Page 8: of Marine News Magazine (February 2023)

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Insights Robert

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Schluter

Managing Director, e1 Marine

Robert Schluter served as an of? cer as part of the marine engineering team on board the U.S. Navy guided missile destroyer USS Mahan

DDG-42 out of Charleston before transitioning to the business world and “general, corporate type work”. Today he serves as managing director at the third startup he’s helped build, e1 Marine.

he company, a joint venture between Louisiana- All of the parts [in e1 Marine’s solution] have already been based marine equipment lessor Maritime Partners, commercialized in other industries, just not in any great de-

Irish tanker owner Ardmore Shipping and Schlut- gree in the marine sector yet,” Schluter said. “This is tech-

T er’s second startup, Bend, Ore.-based hydrogen nology that’s been developed over 30 years, commercialized generation specialist Element 1 Corp, supplies methanol-to- over 20. We’re just moving into the marine space, and we hydrogen generator technology for vessels as the maritime scaled up a little bit to ? t the size of the application.” industry plots its course toward cleaner operations. Another key, Schluter said, is ? nding the right applica-

With any new technology comes challenges, and many tions and partners to prove the technology. “In any indus- times one of them is proving a novel solution to a market try, whether it’s telecom, trucks or larger stationary power, that is not necessarily open to change. in the beginning edge, you’ll have a few leaders who are “You need to help people understand what they’re getting. willing to do the investment—kind of like Maersk on the 8 | MN February 2023