Four weeks of offshore energy, engineering and international exchange came to a close on 4 September with the final symposium of the NEBS Ocean Engineering Summer School 2026.
Twelve Japanese students and young professionals travelled to the Netherlands for an intensive programme developed together with The Nippon Foundation, TU Delft and Maritime & Offshore NL.
Throughout the Summer School, lectures and workshops were combined with company and site visits across the Netherlands. Participants explored topics ranging from offshore wind and ocean energy to foundation design, floating structures, installation, grid infrastructure and integrated energy systems.
At TU Delft, Dr. Jeroen Hoving, Dr. Antonio Jarquín Laguna and Dr. Oriol Gené Colomés connected academic knowledge with real offshore engineering challenges. Throughout the programme, Hendrik Goos and Ruud de Bruijne guided the participants through the wider technical, economic and strategic dimensions of offshore energy.
Expert contributions from across the sector added further practical perspectives. Among them were Andrew Jenkins of Kinewell, Ferry Visser of World Class Maintenance/Zephyros, Cesare Meinardi of Allseas, Barend Jenje of GustoMSC, Ruud van Leeuwen and Tino Kuin of Eneco/Ecowende, and Piet Warnaar of WindSpeed10.
The programme also brought participants directly into the Dutch offshore energy sector. Visits and contributions from organisations including Port of Rotterdam, Portlantis, TWD, Zephyros, Ørsted, Deltares, TenneT, TNO, Groningen Seaports and Maritime & Offshore NL showed how engineering, innovation and collaboration come together in practice. A special thanks also goes to Danielle Veldman and Eline Timmer of Maritime & Offshore NL for their contribution to the programme.
Alongside the technical programme, the participants worked in teams on their own offshore energy cases. What started with technical design choices developed over four weeks into integrated concepts combining engineering, economics, infrastructure and energy-system considerations.
The Summer School concluded on 4 September at TWD in Rotterdam, where the participants presented their final work to professionals from the sector. Ken Kitazato of TWD reflected on Dutch-Japanese cooperation in offshore energy, while Carolien van Tilburg explored the long-standing diplomatic and trade relationship between the Netherlands and Japan and translated this shared history into a forward-looking perspective on future collaboration. The symposium also included a strategic outlook on the future of offshore energy by Piet Warnaar of WindSpeed10, followed by the certificate ceremony and a closing dinner at the Euromast.
The programme was about more than technical knowledge alone. From Delft and Rotterdam to Zeeland and Groningen, participants experienced the Netherlands and its culture alongside the academic programme. Whether cycling through Delft, exploring Dutch cities, making traditional Dutch pancakes together or trying herring, these shared experiences were an important part of the international exchange.
A big thank you to our twelve participants: Kimura Keigo, Nene Asami, Adachi Shoma, Moeka Ishiyama, Soga Ito, Masashi Umezono, Haru Kadoya, Shigeki Sekine, Koki Nakagawa, Akira Narahashi, Yoshihiro Miyagi and Ryo Nihashi.
We would also like to sincerely thank The Nippon Foundation for making this international learning experience possible, as well as TU Delft, Maritime & Offshore NL, all lecturers, experts, companies and hosts who contributed their knowledge, time and enthusiasm throughout the four weeks.
Four weeks of learning, collaboration and new perspectives and hopefully the start of many more connections between the Dutch and Japanese offshore energy sectors.