DST - Development Centre for Ship Technology and Transport Systems (DST Entwicklungszentrum für Schiffstechnik und Transportsysteme)

The foundation of the DST goes back to the year 1954. The Duisburg Towing Tank (Versuchsanstalt für Binnenschiffbau, VBD), which was built at the initiative of the regional economy and with the support of the State of NW as well as the city of Duisburg, was set up this year. Background of this initiative was the destruction of large parts of the German inland waterway fleet in conjunction with an increasing demand for bulk shipments in the course of reconstruction. The VBD’s specialized competence in all questions of shallow water hydrodynamics, which is also reflected in the design of the testing facilities, has justified its special status then and now among the world’s towing tanks. To highlight this trademark, the VBD very early updated its name with the adding “Institute for shallow water hydrodynamics”.

Since the opening, the test facilities have been continuously extended and improved. In two steps, i.e. in 1957 and in 1967, the extension of the large shallow towing water tank from first 140 m to finally 200 m took place to increase the measuring section. 1978 an additional wave generator was installed; in 1989 an under-floor observation tunnel was built beneath the shallow water tank. The last important extension of the testing facilities dates back to 2002 and refers to the installation of a fast towing device, which permits towing speeds up to 15m/s.