perform these analyses, achieving results we’re very pleased with. Workshops like this highlight the critical role of collaboration in shaping sustainable maritime solutions. We’re excited to continue these conversations and drive innovation forward!

Nice to see Andy King featured in The Superyacht Forum video from last week's event in Amsterdam.

The SMI WWG Annual Seminar is taking place next week on the 27th November. Our Director for Ship Design and Engineering, David Wing will participate in the afternoon’s round table discussion. The theme is Accelerating Decarbonation with the panel specifically considering ‘Maritime energy transition – Tomorrow is too late’. Houlder’s Navigator update – The Uncertainty Dilemma provides a taste of some industry views ahead of the event. The audience will hear from and quiz several industry experts from companies such as Sean Collins Thames Clippers, Tom Curwell, Cammell Laird, Tristan Matthews Alfa Laval and Noel Tomlinson BMT. It should be an interesting and lively exchange. Society of Maritime Industries (SMI) #Decarrbonisation #Seminar #EnergyTransition 

Andy King has written an article in The Superyacht Report for The Superyacht Group with this quarters issue focusing on Refit. Andy sets out the key considerations that all yachts must comply with to keep safe…both at sea and in dock.   Andy says in the article: “The yacht may change through it’s life and therefore it’s important to understand if the Stability Information Booklet accurately reflects the current use and physical condition of the yacht”.   Our Director for Stability and Statutory, Andy is currently out in Amsterdam for The Superyacht Forum and METSTRADE conference. So, if you would like to talk to Andy about all thing’s stability or Houlder's services, he will be around and more than happy to talk to you about the topic.    Read Andy's article here:

Many ship owners have recognised an ‘uncertainty dilemma’ – where decarbonisation choices remain highly uncertain, but that with tightening environmental regulations doing nothing is not an option, so they must try to navigate through the fog of decarbonisation and change course if needed. Houlder has published its second “Navigator Survey”, two years after its previous interviews. Checking in with senior executives from ship-owning companies on key sustainable shipping topics including verified clean technology performance data, how the environmental regulatory landscape has changed, and barriers to the scaling of green alternative fuels, uncertainty materialised as a clear recurring theme. CEO of Houlder, Rupert Hare said: “We can’t let uncertainty become an alibi for inaction on decarbonisation, so we undertook this research to understand better how the wider industry can support shipowners in rising to the challenge.” We believe in the need for agility and informed action, as waiting for perfect clarity risks falling behind in decarbonisation efforts. Read more insights here: https://lnkd.in/eXvfK67p #Shipping #Maritime #Decarbonisation #CleanTech

Last night Houlder had the pleasure of attending Royal Institution of Naval Architects President’s Invitation Lecture which focused on Nuclear Technology for commercial Maritime Propulsion. This topic could shape the future of maritime and is an exciting development within the industry. Jonathan Stephens, PE at BWX Technologies addressed the central theme - nuclear technology’s transformative potential for commercial shipping. This was followed by a panel discussion headed by Catriona Savage FREng Savage, President of the Royal Institute of Naval Architects. Sarah Watts, RINA Safety Committee Chair and Dr Spyros Hirdaris from Global Ship Systems Centre joined the discussion welcoming questions from an engaged audience. Among the main areas discussed were: ·  questions around safety and testing . upskilling workforces to keep up with emerging technologies such as nuclear, if it were to succeed in commercial shipping ·   possibilities for new degrees and apprenticeships emerging to bridge the gap between naval architecture, engineering and the future of fuels. Conversations continued through networking and dinner with plenty of positive talk about the future for alternative fuels. Thank you to RINA for hosting this excellent event and to its sponsors, CORE POWER (UK) Ltd, American Bureau of Shipping (ABS). 

Houlder has developed a sustainable concept design for Cefas’ possible replacement research vessel. We are delighted to collaborate with the Centre for Environment, Fisheries, and Aquaculture Science (Cefas) to provide a specialist research vessel. This strengthens our relationship with Cefas, which commenced in 2019 under a service technical advisory partnership and reaffirms our specialism in research vessels. The team has worked closely with Cefas to develop a design that meets requirements and will provide a platform for sustainable marine science activities well into the second half of the century. As the first phase of the project draws to a close, we look forward to continuing our work with Cefas to secure their means of providing future science delivery at sea. You can read about the project here: #Research #Sustainability #Maritime

Andy King, Director of Stability and Statutory will be attending The Superyacht Forum and METSTRADE next week in Amsterdam. It looks like a full itinerary packed with workshops and networking including the VRIPACK DESIGN evening after the Forum on Monday. The event’s theme is the future of the superyacht industry which presents plenty of new opportunities. The sessions on development of the YETI software and yacht re-fits caught our eyes. Do catch up with Andy at the event or check out Houlder’s large yacht services page:

We are delighted to work in close partnership with Tower Cruises on this wonderful project, helping get the best result for their operation. The public can really look forward to enjoying this all electric luxury tour vessel on the River Thames in 2025.