लेखक: Tomoki Ikoma

Prof. Tomoki Ikoma is a professor in the Department of Oceanic Architecture and Engineering, College of Science and Technology at Nihon University and a fellow at the Institute of Industrial Science, University of Tokyo, and a professor in the Department of Oceanic Architecture and Engineering, College of Science and Technology at Nihon University. His research interests are in the areas of hydrodynamics and interaction between a floating structure and ocean waves, including Very Large Floating Structures (VLFS).  Prof. Shigeru Tabeta is currently at the University of Tokyo. His research interests are ocean utilization technologies for solving global environmental problems, environmental regeneration of coastal zones for a sustainable society, marine environmental problems in rapidly developing East Asian countries, modelling of marine ecosystems and socio-economic systems, and so on.  Mr. Lim Soon Heng has a five-decade-long career in the marine industry, much of which with Keppel Corporation. He has considerable experience in the planning and the design of shipyards including floating docks, piers, and wharves. He is excited by the opportunities that mega-floating structures can offer to address so many of humanity”s problems, including rising sea levels and climate change. This is facilitated by the skill sets that marine engineers and naval architects have acquired, particularly from the offshore rig-building technology. Floating structures are economically attractive compared to land-based structures if their full life cycle is taken into consideration. He believes if Singapore cannot get it right in two important challenges, the future ahead is one slippery slope: It has to find viable strategies to resolve its energy resilience and its land scarcity. In that regard, floating structures offer robust solutions.  Prof. Chien Ming Wang is a professor in Structural Engineering, University of Queensland. He is a fellow of the Australian Academy of Technology and Engineering, a fellow of the Institution of Structural Engineers, and a fellow of the Society of Floating Solutions (Singapore). He is the leader of the Blue Economy Cooperative Research Centre research program on offshore engineering and technology. His research interests are in the areas of structural stability, vibration, optimization, plated structures, and very large floating structures. He has published over 500 journal papers and 10 books on these topics. He has won many awards including Nishino Medal, JN Reddy Medal, Singapore’s Minister of National Development”s R&D Award for Floating Wetlands at Punggol Waterway, Lewis Kent Award, IES Prestigious Engineering Achievement Award, and Grand Prize of Next Generation Container Port Challenge.