Industry and academia launch new maritime innovation center

Lloyd’s Register (LR), in collaboration with COSCO Shipping Group, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, and the University of Southampton, has launched a new center for developing and testing zero-carbon and intelligent-ship technologies.

Named the International Maritime Future Technologies Innovation Centre, this virtual center aims to advance research and development in low- and zero-carbon maritime technologies, intelligent ship systems, and digital innovation.

According to the partners, the Centre will serve as a global platform for collaboration between industry and academia, supporting the sector’s transition towards a smarter and more sustainable future by focusing on translating research into practical, scalable solutions for deployment across global fleets.

Led by COSCO Shipping Group, the innovation center will draw on each partner’s specialist strengths in technical standards, alternative fuels, vessel performance, intelligent navigation, and digital modelling.

Using COSCO Shipping’s operational data and fleet network, it seeks to test and validate new technologies that can deliver practical, real-world decarbonization 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