The University of Malta (UM) academics, researchers, and technicians from the Department of Mechanical Engineering visited the Kelvin Hydrodynamics Laboratory of the University of Strathclyde in Glasgow, UK, on 29 June 2022.

The visit, organised as part of the ongoing H2020 project VENTuRE, served as an opportunity for UM academics, researchers, and students to familiarise themselves with the towing tank and the engineering facilities managed by the Department of Naval Architecture, Ocean, and Marine Engineering (NAOME) of the university. Practical and theoretical 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 partners had the opportunity to visit the experimental premises of the NAOME department, the Kelvin Hydrodynamics Laboratories including the towing tank, ocean basin, Fully Turbulent Flow Channel (FTFC), as well as the Full Mission Bridge Simulator, which is part of the Maritime Human Factors Centre (MHFC). The visit served as an opportunity to provide essential knowledge about the operation of towing tanks and the construction of scaled model ships. Practical sessions about ship model testing and the use of associated data acquisition systems were held.

Seminars and Courses related to the KHL visit were delivered by Dr Tahsin Tezdogan and Dr Saishuai Dai (USTRATH) on the topic of the combined used of Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) and Experimental Fluid Dynamics (EFD) for research activities in naval architecture were also held. The courses and seminars delivered were Physical towing tank testing for the prediction of ship resistance and propulsion; Physical towing tank testing for the prediction of ship hydrodynamics with a focus on seakeeping; State-of-the-art Measurement, Calibration and Data analysis Techniques and Combined CFD/ EFD Methods and Seakeeping Theories.