Richard Sng

UCL 2020 - Richard Sng


Biography:

I am a 26-year-old master’s student at UCL, born and bred in Singapore. Having clinched a scholarship with the Singapore Navy to pursue the Naval Architecture programme, I spend my summers as an understudy to a marine systems engineer onboard the Endurance Class Landing Platform/Dock. At home, I keep my hands busy farming my own vegetables through a vertical hydroponics system that I built. Farming your own produce doesn't have to be intimidating and that's something I'm passionate about sharing with the wider community.

Introduction to research:

EU’s Blue Growth strategy aims to create jobs and sustainable growth in the marine and maritime sector in the seas and oceans around the world. Heavily guided by this strategy, this research is aimed at designing a multi-use platform that can house facilities such as greenhouses, farmhouses and retail spaces to create jobs and generate profits. The design will incorporate services and amenities to ensure self-sufficiency, thereby not requiring any material from ashore, except for maintenance and refitting. In my research, I will explore potential facilities to house on the platform, as well as discuss the technical (naval architectural) and economic feasibility of my design. Throughout the design, the platform will conform to DNV-GL marine offshore structures standards.  

What is your interest in or the practical applications of this research?

With the world’s attention turned to sustainability and my keen interests in self-sustenance, this topic of research has helped me look at self-sustenance on a larger scale. Apart from housing them on the ocean platforms, the modularity of the design allows for the systems to be deployed onto existing infrastructures or islands, and still function optimally. On a grander scale, the EU’s goal of creating sustainable growth and jobs through the Blue Growth strategy can be realised through my design of the multi-use ocean platform.     

Why did you choose maritime as your area of study and research?

My first encounter with the marine industry was before I started my polytechnic diploma at Ngee Ann Polytechnic (Singapore). With both my parents in the marine and offshore industry, the fondness for the seas grew, to a point where I signed up with the Republic of Singapore Navy to serve as a marine systems engineer. Throughout my time in the navy, I was privileged enough to be award a scholarship to pursue a master’s degree. With that, I chose to take up naval architecture at UCL. Having learnt the skills to design seagoing vessels, both ships and submarines, I decided to put my skills and knowledge acquired to the test, by taking up this design project to build a large offshore structure, capable of creating sustainable growth and jobs.