A visit to the L’Universita` degli Studi di Genova was organised last September as part of the ongoing H2020 project VENTuRE. The visit served as an opportunity for academics, researchers, and students from the University of Malta (UM) to familiarise with towing tank and cavitation tunnel facilities managed by the Dipartimento di Ingegneria Navale, Elettrica, Elettronica, e delle Telecomunicazioni (DITEN) of the Italian university. Practical sessions on the use of such facilities and associated data acquisition systems were held. The demonstrations were of particular relevance to the UM team in light of the tow tank facilities currently under development at the new Sustainable Living Complex at the Msida campus. The visit provided essential knowledge about the operation of tow tank and cavitation facilities, model ship construction and testing, as well as performance testing of marine propellers. A second visit was also held at the La Spezia campus of the L’Universita` degli Studi di Genova, where the utilisation of advanced 3D-printing technologies and computational fluid dynamics (CFD) software used for research activities in naval architecture were demonstrated. The UM team was also given the opportunity to participate in an experiment involving a scaled and remotely operated 3D-printed hull, specifically developed for research in the field of autonomous shipping. Project partners University of Strathclyde and Naval Architectural Services Ltd. attended virtually.
The VENTuRE project consortium was invited to host a project stand at the Seafuture conference held in La Spezia between the 28th of September and the 2nd of October. This served as a unique opportunity for the VENTuRE project partners to establish new network links with industry representatives from the maritime sector. Prof. Claire DeMarco delivered a presentation about the VENTuRE project, highlighting the main aims, activities, and achievements of the project to date. UM researchers and postgraduate students participated in a short specialist course for maritime hydrodynamics organised by l’Universita` degli Studi di Genova. Topics covered included sea-state modelling, ship response in regular and irregular waves, and the application of strip theory for modelling of vessel responses along six degrees of freedom.