Vessels fashioned in a 3D printer, rather than a shipyard, will be the subject of a presentation at a Worldwide Ferry Safety Association (WFSA) event. The virtual gathering, Innovations in Ferry Design and Vessel Construction, will be held in conjunction with the presentation of awards in WFSA’s Annual Student Design Competition, now in its ninth year, to be held on May 18th, 2022.
The keynote speaker, Dr. Habib Dagher, from the University of Maine, Advanced Structures and Composites Sector, will talk about the Center’s design and construction of the world’s largest 3 D printed vessels. In 2019 the Center fabricated 3D printed a bio-based 25-foot 5,000 lb. vessel, garnering three Guinness book of records (world’s largest prototype polymer 3D printer, largest solid 3D-printed object, and largest 3D-printed boat). A video of the vessel can be seen below:
The Center has a track record of effective and inventive fabrications in the fields of energy generation, infrastructure and transport. In a more recent project, from February 2022, the Composites Center completed two prototype vessels for the US Marines. One vessel is capable of carrying two twenty-foot containers; the other can carry a rifle squad with three days of supplies. The vessels are able to be fabricated quickly, and can be linked together. The new vessels are not permitted to be photographed, but an article from the trade press, available athttps://3dprintingindustry.com/news/umaine-3d-prints-two-new-large-boats-for-u-s-marines- breaking-previous-world-record-205260/ describes this effort in considerable detail. At the May 18 event, Dr. Dagher will respond to previously submitted questions from attendees.
The 9th Annual Student Design Competition for a Safe Affordable Ferry is for a RoPax Ferry for the Brahmaputra River in Assam, India. The Brahmaputra is one of the largest rivers of the world in terms of drainage area. Its challenges include a high degree of sedimentation, and great seasonal variation in river height and width. Twenty-two student teams from Asia, Europe, and North America registered for the competition and twelve submitted designs. This year’s competition should be fierce with many of the teams from schools that had been victorious in previous competitions. Award-winning student teams will describe their vessels and respond to questions.
This year’s event is being held virtually, and the link to registration (free) may be found here.
For further information contact Dr. Roberta Weisbrod, Executive Director of the Worldwide Ferry Safety Association, [email protected]
Bardex Corp. is pleased to announce that the Offshore Technology Conference has awarded Daniel Toerner a spot in its 2025 Emerging Leaders class. Each year, the OTC recognizes up-and-coming professionals...
Silverback Marine is excited to announce it has partnered with Swedish based companyPETESTEP to develop a high-performance law enforcement boat for the New Mexico StateParks Rangers. What excited our design...
Helm Operations, a global leader in maritime operations software, is proud to announce that it has been awarded a major contract by Washington State Ferries (WSF) to replace its legacy crew dispatching...
May 7, 2025
Total Views: 792
Get The Industry’s Go-To News
Subscribe to gCaptain Daily and stay informed with the latest global maritime and offshore news
— just like 109,052 professionals
Secure Your Spot
on the gCaptain Crew
Stay informed with the latest maritime and offshore news, delivered daily straight to your inbox
— trusted by our 109,052 members
Your Gateway to the Maritime World!
Essential news coupled with the finest maritime content sourced from across the globe.
This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.