Maersk Center's CTO Passes Away at 51

The Maersk Mc-Kinney Moller Center for Zero Carbon Shipping has lost its Chief Technology Officer, Claus Winter Graugaard, who passed away from a sudden illness on July 30. He was 51 years old. 

Graugaard was a naval architect and marine engineer by training. He studied at the Technical University of Denmark and the University of Strathclyde before going to work for some of the biggest names in Scandinavian shipping, including DNV and J. Lauritzen. Over the course of his career, he served at posts all over the world, from Australia to Japan. "Claus was deeply engaged in strategy, business development, and innovation, all while continuing to hone his extensive technical expertise," said the Maersk Center in a memorial statement. 

Graugaard joined the Maersk Center in early 2021, and he was responsible for the Onboard Vessel Solutions division, which works on new vessel designs and new options for green vessel conversion. He was an advocate for maritime decarbonization and industry collaboration, and promoted "open sharing of knowledge, data, experience and resources" to speed up adoption of new technology. As recently as June, he attended Posidonia to accept an approval in principal from ABS and LR for a groundbreaking ammonia-fueled boxship design. 

Outside of work, Graugaard was an avid outdoorsman, with interests in skiing, cross-country running and cycling. He is survived by his wife and his daughters.