APPG for the Ocean launches inquiry into Blue Carbon and Ocean-Based Solutions to Climate Change
The All-Party Parliamentary Group for the Ocean has recently launched its first inquiry into ocean-based solutions to climate change and the role of blue carbon. This inquiry also looks into the benefits offered by ocean-based solutions, and the funding, research and solutions needed for supporting blue carbon.
The APPG for the Ocean is a cross-party group of MPs and Peers that seeks to provide a collective space where all parliamentarians can support and promote ocean research and awareness, to develop greater understanding of the ocean and its role in tackling challenges such as climate change, and to debate wider ocean issues.
This inquiry, which is the APPG’s first since its launch in May 2022, will cover Great Britain, Northern Ireland and all relevant overseas territories and will run until Wednesday 10 August 2022.
APPG Chair Sally-Ann Hart MP commented:
“I’m delighted to announce the launch of this important inquiry into blue carbon and ocean-based solutions. This is a topic close to my own interests, and as Chair of the APPG for the Ocean, I am pleased that the APPG’s first inquiry is examining the integral role of the ocean in tackling climate change.”
For further information on the inquiry and a full list of the questions, please contact [email protected].
Fugro partners with EMODnet to advance ocean sustainability in Europe
Fugro is now an Associated Partner of the European Marine Observation and Data Network (EMODnet), a long term EU initiative to make diverse sources of marine data freely and uniformly available to all. Beneficiaries of this work include policy makers, scientists, private industry and the public. The Fugro EMODnet partnership was formalised earlier this week and will focus on expanding private sector collaboration and marine data sharing in support of a sustainable blue economy.
Planned partnership activities tightly align with Fugro’s industry-leading involvement in two global ocean science initiatives: The Nippon Foundation-GEBCO Seabed 2030 Project (Seabed 2030) and the United Nations Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development 2021-2030 (Ocean Decade). An early output of the partnership will be the direct delivery of crowdsourced bathymetry acquired by Fugro for Seabed 2030 into the EMODnet data services.
Dr. Kate Larkin, EMODnet’s Deputy Head of Secretariat, said: “We are delighted to welcome Fugro into the EMODnet community as an Associated Partner. Fugro has such a wealth of high-quality marine environmental and human activities data and information that can be useful for many applications, from operations at sea, to research, ocean governance and beyond. This partnership will connect Fugro’s wealth of experience in marine geospatial data with EMODnet expertise in marine data management, best practices and services to make more private-sector data open and freely accessible to all. This is a win-win for Fugro, EMODnet and for marine data users around the world, particularly at a time when high-quality, trusted marine data and information has never been more crucial to deliver solutions to the unprecedented societal challenges facing us today.”
Dr. Marco Filippone, Fugro’s Solution Director Hydrography, said: “Our new partnership with EMODnet gives us an important opportunity to ramp up our ongoing contribution to the Ocean Decade and Seabed 2030 global initiatives. It perfectly complements our September 2021 partnership agreement with the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (IOC-UNESCO) to coordinate and boost access to global ocean science data. We look forward to discussing marine data interoperability with EMODnet, IOC-UNESCO and other ocean-focused organisations during an official ‘side event’ at the UN Ocean Conference in Lisbon on 29 June.”
Ocean Infinity to establish green shipping corridor between Scandinavia and Northern Europe
Enova funding award to support technology development to enable green logistics
Ocean Infinity, in pursuit of its’ objective of transforming maritime operations through the deployment of innovative technologies, is excited to announce the development of zero-emission, remotely operated and autonomous ready, short sea container vessels that will operate between Norway and the Netherlands, creating one of Europe’s first zero-emission maritime ‘green corridors’.
In partnership with Samskip B.V, a global logistics company and one of Europe’s largest transport companies, Ocean Infinity will be building 2 new “SeaShuttle” container vessels, developing and integrating a hydrogen fuel cell power systems, delivering up to 3.2Mw of power.
Partial funding of €15M towards the “SeaShuttle” programme will be provided by Enova, which focuses on contributing to the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions and is owned by the Norwegian Ministry of Climate and Environment.
This announcement, building on the COP26 Clydebank Declaration commitment to establishing a global network of green corridors by 2025, signals the beginning of an exciting collaboration between Samskip B.V. and Ocean Infinity to deliver zero-emission, efficient and safe, multi-modal logistics across a global maritime network.
Christoffer Jorgenvag, Ocean Infinity CCO, commented:
“Ocean Infinity’s enabling technologies can facilitate green corridors but also the broader decarbonisation and transformation of maritime operations. The emphasis today is on the SeaShuttle vessels, which are just part of Ocean Infinity’s overall strategy of unlocking innovation to deliver truly sustainable maritime operations. We would like to thank Enova for their support for our vision which represents a firm endorsement of our ground-breaking approach and allows us to proceed at full speed in bringing this project to life.”
Contacts and Further Information: [email protected] or oceaninfinity.com
Nine Flag States join the MASSPeople working group to collaborate on remote and autonomous operator training standards
The introduction of remote and autonomous technology has brought new ways of working to the maritime sector, and MASSPeople aims to explore the human dimension of remote operations enabled by maritime autonomous surface ships (MASS).
MASSPeople was launched in early 2021 with the task of bringing focus to the people behind the technology revolution currently gripping the maritime industry. The working group founded and chaired by Fugro with support from SeaBot Maritime has brought together multiple national maritime authorities representing the Netherlands, United Kingdom, Norway, Belgium, Denmark, France, New Zealand, Italy and Poland, to share in the challenge of developing world-class training and competency standards for the workforce of tomorrow. The involvement at the Flag State level is key for driving the conversation to the highest regulatory tables with the aim of aligning international standards and enabling MASS operators.
MASSPeople will work to develop new job profiles for the people involved in ensuring the safe operation of MASS. These profiles will inform recommendations on new competency standards for discussion at the International Maritime Organisation (IMO), where currently, a roadmap containing scope, steps and timelines is being prepared by the Maritime Safety Committee (MSC).
By focusing on the people who will operate this new technology, the group aims to ensure that workforce skills evolve effectively and align with high industry safety standards.
Ross Macfarlane, Fugro Remote Operations Program Manager UAE and Chairperson of the MASSPeople group, said: "By establishing MASSPeople, we are preparing for the future and the transition to remote and autonomous technology, which is already changing the way our industry operates. The involvement of the 9 Flag States in this group highlights the importance of people in the conversation when it comes to realising this new technology and how to effectively legislate for its introduction. This new technology contributes to creating a safe and liveable world, but ultimately, our people make change happen, and MASSPeople will ensure they are fully trained and supported in their important mission."
FET’s advanced submarine rescue vehicle successfully completes sea trials
Forum Energy Technologies (FET) has successfully completed sea trials for its highly advanced submarine rescue vehicle (SRV) ahead of its deployment for an Asia Pacific-based navy.
The sea trials tested the SRV’s capabilities to perform a variety of demanding operations, including deep dives, navigation, and mating with a target. In country commissioning and testing took two months to complete with nine FET personnel assisting throughout the trial.
Working closely with the navy and Lloyd’s Register (LR), the sea trials followed an extensive commissioning period and factory acceptance test, which took place at FET’s test tank in Kirbymoorside, Yorkshire, UK. LR offered third party verification and supervised every part of the sea trials.
The LR-class SRV is divided into two sections, a command module for pilots and a rescue chamber for the rescue chamber operator and people being rescued. Built to meet the most up-to-date industry standards, it is capable of rescuing up to 17 people at a time and operate at depths of up to 600m.
The new model has increased power and an advanced auxiliary thruster control system that allows for speeds approaching four knots, enabling it to operate in high currents. The vehicle is able to attach to submarines at highly precarious angles above 40 degrees.
This world-class SRV joins a small group of rescue systems in use around the globe and is designed to extract submariners from distress situations using the most cutting-edge technologies. It has been designed with safety in mind, boasting easily removable panels to assist with maintenance operations and ensure the safety of people.
The state-of-the-art submersible vehicle also has some of the most advanced sensors and sonars to locate a distressed submarine as quickly as possible, including a doppler velocity log, fiber optic gyroscope, sonar, and depth sensing. All sensors and sonar systems are fully embedded into FET’s software to deliver advanced functionality, including automatic depth, heading and piloting capabilities.
Kevin Taylor, FET’s Vice President - Subsea Vehicles, commented: “The SRV’s successful sea trials marks another accomplishment for the company as we continue to bring the latest technology to the industry. The vehicle is highly reliable and its capabilities make it ideally suited to a wide range of operations in the defence market and the Lloyd’s Register stamp of approval will assure clients that the SRV performs to the highest possible standards.
“This is a huge achievement for the business and a testament to our highly experienced engineering, QHSE, purchasing, planning and production teams. I would like to commend my colleagues for persevering in the face of challenges brought on by the Covid pandemic and the logistical complications of managing an international project at this difficult time.”
The scope of the contract also included FET’s experts providing training for navy pilots as part of a comprehensive programme, which encompassed theoretical training, maintenance, and practical aspects such as diving and recovery.
Vision unveiled for first of its kind hydrogen cluster in the East of England
Hydrogen is set to play a key part in the government’s policies for delivering Net Zero by 2050. The East of England is taking a central role through a first-of-its-kind hydrogen cluster centred on core electrolyser projects, say hydrogen experts Hydrogen East as they unveil their vision for what it may look like.
Norfolk and Suffolk in particular, say the body, can make a significant contribution in bringing clean hydrogen’s potential to the surface, supporting the Hydrogen Strategy laid out in the Energy Security Strategy earlier this year.
The east is a forerunner in the race to net zero, with its hydrogen capabilities already being spoken about in Westminster. Peter Aldous, MP for Waveney, delivered a speech on the “The Future Hydrogen Economy” as part of a debate in the Houses of Parliament on 14th June and then went on to say:
"Whilst I understand the rationale behind the Government's cluster-driven approach to the hydrogen economy, the regulatory framework must be sufficiently flexible to ensure that smaller scale projects in decentralised areas like the East of England are able to realise their full potential.
In East Anglia we have a real opportunity to be a major producer, user and exporter of hydrogen. We have an abundance of resources, infrastructure—both on land and at sea—that can be readily retrofitted, and developers keen to step up to the plate, provided that the right policies are in place. That way, we can not only more readily realise our decarbonisation goals but create new and exciting jobs for local people".
The region aspires to become the UK’s Clean Growth Region, as originally outlined in the Local Industrial Strategy. Energy giants, including ScottishPower Renewables and Vattenfall, have already received the go ahead for projects in the offshore wind sector as well as new nuclear being developed by EDF at Sizewell C. All projects are set to bring a magnitude of opportunities, investment, and further energy integration to the region.
Hydrogen East look to lead the development of a clean hydrogen cluster in the East of England, strengthening the foundation of an attractive region that is primed and ready for the development of diverse hydrogen projects. Initially, the proposal outlines six “core” electrolyser sites across Norfolk and Suffolk, paving the way for development and improved infrastructure to be implemented and then further scaled as the demand for clean hydrogen grows.
Nigel Cornwall, Director for Hydrogen East, said: “Hydrogen is such a versatile element and, with the ability to be deployed across a variety of sectors, we should be looking to it as a powerful tool that can aid us in the transition to Net Zero.”
“It should be considered as a complement to electrification and increased roll-out of renewable generation. Already, a number of demonstrator projects are on-going around the country testing hydrogen for heat, power and transport in regions such as Aberdeen and Teesside.”
“Here in the east, we need to establish our hydrogen pathway in a way that aligns with its distinct characteristics, including pathways into nuclear power, offshore wind and major energy hubs like Bacton,” he concluded.
Andy Holyland, General Manager for Hydrogen East, explains, “the East of England has always been a key contributor in delivering the nation’s energy requirements and the integration of hydrogen will only further bolster this position, providing energy flexibility and security.
Discussing what a proactive hydrogen cluster in the east could deliver: “Through analysis of local assets and data and continued engagement with local stakeholders, a cluster could identify opportunities whereby concept designs illustrating viability can be produced. Supply and demand could be balanced and add real value. In addition, projects will be de-risked through the establishment of multi-stakeholder collaboration, engineering studies and demonstration projects. Cluster commitments and guidance would support further research, developing business models, raising investment and sourcing appropriate funding. Through the clean hydrogen cluster, the hydrogen economy could be scaled and grown over time to maximise potential and build bespoke energy networks.”
“Through the development of a hydrogen cluster, we can create touchpoints with a variety of different sectors, supply-chains, and organisation types, ensuring the East of England leads the way and doesn’t accept the prospect of being an adopter of second or third generation technology and assets” he said.
Hydrogen East would like to invite anyone interested in joining a consortium to contact us and explore how our vision for the East of England can align with your organisation
With the promise of hydrogen in the region, Hydrogen East’s team is growing rapidly and are on the lookout experienced analysts and project managers to join their growing team as the sector gains momentum.
For more information, please visit https://hydrogeneast.uk/.
Seaforth Geosurveys adds iXblue Gaps M5 USBL to its pool of survey equipment
Seaforth Geosurveys, a leading Canadian marine survey company, recently acquired iXblue new Gaps M5 USBL system to support data acquisition for marine geophysical survey projects, including one in the Canadian Arctic as well as multiple other projects such as support of sidescan sonar operations during lost and abandoned fishing gear (Ghost Gear) identification and retrieval efforts.
“Having rented the iXblue Gaps USBL systems for many years to conduct our subsea positioning operations, we were always pleased with the highly accurate results provided by the system for the tracking of subsea vehicles and towfish,” says Jonathon Randall, Technical Manager at Seaforth Geosurveys. “The system’s performance, as well as its ease of use thanks to its calibration-free feature, played a big role in our decision to purchase the iXblue Gaps USBL, as this can save an appreciable amount of time in the field. The Gaps M5’s simultaneous tracking capability further makes it the perfect fit for all applications requiring highly accurate and reliable tracking and positioning of multiple assets, such as the marine geomatics operations we run.”
The latest addition to iXblue’s USBL product range, Gaps M5 has already been adopted by many companies worldwide. It offers accurate positioning and tracking of subsea assets and provides unrivaled horizontal tracking capabilities and high-precision geo-referenced positioning, especially in shallow waters where it has shown accuracy better than 0.5% up to 995m water depths. It is a medium-frequency ultra-short baseline (USBL) system combined with an Attitude & Heading Reference System (AHRS) based on fiber-optic gyrocompass (FOG) technology. With no calibration required, it can be easily deployed and operated from any vessel of opportunity. Free of export, the new Gaps M5 is quick and easy to ship anywhere in the world, saving even more operational time and offering efficiency on the field.
“We would like to thank Seaforth Geosurveys for being a long-time, valued customer and adopter of iXblue solutions and for trusting our Gaps M5 system to add to their arsenal. It is highly gratifying to hear from our customers about the Gaps M5’s accuracy, reliability and ease-of-use and that it is providing them value and operational cost savings in challenging conditions. Last, but definitely not the least, we appreciate tremendously the relationship we fostered along the way.” says Shayan Haque, Business Development Manager for iXblue Inc.
Job advert: Contract & Tender Manager for SAMS Enterprise
Contract & Tender Manager
Full Time (37hrs), Permanent Position
Salary: up to £46,000 per annum
Location: Oban
Closing Date: 21st July 2022
The Role:
You will lead on the development, preparation, pricing, and submission of high-quality tenders / bids to secure profitable contracts for SAMS Enterprise. Working with business development, project delivery, and research colleagues you will produce well-crafted responses which fully satisfy client requirements and maintain an enviable conversion rate from enquiry to delivery. You will support and manage internal and external stakeholders involved in each deliverable, making this a varied and challenging opportunity.
The Ideal Candidate:
As a highly motivated business professional, with excellent communication and organisational skills, you will enjoy the challenge of leading on the preparation and submission of commercial tenders, bids and business proposals to facilitate commercial access to our cutting-edge marine science consultancy.
You will be experienced in the collation of data and identification of resources to create impactful, winning tenders and proposals. You will be flexible and motivated to understand and deliver to customer requirements. You will have an impeccable eye for detail and the ability to work to tight deadlines.
You will be a highly skilled, scientifically / technically minded wordsmith with a track record of winning high value, high impact, six figure contracts from public sector, research and innovation and industry clients. You will be pragmatic, practical, and diplomatic in developing winning solutions with colleagues and collaborators.
This role sits within SAMS Enterprise, the commercial subsidiary of SAMS.
Interested?
Applicants must apply by CV and cover letter and should be sent to [email protected] quoting Job Ref ‘SE1/22.MS’ – your cover letter should outline your experience to date as well as what you can bring to the role.
Full job details are available at www.sams.ac.uk/vacancies
Teledyne Marine to Host In-Person Technology Workshop on Lake Michigan
Teledyne Marine is pleased to announce that they will host their first in-person workshop since 2019. This two-day event, branded as their “Teledyne Marine Workshop – Tech on the Lakes”, will take place on September 27-28, 2022 and will be co-hosted by Northwestern Michigan College's Marine Center, located in Traverse City on Lake Michigan.
Teledyne Marine’s topic experts will provide technical and application training, as well as on-water demonstrations of an array of products from their vehicles, instruments, and imaging groups. Particular focus will be paid to inland water applications; however, presentations and technologies will be equally applicable to ocean-going applications.
The multi-track workshop will be structured to allow for ample opportunities for industry networking, as well as one-on-one or group meetings with Teledyne’s technical and sales teams to discuss user challenges and solutions.
This workshop coincides with Lakebed 2030, which takes place September 29-30, allowing visitors to leverage their week by attending both highly relevant workshops hosted at the same location.
For more information, visit: www.teledynemarine.com/events/TeledyneMarineWorkshop-Tech-on-Lakes/
Job adverts: Planet Ocean ecoSUB Robotics Division
Planet Ocean ecoSUB Robotics Division are seeking two talented individuals to join our small team to develop our capabilities at this next crucial growth phase of the technology.
Our ecoSUB Division is based within the Marine Robotics Innovation Centre within the National Oceanography Centre Southampton.
ecoSUB Autonomous Underwater Vehicles (AUVs) are robotic platforms at the leading edge of subsea technology development. They are affordable, intelligently designed and extremely disruptive to the market, markedly increasing accessibility to a wide range of users in research, offshore energy, and defence markets. Following the release of production systems, the ecoSUB division is in the process of growing a strong team of talented engineers to advance the system and achieve the growth plan.
Senior Robotics & Embedded Software Engineer
This position will primarily be responsible for software development for the ecoSUB AUV. The embedded software is very much at the heart of the AUV system and as such is the lead engineering role. This role involves working closely with mechanical and electronics development to ensure complete system functionality and cohesive operation. The role is primarily R&D focused with aspects of existing system support. The Senior Robotics & Embedded Software Engineer role will involve supporting colleagues and will benefit from career development opportunities and excellent compensation. The role will involve fieldwork and travel, with time spent at sea guaranteed. Required offshore training will be provided.
Production, Procurement & Test Manager
ecoSUB AUVs are self-contained electro-mechanical systems produced in small batches. The Production, Procurement & Test Manager role is responsible for production and testing of the ecoSUB AUV and associated products. This role involves working closely with R&D engineers across software, mechanical and electronics to ensure complete system functionality and cohesive operation. The role is primarily associated with the procurement of materials, system build and testing, liaison with sub-contractors and suppliers, documentation, and quality control. This is a new role within the ecoSUB team and requires the successful candidate to grow the ecoSUB teams’ capability to efficiently build and deliver production systems as well as supporting R&D’s test requirements. The role will involve future recruitment and development of a wider team to deliver the capacity and services required by the division. The role will involve fieldwork and travel, with time spent at sea guaranteed. Required offshore training will be provided.
Please contact [email protected] for further information www.ecosub.uk