Naval Architecture students at the Regional Maritime University (RMU), have appealed to the Government and stakeholders in the maritime sector to invest in innovations they have developed to help sustain the maritime environment.
Mr Alex Kojo Abayateye, Students Representative Council (SRC) President of the RMU, indicated that the students from the Marine Engineering Department of the University, as part of their final year projects, have invented some samples of wind turbines, solar-powered fishing boats, and fibre-glass canoes, among others, to improve global safety and decarbonization needs.
Mr Abayateye said their inventions included dovetail lifebuoys and remote-operated vessels (ROV), which he explained help save sailors in ‘man overboard!’ situations, provide renewable energy, and construct installations beneath the sea by FPSOs (Floating Production Storage and Offloading Vessels).
He added that if this equipment could be produced locally, it would lower the expense and frequency with which the country would need to import it.
He appealed to institutions operating in the maritime sector to consider offering scholarships to students enrolled in maritime-related courses to encourage many young people to develop new ideas on maritime to solve the industry’s needs.
Mr George Obeng, a graduate Assistant at the RMU, suggested that adding Naval Architecture to courses studied in most tertiary institutions would help students develop many career paths as it offers a variety of employment opportunities to the youth.
Mr Obeng appealed to the maritime industry players to collaborate with the naval architects from the RMU to help address the difficulties facing the sector, such as ship and vessel construction and environmental sustainability.
Source: Ghana News Agency