Southampton Marine and Maritime Institute

Research themes

We carry out research around 4 broad themes, from trade and transport to society and government.

Trade and transport

The marine market has a global value of £2 trillion. In the EU, 90% of external trade and 40% of internal trade is seaborne.

Our expertise in this area includes:

autonomous underwater vehicles
3D ship hydrodynamic modelling
anti-fouling coatings
cable system testing
damage and corrosion assessment
design testing
lightweight and high-performance marine structures
low carbon and energy efficient shipping
noise and vibration
ship safety
supply chain management
tribology

Energy and resources

The ocean is an important source of food, energy and other resources. Fifty per cent of Europe's tidal energy resource comes from the UK, and the UK has over 6,500 registered fishing vessels.

Our expertise in this area includes:

cliff and coastal erosion
carbon capture and storage
deep sea mineral resources and survey
flood modelling and defence
marine ecosystems
satellite oceanography
sea levels
seabed management
sediment dynamics
sonar system development
spatial technologies and 3D modelling

Climate and environment

In the current century we can expect increasing challenges in and around the marine environment. Exploring human responses to past changes, in the face of ongoing and future challenges, we are engaged in a wide range of interdisciplinary studies.

Our expertise in this area includes:

big data processing for environmental monitoring
energy harvesting
marine geochemistry
geographic information systems
hydrographic surveys
ocean, sea ice and iceberg modelling and forecasting
currents, waves and sea levels
underwater acoustics
pollution and waste management
offshore platform decommissioning: environmental impact assessment
coastal defence management
marine species behaviour monitoring

Society and government

About 75% of the global population lives within the world's coastal zones. The UK maritime economy employs nearly 900,000 people and generates nearly £46 billion in annual turnover.

Our expertise in this area covers:

heritage management
information technologies
logistics
archaeology
history
law
sport performance enhancement
port development
risk research
transportation infrastructure