Page 8: of Marine News Magazine (November 2026)

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Insights

Rik van Hemmen “WELCOME TO A DYING INDUSTRY”:

From a Dutch maritime family to America’s Cup yacht design and the president of

Martin & Ottaway, a 150-year-old engineering ? rm, Rik van Hemmen has walked a unique path through the maritime industry. van Hemmen recently visited with Maritime

Matters: The MarineLink Podcast, to share his views on everything from maritime engineering, technology, fuel, education and the future of shipping.

By Greg Trauthwein n 1988, a 28-year-old Rik van Hemmen attended a “The truth of it is that this industry didn’t go away. It’s cocktail party at the Four Seasons in New York City, just different,” said van Hemmen.

surrounded by senior shipping executives and ship- While American deepsea shipping has unquestionably

I owners. He had recently joined Martin & Ottaway, the declined, maritime commerce has expanded, technology maritime engineering and consulting company where his has advanced and the de? nition of what constitutes the father, Hank van Hemmen, was a partner. maritime industry has grown considerably.

One of the industry veterans offered the young engineer “I’m still a small player in a big industry,” he said. “To- a greeting he has never forgotten. day, the technology and the engineering is much more in- “Welcome to a dying industry.” teresting than it was back in the 80s.”

Van Hemmen, never particularly inclined to accept con- That perspective is informed by a career that has taken ventional wisdom, had an answer. him through defense engineering, classi? cation, America’s “Yeah, but all you guys are old and you’re going to be Cup yacht design, marine casualties, technology develop- dead soon and then it will be all mine, or whatever is left.” ment and the management of one of the industry’s oldest

Nearly four decades later, the president of Martin & Ott- engineering consultancies.

away can appreciate the humor in that exchange. The older It also comes from a family history that explains why van generation has largely passed, but the maritime industry Hemmen approaches maritime engineering as something has done anything but disappear. considerably larger than designing ships.

All images courtesy Rik van Hemmen 8 | MN November 2026