MARIN Report magazine - CRS Special

It has no office. It has no personnel. It has no director. But it exists and it has flourished for 50 years: The Cooperative Research Ships (CRS). This special CRS magazine presents its simple secret: cooperation by committed people.

Public-Private Partnership (PPS) is popular nowadays. But it often means a lot of talking, paperwork and complex governance. It seems to require directors and offices.

CRS is different. For 50 years now, 20-25 maritime organisations perform research in the maritime field together for a yearly budget of around € 1.5 million Euros. Typically 10 working groups investigate topics that are of common interest to its members. CRS brings together shipyards, ship owners, navies, equipment suppliers, classification societies and research organisations. All just based on a gentlemen’s agreement (the ‘CRS Guidelines’) and joint decision-making at the Open Meeting and Annual General Meeting. A simple organisation to stimulate complex research.

The CRS is real cooperative research. Members are not just paying their yearly fee: they are expected to be actively involved in the research work itself. So all the CRS members perform tasks in research projects, participate actively in working groups and form a network of specialists. An open network, where even competitors are willing to share knowledge and experience.
For its members CRS provides a maritime knowledge base, practical tools and improved insight into design technology and operational performance.

Over the years, CRS has become a unique community, in which sharing and cooperation are normal. It has created friendships based on the large commitment of the people and companies involved. The cooperation in CRS is essential to make ships cleaner, safer, smarter and more efficient. In that respect, CRS is the perfect Public- Private Partnership!