Why design a gearbox when you can simply order one from a catalogue? A perfectly valid question for a student, early on a Monday morning, slumped over a drawing board. Or at least that’s what my classmates and I thought when we were told to design one. I doubt a single one of us intended to become a gearbox designer back then. And why would you want to know how an impulse turbine differs from a reaction turbine anyway?
My knowledge of turbines, however, did come in handy when I became involved in a large-scale, land-based energy-saving project in Amsterdam. What had seemed like ancient technology during my studies turned out to be a crucial component of an installation involving natural gas expansion. The same was true for the gearbox between the turbine and the generator. Especially when it broke down. Not my design.
Also read: SWZ|Maritime’s December 2025 issue: Resolutions & fuel for thought
New tools
Today, we would probably turn to artificial intelligence (AI) to help calculate gear ratios and correction factors, and to select the right materials for both the gears and the housing. In fact, we did exactly that for the cover art of this issue, which focuses on training and education and was coordinated by our editor, Annelinde Gerritsen.
Is it a bad thing to rely on these new tools now that they are available? I never used a slide rule, but I did have a pocket calculator. Our mathematics teacher could solve the problem before we had even switched ours on – although forty-plus years of training probably had something to do with that. Of course, with AI you must realise that it is essentially statistics.
Building on a legacy of 150 years of knowledge, the Dutch Maritime Institute Willem Barentsz reports on how it has evolved – and continues to evolve – in response to technological change. Together with NHL Stenden University of Applied Sciences, it has also launched the Master Maritime Innovations programme, aimed at working university of applied sciences graduates. What this unique master’s degree is about, and how it lives up to its name, is covered in the Dutch-language contribution by naval architect Wisse Reneme MSc.
And one final word on AI. Our maths teacher used to say: ‘Sorry for those who aren’t very good at maths – you’ll probably do even worse when it comes to statistics. But then again, most of the others will too.’
This is editor-in-chief Robin Zander’s editorial accompanying the January 2026 issue.
Also read: SWZ|Maritime’s November 2025 issue: Roaring twenties
SWZ app and archive
Our digital archive is available to subscribers both online and in our new app (available for Android and Iphone) and they can read the digitial version of our December issue there. Not yet a subscriber? Visit our subscription page.
Also read: SWZ|Maritime’s October 2025 issue: Looking forward
The articles in SWZ|Maritime’s January issue
In addition to the regular sections such as Dutch news, Global news, Markets, Book reviews and Mars Report, the January issue features a special on education as well as other articles. They are:
- Alternative fuels hold steady in newbuild orderbook
- Effective immediately
- 150 jaar Maritiem Instituut Willem Barentsz
- De Master Maritime Innovations
- Practice-oriented doctoral driving innovation
- Scheepsbemanning is schaarser dan ooit
- Kan het rendement van motoren nog hoger?
- Ship in detail: Breakthrough
- Shared resourcing for North Sea W2W operations
- CEDA – Engineering the future
- CEDA – Restoring the North Sea’s lost ecosystem
Picture: Student numbers in maritime education are dropping. However, the education sector is actively innovating, while initiatives have been launched to present maritime professions in a more positive light (image Google Gemini AI).
Also read: SWZ|Maritime’s September 2025 issue: Royal Netherlands Navy in transition
