1911
The first excursion
1986
The first Grand Journey
2025
The 19th edition of the Grand Journey
In 1911, eight years after foundation of the study association S.G. “William Froude”, the first study trip was organized. It was an eight day excursion to the east coast of Great Britain. Since then, trips abroad were organized regularly, made possible by the association’s close contacts in the industry. Until the 1980’s, the expeditions remained between the boundaries of Europe, but in 1986, the first voyage outside Europe was made to explore the maritime sector in the rest of the world. This trip went to Asia.
Nowadays, the association goes on a ‘Grand Journey’ once every two years. This is an excursion of multiple weeks to parts of the world which have a big influence on the maritime sector. The association aims to give every student the possibility to go on such an excursion at least once to consequently expand their horizons. Below, you can find a brief summary of the past six editions.
2022 | Leading the Charge: Italy & Finland
As a result of the COVID pandemic, the 2022 edition had to take place within Europe. Seen as a limitation at first, this proved to contribute to an exceptionally valuable experience. Many different cultures are, of course, present in Europe. The companies and institutes that were visited, reflect the diverse and important maritime industry in Italy and Finland. The theme, Leading the Charge, refers to any person or organization willing to be the first to start working on a difficult task in the hope that doing it will benefit a cause or inspire others to follow or support the effort.
Companies visited:
- Fincantieri (Genoa and Venice)
- Port of Genoa
- Perini Navi
- MSC
- Meyer Turku
- Deltamarin
- ABB
Institutes or universities visited:
- University of Genoa
- Turku Science Park
- Aalto University
2019 | Triple Asia : China, South Korea & Japan
The 2019 edition was focused on the biggest shipping industries in Asia: China, South-Korea and Japan. These massive industries gave the students an impression of the scale of the maritime industry globally. With the different cultures in these countries comes a different work environment and work ethic. Getting in contact with these cultures gave the students the ability to broaden their worldview and make them more internationally oriented.
Companies visited:
- China State Shipbuilding Corporation Mitsui Engineering & Shipbuilding (CSSC-MES)
- Shanghai Waigauqiao Shipbuilding (SWS)
- China Merchants Heavy Industries (CMHI)
- SEW Eurodrive
- MAERSK
- Samsung Heavy Industries (SHI)
- Hyundai Heavy Industries (HHI)
- Kawasaki Heavy Industries Harima
- ClassNK
- Nippon Yesen Kaisha Line (NYK)
Institutes or universities visited:
- China Shipbuilding Industry Corporation (CSIC)
- Korea Ship and Offshore Research Institute (KOSORI)
- Hyundai Maritime Research Institute (HMRI)
- Republic of Korea Navy
- Osaka University
- The National Maritime Research Institute (NMRI) of Japan
- Japan Maritime Self-Defence Force (JMSDF)
2017 | The Eastventure : Dubai, Singapore & Vietnam
The theme of this edition was a wordplay of the words ‘jointventure’, which means a collaboration of two or more people or companies in a business or business activity, and the locations of the trip, which are situated ‘East’ of The Netherlands. This theme is very applicable to the maritime industry. Most of the time, projects are done in collaboration with a lot of different parties.
For this study trip, we wanted to focus on different countries and different companies which were at that moment collaborating with the Dutch maritime industry or could be very interesting to collaborate with. Diversity was key in the visiting countries, therefore a variety of research institutions, projects and companies were visited. Next to collaboration, sustainability was a subject of interest.
Companies visited:
- Wärtsilla
- Gulf Craft
- Dubai Dry Docks
- Topaz Marine
- Heerema
- Boskalis
- Lioyd’s Register
- Ha Long Shipyard (SBIC/Damen)
- Damen Song Cam
- Vietnam Ocean Shipping Joint Stock Company (VOSCO)
- SBIC
- VISEC
Institutes or universities visited:
- National university of Singapore
- Vietnam Maritime University (ViMarU) wit
2015 | The Asian Way : China, South Korea & Japan
Like the other editions the goal of this edition was to introduce the Maritime Technology master student to the maritime sector and related ‘technical industry’ overseas. The study trip showed us examples of the maritime industry, which we don’t find in the vicinity of the Netherlands. Another goal was to cover all MSc specializations of Maritime Technology. Therefore, start-up companies as well as long established multinationals were visited with possibilities for interaction, like cases or presentations from both parties. The third goal was to visit cultural activities in order to get an insight in the differences in culture. A well-educated academic, that wants to operate internationally, has to have a broad view on cultural differences, considering for example business formalities, language barriers and study methods.
Companies visited:
- Det Norske Veritas Germanischer Lioyd (DNV-GL)
- NileDutch
- China State Shipbuilding Corporation Mitsui Engineering & Shipbuilding (CSSC-MES)
- The Port of Shanghai
- Keppel Nantong Shipyard
- Zhoushan Changhong International Shipping Recycle Company with Sea 2 Cradle
- Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering (DSME)
- Samsung Heavy Industries (SHI)
- Hyundai Heavy Industries (HHI)
- Jotun
- Japan Marine United Corporation (JMU)
- Mitsui O.S.K. Lines (MOL)
Institutes or universities visited:
- Pusan National University (PNU)
- Osaka University
- Japan Maritime Self-Defence Force (JMSDF)
- The National Maritime Research Institute (NMRI) of Japan
2013 | Panamérica : Panama & Brazil
The 2013 edition was one of the few editions that went to South-America. This trip started with attending the PIANC conference in Panama. PIANC is the global organization providing guidance for sustainable waterborne transport infrastructure for ports and waterways. This gave students the opportunity to witness the ongoing expansion of the Panama Canal. Given both the rare occurrence and significance of this project, it was a valuable experience for all who attended.
Next to the conference, the students got in contact with South-American culture and industry. In particular the oil and gas industry in Brazil was a point of interest. Also, a lot of research institutions were visited.
Companies visited:
- Port of Santos
- Noble Denton
- Petrobras
- Subsea 7
- EISA Shipyard Rio de Janeiro
- Keppel FELS Brasil
- Technip
Institutes or universities visited:
- The International Maritime University of Panama (UMIP)
- The Panama Canal Authority (ACP)
- Oceanica
- Institute for Technological Research (IPT)
- Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro
- IBISS
2011 | 360 East: China, South Korea & Japan
The aim of the 2011 edition was to broaden the knowledge of the maritime industry and to develop the students as internationally oriented engineers. In three weeks, the group was impressed by the level of shipbuilding in China, discovered how big the biggest shipyards of the world are in South Korea and experienced the beautiful culture of Japan.
Companies visited:
- China State Shipbuilding Corporation Mitsui Engineering & Shipbuilding (CSSC-MES)
- Yangshan Port
- Sea2Cradle
- Hudong-Zhonghua shipbuilding
- Hyundai Heavy Industries (HHI)
- Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering (DSME) with Allseas Engineering and Heerema Marine Contractors
- Ihimu Kure Shipyard
- Robosquare
Institutes or universities visited:
- Jiau Tong University (JTU)
- Nuffic Neso Korea
- Korea Institute of Fusion Energy (NFRI)
- Samsung Ship Model Basin (SSMB)
- Osaka University
