International Towing Tank Conference hosted by Flanders in 2027

News article

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17 oktober 2024

Flanders may host the International Towing Tank Conference (ITTC)(opens in new window) in 2027. Thibaut Van Zwijnsvoorde (Flanders Hydraulics) received this nomination at the end of September 2024 in Hobart, Australia. ITTC is a triennial event where all institutes that study ship hydrodynamics through scale model research come together. Together they set the international standard by publishing recommended procedures.

Flanders Hydraulics (part of the Department of Mobility and Public Works of the Flemish Government) recently opened a second towing tank at the Maritime Research Center (MOC) in Ostend, Belgium. Within the ITTC, Flanders Hydraulics also collaborates with Ghent University and the Catholic University of Leuven, including the coastal ocean basin as a facility. And that did not go unnoticed.

The fact that we own three such facilities (two towing tanks and the coastal ocean basin) means that we are quietly overlooking the leading group of ITTC, which includes the organizations with the most power and prestige. With the conference coming to Flanders in 2027, we only reinforce that ambition. This is a result of many years of hard work to build up the research and associated facilities.
Thibaut Van Zwijnsvoorde
Researcher at Flanders Hydraulics