A major international award has been presented to a Professor in the University of Strathclyde’s Department of Naval Architecture, Ocean and Marine Engineering.

Emeritus Professor Chengi Kuo has received the Royal Institution of Naval Architects’ (RINA) William Froude Medal, in recognition of his significant contribution to the field in a career spanning more than 50 years.

Professor Kuo joined Strathclyde in 1967 and has produced more than 160 publications, including six books. His areas of expertise include ship safety and stability, the use of computer technology in shipping, and ship support for subsea operations in the oil and gas sector.

He sees the discipline’s future in the teaching of ‘three Cs’ – confidence, competence and communication.

Previous awards to Professor Kuo include the Society of Naval Architects and Marine Engineers’ William H Webb Medal in 2022 and the Royal Institution of Naval Architects and Lloyd’s Register Maritime Safety Award in 2012. He was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh in 1993.

The award is an accolade for Professor Kuo and for a leading department, which was ranked first in Europe and third globally for Marine and Ocean Engineering in the 2022 Shanghai Rankings. Previous winners of the William Froude Medal include Professor Kuo’s NAOME colleagues, Professor Dracos Vassalos and Professor Atilla Incecik.

Professor Kuo said in his acceptance speech: “It is a great honour and pleasure for me to receive the Froude medal. As a member of the institution since my student days it will inspire me on two fronts.

“Firstly, to provide a stronger incentive to continuing to promote my educational goal of providing students and graduates with ample balance of competence, confidence and communication skills, coupled with an element of entrepreneurship, for them to face the challenges of the maritime and offshore industries.

“Secondly, to develop a global vision that would ensure that we, the naval architects, will play a leading role for the next 50 years in meeting the world’s future demand for energy to be generated from ocean renewables in order to replace those presently generated through the use of fossil fuels; a task that will need the involvement and support of everyone and, in particular, the younger generation of naval architects and offshore engineers.”