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SEA CHANGE The acceleration of flexible working in marine sectors
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INSIDE: REMOTE SURVEYING / CYBERCRIME AND COVID-19 / TURBOCHARGER TECHNOLOGY
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Contents 5 Comment Building a more resilient future in the aftermath of the pandemic
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Public reprehensions of ECDIS overshadow the vast majority of times ECDIS has been used as intended and without incident Page 36
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IN DEPTH Beneath the surface of maritime industry trends
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7 Ocean governance The need for legislation on waters beyond areas of national jurisdiction 11 Grey matter The risks and realities of ‘must-have’ future tech on board vessels 12 Troublespot How the failure of Leopold LD’s auxiliary engines led to a total loss of power 14 Vessel focus Optimising cable-laying for challenging waters in Taiwan 16 Influencers Debate: Is the industry doing enough to encourage a diverse pipeline of marine talent?
FEATURES 18 Recruitment How the pandemic is accelerating flexible and digital working trends 22 STEM workforce Why a career break should not deter applicants for engineering roles 25 Training Extended reality and the quest for truly immersive training experiences 26 Safety Remote surveying is on the rise due to the adoption of wearable tech 29 Digitalisation The cybercrime surge during the global pandemic has been a wake-up call for the maritime industry 35 Sensors The promise of new developments in aquatic animal tagging 36 Navigation Why ECDIS is proving to be more than the sum of its parts 40 Propulsion Turbochargers and the drive to meet environmental targets
42 History Why the barge carrier concept did not stand up to financial scrutiny 46 Insurance Intellectual property disputes can cost a naval architect dearly 50 Diversity Gender should never be a barrier to achievement in maritime sectors 51 Environment Empowering crews to connect, collaborate and take responsibility for reducing CO2 emissions globally 52 Connectivity Overcoming trust issues to truly capture the benefits of digitalisation 53 Ocean science How the IMarEST can support the UN’s Decade of Ocean Science 66 The big questions Q&A: Professor Richard Thompson, an authority on microplastics
INTERACTIONS The IMarEST’s shared knowledge hub 55 Power Supporting the paradigm shift towards clean energy 57 Branch spotlight Partnerships, collaboration and knowledge-sharing in Benelux 58 Fellow Q&A Commodore David B Smith is on a mission to boost engineering careers 60 SIG update The Biofouling Management SIG’s work on hitchhiker species 63 Offshore wind The Carbon Trust’s technology acceleration initiative 64 Member update The latest Institute news, including elections and accreditations MARINE PROFESSIONAL
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EDITORIAL TEAM Editor Carly Fields Group Art Director Jes Stanfield Managing Editor Mike Hine Content Director Matthew Rock Account Director Anna Vassallo
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CONTACT Marine Professional Think Publishing, Capital House, 25 Chapel Street, London NW1 5DH marineprofessional@thinkpublishing.co.uk 020 3771 7200 FIND US ON SOCIAL MEDIA
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All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying or otherwise, without the prior permission of the publisher. Copyright © 2020 IMarEST, The Institute of Marine Engineering, Science and Technology. Information published in Marine Professional does not necessarily represent the views of the publisher or the Institute. While effort is made to ensure that the information is accurate, the publisher makes no representation or warrant, express or implied, as to the accuracy, completeness or correctness of such information. It accepts no responsibility whatsoever for any loss, damage or other liability arising from any use of this publication or the information which it contains. MARINE PROFESSIONAL
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Whatever marine trade you are in, it’s likely that you have had remote working thrust on you during the COVID-19 pandemic. While the acceleration of digital tools in the marine industry more generally is to be applauded – we document the evolution in this issue – progress has brought challenges when it comes to remote working. ‘Zoom fatigue’ is a concern, as is the inability of employees to switch off when the work/home lines become blurred in the remote working era. From an employer’s perspective, monitoring performance has become that much harder, and sifting through the genuine and fake absences is an impossible task that has made meeting staffing needs a real challenge. Here in the UK, we are also careering towards the end of the government-supported furlough scheme, and some very tough decisions will soon need to be made about whether all staff are needed in the postpandemic recovery period. Yes, we have passed some significant hurdles and made commendable inroads towards reaching our digital zenith, but at a human level there is still much uncertainty ahead. I hope you find some solace and guidance in these pages, and do not forget that your IMarEST family is here to support you, whatever your need. Carly Fields, Editor
THIS ISSUE’S CONTRIBUTORS Michael Grey MBE An honorary IMarEST Fellow and a former editor in chief of Lloyd’s List, Michael is a regular Marine Professional columnist and respected commentator in the marine industry. Charlie Bartlett Charlie is a freelance writer whose work has appeared in a range of leading international titles. He specialises in the technical and commercial aspects of shipping and offshore energy. Keith Ray A Cambridge graduate with decades of experience in management consulting, Keith has a passion for the history of technology. He has written for Marine Professional since 2007.
Amy McLellan A freelance journalist, Amy has been reporting on the highs and lows of the upstream oil and gas and maritime industries for 20 years. Felicity Landon Felicity is an award-winning freelance journalist specialising in the ports, shipping, transport and logistics sectors. David Benyon David has served as a reporter and editor for several risk management and (re)insurance business magazines. His areas of focus include marine, defence, insurance and financial services subjects. He serves in the Royal Navy Reserve and is a keen recreational scuba diver and distance runner.
WORDS / GWYNNE LEWIS
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aking the helm of a new organisation is a formidable enough task in normal times, but harder still amid a global pandemic when everyone is working remotely. It’s strange being two months into the job and still having not met all the team. As we emerge from lockdown and begin to reopen our London office, it’s fantastic to finally meet everyone in person – rather than through the pixelated confines of a Zoom window. That said, I’ve been really impressed by how everyone embraced the technology of remote working and continued delivering services to our members and supporting an industry that has suffered greatly throughout the pandemic – none more so than seafarers, who have kept trade flowing, often working months over their contractual obligations while coping with the acute emotional strain of not knowing when they might next come ashore and be reunited with their family. If there is one lesson here for engineers, technologists and scientists in our sector, it is that we must build a more resilient future. They say necessity is the mother of invention, and switching this year’s annual conference to an all-virtual format proved hugely successful. The surge in attendance and wider global participation clearly demonstrates a hunger among our membership and beyond to hear and learn from experts at the forefront of their fields. Conferences, lectures and meetings of our special interest groups are intrinsic to the Institute’s
remit of sharing knowledge and expertise, facilitating constructive debate and expanding public understanding of the marine sector, so we must do our utmost to make them work for our members and serve as an attractive proposition to non-members. A priority now will be to replicate and build on the success of the annual conference in forthcoming events while acknowledging the shortcomings of virtual delivery – particularly when greater interaction or a more fluid style of collaboration is required, or for networking and getting to know people. So, looking to our future, we will be exploring options for
Professional registration is important, but equally important is creating opportunities for members to develop their skills developing hybrid events that marry virtual and physical components. Indeed, one of the most gratifying parts of my three-decade career in the marine sector has been the innumerable people – customers, colleagues, industry leaders and others – with whom I’ve worked and interacted over the years. It is during these often unplanned discussions that the more interesting things tend to happen. Needless to say, many of the people I’ve met throughout my career have remained good friends long after the business that initially brought us together had concluded. I’m sure I’m not alone in this experience. A related but longer-term goal is to strengthen the profile of the Institute and give it more clout
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Engineering a sustainable and stronger future
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as a voice that should be listened to – not just in the corridors of IMO and other non-governmental organisations, which have for many years benefited from our impartial technical input, but more widely across the people and businesses that make up the marine sector. It is a challenge, as we represent a broad church, but this is also our differentiating strength and we must ensure that our message resonates with the interests and passions of engineers, scientists and technologists. And, of course, we want to boost our membership proposition and its long-term benefits. Professional registration is important, but equally important is creating opportunities for members to develop their skills, adapt in changing times and grow in their chosen career field, as well as to connect across disciplines. In some respects, joining the IMarEST as its new chief executive has distinct parallels to the time I took over as head of Lloyd’s Register’s Marine Consultancy business. The goal then was to grow the business organically by extending the reach of our in-house technical expertise to a global scale. It was rewarding to come up with different strategies, test them, make necessary tweaks and then watch as our activities expanded in new areas – a process not wholly dissimilar to those seen in more hands-on engineering projects. I look forward to once again rolling up my shirtsleeves and wrestling with the challenges of engineering a sustainable and stronger future for the Institute. Gwynne Lewis is chief executive of the IMarEST MARINE PROFESSIONAL
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Time is of the essence The urgent need for planned legislation on waters beyond areas of national jurisdiction has not waned during the COVID-19 pandemic
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s uncomfortable as the manifestations of climate change on land are – forest fires, heatwaves and droughts – it is quite a different story underwater. Absorbing the vast majority of
extra heat, oceans are becoming saunas for many sea creatures. Arctic and Antarctic waters are heating up faster than anywhere else in the world, and the question of governance is now a high priority. Glen Wright, senior
research fellow in international marine policy at the Institute for Sustainable Development and International Relations, posits that the Arctic is one of the better examples of ocean governance thus far. “In some respects, the
Arctic is a success story,” he says. “Last year, a group of states agreed a moratorium on fisheries, precisely because of the rush to exploit the resources there.” Much of the Arctic is part of the 61% of ocean areas beyond national
Much of the waters in the Arctic are ocean areas beyond national jurisdiction
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“Until recently, we thought of [areas beyond national jurisdiction] as being effectively dead zones. They lacked governance and oversight”
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jurisdiction (ABNJ). Otherwise known as the high seas, they are the choice venue for violating international law; but they are also home to some of Earth’s most specialised, most sensitive ecosystems. As these are not coastal they are difficult to reach with research vessels for long-term study, which is why they are so poorly understood and governance is hazy. “The way it has worked in the past is that for each sector, a [UN] institution has been created – it seems obvious that you need some sort of global ocean body, but that’s not at all on the table,” Wright says. What there is instead is a surfeit of agencies, each set up to regulate individual industries and each with conflicting aims. “It’s a bit of a catch-22, because while we have so many institutions and organisations – the seabed authority, IMO – negotiations are not supposed to undermine these bodies.” In April, a UN conference was supposed to have taken place to rectify this. The goal was to negotiate a framework treaty that would be enforced under the auspices of the UN Convention on the Law
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SARGASSO SEA
The Sargasso Sea gyre in the north-west Atlantic has fallen between governance cracks
of the Sea (UNCLOS) to protect marine biodiversity beyond areas of national jurisdiction (BBNJ). The initiative has its critics, but it still represents some sort of action from the UN in an area where leadership is sorely lacking. Unfortunately, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, that meeting was postponed, leading once again to regulatory prevarication.
Slipping through the cracks The Sargasso Sea is a gyre in the north-west Atlantic where the current brings together large mats of Sargassum seaweed, which play host to various species of fish, crabs, eels and molluscs. This ABNJ is a bizarre and fragile ecosystem,
and it is under threat. In October 2019, David Freestone, executive secretary of the Sargasso Sea Commission, spoke at a meeting of the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea in Hamburg. He told attendees: “There is a huge amount of [shipping] traffic here, and quite considerable evidence that it is breaking up the Sargassum mats. We have at least four maritime powers involved in the discussion – the UK, the US, the Bahamas, Canada – and we are still discussing what appropriate measures would be. There is a lot of pushback on having a [Particularly Sensitive Sea Area (PSSA)] in the high seas, over such a big area.”
The area is now threatened by tunafishing vessels. “There is a lot of fishing activity moving in, and it is going to be increasingly difficult to take these measures,” Freestone added. Unfortunately for the creatures of the Sargasso Sea, their fate lies outside the jurisdiction of those who would seek to protect them. Designating the Sargasso Sea an extra-territorial PSSA is not in the interests of IMO member States whose flagged
Unfortunately for the creatures of the Sargasso Sea, their fate lies outside the jurisdiction of those who would seek to protect them
Sensitive marine areas like the mid-Atlantic ridge are difficult to protect (Credit: NASA Earth Observatory)
vessels sail through the area. It is not in the interests of fisheries agencies to ban fishing in these locations. And it is not in the interests of International Seabed Authority member States to ban mining. The delay in the BBNJ conference has only exacerbated the situation.
NOAA
Lack of knowledge At the root of this regulatory inertia is a lack of scientific understanding surrounding ABNJs. “Until recently, we thought of these areas as being effectively dead zones,” Wright says. “They lacked governance and oversight. So it is difficult to get an overview of what is going on. Studies are
“BBNJ is trying to create marine protected areas that are not anchored to a coastal state. Places like the mid-Atlantic ridge, which has very sensitive marine life along the sea floor– marine genetic resources emanate from those places” very expensive in these locations.” This is a particular challenge with respect to climate change, he explains, where in many cases it is already too late to determine the damage being done. “When it comes to warming and acidification, what we need is baseline data, and we don’t have a lot of that,” Wright says. “These are sensitive ecosystems with high biodiversity, and we need to understand how they interact with each other. But thanks to limited knowledge and a lack of coordination, a lot of the old baseline data is not usable. Measurement techniques are changing,
and the technology is different today.” While a handful of UN agencies cannot single-handedly eliminate climate change, other pressures on these ecosystems can be reduced with proper management. Without baseline data, though, these stimuli are hard to understand. Roland Rogers, chair of the IMarEST’s Ocean Governance Special Interest Group, has committed a lifetime to studying them. “It is understood that anthropogenic noise in the oceans has a significant impact on marine mammals,” he says. “IMO could put through ship-quietening measures – this is achievable and has been done by navies – but it is a very expensive process. Plastic, meanwhile, is being washed out from rivers, not dumped at sea. There were also a whole raft of experiments with iron fertilisation in 2017, where iron salts were put in the ocean to cause algal blooms, which then
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took up carbon dioxide.” This was stopped when the German environment ministry made legal challenges against the German science ministry. Add to this that science equipment may contain cadmium or copper, substances otherwise banned under the London dumping convention. Then there is disposal of vessels on the high seas – some navies use old vessel hulks for target practice – with some States cleaning the vessels and sinking them, which bumps up against the dumping convention.
Consensus-building takes time “BBNJ is trying to create marine protected areas that are not anchored to a coastal state,” says Rogers. “Places like the mid-Atlantic ridge, which has very sensitive marine life along the sea floor – marine genetic resources emanate from those places. It is the commons, owned by all of us, and it is these areas that are difficult to protect.” The delay leaves the UN with a severe regulatory gap. But Rogers argues this may ultimately be beneficial for BBNJ. “The timescales set are quite tight,” he says. “They are progressing, but consensus does take time. To get an effective treaty you have to get consensus on the wording. It needs more time, and it may be because of this year’s iteration that they get more time.” MARINE PROFESSIONAL
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When a treaty is finally agreed, one imbalance it would rectify, says Wright, is the outsize power coastal states have over landlocked countries. Internationally recognised PSSAs would give these countries equal say. “It is always worth highlighting the importance of these areas; there’s a huge risk that we end up destroying things that we don’t know exist yet. There are many different governance bodies and frameworks, but it doesn’t amount to much. A handful of countries would prefer that it stays that way. A landlocked state can be very progressive and interested in conservation, but could be in contradiction to other countries’ fishing or shipping interests. There is no process for that at the moment; you can’t be part of a fisheries organisation unless you’re doing fishing. It is an insider’s club. For me this is a really crucial issue.” If the industry is going to have a treaty for conservation and sustainable use, that is in everyone’s interest, Wright concludes. “After all, we are all breathing the same air.”
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WEBINAR SERIES Visit www.imarest. org/tv to view the new series of webinars by the Ocean Governance SIG, with topics including forensic oceanography.
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Ocean life, such as pelagic fish, is threatened by human activity in scarcely understood ABNJs
STILL MUCH WORK TO BE DONE Nearly two-thirds of the world’s oceans – some 95% of Earth’s habitat by volume – are beyond national jurisdiction, meaning no single nation state has authority there. The mission statement of the treaty, “an international legally binding instrument under the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) on the conservation and sustainable use of marine biological diversity of areas beyond national jurisdiction (BBNJ)”, itself hints at the scope and ambition at hand. A revised draft text was issued in November 2019. This was to have formed the basis for negotiations to have been held during the fourth session of the Intergovernmental Conference in March/April 2020. The session was postponed. A quick scan of the section headings highlights some of the issues. The document is a valid attempt to mitigate the ‘tragedy of the commons’ that affects the world’s oceans, but there is much that remains in square brackets (lawyer-speak for ‘yet to be agreed’ or even ‘yet to be discussed’), even at a relatively fundamental level. Three articles, in particular, stand out: ‘International Co-operation’ (Art. 6); ‘[Funding]’ (Art. 52); and ‘Implementation [and Compliance]’ (Art. 53). The square brackets are not mine. One only has to glance at world affairs to imagine the challenges faced. But then those three items sum up the challenges facing any international treaty; one could argue the second two sum up the challenges facing any law at all. Just because the challenges are great doesn’t mean the cause isn’t worth the effort. Simon Petch is a partner at Watson Farley & Williams LLP, an international law firm specialising in the energy, real estate and transport sectors
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The risks and realities of ‘must-have’ future tech WORDS / MICHAEL GREY
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t’s difficult not to be a dinosaur, clinging to the comfort blanket of past technology, with loud voices telling you to embrace change or face extinction. In the shipping industry, we are always being told that we are too ‘conservative’ and reluctant to buy new and exciting products. But people stay with what is tried and tested because they believe that taking on board technology that they barely comprehend is too much of a risk. It is not difficult to recollect the lengthy catalogue of spectacular innovations that have, for various reasons, disappointed. I often think back to a series of wonderful reefer ships that were built about 40 years ago – ‘ships of the future’, they were termed – which incorporated an astonishing amount of R&D, gleaned from research establishments, governments and even the military. These amazing ships would be operated with minuscule but highly skilled complements, able to work all the advanced technology that was crammed into them. And with a king’s ransom spent on their development, all the technology worked brilliantly, and the ships, to huge fanfare, were launched into
ABB’s concept illustration of a large vessel powered by fuel cells
service. Sadly, they didn’t last that long. In a market which was beset with pathetically small margins, these amazing ships just could not compete with the bog-standard, cheaply crewed offerings that were available to carry exactly the same cargo. And as someone who was awed by the designs, I was one of many deeply disappointed at their commercial failure. Now, we are told, change is coming whether we like it or not. The industry must take on board digitisation, autonomy, new environmental criteria, revolutionary fuels and even completely new propulsion trains, just for starters. The many shipping folk who insist that all they need is simple, robust machinery, in vessels that can be operated long enough to pay off their capital costs, are told
there is no choice – the revolution is coming.
Demand and the human factor I have recently been studying a web presentation that suggests 2020 is “the year of decision for the autonomous ship”, and very enlightening it is too. Some brilliant presenters from ABB, Inmarsat, NKK and One Sea make a very convincing case for autonomous technologies, facilitated by wonderful communications that effectively draw the threads of ship operation together. If I can just paraphrase a couple of the reassurances I was given to my doubts, I was told these new technologies are designed to make it easier for current crews to do their jobs. And to my doubts about whether there is the demand out there for the amazing developments they foresee, I was told that autonomous technologies
offer at least part of the answer to pretty well all of the problems facing the industry at present. And as for demand, this will come from the operators of ship types where the business case is easiest to prove. But it still, surely, comes down to the human factor, despite all the reassurances of wonderful technology. At the moment, most of our workforce is trained to operate largely conventional ships and systems. They are going to be asked – perhaps in short order, if the experts are correct – to embrace fuel cells, hybrid propulsion, totally different fuels, much more electric machinery and, above all, huge amounts of digitisation. And all of this is going to have to prove itself in an industry that doesn’t ‘do’ prototypes. Where is the training for such changes? How many people carry specialist ETOs on their ships? And will any of it work, ask the industry’s dinosaurs, 10 years down the line?
Michael Grey MBE is an honorary IMarEST Fellow and a former editor-in-chief of Lloyd’s List MARINE PROFESSIONAL
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How a litany of disasters related to the failure of Leopold LD’s auxiliary engines led to a total loss of power WORDS / KEITH RAY
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he word ‘auxiliary’, in the context of auxiliary engines, implies that these have a secondary role in the engine room. In reality, the engine room is an integrated ‘power station’ where the auxiliary engines play a vital role, a fact that the case of Leopold LD amply illustrates. Leopold LD is a 292m long, 93,801 gross tonne bulk carrier built in 2014. Propulsive power is provided by a sixcylinder two-stroke MAN diesel engine producing 15,530kW at 86rpm. On a modern vessel like Leopold LD the engine room is highly dependent on a reliable electricity supply for the oil pumps, cooling water supply, fans, complex electronics and more. So vital is this electrical
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supply that, like Leopold LD, many vessels have three auxiliary engines (A/E) available to drive generators, each of which is capable of supplying all the electrical needs on its own. Regulations require at least two. In addition, there is a mandatory requirement for an emergency generator as a back-up to cover the fuel supply and essential safety needs.
Power loss The incident with Leopold LD occurred on 14 March 2019, when the bulk carrier was en route from Saldanha Bay, South Africa, to Hamburg, Germany, with a cargo of iron ore. Through a combination of factors, the vessel suffered a total loss of power. However, this was not the start of the ship’s problems. Tracking back three weeks earlier, A/E 1 had tripped from the main switchboard because of a low lubricating oil pressure warning. Investigation showed excessive wear of some components in the lubricating oil pump. As maintenance was planned for A/E 2, the crew removed the oil pump from this engine
and installed it on A/E 1, restoring its operation. Early on 14 March, A/E 1 was on load and running. The crew decided to take A/E 1 off load and switch to A/E 3. The change gave the crew the opportunity to remove the lubricating oil pump from A/E 1 and install it on A/E 2 in order to carry out routine checks and tests
MARINE OCCURRENCE INFORMATION Date and time: 14 March 2019 – 1527 LT Classification of occurrence: Serious marine casualty Location of occurrence: 06°08.58’ N 014°40.65’ W Place on board: Engine room Injuries/fatalities: None Damage/environmental impact: Material damages to one auxiliary engine and the emergency generator Ship operation: In passage Voyage segment: In transit External & internal environment: ● Weather: Clear ● Visibility: 10 miles ● Wind: Beaufort Force 1 ● Sea state: Calm ● Swell: 3m Persons on board: 5
on this engine. At 1527 that afternoon, a “main engine lubricating oil pressure” alarm was activated, which in turn triggered a “main engine slowdown” alarm. Consequently, two units of auxiliary blowers for the main engine and two units of the hydraulic power supply started automatically. The sudden surge in load was too much for A/E 3 on its own, so it tripped and the emergency generator automatically came on load. As the engine room was manned at this time, A/E 1 was not kept in standby mode.
No sign of combustion The crew attempted to restart A/E 3, but although the engine was turning on air, there was no sign of combustion. The crew then re-installed the lubricating oil pump onto A/E 1 and, using power from the emergency switchboard, tried to start this engine. However, the results were the same as for A/E 3. Several efforts to restart A/E 3 and A/E 1 drained the main and auxiliary air reservoirs, and attempts to top up the auxiliary air reservoir using the emergency air compressor were unsuccessful.
Troublespot, 1 ALP Maritime’s ALP Defender towed the disabled Leopold LD to port
ALP MARITIME
Next steps Early the next day, the crew replaced the valves on the emergency air compressor, but the auxiliary air reservoir would still not fill. Closer inspection revealed a partially open drain valve on the reservoir, and once closed the reservoir was topped up to the required starting pressure. However, after running for 12 hours, two fan belts on the emergency generator broke. Although these were quickly replaced just 30 minutes later, the radiator of the emergency generator began to leak, so it had to be shut down. The only remaining source of power was the emergency batteries. Various further attempts were made to switch components between the three A/Es, and finally A/E 2 was
Various further attempts were made to switch components between the three A/Es, and finally A/E 2 was started started. However, just 10 minutes later smoke and abnormal sounds emanated from A/E 2, and at 0923 the vessel suffered a total loss of power. On 16 March, the crew managed to partially repair the radiator of the emergency generator, but just 15 minutes later the oil temperature had risen to 91°C and the generator was stopped. With no propulsive power, the vessel was towed into Freeport, Sierra Leone.
Investigation findings Subsequent investigations found several factors
contributing to this litany of disasters. First, the fuel oil service system was fitted with a compensation damping tank. This should contain both fuel and pressurised air, and the air pressure should be sufficient on its own to force fuel into the A/Es. The reason A/E 3 and A/E 1 would not start was that the tank was not functioning correctly due to inadequate crew instruction. Failure to notice the open drain valve cost a great deal of time. Second, the failed belts on the emergency generator had clearly been failing for some time. Third, running with just one A/E operational was a risk, but it is not clear whether the crew accepted this as a risk. Fourth, there were defects in the connecting
rod bolt of cylinder one in A/E 2. Fifth, water was present in the fuel lines of A/E 1 and A/E 3, which is why they failed to start. Also, water could not be drained from the fuel tank because of blocked drains.
Oversights Later investigation found extensive damage inside both A/E 2 and the emergency generator. Although this was not explicitly linked to the lubricating oil pump issues or the failing fan belts, it does suggest maintenance and operational oversights.
Later investigation found extensive damage inside both A/E 2 and the emergency generator MARINE PROFESSIONAL
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Fast cross-currents in shallow waters posed a tricky engineering challenge in the design of a new cable-layer to support the development of offshore wind in Taiwan WORDS / JAKE KAVANAGH
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ver the next decade Taiwan has pledged to more than double renewable-based electricity generation in order to meet national commitments to phase out nuclear power by 2025 and to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to one-fifth of 2005 levels by 2030. The development of domestic offshore wind energy resources is seen as vital to achieving these goals. Indeed, most of a US$12bn fund earmarked by state-run Taiwan Power Co for renewable energy projects over the next 15 years is allotted to the installation of new wind turbines off the nation’s western coastline. New cable-laying vessels will be necessary for these projects to come online to such a tight timetable. Taiwanese cable contractor Woen Jinn approached Longitude, the design division of LOC, and commissioned a brand-new ship. The new cable-layer needed
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to be compatible with the local sea conditions – shallow with strong crosscurrents – and capable of long offshore passages, necessary to collect the cables from suppliers in Japan or South Korea.
Hull form “This was a very interesting project,” says Jake Anderson, Longitude’s managing director (engineering). “There was no off-the-shelf design available. This was because a large payload of long and heavy cable had to be carried and laid across a seabed with an average depth of 4m that extended for 7km offshore, but the ship also had to make deep-sea voyages. When laying the cable, the trim would be affected with
little room beneath the keel, so we had to optimise the weight distribution. By understanding how the client wanted to operate the ship, we could work from there.” Longitude realised that the biggest challenge would be the crosscurrents, which regularly run at 5kn parallel to the coast. Hull form would therefore be critical. “Most ships are optimised for forward travel,” Anderson explains. “However, some cable-layers are actually optimised to travel sideways to keep the nose into the coastal currents. Although this ship would also need to make international voyages, we decided to sacrifice some forward efficiency in
“When laying the cable, the trim would be affected with little room beneath the keel, so we had to optimise the weight distribution. By understanding how the client wanted to operate the ship, we could work from there”
Jake Anderson
favour of better handling against the side currents.” Combating these and other geographical challenges resulted in a combination of three different technologies: a dynamic positioning (DP2) system, operating a mix of thrusters that include bow, azimuth and retractable versions; a five-point anchoring configuration; and the use of drop-down piles known as ‘spuds’.
Thruster design During cable installation in deeper waters, the DP2 thruster system allows the ship to follow a precise course with enough redundancy to maintain station should a failure occur in part of the thruster system. In shallower waters where the retractable thruster has to be withdrawn, the vessel is capable of station keeping and manoeuvring by combining the available thrusters and the mooring system. In extreme shallow waters, the operation can be carried out with the mooring system alone, with the spuds to pin the ship in place while anchors are reset. “Taiwan had no dry docks with maintenance
Vessel focus, 1 Designed to operate in very shallow waters, the ship has a mix of position-keeping technology
“The summer sun is particularly hard on the crew, so we designed a mezzanine deck with a removable covered area over the cable handling sections” pits,” Anderson says. “The brief was that the DP2 system could be fully overhauled or repaired in 24 hours, but with a shallow hull and no pit, you can’t fully drop out the retractable thruster. The solution was to find a design that was easy to dismantle, and to create special voids in the hull that allowed better access for routine servicing, and to change out critical components.”
Power supply Taiwan’s current cablelaying vessels fulfil many roles with a mix of technologies. “The client currently operates direct drive systems, and individual power units are brought in should specialised equipment be required,” Anderson says. “However, they were open and willing to adapt
to a centralised power distribution system with diesel-electric propulsion.” The electrical system was developed by Danny Ng, Longitude’s Singaporebased project manager. “We designed a sixgenerator system based on high-speed diesel gensets,” he says. “A closed bus DC distribution system was not preferred by the client due to a shortage of marine electrical specialists in Taiwan. The gensets are brought into the power system as needed for DP2 configuration. Nevertheless, the vessel can operate at high load with fewer units for maximum efficiency during transit and anchoring operations. This results in significant fuel savings.” Although principally designed for the wind farm project, this new
ship would eventually fulfil other cable-laying operations in Taiwan, so had to be futureproof and adaptable.
Flexibility “Different cable applications require different methodologies,” says Riccardo Felici, Longitude’s naval architect. “While the primary equipment still has to be in exactly the right place, such as the cable carousel and accommodation, the layout still has to be flexible enough for other projects. Equipment has to be moveable.” Felici’s solution was to create a modular design above deck, with generous cargo spaces below. “We have a lot of experience with customisation,” he says. “Some specialised equipment is already containerised, so we can store it below deck. We have designed large hatches to make this possible. Other
containerised equipment may be needed above deck, such as cable repair units, and their location can have a big impact on cablelaying operations. Another challenge we faced was the tropical climate – the summer sun is particularly hard on the crew, so we designed a mezzanine deck with a removable covered area over the cable handling sections. The mezzanine also proved the ideal location for additional deck space for large equipment such as trenchers or injectors. This concept also provides a good view over the cable handling area, where a secondary control room is situated.” The design has received approval-in-principle from classification societies ABS and CR. For Longitude, the combination of technologies and an optimised hull form has created a flagship solution for this region, but one that remains highly adaptable for other geographies. MARINE PROFESSIONAL
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INFLUENCERS
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Is the industry doing enough to encourage a diverse pipeline of marine talent?
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Fatoumatta Cassama
Cleopatra Doumbia-Henry
Şadan Kaptanoğlu
Regulatory specialist – regulatory affairs, marine & offshore, Lloyd’s Register I am living evidence of the motivation and support available to improve diversity in the marine industry, and those in my network have had similar positive experiences. My journey in the industry started with the International Transport Workers’ Federation’s kind funding of my MSc in maritime affairs at the World Maritime University in Sweden. There are other industry organisations that offer similar fellowships, encouraging people from different walks of life to develop their marine knowledge, which then becomes a solid foundation for diversity in employment. These include IMO and the TK Foundation. The actions of these bodies encourage a dynamic and diverse pipeline of marine talent for various roles. Diversity and inclusion are also a top priority for my employer, Lloyd’s Register.
President, World Maritime University The short answer is ‘no’, but there are notable exceptions, with some actors going well beyond the average performance of the industry in respect of actions that promote increased diversity. If one considers the wider context of ‘marine talent’, including but not limited to seafarers, then the most marked absence of diversity lies in the area of female representation, particularly in higher echelons. We have, however, seen an increased number of women in positions of responsibility in shipping companies, some of whom are involved in ship management. WISTA International has done a remarkable job in bringing women together and giving them a voice. There is much room for improvement in the industry, which can without doubt do better by articulating clear strategies, underpinned by will and intention and manifested in concrete action. The diversity It can be argued that that does exist the shipping industry is is arguably only one of the most diverse a result of the globally. The world’s industry’s seeking approximately 1.5 million of commercial seafarers come from advantage almost every country, and it is almost the norm to find crews on board ship from many different countries. However, the reasons for this, and the basis from which it arises, cannot be said to be ‘positive encouragement’, particularly where evidence of stereotyping, discrimination and harassment remains. The diversity that does exist is arguably only a result of the industry’s seeking of commercial advantage, which has led to the phenomenon of social dumping, with its negative consequences of the commodification of labour and abuse of rights. There are organisations that, exceptionally, both articulate clear and laudable positions regarding diversity and act on those statements. These have to be applauded and their example held up. It is also important that governments and academia join efforts with industry to develop a diverse and competent talent base.
President, BIMCO No, we need to be better at taking advantage of the massive and diverse talent pool available to us. Second, we must work harder to change the mindset of people already in the industry to make everyone realise that businesses perform better with a diverse workforce. The fact that our industry is going through a digital transformation can help reduce the gender gap. Yes, we lag behind many industries when it comes to diversity, but never before have we seen the emergence of so many female engineers, maritime technology entrepreneurs and IT specialists as we are seeing today. That is encouraging.
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We must work harder to change the mindset of people already in the industry to make everyone realise that businesses perform better with a diverse workforce
Influencers, 1
Dawn Wright Chief scientist, Environmental Systems Research Institute My sense is that, despite a recent awakening around diversity, equality and inclusion, we are not doing enough to encourage a diverse pipeline of marine talent. To truly make progress, the marine professional sector should consider rigorously developing the following, with a willingness to provide on request: ● diversity guidelines and promotion policies; ● numbers on agency/company hiring of ethnic minorities, as well as retention results; ● funding for any affinity groups; ● specific examples of outreach to diverse communities; ● disability accessibility efforts and guidelines; ● family paid leave and childcare assistance; and ● mental health plans and assistance programmes. And organisations should share a photo of their executive leadership team!
More women are entering the profession, but there is still work to be done on diversity
NEXT ISSUE’S QUESTION
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RECRUITMENT
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Fast-tracking the digital workplace
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Digital solutions, the push for flexibility, different types of employment contract – even before COVID-19, the world of recruitment was shifting. The pandemic has acted as an accelerator
IN ASSOCIATION WITH
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Skype, Teams, Zoom and the rest: “What would we have done without them?” is a common COVID-19 refrain. Perhaps that should be amended to: “We were already doing quite a lot with them, now we are doing more, and it can only increase in the future.” In terms of recruitment, skills, training and employment practices, COVID-19 has focused minds on the possible. Remote hiring was already the norm for EM&I, which provides inspection and specialised repair and maintenance services to the oil and gas and renewable energy industries, says HR manager Aaron Wilson. “As a global organisation with our central support services based in the UK, utilising remote recruitment methods and technologies is nothing new to us. Our entire recruitment life cycle was designed to be managed remotely.” The company has slightly adapted its recruitment process, with the second-stage interview now being held via video call rather than in person, Wilson says. “This is not a fundamental change to the existing process, as the first-stage interview is always conducted via telephone and the personality profile assessment is completed online. I don’t feel that the changes have affected the quality of the interview process for the candidate or us.”
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He adds: “Luckily we live in a technological age and have the necessary tools at our disposal, such as video calls, online assessments, certification validation websites and so on, to make remote hiring easy.” But he does add a ‘however’ – there is, he says, “no substitute for visiting our offices and getting a feel for the people and the culture”. That’s an issue being
“It is different getting someone acclimatised to our values and mission when you can’t get into the office as normal and interact with people” raised not only in recruitment, but also in connection with long-term remote working.
Hiring continues International Registries, Inc (IRI), the US-based manager of the Marshall Islands’ ship registry, has not had an issue with recruitment during COVID-19 either. Brian
Poskaitis, senior vice president, fleet operations, says that the company has been able to hire surveyors and inspectors, keeping to its extensive vetting process. But Poskaitis echoes Wilson’s point on the feel of a physical office: “It is different getting someone acclimatised to our values and mission when you can’t get into the office as normal and interact with people. Doing things virtually is not the same as doing something and talking to each other after an inspection, for example.” To address this, IRI is having many more virtual calls or meetings than it would normally have had. “It is all about communicating and asking tough questions,” says Poskaitis. His colleague John Hafner, IRI’s vice president of seafarer manning and training, adds that there is a limit to what employees can do while working from home. “Not working as a group hurts your innovation. [Our team] have known each other and worked together for decades; we know everyone’s
Left to right: International Registries, Inc’s John Hafner, vice president of seafarer manning and training, and Brian Poskaitis, senior vice president, fleet operations
People feature, 1 ILLUSTRATION/MATT HARRISON CLOUGH
strengths and who is good at what. But newer staff coming in, coordinating and integrating into a cohesive group – that’s very difficult without people going into the office to some extent.” That’s one of the reasons IRI is running a rota at head office in Reston, Virginia, for staff to work partly at home and partly in the office, he says.
Recruitment pool For recruiters, the COVID-19 pandemic has made one big difference: accessibility – and in a positive sense. “Because there are so many candidates working from home and not travelling, it is very easy to get hold of people,” says Teresa Peacock, managing director of Spinnaker. “That has been a
bonus for us as recruiters. We have been able to speak to people more readily and in the privacy of their own homes, rather than in the middle of a busy office.” Spinnaker is used to arranging meetings in coffee shops when people don’t want it to be known that they are applying for a job, says Peacock. “Now that people are more MARINE PROFESSIONAL
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used to doing things online, it is far easier to be discreet.” There was already a move to do more interviews online, she says, and the pandemic simply “catapulted it all forward”. There are big cost and time savings to be made by interviewing online. Major companies might in the past have booked a room and taken a chunk out of their day to conduct an interview, as well as requiring staff to meet, greet, make coffee and tidy up afterwards. “From the candidate’s point of view, they had to take time off work, and their travel expenses were probably not reimbursed. There is also the environmental point of view – we talk about reducing the environmental impact of shipping
“We have filled numerous roles during lockdown with only video, and in some cases we have got to the point of offering the job in principle, subject to a final face-to-face meeting”
SUBS
and everyone wants to achieve that. Doing less travel for interviews supports that.”
Don’t forget to vet your mug
ART
Online interviewing is also more efficient, adds Spinnaker chairman Phil Parry. The company recently recruited a CEO for a large shipping company. The process involved interviewers in Asia and Europe, and interviewees from four countries. “In the past, we and
our client would have organised these interviews face-to-face. By the time you have done two rounds of interviews, you are probably looking at tens of thousands of pounds in flight costs, let alone the logistics of diary scheduling for all the people involved.” Even post-pandemic, he thinks that will stick: “You will probably only get to face-to-face for the final two. We have filled numerous roles during lockdown with only video, and in some cases we have got to the point of offering the job in principle, subject to a final face-to-face meeting.” Going online has also enabled Spinnaker’s people to sit in on and facilitate interviews, sometimes prompting either client or candidate.
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Left to right: Teresa Peacock, managing director of Spinnaker; Aaron Wilson, HR manager at EM&I; Phil Parry, chairman of Spinnaker
RATINGS RECRUITMENT IS SAFE… FOR NOW In terms of cadet and ratings recruitment, there has yet to be an impact from COVID-19, says Kathryn Neilson (pictured right), director of the UK’s Merchant Navy Training Board (MNTB). But, looking at next year, if companies start to lay up some of their vessels, the challenge will become more obvious. “There will be a definite downturn in September 2021 – with companies struggling to stay afloat, there will not be the same number of cadets taken on,” she says. Conversely, there may be more opportunities for British ratings, because it is so difficult for many seafarers to travel from their home countries to fill positions in the UK. That situation could apply to many countries.
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“Yes, COVID-19 will change employment models – and this may continue in the future, because travel may remain difficult. We take it for granted how many seafarers travel to and from their ship, by air, sea or train. Many are reluctant to travel because of restrictions and the risk to health, so there will be a lot more opportunity ‘locally’.” The pandemic has also accelerated several initiatives that the MNTB was already seeking to implement. “We have made major changes to the way we deliver things and the way we operate from the office – and it is working very well and very efficiently. I really do believe there will be many changes that will benefit us in the long-term, including skills-wise.”
As well as the potential for more online training, the MNTB has taken a fresh look at its board meetings, previously held in London several times a year. For board members based in places like Shetland, a one-day meeting could morph into a three-day exercise involving two overnight stays and a complex array of flight connections – often people missed meetings because it was too much of a challenge financially and physically, says Neilson. “Now we can get people on a call at the drop of a hat. We have seen increasing engagement, with more people dialling into meetings than ever before. It has completely changed. We will in future do one board meeting a year in London, and the others by Zoom.”
EM&I, provider of inspection, repair and maintenance services to the oil and gas sector, already carried out much of its recruitment remotely
Peacock has been busy writing a paper on how to be an online interviewee. She has also been running practice interviews, showing candidates how to use platforms and how to position themselves, helping with adjusting the microphone and lighting, and even advising people to be wary of mugs or any other desktop item that might have an inappropriate logo that sends out the wrong message.
Home-working a reality
Meanwhile, Parry says companies that previously never considered or allowed working from home are
“We are not going to see the death of the office, but we will see the birth of flexible working, with more hot-desking” now having a proper discussion about the possibilities. “A recent survey showed that 70% of people now want to work from home at least part of the time. I think if they go back and start talking to their employers, these companies have to start taking it seriously.” The experience of the past few months has shown that working from home is practical and feasible for many, says Parry. “Whereas, in the past, employers could resist it on the basis of it not being a practical option, now all the evidence is impossible to refute. There has been a real attitude shift, and many employers are now considering how to change their working patterns.” Home-working, however, does raise important issues. Parry says: “How do you train your youngsters and how does that ‘learning by osmosis’ happen if you are not in the room together? We are not going to see the death of the office, but we will see the birth of flexible working, with more hot-desking, as companies are likely to use offices optimised for two-thirds of staff, rather than all of them.” Peacock agrees: “People don’t want to work at home five days a week. They want interaction.” But the key message is this: as well as
IN ASSOCIATION WITH
making operational savings and delivering environmental benefits as a result of fewer people commuting, any business offering flexibility will automatically have access to a wider pool of talent, she says. Flexibility, of course, goes both ways. At EM&I, Wilson says the talent pool within its industry has grown significantly, with a large proportion of workers being selfemployed – but these were among the first to be stood down. “This is excellent news for companies seeking to recruit, but not so good for those out of work.” He does not think the marine/ offshore recruitment landscape will change completely, but he does believe that many of the changes implemented as a result of COVID-19 will remain in place indefinitely. “The changes made only seek to speed up the recruitment process, which can only be a good thing for employers and candidates alike.”
Accelerated acceptance
EM&I has embraced remote working and this will continue long after the pandemic, says Wilson. The most significant change to employment contracts has been updating policies to reflect remote working and provide flexibility around working hours for those caring for children. Longer-term, the company’s main priorities are upskilling the workforce and recruiting individuals with digital skill sets. “The industry generally takes a while to accept and adopt new technologies, but that seems to have changed in recent years, and COVID-19 has only accelerated this acceptance.” MARINE PROFESSIONAL
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Tapping the ‘hidden workforce’
SUBS ART
Why a career break should not deter an employer from considering an applicant for an engineering role
PRODUCTION
WORDS / NATALIE DESTY
CLIENT
Everyone that works in a science, technology, engineering or mathematics (STEM) role knows one simple fact: there are not enough of us. With STEM jobs expected to double over the next decade, this is only going to worsen the impact felt by businesses and the economy. One thing doesn’t add up though: talented engineers find it hard to get a job – especially if they’ve taken a career break. This is the hidden workforce, thousands of skilled STEM professionals who feel abandoned. Outdated recruitment methods which hold them back are damaging the UK economy, and this is set to seriously worsen in the postCOVID-19 era. At STEM Returners, we work with businesses to get engineers back into work, providing programmes that judge candidates on their ability and application, through a paid placement scheme. We’ve been successful: over 150 engineers returned to work, with great inroads made on diversity. Of our returners who gained a full-time job, 45% have been women, while 34% have come from a black, Asian or minority ethnic (BAME) background.
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But there is still a long way to go. During the COVID-19 pandemic, we have taken the time to gauge the mood of over 350 engineers. We found that eight out of 10 people seeking to return to jobs in the engineering industry felt they had been the victims of a ‘biased’ recruiting system, and two-thirds felt the traditional recruitment process works against them. While already a significant issue, this ‘bias’ is going to have a significant impact on the efforts to re-employ the thousands facing redundancy because of the pandemic. Groups facing the biggest barriers to re-entry include female engineers responsible for childcare and those from ethnic minorities, including refugees. Graduates from ethnic minorities are also facing significantly higher barriers to entering the industry. UK-domiciled BAME engineers make up 27% of all engineering graduates, but only 7.8% of the total UK engineering workforce. It’s clear the industry has a problem. Like other marginalised groups, BAME engineers find it incredibly tough to get past the initial stage of the recruitment process. Career breaks work against candidates in the CV-screening stage, and more than likely they don’t even make it
Natalie Ryott, an engineering returner at BAE Systems
to interview. These old-fashioned recruitment methods view a career break as a period of time where a candidate’s skills have deteriorated. Our results refute this emphatically, with engineers actually gaining skills that are valuable to employers. This is where STEM Returners comes in.
Paid placements Returner programmes, currently few and far between in the STEM sector, offer engineers 12-week paid placements, providing a muchneeded opportunity to showcase their worth to firms, something traditional recruitment methods have consistently missed. Figures from our returners speak for themselves: 96% of those who take part in a 12-week placement are retained in a permanent position by their host company. The programmes don’t just benefit candidates though. For businesses that are quite rightly cautious after the turmoil of this year, the programmes provide an opportunity to assess a candidate in a fair way, making sure they’re right for a role in a way that reading a CV won’t tell you. The other benefit to firms is diversification. It should be a priority for the industry to make the UK workforce as diverse as possible, plugging the skills gap with a wide range of engineers from all genders, races and classes to create a dynamic sector. Despite multinational industry leaders such as BAE Systems, Babcock and the government’s Defence, Science and Technology Laboratory all running STEM Returners programmes, our report
Op ed STEM workforce, 1
STEM WORKFORCE
THIS IS ENGINEERING/UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHAMPTON
The University of Southampton’s 138m towing tank is frequently used by undergraduate ship science students to explore hydrodynamics
found that there is still a mountain to climb to make STEM representative of society. The Royal Academy of Engineering’s Diversity Programme Report 2011Ð2016 found that fewer than one in 10 engineering companies were taking any action to attract minority ethnic groups or LGBT employees. For companies that actively attract returners, their commitment to diversity will be shown with results. Nearly half of the 150 candidates whom we have returned to engineering are women, and a third are from ethnic minority backgrounds. This points to a huge pool of talent being overlooked by an industry faced with advanced skills gaps – nine out of 10 returners who
took part in our study said that they were educated to bachelor’s, master’s or PhD level. Forty-six per cent of candidates have over 10 years of engineering experience. Nearly half said their career breaks were for less than two years.
Removing bias We want employers to encourage and support would-be returners by helping to refresh their skills
FIND OUT MORE For more information, the full report, STEM: The Hidden Workforce, can be accessed at bit.ly/2Br4exy
and tackle unconscious bias in CV screening. Two-thirds of the 350 returners whom we spoke to in our report applied for more than 20 positions – with only 3% getting replies turning them down. There’s no such thing as a ‘standard returner’. People take career breaks for a huge variety of reasons, including maternity or caring responsibilities, ill health, redundancy and relocation. There is a reason that attracting and recruiting returners as a separate strategy works alongside standard recruitment. Conflicting priorities, with line managers and employers searching for their perception of the best candidate, create an unequal opportunity for returners. We need to ensure returners have an equal opportunity and change a culture that still views career breaks negatively, instead of a normal part of many people’s working life. With tough times lying ahead, we need to use every available drop of talent in the STEM sectors. It can be done; STEM Returners’ programmes are proof of that. But while we celebrate those skills returned to the sector, it is imperative that the industry comes together to build on them. Natalie Desty is founder and CEO of STEM Returners, a programme co-supported by the IMarEST that helps employers recruit, develop and retain the best available talent, and enables highly qualified and experienced candidates to restart their career.
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PROPULSION TRAINING
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Beyond virtual reality Welcome to the world of extended reality, where training options now offer a truly immersive experience WORDS / GORDON MEADOW
SUBS ART PRODUCTION SEABOT XR
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While virtual reality training should not be considered a panacea for realworld situations, the technology is an important – and often overlooked – safety tool. The adoption of digital training tools within maritime education and training can fundamentally transform how learning is received and delivered. When implemented correctly, what digital training does differently is offer a new, personalised means of learning, helping to better shape education today and in the future. It also brings greater accessibility to learning. The success of this adoption will depend on the confident, competent and innovative use of technology, and must satisfy the following criteria: ● Any digital tool must offer genuine transformation to an individual’s growth in understanding, the learning must be retained and the learner must receive feedback about what they do well and where they require further development. ● Learning should be meaningful, intuitive and user-friendly. ● Learning should be easily accessible. Extended reality (XR) is one digital solution that has the capability to offer this transformation to maritime training. XR comprises three elements: virtual reality, augmented reality and mixed reality environments. It refers to a software-generated simulation of real and virtual environments that a user can interact with and manipulate. XR immersive experiences remove the normal distractions to learning and are captivating, dynamic, memorable and
motivating. The value of XR for training purposes lies in its allowing trainees to experience situations in a safe, contained, comfortable, repeatable, controllable and measurable environment.
Fast-track training This type of training has been proven to aid in the understanding of concepts through experience, allowing trainees to acquire practical knowledge in a relatively short time frame, practise decisionmaking in critical situations and experience situations that rarely occur in real life. As an addition to live training, XR simulation provides essential scenario training in which recurring protocols can be practised in complex, repeatable situations. XR also excels at the training of specific tasks and interactions. The virtual environment allows trainees to repeat a task until they accomplish a comfortable level of proficiency, with low cost and without the risk of injury. Because
of this, XR is ideal for use in the maritime industry, where mistakes can have severe repercussions. Further, it has the potential to reduce the need for returning costs in time, resources, props, travel and training spaces. Incidents occur at sea despite the best efforts of all, the implementation of a range of codes, regulation, on-board procedures and
XR is ideal for use in the maritime industry, where mistakes can have severe repercussions safety campaigns. For this reason, crews must be continually provided with new opportunities to practise the unexpected, and given the time to do so. Crews must understand the changing requirements of their role, as well as receiving support when new equipment comes online. This will help us to maintain individual competence above the requirements of everyday operations.
Smartphonebased virtual reality tools can provide experiential learning
Gordon Meadow is founder and CEO of SeaBot XR and chair of the IMarEST’s Maritime Autonomous Surface Ships SIG. SeaBot XR is an IT and e-learning company providing competency-based e-learning software solutions, digital platforms and educational consultancy in support of maritime education and training, workforce competence assurance and human capital management. MARINE PROFESSIONAL
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Remote surveys: a safer new normal
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The industry response to COVID-19 has ramped up remote surveying through the rapid adoption of wearable technology WORDS / DAVE BENYON
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Few sectors face such serious obstacles as the maritime industry in the fight to operate safely during the COVID-19 pandemic. Surveyors and inspectors have been unable to visit ships for the usual round of audits, surveys and inspections required to keep mariners and vessels safe; and ship operators have therefore faced major challenges maintaining class and statutory certifications. “Safety lies at the heart of what we do, and the pandemic has required new flexibility in how and where people work, and the ways we liaise with clients,” says Andy McKeran, commercial director, marine and offshore, at Lloyd’s Register. Quarantined or isolating crews have been reluctant to have outsiders on board, and addressing those concerns has been crucial. “This is about the safety of all mariners, not just surveyors,” says Patrick Ryan, senior vice president, engineering and technology, at ABS Group.
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What to wear The response has been to transform surveys using technology and the rapid roll-out of remote and wearable technology. Some remote technology is widely available, with mobile app-based services such as Teams, Skype and Zoom used by thousands of businesses in lockdown ashore. “Live-streaming software requires no specific hardware or applications – just a smartphone allowing the remote surveyor to connect and lead the survey from their office,” says
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Laurent Hentges, vice president, operational excellence, at Bureau Veritas (BV). Lloyd’s Register, meanwhile, has developed an app to enable some remote surveys while keeping the cost low. “The LR Remote app can be downloaded from Google Play to perform remote audits and surveys, using any smartphone, without any further capital outlay,” says McKeran. Some of BV’s more sophisticated remote inspection techniques under development include aerial drones, underwater remote-operated vehicles and crawler devices to replace scaffolding staging, divers and rope access. In February, BV conducted its first close-up inspection and survey using an aerial drone in a bulk carrier. “This confirmed the readiness of aerial drones as an asset in the future of classification services,” says Hentges. “We’re confident that remote inspection techniques will simultaneously provide safer and better-quality evidence.” ABS Group is piloting 360° camera technology and laser scanning tools.
However, Ryan suggests that most technology in use to make surveys safer simply involves streaming using the camera and audio on a smartphone or tablet. Wearables, such as Microsoft’s HoloLens or Google Glass, offer further opportunities. “There are two
“We’re confident that remote inspection techniques will simultaneously provide safer and better-quality evidence” classes of optical visual wearables,” Ryan says. “One involves information projected through a transparent screen. We’re not fielding those at present because we believe there are safety hurdles to overcome. Personal situational awareness is very important; technology can degrade it, and having a see-through wearable can detract from your own understanding of your environment.” The alternative is a device not within the user’s line of sight. “That means something such as a hands-free tablet, with a miniature
GET INVOLVED The IMarEST’s new Ship Maintenance, Repair and Safety SIG brings together ship and dockyard owners/operators, ship builders and marine engineering experts to share best practice in safe and responsible operations. It will provide well-informed, independent technical information to policymakers, encouraging development of practical solutions and fit-for-purpose regulations, including updates to SOLAS, safety standards and design arrangements. To get involved in our efforts to support safety in ship design, maintenance and repair, register your interest at technical@imarest.org
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Clockwise from top: Lloyd’s Register offers remote assurance, audit, inspection and training services; Patrick Ryan, senior vice president, engineering and technology, ABS Group; Andy McKeran, commercial director, marine and offshore, Lloyd’s Register; Anthony Veder, partnering with BV, is trialling HoloLens on six vessels
video display. It’s not a substitute for human experience, it is there to improve consumption of information,” Ryan says. In June, Anthony Veder, a shipping operator focused on oil and liquefied natural gas (LNG), launched a pilot scheme based around HoloLens on six vessels in partnership with BV. HoloLens can be worn or mounted hands-free and integrates with other IT platforms on board. “It is an augmented reality option that has an audio-visual connection, allowing someone in an office to see what the crewmember on the ship is seeing,” says Benne Engelen, chief information officer at Anthony Veder. “Additionally, you can point to a certain piece of equipment, walk away and come back, and there will still be an arrow or circle where it was previously. The intention is to roll it out to our whole fleet.”
However, wearables can face connectivity challenges. A ship’s hull functions as a Faraday cage against the mobile phone signals that might be used to pick up network coverage. Further from land, connecting to the vessel’s satellite connection to send data can provide an answer, but can lack the necessary bandwidth. Wi-Fi networks on board are increasingly common but need extending from the bridge to the engine room, requiring new cabling and significant investment for less sophisticated ships. This is regardless of the complexity of the wearable or app.
Full equivalence Engelen expects the HoloLens pilot to create efficiencies that return its investment within one year, with at least a third of all surveys carried out remotely. The more surveys performed remotely, the more it will make sense for owners and operators
to invest. “We want to go to 100%; we want full equivalence,” he says. Regulatory guidance for remote surveys is also currently lacking, with IACS working on guidance for class societies. For oil and LNG, for example, the approval of two bodies is needed for remote surveys and audits at sea: the Oil Companies International Marine Forum (OCIMF) and its Ship Inspection Report Programme. The latter applies more to LNG carriers and has begun to allow some remote surveys. “However, if we do an OCIMF survey, currently we can’t go ahead remotely,” Engelen says. McKeran says it’s right that IACS takes the lead in providing remote equivalence to physical surveys and the minimum necessary standards for remote surveys to compete. There is genuine enthusiasm for this among classification societies, as the firm belief is that digital technology can, in the long term, bring safety, operational and financial benefits. McKeran is excited to broaden the conversation from remote surveys to digitising class services. However, he stops short of extolling equivalence across the board. “It should be done case by case, as it will not be suitable for every survey we provide today.” ABS Group is similarly cautious. “We perform multiple survey types,”
“Certain types of survey are more conducive to remote, but it would be tough to say we could be equivalent for all of the surveys” says Ryan. “Certain types of survey are more conducive to remote, but it would be tough to say we could be equivalent for all of the surveys.” It is open to debate how widely remote surveying can be applied, how quickly the regulatory landscape will mature and how fast the wider industry will prioritise its roll-out. However, new ways of working safely during COVID-19 will, sources agree, likely accelerate digitalisation long past the pandemic. MARINE PROFESSIONAL
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A tale of two viruses
DIGITALISATION
With cybercrime surging over the past few months, the global pandemic has been a wake-up call for the maritime industry
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Digital tools have come into their own during the COVID-19 crisis, sustaining businesses, education and family life. As in other industries, marine businesses rapidly mobilised to support homeworking for those who could, as well as ensuring far-flung crews could remain in touch despite more challenging shift patterns. “COVID-19 definitely accelerated some trends that were already underway,” says Professor Kevin Jones, executive dean at the University of Plymouth’s Faculty of Science & Engineering. “Companies achieved in three months what would have taken three years in normal times.” These trends include a surge in demand for cloud services to deliver the agility and scalability
needed to cope with a sudden switch from physical to digital services, and the need to support a distributed work-from-home environment. The speed and scale of the mobilisation was impressive, but experts are warning that the pandemic has created a perfect storm for a rise in cybercrime originating from organised crime networks, nation states, hacktivists and even bored lockdown opportunists. Israeli cybersecurity consultancy Naval Dome, for example, reported a 400% increase in attempted hacks on the maritime sector from February to June,
“COVID-19 definitely accelerated some trends... Companies achieved in three months what would have taken three years in normal times”
with malware, ransomware and phishing emails the main attack points. In August, cruise ship operator Carnival Corp was the target of major ransomware attack.
Tenfold increase By triggering an abrupt change in operations, the pandemic has created new vulnerabilities by pushing companies out of their tried-and-tested IT comfort zone. California-based cybersecurity firm McAfee, for example, reports that use of cloud services spiked by 50% between January and April, and use of cloud collaboration tools surged by 600% as organisations that normally rely on legacy on-premises applications and networking turned to the cloud to scale their digital capacity. This pivot was shadowed by a 630% rise in threat events from external MARINE PROFESSIONAL
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actors over the same period, including large-scale attempts to access cloud accounts with stolen credentials. What’s more, access to the cloud by personal devices doubled over the period, adding another layer of unexpected risk. Quite simply, as more employees in the sector work online from remote locations, the ‘surface area’ for attack increases massively.
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Operational risks
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However, the maritime sector doesn’t rely exclusively on the remote connectivity of devices and IT. The typical ship is also a floating
“Now the crime isn’t just stealing data, it has kinetic effects, whereby you can take control of ships, shut things down and blow stuff up” factory, with operational technology (OT) systems controlling navigation, engines, cranes and other industrial processes. This is the aspect that worries Ian Bramson, ABS Group’s global head of cybersecurity and chair of the IMarEST’s Maritime Cyber Risk Management SIG. “It’s a game-changer in terms of risk,” he says. “Now the crime isn’t
just stealing data, it has kinetic effects, whereby you can take control of ships, shut things down and blow stuff up.” He points out that the importance of shipping means the attacks don’t even have to be dramatic to have significant realworld impacts. “In today’s world, if you slow ships down, you can snarl up supply chains or manipulate energy and financial markets. Or with GPS spoofing, you can send a ship into hostile waters and create geopolitical tensions.” The pandemic’s physical distancing rules have created new
DON’T LEAVE CYBER-SEAWORTHINESS TO CHANCE PRODUCTION
We must not put the burden of cybersecurity solely on ship’s captains
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It is a fact that the state of a vessel’s cybersecurity will affect its seaworthiness. This means that a captain with a limited understanding of cybersecurity will need to make a call on the cyber vulnerabilities and processes of a vessel under their command. We should not leave the weight of this decision on a captain’s shoulders; they must have tools and resources at their disposal, together with expertise and assistance. In my experience, many captains are tech-savvy – happy to operate a computer, mobile phone, electronic charts, integrated bridge and plenty more – yet would likely struggle to ensure their ship was cyber-secure.
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Cybersecurity understanding in the maritime sector is growing, but there are still some knowledge gaps in crews. This is no surprise – vessels were primarily unconnected entities, exposed only when in port. Satcoms were very expensive. However, with the advent of cheap VSAT, most vessels are now ‘always on’ and require connectivity to function efficiently. The combination of connectivity and old, unmanaged on-board networks equals a significant cyber-risk.
Dig deep Cyber issues can be subtle, buried deep in complex systems that have been modified over the years, through partial refits, ‘enthusiastic’ engineers accidentally breaking network segregation, cyberincompetent support organisations and maritime technology providers who don’t understand or prioritise cybersecurity. These subtle issues have counterparts in physical maritime incidents: for example, the slow start-air leak that eventually leaves a vessel immobile or a GPS antenna cable breaking, leaving the vessel dead reckoning. Masters will not be able to ‘see’ all cyber-incidents at sea, but there are probing questions that
a master could and should ask about the cyber-seaworthiness of their vessel. Most importantly, they should ask for evidence that the various networks on board are suitably segregated, and they should ask which systems on the various networks can connect to each other. For example, can the integrated bridge communicate with the engine management systems, but not the crew Wi-Fi network? They should also ask for proof that all systems on board are running the latest software and patches. And passwords. I cannot overstate the importance of changing passwords. Simple, re-used, default or even blank passwords are the key to almost every vessel and corporate network compromise we have achieved over the last 22 years.
Easy wins There are also plenty of changes that can be made to delay the spread or reduce the impact of an incident. For example, a ransomware attack that takes out one ECDIS is less likely to spread to a second ECDIS if it’s from a different vendor, has different passwords or is on a different network. It’s also easy to check for wireless networks that aren’t authorised. Even walking the vessel with a
ABS GROUP
Left: Ian Bramson, ABS Group. Right: Professor Kevin Jones, University of Plymouth
vulnerabilities. OEMs, technicians and vendors are increasingly providing a ‘remote, COVID-safe service’, which requires on-board operators to connect often standalone OT systems to shoreside networks, in the process sometimes bypassing normal security
protections, in order to carry out diagnostics and servicing. This creates a whole new category of vulnerabilities, with IT and OT systems no longer segregated, providing gateways to OT systems. Worryingly, Bramson says, maritime OT is “extremely immature” when it comes to security. Given the long life cycle of ships, many of these systems were not designed with security in mind and lack even basic monitoring. “Too often, there’s zero visibility into the OT environment,” he says. Professor Jones adds that the maritime industry lags behind
others on cyber-awareness: “I used to get a lot of blank faces when I raised this, but there’s definitely a growing sense of urgency.”
Cyber insurance This view is backed by Kelly Malynn, senior risk manager and cyber specialist for Beazley, who reports a “steady increase” in enquiries for cyber insurance since March, both for shoreside IT and on-board OT. She points out that new IMO rules which come into effect at the end of 2020, and which incorporate cyber-risk into existing risk management processes, are
mobile phone while at sea will reveal most Wi-Fi access points. Are they legitimate, or has an engineer installed something to allow them to access engine systems from their cabin? Or has another crewmember run out of internet allowance and hooked up a back door to the business network to get more access?
Too much bluster There can be no argument: security vulnerabilities in ships are a major problem. There is far too much bluster in the maritime cyber sector, and too many selfdeclared cybersecurity ‘experts’ driving meaningless checklists. I also have extensive concerns about cybersecurity certification, as we have never tested a vessel that we would consider to be suitably cyber-secure, even those fresh out of the yard with the latest systems on board. Assessing a vessel’s cyberseaworthiness properly takes a sizeable, rare skill set. It is not something we should leave solely at the captain’s door. Ken Munro is a consultant for Pen Test Partners, a provider of cybersecurity services to a variety of industries and organisations
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helping to focus minds. “Companies only have so much bandwidth, and they’re still preoccupied by the fall-out from the pandemic, but this threat isn’t going away,” she says.
Maersk memories
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No doubt the experiences of Danish shipping giant Maersk will be front of mind. In 2017, the transport and logistics giant was hit by a huge outage due to the NotPetya malware attack that disrupted companies around the world. Once the virus was activated within Maersk, it propagated within just seven minutes, devastating the group’s systems. All end-user devices, including 49,000 laptops, were corrupted, 1,200 applications became inaccessible and around 3,500 of its 6,200 servers were
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“If your valves open and you’re pumping oil into the middle of the ocean, then you’re not calling the IT department, you’re calling operations” disabled and couldn’t be reinstalled. Landlines were inoperable and contacts wiped from mobiles. The cost of the damage was estimated to be between US$250m and US$350m. The attack on Maersk made the headlines, but cyber experts say it is far from a lone case: most companies don’t choose to go public, fearing damage to their reputation. From GPS spoofs to malware attacks that impair on-board systems, there’s a growing mood of unease among insurers and cybersecurity experts about the vulnerabilities of the maritime sector. The first line of defence is proper training for all employees, moving from the basic hygiene factors of password security and email protocols up to resilience training and ensuring there’s a designated crew member on board who knows how to detect an intrusion and how to respond. “A well-trained crew is an asset; a poorly trained crew is an increased point of vulnerability,”
The £3m Cyber-SHIP Lab at the University of Plymouth was supported by funding from Research England
says Professor Jones. The University of Plymouth has built the ‘CyberSHIP Lab’, a real-world simulation whereby owners and operators can test their systems and processes. Part of this journey involves understanding where the risk lies. “The budget and accountability need to sit in operations, not IT, because they own the risk,” says Bramson. “If your valves open and you’re pumping oil into the middle of the ocean, then you’re not calling the IT department, you’re calling operations.”
Close the gaps There is some good news. Bramson says that if maritime is behind the curve, then so too are many of the bad guys, presenting a window of opportunity for the industry to pull together and close off some of the vulnerabilities before there’s a devastating incident. “There’s a unique opportunity to do this together,” he says. “We have to look across the whole chain, from ship builders and owners to charterers and insurers, and find a common language and cohesive approach to deal with this. We’re much stronger together than by adopting different standards and a piecemeal approach.” One key ingredient might be the formation of neutral clearing houses where companies can anonymously trade information about threats and attacks to inform others and share best practice.
In the meantime, the risk from shadowy players grows. Already Bramson is worrying that, as lockdowns ease and those working from home return to the office, there will be what he calls a “snap-back risk”. “It’s a latent cyber-risk where your IT network has been expanded, with people plugging their laptops and devices into their home networks, and now they’re coming back to your office,” he cautions. “You will check them for temperature and symptoms, but COVID-19 might not be the only virus your workers are bringing back with them.”
FURTHER READING To read an in-depth interview with Ian Bramson, chair of the IMarEST’s Maritime Cyber Risk Management SIG, go to bit. ly/33mHw5g. The Maritime Cyber Risk Management SIG has been established to identify and appraise new and emerging cyber-risks; to develop preventative guidance to strengthen understanding and offer practical remedies; and to disseminate this information to marine engineers, scientists and technologists using the systems affected. Visit Nexus for more information and to join the group.
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The data promise of marine wearables
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New developments in aquatic animal tagging could plumb new depths
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WORDS / JOANNA NASSAR
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To study the ocean’s health requires reliable and expensive monitoring technology. Today, scientists studying marine ecosystems deploy electronic tags on marine animals for extended periods of time and combine those observations with data from coastal monitoring buoys or satellite information. While there has been rapid advancement in bio-logging tags, most are rigid, invasive and heavy, as well as difficult to keep attached for long durations. Hence there is an urgent need for low-cost, miniature tags. These tags sense the environment along with the animal’s position, behaviour and activity, providing information about the health of our ecosystems and real-time changes. Current bio-logging tags cost more than US$5,000 on average, a high price that limits widespread large-scale deployment. A shift to deployment of animal ‘wearables’ could support and expand marine research and
increase our capability to monitor changing seas in local Marine Protected Areas and beyond. To that end, the Bluefin tag is the first skin-like marine wearable that can be non-invasively attached to marine species of all sizes and shapes, monitoring marine wildlife and global conservation, and that can withstand the harsh ocean environment. The stretchable, multi-sensory marine skin continuously monitors water temperature, salinity, pH and depth, down to 2km, in order to give information about the marine ecosystem and study the effects of climate change on ocean health.
Fit for purpose Unlike currently available marine tags, Bluefin is extremely lightweight (<2g) and thin (<2mm). It works in conjunction with the animal’s dynamics and does not impart additional drag during high-speed movements. Bluefin tackles the cost and weight challenges of current marinetagging techniques by translating low-cost advancements in skin-like technology into the marine realm. The tag continuously logs data from the sensors and stores them inside its integrated memory, then transmits the data wirelessly through low-power Bluetooth when the tag surfaces above water.
Historically, the skin type, shape variety and curvature of marine animals made attaching commercial telemetry tags challenging. Each tag had to be customised to the animal under study, and research was limited to studying large animals due to weight and size challenges. Also, tags were often attached in an invasive way, such as through drilling, stitching, clamping or tight Velcro belts. The Bluefin tag is non-invasively attached using a bio-compatible glue that works in conjunction with water to form a strong and robust bond. The tag is adaptable to any size and shape of marine species or even marine plants, due to its conformal and stretchable epidermal nature. By attaching Bluefin to marine animals, we are able to uncover the deep secrets of the ocean and study new areas that were previously unreachable. Bluefin provides marine scientists around the world with a tool to enable safe, low-cost and widespread in situ study of the ocean’s health in support of conservation and management of marine ecosystems and in areas that would otherwise be inaccessible. Bluefin has been tested on hard-shell marine animals such as crabs
Joanna Nassar is a postdoctoral researcher in biology at Hopkins Marine Station, Stanford University. She developed Bluefin while a PhD student in electrical engineering at King Abdullah University of Science and Technology, Saudi Arabia. RINE PROFESSIONAL
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ECDIS comes of age The same old arguments about its failings are sounded on repeat, but ECDIS is proving to be more than the sum of its parts
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Over-reliance, alarm fatigue, unnecessarily complex – these are familiar criticisms related to the use, and sometimes abuse, of electronic chart display and information systems (ECDIS). But, with every ship in the trading fleet required to be fitted with ECDIS under IMO SOLAS regulation V/19.2.10, this pervasive bit of kit has become essential for safe navigation. ECDIS has been cited in numerous accident reports as a cause of incidents, often through accidental misuse or because alarms have been ignored. However, these public reprehensions of ECDIS overshadow the vast majority of times ECDIS has been used as intended and without incident. The industry is already far enough along on its digital navigation journey for masters and ship managers to be fully aware of the capabilities and the limitations of ECDIS, say manufacturers. One of the biggest bugbears of the industry has been a lack of standardisation of systems. As Phil Williams, a member of the IMarEST’s Human Element SIG,
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notes, there was no standard mode in 1985 when ECDIS was first mentioned and the transition from analogue to digital navigation began. “As a consequence, by 2016, there were 38 ECDIS manufacturers, all with different menus and modes of operation,” he says.
Harmonised display As a result, seafarers who frequently move between ships are expected to understand a new display with different overlays, features and, crucially, alarm settings. Moves are being made to address the lack of standardisation, with IMO approving Interim Left to right: Tor Svanes, founder and CEO, NAVTOR; Hayley Van Leeuwen, director of product management and marketing, Voyager Worldwide
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Sperry Marine’s VisionMaster FT Integrated Bridge System is designed for use in both commercial and military settings, and is scalable for all types of vessels
Guidelines for the Harmonised Display of Navigation Information Received via Communication Equipment in MSC.1/Circ.1593 in 2018, the publication of Guidelines for the Standardisation of User Interface Design for Navigation Equipment in MSC.1/Circ.1609 in 2019, and the adoption of Resolution MSC.466(101), which amended the Performance Standards for the Presentation of Navigation-Related Information on Shipborne Navigational Displays (Resolution MSC.191(79)). “What this means in practice for the mariner is further standardisation in a wide range of areas. These include navigationrelated terminology; the definition of icons for hot keys and shortcuts; logical grouping of information; functions that must be accessible
Navigation, 1
“Many of those at sea today have never lived without Wi-Fi or really known a world without smartphones” by single or simple operator action; and specification of default and user settings,” explains Simon Cooke, technical manager at Sperry Marine, which is participating in the update of the International Electrotechnical Commission test standards that implement these changes and will gradually incorporate the changes within its ECDIS products.
Questioning standardisation But standardisation is not a fixall. “People often talk about using standards as a way to make the user experience more consistent. However, we risk focusing too much on the detail and forgetting the end user, moving too slowly for the fastmoving technologies we are talking about and stifling innovation,” warns Hayley Van Leeuwen, director of product management and marketing
at Voyager Worldwide. She would rather see the success of the next generation of products and services resting on companies’ abilities to elevate the human experience and make it easier for crews. The training aspect is also critical, says Cooke, with effective Type Specific ECDIS familiarisation needed to ensure mariners are appropriately trained on the system they encounter on the bridge. Van Leeuwen agrees: “As with all tools, ECDIS is only as good as the training its user has received.” That said, in all aspects of life, people are becoming increasingly used to things ‘just happening’, she adds: “Many of those at sea today have never lived without Wi-Fi or really known a world without smartphones. Maritime technology companies need to deliver more
human-focused experiences, in line with what people have come to expect in their day-to-day lives.”
Benefits of overlays Trading worldwide without electronic tools is no longer an option, says Tor Svanes, founder and CEO of NAVTOR. He says that ECDIS has become the modus operandi on all ships, even those that are not so modern. “Young navigators no longer want to use paper charts. They are timeconsuming and far less accurate than their electronic counterparts.” According to Svanes, modern ECDIS systems overlaid with passage planning, regulatory information and weather reports, among other overlays, are operationally far easier for crew. He accepts that in the beginning there were MARINE PROFESSIONAL
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teething problems, but, he adds, “There is very little negativity about ECDIS these days; it has more integration with other systems and equipment, while updating charts is a simple download.” That means systems are always up-to-date, and with modern ECDIS the standardisation of the display is simple, says Svanes. And with new displays, all reports are available to view in one window. However, Cooke cautions against adding ever more overlays. Cheaper and faster communication channels have led to an ever-increasing flow of information to the bridge, which has caused problems, as officers are left to prioritise data streams on an uninformed basis. Instead, future solutions need to focus on meeting the needs of mariners by reducing their workload and improving operational efficiencies. And OEMs should not be tempted to go it alone with future ECDIS developments. “It is essential to have navigators involved in ECDIS system design to ensure that their needs are met,” says Cooke.
Cyber-risks However, the biggest change for ECDIS will come in 2024 with the changes to chart formats. While in practical terms the changes will not be that significant, systems upgrades may mean that some operators will need to invest in new systems. While there won’t be any retrospective regulation, says Svanes, operators will need a system that complies with the new standard. Cyber-risks are also coming to the fore, with an escalation of attacks on shipping as a direct result of the gaps in protection that have appeared since remote working became the norm. Ship operators are increasingly seeking advice on how to secure the bridge environment against cyber-threats. Sperry Marine’s protection system uses multiple firewalls and a ‘demilitarised zone’ to ensure there is no direct connection between the navigation systems and the
and the importance of context in human-machine interaction – we are focusing our solutions on giving customers more ownership of their data in ways that give them more control and reduce cost and operational risk,” Van Leeuwen says. Software updates to Sperry Marine’s bridge system include enhanced alert management
“Other sectors long ago realised the importance of working together to provide superior workflow solutions” ship’s network. Cooke adds that the adoption of guidelines such as the CIRM Cyber Risk Code of Practice by vendors of marine electronic equipment and services gives further reassurance that cybersecurity is being considered by the supply chain. Challenges notwithstanding, there is excitement about what the future holds. Van Leeuwen cites the potential of artificial intelligence (AI), from the automation of basic tasks in existing workflows to providing increasing levels of decision support. She caveats that with a concession that, when AI solutions are applied to decisionmaking without transparency, it can make risk harder to manage and leave people feeling a loss of control. “At Voyager Worldwide we believe strongly in transparency
FIND OUT MORE The IMarEST’s Human Element SIG seeks to improve safety and operational efficiency and reduce the risk of operational incidents by educating the community about the significance of the human element in all aspects of marine engineering, science and technology. View the group through Nexus to find out more and to register your interest.
Everything as a service AI and machine learning are already powering Transas’s (now part of the Wärtsilä Group) Navi-Planner to optimise voyage planning, making use of the connected ECDIS. NaviPlanner draws its information from one of the world’s largest navigational databases, as well as AI, to auto-create a route that is safe to sail. It calculates weather optimisation, supports hazard identification, creates a voyage plan and provides the latest charts and data automatically. Collaboration is also ramping up across the navigation technology community, and not a moment too soon, in Van Leeuwen’s eyes. “Other sectors long ago realised the importance of working together to provide superior workflow solutions.” One final important shift that will set the path for future development is change at the customer level. Over the past couple of years, Van Leeuwen explains, Voyager Worldwide has seen its customers’ concept of product ownership change. “When our customers buy our products, they are in many cases no longer purchasing physical, finished items, but rather a way to access evolving, constantly improving services. This is in line with the more general trend towards ‘everything as a service’, whether that be Netflix, Uber or Salesforce.” Shipowners today have new requirements and expectations; they want outcomes, not ownership. This can only aid in the improved use and understanding of ECDIS’s growing capabilities, tying the OEMs into day-to-day operational use and giving them a greater incentive to empower crew to capitalise on future developments and add-ons. MARINE PROFESSIONAL
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Turbocharging the future
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Shipping’s need to keep up with economic and environmental pressures continues to put a premium on the development of turbocharger technology
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Ubiquitous now in most industrial sectors, turbochargers were, in fact, originally developed for large marine engines in the 1920s, when the German government commissioned two passenger liners – Preussen and Hansestadt Danzig. Both ships were powered by twin 10-cylinder diesel engines, but their output was boosted from 1,750hp to 2,500hp with the application of the world’s very first turbochargers, invented by Swiss engineer Alfred Büchi, who worked for the company that would eventually become technology giant ABB. One hundred years later and turbocharger performance remains a vital factor in shipping technology, influencing all of the important parameters of hydrocarbon engines, such as fuel economy, power output and emissions. A turbocharger is, essentially, a centrifugal compressor driven by an exhaust gas turbine that increases oxygen flow into the combustion chamber, allowing more fuel to be burned and engine power output to be increased significantly. Economic and environmental demands continue, therefore, to put pressure on the development of maritime turbocharger design. Notable innovations in recent years include two-stage turbocharging – where two exhaust gas turbochargers of different sizes and pressure stages are connected
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in series – and variable turbine geometry, which provides pressure ratio flexibility across the turbine by altering the housing via pivoting vane and moving wall designs. “Turbochargers can contribute to more efficient engines by continuous improvement in pressure ratios and power density,” explains Dino Imhof, head of turbocharging solutions at ABB. “A wider uptake of two-stroke turbocharging on medium-speed engines and the evolution of more compact and powerful units will offer new flexibility to engine builders and shipbuilders. “For medium-speed engines, the potential of two-stage turbocharging is exciting. ABB’s Power-2 800-M, for instance, offers advantages in power density and fuel efficiency that a single-stage solution simply cannot match.” Dino Imhof, ABB
“Turbochargers can contribute to more efficient engines by continuous improvement in pressure ratios and power density”
Eliminating lag A specific ongoing problem faced by designers is the fact that the additional performance offered by turbochargers only cuts in at higher engine speeds, because at lower speeds there isn’t enough exhaust gas to drive the turbine fast enough. Consequently, there tends to be a delay – or lag – before the required speed is reached. Designers have tried to overcome this challenge with increasingly complex and expensive devices, such as sequential and alternating switching concepts and adjustable turbine blades. Propulsion specialist MTU now believes that the answer lies in electrically assisted turbocharging, technology it aims to introduce to the market in 2021. “Electrically assisted turbocharging marries a conventional turbocharger with an electric drive motor,” explains Rudi Rappsilber, who is in charge of the team testing the new system at MTU. “The electric motor makes it possible to virtually decouple the operating point of the turbocharger from the speed of the diesel engine. The result is that significant delays in performance ramp-up are eliminated and optimum turbocharging can be achieved in almost every operating state.” Other critical areas in turbocharger design include aerodynamic efficiency. A new compressor stage and turbine housing introduced earlier this year by Cummins has addressed this issue directly; it has improved turbocharger output by more than 5%, the company claims. “We have used advanced aerodynamic techniques to design
Propulsion, 1
PROPULSION
“Producing fewer sizes of turbocharger would offer cost advantages through economies of scale”
ABB; MTU
ABB has introduced a new drydock-to-drydock turbocharger service concept to the market. Below: MTU aims to address turbo lag by electrically assisting turbocharging
a new impeller and compressor housing that offers much greater efficiency in the flow range of our customer’s applications,” explains Charles King-Cox, compressor and turbine director for Cummins Turbo Technologies. “In addition, we have developed a new turbine stage that enhances performance while still optimising thermal stress and improving fatigue life.” However, as turbochargers have become more complex, a new focus has started to emerge on how best to effectively service and maintain them. It’s a challenge that has led ABB to introduce a new drydockto-drydock service concept to the market – Turbo MarineCare. “Monitoring operational turbocharger data is a precondition of our Turbo MarineCare system,” explains Imhof. “It allows us to provide a complete health assessment of rotating components
INEC 2020
and enables early detection of abnormal data trends that can help to avoid potential turbocharger faults.” One of the most promising developments in maritime turbocharger provision is likely to be a streamlining of design and production delivery.
Innovative solutions “Producing fewer sizes of turbocharger would offer cost advantages through economies of scale and allow us to focus our research and development more sharply on those products,” explains Christoph Mathey of ABB Turbocharging. “A module consisting of the exhaust gas manifold, turbocharger, intercooler and silencer unit could be of interest. Most of the parts for a three-cylinder and fourcylinder unit are the same, which means the manifold and turbine housing are one package, with the possibility for connecting an additional cylinder. “Whereas the turbine volute is adjusted by the shape of the volute, volume flow is adapted by upscaling the rotor by around 15%,
The IMarEST’s International Naval Engineering Conference and Exhibition 2020 (INEC 2020), the foremost professional event in the naval engineer’s calendar, will take place in a virtual format on 5–9 October 2020. The free-to-attend event will consist of a series of mixed-format live-streamed sessions led by authors and leading figures from the naval engineering and ship control systems communities. For more information, and to register your interest, go to www. imarest.org/events/inec-2020
and consequently the bearing unit, the diffuser and the nozzle ring, as well as some specific housings. The silencer, compressor volute and intercooler remain the same for all units, allowing balancing of the increase in turbocharger efficiency of the larger rotor in comparison with the smaller turbocharger unit. “Increasing modularity and standardisation in these ways will depend on extending our collaboration with engine designers, but, with close cooperation, we will find even more innovative turbocharger solutions to the future requirements of the shipping industry.” MARINE PROFESSIONAL
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Rise and fall of the barge carrier
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A concept with promise did not stand up to financial scrutiny and was ultimately laid to rest with the advent of containerisation WORDS / JOHN BARNES
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Throughout the 1970s, with efficiency in mind, there were various attempts to make shipping more cost-effective by reducing time in port through speedier cargo handling. As Henri Kummerman, the man who built up the MacGregor cargo-handling business, would often say: “Time in port is wasted time.” The most significant development in this area was of course containerisation, which would eventually become the norm for general cargo shipment. Nevertheless, there have been other, more revolutionary approaches to cutting port time. One of these solutions was the barge carrier, which used the principle of separating the cargo-carrying function from the propulsion section of the vessel. In this concept, the vessel would carry a number of barges,
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The LASH was the most successful barge-carrier design
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each loaded with cargo, which would be off-loaded in harbours or rivers for onward movement to an unloading location that might be an inland port or canal system. Meanwhile, the mother ship would load replacement barges, also pre-loaded, and depart for the next port of call. The idea was that time taken handling the cargo would be cut to a minimum and the efficiency of the system thereby maximised. This concept resulted in a number of different designs, such as LASH (Lighter Aboard SHip), BACAT (Barge Aboard CATamaran) and the Lykes Lines’ Seabees, each developed for its own operational requirements.
LASH success Far and away the most successful design concept was the LASH, which was equipped with a large gantry crane that ran on rails from abaft the forward-positioned superstructure right to the stern and on to outriggers which enabled the barges to be lifted in and out of the water. Each barge had a deadweight of around 380 tons and was stowed below and on deck. From 1969 to the early 1980s, a total of 29 LASH ships would be constructed. The first was the 49,000 dwt Acadia Forest, which was built by Sumitomo Uraga Dock in Japan and entered service in September 1969. It could load up to 75 standard-size
History, 1
In 1976, unofficial action by some dock workers in Hull led to the withdrawal of the BACAT service between Rotterdam and the Humber The last conventionally powered LASH sent to the breakers – in December 2007 – was Rhine Forest, previously Bilderdyck. At one extreme in terms of size was the 2,700 ton deadweight BACAT 1, built by Denmark’s Danyard in 1974. It was unique in being a catamaran for transporting small barges of around 140 tons deadweight each and was designed to service the inland waters of the UK and near continent, crossing the North Sea. However, in 1976, unofficial action by some dock workers in Hull led to the withdrawal of the BACAT service between Rotterdam and the Humber.
Seabees
SHIPS AND SHIPPING OF TOMORROW
An artist’s impression of a typical LASH barge carrier, together with details of stowage arrangements
barges and was soon joined by a sister ship, Atlantic Forest. The most prolific yard building these vessels was Avondale Industries of New Orleans, which built 11 of the 29,820 dwt version (LASH 2) and nine of the larger 41,000 dwt variant (LASH 1). The owners were Prudential Grace Line and Pacific Far East Line. All were delivered through the 1970s and most were scrapped by 2006, although four were converted to container ships and one passed to the US National Defense Reserve Fleet.
The last LASH Two further vessels were built in Europe in 1971: the 44,800 dwt Dutch-flagged Bilderdyck by Boelwerf and German-owned München by Cockerell. Typical of the vessel type, Bilderdyck was owned by Holland America Line and could carry around 100 lighters. The sister ship München of Hapag Lloyd was tragically lost with all hands in the Atlantic in December 1978, possibly due to being overwhelmed, it is believed, by a giant wave. Four other examples are believed to have been constructed for the Soviet Union.
At the other end of the scale were the Seabees, which used much larger barges capable of carrying 850 tons that were floated in and out of the mother ship’s hull in a similar fashion to a naval Landing Ship Dock. A hoistable platform with a capacity of 2,700 tons and capable of handling two barges at a time then raised these to the cargo deck level. Here railmounted trolleys slotted under the barges and transported them along the length of the ship to their stowage position. Three of these 39,000 dwt barge carriers were built for America’s Lykes Brothers in 1972 by the Fore River shipyard in Quincy, Massachusetts. They could carry 38 lighters. In 1986, all three were transferred to the United States Maritime Administration for use as military transport vessels; they are currently held in reserve for reactivation if and when required. MARINE PROFESSIONAL
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of the ship’s nuclear propulsion system and the shadow of the Chernobyl disaster of 1986, just a few years earlier. Local newspapers had also reported a four-minute emergency on board the nuclear icebreaker Rossiya only a week before the arrival of Sevmorput. The ship was finally allowed to dock at Vladivostok on 13 March 1989.
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Sevmorput was built at Zaliv shipbuilding yard in Kerch, Crimea
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The Soviet Union also had two examples of the Seabee concept built by Finland’s Valmet shipyard in 1978 and 1979. After a somewhat varied career, they were scrapped in 2003. As well as the straight barge carrier, there was an unusual variant that combined the carriage of barges below deck with containers above. This was the 21,800 ton deadweight BACO Liner, three examples of which were built between 1979 and 1984 by Thyssen Nordseewerke GmbH in Emden. Unimaginatively named BACO Liner 1, 2 and 3 respectively, they could each load 12 barges and up to 650 standard 20ft containers, and operated between Europe and Africa. All three were scrapped by 2013.
A nuclear version While the last conventionally powered LASH went to the breakers in 2007, one variant is still in service. In the Soviet Union, a nuclear-powered barge carrier, the 38,226 gross ton Sevmorput, which has icebreaking capability,
A flawed concept
was commissioned in 1988. It has operated successfully on the Northern Sea Route and is reported to still be in service in 2020. The vessel is powered by a single KLT-40 reactor with a thermal output of 135MW at 290°C. In case of emergency, steam can also be produced by a diesel-fuelled boiler rated at 50 tons/hour.
Despite the apparent logic of the idea, the barge-carrying concept had unforeseen operational difficulties However, as with the other nuclear merchant ships, the carrier’s entry into service was not straightforward. Initially, it was denied entry to four major ports in the Soviet Far East. Authorities in Nakhodka, Vostochny, Magadan and Vladivostok refused to accept the two-month-old ship into their ports due to popular protests. In addition, harbour workers refused to load or unload any cargo or provide any port services due to fears of radiation leakage. This was caused by uncertainty about the safety
SHIP DIMENSIONS Overall length Beam Draught Deadweight Power Speed
LASH 1 262.00m 32.50m 11.30m 43,000t 26,000hp 19kn
Despite the apparent logic of the idea, the barge-carrying concept had unforeseen operational difficulties. While the barges were just large cargo containers when aboard their mother ship, when off-loaded into a harbour, river or canal, they became vessels in their own right. As such, they were required to be fitted with a range of equipment, including anchors, winches and coupling. In addition, there was a need to employ tugs to tow the barges to their final destinations. Also, if they were being used to serve waterways that freeze over in winter, extra capital expenditure would be needed. Studies showed that the costs of addressing all these issues, along with the costs of operating the carrier ships and their lighters themselves, were much higher than for the regular freighters or the container ships that were beginning to take over the market for the transportation of manufactured goods. In reality, barge carriers turned out to be only economic under certain specific operating conditions, which ultimately proved to be their downfall.
BARGE DIMENSIONS LASH 2 250.00m 30.50m 10.70m 29,600t 32,000hp 22kn
Seabee 266.70m 32.26m 10.00m 45,400t 36,000hp 20kn
BACAT 103.50m 20.70m 5.40m 1,840t 2,250hp 13kn
Length Beam Draught Weight Capacity
LASH 18.70m 9.50m 2.60m 80t 380t
Seabee 29.75m 10.67m 3.25m 150t 850t
BACAT 16.80m 4.70m 2.47m – 140t
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The question of design originality
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Intellectual property disputes can cost a naval architect dearly if material alterations and embellishments are insufficient WORDS / ROBERT HODGE
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ITIC insures naval architects, designers and offshore engineers against claims from third parties for alleged infringements of intellectual property. Recently there has been an increase in litigation in this area. Under English law, designs are capable of protection under the law of copyright, and an outright copy of the protected work will be a breach of those legal rights. This becomes more complicated if the naval architect only used the design as a reference point for their own later work; if they made material alterations and embellishments in the later work sufficient to make the totality a new work or design, they will not be in breach of copyright. This was the issue in a recent case. A naval architect was approached to design a catamaran workboat. The customer provided a plan of their existing workboat and requested the final design and specification be based on that boat. The customer’s stamp was on the plan and the naval architect assumed that the customer was entitled to use the plans. The workboat was designed, and a press release was issued to the trade press. A third-party naval architect saw the press release and claimed that the catamaran was built to their design. They issued a ‘cease and desist’ letter against the naval architect. It then became apparent that the customer had placed their stamp over the third-party naval architect’s details. The naval architect, who was insured by ITIC, had made
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significant design and specification changes to the original plans. ITIC instructed a barrister who specialises in copyright matters to consider whether these changes created a new design. The barrister advised that the onus of proof on the naval architect was high, as there was clear evidence that a third party’s design was passed to them and clearly influenced their design. He believed the changes to the original design were only refinements and did not evolve the design sufficiently far enough from the original. The barrister therefore advised that the only risk-free solution was to not continue with any of the existing designs. Otherwise, if the build were to proceed, the third-
Often the shipyard or buyer of a vessel, when contracting with a naval architect, may impose their own intellectual property party naval architect would seek an injunction to stop the work. ITIC’s member redesigned the workboat from scratch. The copyright expert reviewed the work and confirmed that the second design appeared to be original. The project proceeded with the customer and the workboat is now in the water.
Property rights Another common question is: who owns the intellectual property rights? ITIC has drafted terms and conditions for naval architects,
in which it states: “All intellectual property created by virtue of Consultant carrying out the works under this Agreement, is owned by Consultant, with Client receiving a non-exclusive royalty-free licence to use the intellectual property created by Consultant under this Agreement, for the purposes referred to in this Agreement.” The above shows the naval architect will retain ownership of the intellectual property.
Alterations and embellishments Often, however, the shipyard or buyer of a vessel, when contracting with a naval architect, may impose their own intellectual property. If the naval architect is happy with this, that is not a problem; however, they must consider the ramifications when working on future projects. ITIC insured a naval architect designing superyachts who was contracted to design two yachts with the same yard by two different owners, with each owner under the belief that they were to get a unique yacht. In the contract for the first of the two yachts, the designer contracted on the basis that all intellectual property rights in the project would belong to the owner in perpetuity. The second yacht was built and launched with the yard using the same engineering platform. The platform dictated somewhat the overall look of the yacht, but the designer went to great lengths to make material alterations and embellishments to make the totality a new work or design.
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INSURANCE damages of US$2 million for the alleged infringement. It named the engineering firm, the head contractor and the end user in those proceedings.
Cost of innocence
Buyers are often attracted to a yacht because of the unique characteristics of its design – which may constitute intellectual property
After the launch of both yachts, they were at the same anchorage, at which time the owner’s partner commented that the yacht next to them looked similar. Shortly afterwards the owner commenced litigation against the designer for breach of their design contract. The merits of the case were strongly in favour of the designer, as they could show material alterations and embellishments in the design. Moreover, any similarities were either a result of the underlying engineering platform of the yacht, or were considered to be the house style of that particular designer. The reason a buyer chooses a Porsche is that they have a particular style, which can be the reason an owner chooses a particular yacht designer. Although the merits were in favour of the designer, the dispute was brought in multiple jurisdictions and the total legal cost to defend the matter was €340,000, which ITIC paid in full.
Patent problems In addition to copyright and design disputes, there are patents disputes. For example, an offshore engineering firm was engaged by the head contractor involved in the construction of an offshore wind farm to design a subsea pile template (SPT). The engineering firm designed the SPT and it was being used in the construction of the wind farm when the firm received notice from a competing firm of engineers alleging that it held a European patent in respect of the piece of equipment and that the SPT infringed its patent. The competing firm subsequently issued legal proceedings in which it claimed
The contract between the engineering firm and the head contractor included an indemnity in favour of the head contractor and the end user. This provided that the engineering firm was responsible for legal costs incurred in defending a claim arising out of the alleged breach of a third party’s intellectual property. This type of indemnity is a common provision in such contracts. Counsel’s advice was sought. The barrister concluded that there was a more than 50% likelihood that the engineering firm would be found to have not infringed the patent, and further, there was a more than 50% chance that a court would find the claimant’s patent to be invalid due to a lack of novelty. Nevertheless, it was clear that there remained a significant risk in allowing a trial to proceed. Additionally, patent disputes are expensive to litigate. Discussions took place with a view to settling the claim. The claim was ultimately resolved with a contribution towards the claim for damages of US$250,000 and on terms which included a licence providing for the engineering firm to be able to continue to use the SPT in question. The legal costs incurred amounted to another US$250,000. In these examples, the architects insured by ITIC were arguably the innocent party. Unfortunately, the cost of defending intellectual property claims is expensive and once again shows the cost of innocence can be very high. Robert Hodge is a director at ITIC, a provider of professional indemnity insurance for transport contractors and professionals MARINE PROFESSIONAL
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Gender should never be a barrier to achievement DIVERSITY
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The search and rescue sector welcomes diversity to inspire and encourage Theresa Crossley CEO, International Maritime Rescue Federation
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he International Maritime Rescue Federation (IMRF) is an international NGO working to develop and improve global maritime search and rescue (SAR) capacity. The lifeboat organisations attending the first International Lifeboat Conference, established in 1924, represented nine different countries, but all the attendees were men. Ninety-six years later, the attendees at any IMRF meeting are just as likely to be female as male, and the IMRF is working hard to open the sector to women still further. Traditionally a male-dominated sector, maritime SAR organisations all around the world today have women working at all levels – in lifeboat crews, leading national and international SAR organisations or developing innovative technologies to help save lives at sea. Maritime SAR – like any sector or industry – should be open to anyone, regardless of background, age, gender or culture. It has been proven over and over that diversity is good for any organisation. Too often, women’s roles can be limited by a public perception
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of what’s appropriate, but given the chance, women can change these perceptions and really make a difference. Male or female, everyone in the SAR community is united, working to prevent loss of life in the world’s waters; women are proving that they bring special qualities and skills to this important sector. In support of IMO’s Empowering Women initiative, the IMRF launched its #WomenInSAR network in 2019 to enable women involved in maritime SAR around the world to share their experiences and challenges. In the same year, the IMRF launched a #WomenInSAR Award to acknowledge outstanding women in the sector.
Leading from the front Several of the IMRF’s member organisations are led by inspirational women. IMRF Trustee Cia Sjöstedt is the CEO of Sjöräddningssällskapet, the Swedish Sea Rescue Society. She leads 2,300 volunteer crew members, and the society is responsible for 80% of all the sea rescues in Sweden. Rikke Lind is secretary general of IMRF member organisation Redningsselskapet, the Norwegian Society for Sea Rescue. Before becoming secretary general, she served five years as vice minister of
Isobel Tugwell, winner of the first IMRF #WomenInSAR Award
trade and industry, responsible for maritime policy in Norway. To increase women’s opportunities in maritime SAR, the IMRF has organised all-women training sessions. The first was held in October 2019 and was attended by women from 12 different African countries. It included classroom-based learning, practical exercises and a visit to a maritime rescue coordination centre, helping the women to increase their expertise and qualifications and to share their knowledge and skills with others. All around the world, women are playing vital roles in maritime SAR organisations, from the teenage member of a local lifeboat crew to the CEO planning, resourcing and delivering a nationwide maritime SAR service – real examples of how women are already making a valuable contribution to this sector. Gender should never be a barrier to achievement.
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Unleash human potential to tackle emissions ENVIRONMENT
It is essential to empower crews to connect, collaborate and take responsibility for reducing CO2 globally Berend van de Kraats Founder, Oceans X
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s a former captain of a submarine, I am aware that everything has a limit. The diving depth is limited by the pressure on the hull; safe approach distances are limited by the relative speed; the proximity to land is limited by the amount of water under the keel; the patrol box is limited by political risk appetite; and the choice of our next port of call is limited by allocated budgets. Indeed, everything is limited except the potential of the crew. Using crew potential to its full extent in every moment and every situation was my main focus as a captain, especially in complex and uncertain situations. Unleashing this human potential is not a one-size-fits-all protocol. It is different for each team and each journey. It flourished under specific circumstances, often when it was most desirable. In those moments, one plus one became three in our teams. Capitalising on crew potential comes down to orchestrating the right circumstances. People need to feel secure, free, connected and trusted to contribute to the overall mission. Oceans X’s Oceans ONE initiative does just that, empowering crew who have the ambition to reduce the ecological footprint of their vessel. The Oceans ONE platform provides a playing field in which crews can battle each other by accomplishing fun missions. By
sharing knowledge and experiences, they also earn challenge points. With data-driven insights based on analysis of their own sensor data, they are stimulated to reduce their actual CO2 emissions. Meanwhile, their attitude and behaviour are visualised using an application that is able to analyse the collective experiences of the community. In other words, Oceans ONE unleashes the human potential around this complex, overarching CO2 emissions issue.
Correct problem? It is fair to say that we do not know for certain if we are focused on the right problem, but what we do know is that climate change is a big influencer and therefore intrinsically motivates a lot of seafarers. Once empowered in a collective movement, a change
of course is possible without abandoning ship. The destination remains fixed: taking care of our climate, together. Yes, there are technical innovations already available that make zero-emissions possible, such as battery technology, clean fuels, hydrogen and/or nuclear. But, unfortunately, incorporating new technology into the real (moving) world has been harder than hoped. The solution will likely be a combination of all the available innovative techniques. Without social innovation, implementation of technical innovation is inefficient. Social innovation is a collective responsibility; the ‘soft stuff’ is always the hardest part. So let’s start with the hard part and empower crews to act responsibly for the environment through Oceans ONE.
The Oceans X Oceans ONE CO2 Challenge is open to every crew, organisation or institution. For more information, including how to participate, visit oceansx.nl/oceans1 MARINE PROFESSIONAL
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Are we capitalising on increased connectivity? DIGITALISATION
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The industry needs to overcome its trust issues to truly capture the benefits of digitalisation Kenneth Vareide CEO, DNV GL Digital Solutions
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hipping has always been a cyclical industry, adapting to changing tides. When China’s entry into the markets boosted global trade, the entire maritime industry, from owners to engineers to naval architects, responded immediately. They built bigger, better ships that could efficiently carry more cargo over longer distances. In the decades since, the industry has grown and changed, responding to numerous challenges. Now we face a perfect storm: we must address the zero-emissions agenda while responding to COVID-19 and its market implications. There is one game-changer that can help us: connectivity. With increased connectivity, the maritime industry can be rewired with new processes and business models. There is no lack of creative energy in our industry, but some of it is being poured into the wrong things. With each organisation building its own individual system, ‘DIY’ digitalisation is proving more difficult and more expensive than expected. There are limits to how efficient these systems can be. Compare digitalisation to the transformation from break-bulk cargo to container shipping. When there were no universal standard dimensions for containers, there was a limit to how efficiently cargo could be loaded and shipped. We have the same situation today with data. Each shipowner is
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pouring resources into making the best ‘break-bulk’ data system. Or compare digitalisation to the creation of the electric grid. How far would we get if each town had different electricity systems and standards?
Standardisation challenges Why hasn’t the industry been able to standardise and share data in a way that would lead to a revolution on par with containerisation and the creation of the electric grid? One of the biggest factors is the lack of trust regarding data integrity and data security. Owners, charterers, manufacturers and brokers are protecting their own positions, sitting on their data silos. This will not last. The changes will come – and on an industrial scale. The business models will change. We are going to build smarter vessels and fleets based on smart global logistics systems integrated with the rest of the world economy. To make this happen sooner rather than later, we need to look
hard at the difficult issues now. We need to solve the issue of trust. We need to adopt these new technologies safely and efficiently. That’s why DNV GL built the Veracity industry platform for secure connectivity between industry players, driving digital transformation. Together, we’re creating standards for collecting and systematising data. In February, the Smart Maritime Council, representing shipping companies, technology providers, manufacturers and stakeholders, officially supported the ISO 19848 data standard. The Veracity platform now supports ISO 19848 for ingestion, extraction, querying and exchange of data. In time, 60,000 vessels could collect data in the same way. Easyto-use data in a standard format enables more innovation and faster time to market for valuable services. Our vision is that this will be the basis of a maritime ‘grid’, a digital revolution that will benefit the entire industry in ways that we are only just starting to see.
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COMMENT
Kicking off a decade of ocean science OCEAN SCIENCE
The IMarEST has much to offer a 10-year initiative to develop scientific knowledge, build infrastructure and foster partnerships Dr Stephen de Mora Ambassador for the UN Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development, and Council member, the IMarEST Dr Bev MacKenzie Technical and policy director, the IMarEST
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he marine and maritime community was charged with an unparalleled challenge and opportunity with the resolution of the UN General Assembly on 5 December 2017 “to proclaim the United Nations Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development to begin on January 1, 2021”. The UN called on the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission of UNESCO (IOC) to prepare an implementation plan for the Decade in consultation with its member States, specialised agencies (through UN-Oceans), funds, programmes and bodies of the UN, as well as with other IGOs, NGOs and relevant stakeholders, with a focus on adaptation strategies and scienceinformed policy responses to global change. Accordingly, as an IOC observer, the IMarEST sees an opportunity to engage the significant expertise and experience of its membership in the conversation, but also to bring in the view of its younger membership, the future ocean leaders. During a two-year preparatory phase, an executive planning
group of international experts convened a series of global and regional meetings to create the vision: “The science we need for the ocean we want.” The vision is to develop scientific knowledge, build infrastructure and foster partnerships for a sustainable and healthy ocean; to provide ocean science, data and information to inform policy for a well-functioning ocean in support of all UN Sustainable Development Goals; and to generate scientific knowledge and underpinning infrastructure and partnerships.
A set of high-level priorities has been developed that will seek to ensure the IMarEST contributes to the success of the Decade Real progress But what is the real game-changer? The fundamental philosophy of the UN Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development is inclusivity. A wide range of disciplines will come together to include science, technology, education, socio-economics and policymakers on a level not seen before. Participation is being actively encouraged from academia, business, industry, IGOs, NGOs, foundations and civil society on a significant scale. Importantly, partnerships and capacity-building will support less developed nations, and there will be an emphasis on training the next generation of marine and maritime practitioners.
Diversity will be high on the agenda, with a view to fostering equality within the ocean space.
Pertinent themes The IMarEST has much to offer the UN Decade. Our recent Annual Conference highlighted a number of pertinent themes where we might have an impact, namely the ocean and climate, the impact of marine activities on marine mammals, plastic pollution, and non-native species introduction through ballast and biofouling. Accordingly, a set of high-level priorities has been developed (the IMarEST UN Decade Priorities) that will seek to ensure the IMarEST contributes to the success of the Decade. These priorities are: ● Uniting our members in the common goal of ensuring safe and sustainable use of the ocean and mobilising our community to promote the Ocean Decade. ● Engaging those who work in the marine sector as stewards of the ocean through high standards of professional practice, codes of ethics and by recognition of skills and competence. ● Ensuring equity and inclusivity and encouraging transparency across the marine sector. ● Undertaking advocacy at the highest levels and growing partnerships.
To help support the IMarEST’s initiatives during the Ocean Decade, please get in touch at technical@imarest.org MARINE PROFESSIONAL
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The IMarEST’s shared knowledge hub In this section:
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55 Supporting the ‘net zero’ effort 57 Branch spotlight: Benelux 58 Fellow Q&A: Commodore David B Smith 60 SIG update 63 The Carbon Trust’s joint industry project on offshore floating wind 64 Institute news
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Support for a clean energy transition
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In an era where climate change and the quest for ‘net zero’ are at the fore, the marine environment has a key role to play in supporting a paradigm shift WORDS / ED WALKER
Power generation is one of the largest contributors to greenhouse gas emissions, but only recently have we begun to move away from ‘conventional’ energy sources. Between 1920 and 2010, the contribution of fossil fuels to electricity generation reduced only slightly, from 100% to 80%; between 2010 and 2019, the increased appetite for renewables and other non-fossils halved this contribution to circa 40%. Have we achieved something? Certainly, and at a rapid
pace, but much work remains to achieve the 2050 target of net zero.
Renewable and lowcarbon energy In Q1 2020, renewable energy broke records by generating almost half of the UK’s electricity generation. Of this figure, over 15% was provided by offshore wind, according to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS). The UK is the world leader in offshore wind, with a greater installed capacity than any other country, as reported by the Global Wind Energy
Council. This is down to the combination of accessible offshore development areas, a plethora of deep-water hubs and the wind energy resources around UK waters. Add to this the UK’s maritime engineering heritage, established through shipbuilding, oil and gas and, somewhat ironically, the coal industry. Looking around the UK coasts, the industrial regions once geared toward these conventional marine activities are undergoing a transformation. Former oil and gas capital Aberdeen and ex-shipbuilding hub
Blyth now host major offshore wind testing facilities. Teesside, once internationally renowned for its steel, is set to be developed as the UK’s first zero-carbon industrial cluster. Is there an opportunity to build on this position further to support a clean energy transition? The industry certainly thinks so. The offshore wind vision for 2030 focuses on a £48bn investment in UK infrastructure, 16,000 new skilled jobs in coastal areas and a five-fold increase in export value to £2.6bn each year, according to BEIS. MARINE PROFESSIONAL
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POWER
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Wind is often the technology that springs to mind when we think of marine energy, but the UK’s coasts are home to numerous other generating stations. Hartlepool, Heysham, Dungeness, Sizewell, Hinkley and Bradwell all host nuclear generation facilities, with further low-carbon nuclear stations planned for the latter three. Dotted around the coast are numerous smaller low-carbon power stations seeking to benefit from the use of seawater as a source of cooling in the generation process or other periphery benefits, such as marine access for large components. Looking toward younger and less welldeveloped technologies, tidal energy presents an attractive source of renewable power. However, despite the UK possessing around 50% of Europe’s total tidal energy resource, it is relatively undeveloped, with around 10MW of operational capacity. With the economic consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic on all of our minds, there has never been a more pressing time to consider how emerging technologies can be exploited, both to further the UK’s transition to clean energy and to stimulate economic recovery and growth. Taking tidal stream as an example, there is an immense opportunity: the Offshore Renewable Energy Catapult predicts that this
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industry could generate a cumulative benefit of £1.4bn and support almost 4,000 jobs.
Levenmouth Demonstration Turbine is an openaccess offshore wind turbine dedicated to research
Environmental consequences There is an opportunity to utilise the UK’s marine environment to support a clean energy transition, and through a range of technologies. But at what cost? Amid the overwhelming positivity around lowcarbon projects, we must remember that large-scale infrastructure projects bring a suite of potential environmental effects. Just as offshore wind avoids fossil-based generation, construction, operation and ultimately decommissioning may present myriad local environmental pressures. A wide range of stakeholders inform the ultimate decision on marine consent; while a relatively young regulatory system, these organisations and ultimate decision-makers are not afraid to flex their muscles. Earlier this year, Hornsea Three (a major offshore wind project) was delayed primarily due to concerns around environmental effects on local bird populations, while Thanet Extension (also offshore wind) was refused entirely, largely due to navigational risks. The Marine Management Organisation (MMO), a public body sponsored by Defra, is responsible for granting marine licences in English waters, and a key adviser to the UK Planning Inspectorate.
Amid the positivity around low-carbon projects, we must remember that largescale infrastructure projects bring a suite of potential environmental effects “The MMO always endeavours to enable sustainable development,” says Paul Stephenson, senior manager for renewables at the organisation. “However, the offshore wind industry faces a challenging time in ensuring that it meets the environmental requirements for all offshore industry, while also meeting the government policy targets for net zero and the desire to have 40GW of wind by 2030. With a new round of seabed leasing rights around the corner, it will become increasingly important for offshore industry to collaborate with the UK Planning Inspectorate, conservation bodies, regulators and other stakeholders.”
Future focus Looking at the future of the UK’s marine energy industry, it will be crucial to plan more strategically to maximise development in the most favourable regional
locations. As marine development increases, this will be challenging, not least because a drive for maximum investment appeal and profitability can sometimes be a competing force against achieving optimum environmental performance. Just as the issue of environmental sensitivities will form an important part of site selection, the promotion of regional hubs to support clean, low-carbon marine energy presents many strategic benefits. I am hopeful that the regional success stories noted above can be replicated, ideally for newer technologies, such as wave and tidal. I believe that the UK marine environment can support a transition to clean energy. Successes over the past 15 years are encouraging. It will be for our professional community to embrace the many challenges and opportunities that lie ahead.
Ed Walker is a senior environmental consultant in AECOM’s environment and planning team and a member of the IMarEST. He specialises in providing support for clients seeking to develop marine power infrastructure.
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BRANCH SPOTLIGHT
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Nurturing innovation in Benelux
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Arthur Vrijdag explains why partnerships, collaboration and knowledge-sharing strengthen IMarEST members in the Benelux region
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What three adjectives best describe your region? International, diverse, innovative. The Benelux Branch is a close-knit and curious network, with members who are very active in the profession.
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What’s keeping your Branch members awake at night and why? The question of how to maintain an innovative maritime ecosystem in the long term. This includes worries about the erosion of knowledge and fragmented research efforts, driven by a sometimes limited willingness to share knowledge, even at a pre-competitive stage. As a learned society, we can play a positive, albeit limited, role in sharing knowledge and facilitating discussion among members. Our members also worry about how to retain competitive advantage to the benefit of an innovative ecosystem and supported by economic stimulus. Lastly, a major concern is the impact of COVID-19 on job security.
What are the regional opportunities on the horizon for your Branch and members? In the coming decade, a significant number of naval newbuilding projects will most certainly give a boost to the industry and our members. Also, we are starting to see secondments between maritime companies, governmental bodies and knowledge institutes in our region – an encouraging development. We believe this is a great way to get to understand each other better and to create long-lasting, meaningful
professional relations. Here, we are keen to learn from other regions where secondments are more common. We are also investigating the possibility of joint membership between our Benelux Branch and KIVI (Royal Institute of Engineers). We believe this will be an incredibly positive development in our region. What plans do you have for further development of the Branch? We plan to expand our presence to incorporate other educational institutes, to increase
SUB VISIT WELCOMED As part of the Benelux Branch’s 2019 mini-symposium on submarine technology at the Netherlands Defence Academy in Den Helder, members benefited greatly from an excursion to the submarine service. There was even an opportunity to enjoy an excellent tour inside one of the submarines.
Above: Arthur Vrijdag (right) presents a ‘Best Lecture’ award to (from left to right) Celia Wei (Wageningen University & Research), Harsh Sapra (Delft University of Technology) and Lindert van Biert (Delft University of Technology) in recognition of their outstanding presentation on joint PhD research
our visibility and drive potential membership among young people. As an example, we are planning to have our annual mini-symposium this year at the premises of the STC Maritime & Logistics University of Applied Sciences in Rotterdam, if COVID-19 restrictions allow it. Further, we aim to maintain our high-quality lectures, which always feature a lively debate afterwards. This makes us stand out in our region. If you could change one thing about your region in relation to the marine environment, what would it be? We would make it possible for innovative green ideas to move faster from the drawing board to on-board prototypes. Arthur Vrijdag is chair of the IMarEST’s Benelux Branch MARINE PROFESSIONAL
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FELLOW Q&A
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“I never tire of promoting engineering careers”
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IMarEST Fellow Commodore David B Smith explains why it should be our collective mission to beat the drum for employment in the sector INTERVIEW / CARLY FIELDS
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How did you first get into the marine industry? Growing up on the west coast of Scotland, my family, like many others, had strong historical connections with the sea and engineering. My father, who, like my grandfather, worked in John Brown’s Shipyard, took me to see the launch of the QE2. I still have the cinefilm he took that day. I stood in amazement looking at the sheer size and complexity of what those people had created. After that, there were many visits to the river Clyde with my father and my Observer’s Book of Ships; together with family tales of far-flung places like Singapore and the West Indies, I knew what I wanted to do. Off I went to South Shields Marine & Technical College to be a Royal Fleet Auxiliary (RFA) engineer officer cadet, where I would go on to study for all my Certificates of Competency.
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What were your biggest career challenges? I have always been frustrated by the lack of knowledge relating to maritime qualifications within our society and how they could map across
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to more widely known academic standards. I set myself a challenge to do whatever I could to promote awareness of our knowledge, skills and experience. I have worked with other like-minded people to promote the professional standing of marine engineers both within the maritime industry and in wider professional engineering circles. This has not been easy, as academia can sometimes be influenced by nothing more than intellectual snobbery and, ironically, ignorance. The Class 1 Certificate of Competency is still a relatively unknown quantity in the wider engineering profession, and the academic and professional knowledge necessary to obtain one is still a mystery to many. Having obtained my master’s degree 10 years ago, I can compare the work that is required to obtain both, and it is clear to me that the maritimebased qualification produces a more rounded and capable individual. Please tell us more about the RFA Streamlined Route to Chartered Status that you created. The Streamlined Route was inspired by the fact
“Academia can sometimes be influenced by nothing more than intellectual snobbery and, ironically, ignorance” that I had worked with many naval officers who had benefited from such a scheme in their service. It recognised and credited many of their career courses that we in the RFA also have to attend and pass alongside our naval counterparts. We also had graduate cadetships, HND cadetships and the Class 1 Certificate of Competency, together with very many years of sea-going experience, and I thought it rather odd that we weren’t getting credit for that. It goes back to the fact that the Class 1 Certificate of Competency is largely unknown in wider, non-sea-going engineering circles. Ironic, in that our Institute was created for those very people who possess it. As part of routine committee business, I was fortunate to be introduced to Ben Saunders, who, with his background in education standards, had no preconceived ideas regarding academic equivalency of maritime
skills, knowledge and experience, but majored in the facts. It was speaking with Ben that made me realise that the time was now right to push ahead with my long-held belief that we, as RFA engineers, were worthy of the appropriate professional registration at the different stages in our careers. Admiral Guild and Dr Marcus Jones were also very supportive. It was then a case of mapping the courses, qualifications, skills and experience we require our people to have at the various points in their career to the standard required. Within the RFA, performance in each appointment held is formally assessed, so we know if individuals can actually perform at the required level and standard. The subsequent creation of formal RFA Career Development Frameworks has further integrated this route into the career progression of our people. And we understand you are also a keen promoter of maritime careers? Being the RFA cadet recruitment and training officer early in my career gave me an insight and subsequent interest in the
Fellow Q&A, 1
“I love to see that unmistakable pride and passion in others when a problem is solved. It is what drives us, and it is very satisfying to give people that opportunity”
CV COMMODORE DAVID B SMITH MNM MSc CEng CMarEng FIMarEST 1980 Joined the Royal Fleet Auxiliary service as an engineering officer cadet 1984–1997 Served at sea in various ships as a junior officer while obtaining senior STCW Certificates of Competency 1997 Promoted to chief officer with various sea-going and shore appointments until 2004 2000 First appointment as chief engineer officer 2003 Became a Fellow of the Institute 2004 Promoted to Captain again with various sea-going and shore appointments until 2016 2010 Gained Chartered status 2013 Completed master’s degree 2016 Awarded Queen’s Commendation for Valuable Service for work in Sierra Leonne (Ebola crisis) 2019 Appointed Commodore (Engineer) of the RFA service working within the Defence Equipment and Support organisation in Bristol 2019 Awarded the Merchant Navy Medal for Meritorious Service
world of recruitment and training. It was clear then, as it is today, that we must strive to get our message out there into schools, colleges and universities. I remember being told by my mentor in my early years that, as engineers, we make the world go round and I have never forgotten the enthusiasm he had for his profession. He was as old then as I am now and I share his passion. Engineering is a life-long obsession that lives and burns within those of us who chose the profession for the right reasons, and I love to see that unmistakable pride and passion in others when a problem is solved. It is what drives us, and it is very satisfying to give
people that opportunity. I am actively involved in the Graduate Engineering Engagement Programme run by the Royal Academy of Engineering and attend its events, taking part in lectures at universities and subject matter expert panels, giving young students the benefit of my experience and hopefully enthusing them to remain in engineering and not drift off into the financial sector, which seems to appeal to many young engineering graduates. I also mentor several young engineers and have done for many years – some are now chartered themselves, which, considering I recruited some of them from school, is enormously
satisfying. After 41 years in this uniform, I never tire of promoting engineering careers and, even after I retire in 18 months, it is something I will continue to do. If you could change one thing in the industry – small or large – what would it be and why? I would ask that those involved in the design of their products (in my case auxiliary naval ships) think very carefully about the end result. I have campaigned long and hard for simple ships that can be maintained by their crews without routine recourse to OEMs. I need ships that can take a bit of punishment, be patched up and put
back into the fight and operate off the beaten track far from home. I therefore need them to be robust and simple, not technological showcases just ‘because we can’. I want to see the satisfaction on the faces of the engineers who are therefore able to maintain them without support or assistance, because the OEMs can’t always be there during humanitarian crises, pandemics or wars. This ability to diagnose problems and fix your own kit is why people become engineers in the first place. If you remove that ability and opportunity, you remove motivation and job satisfaction and, ultimately, you will remove the engineer, as there is no reason for that person to stay.
GET IN TOUCH Are you an IMarEST Fellow with an insight to share with the wider community? If you would like to appear in a future Fellow Q&A, email the editor at marineprofessional@ thinkpublishing.co.uk MARINE PROFESSIONAL
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SIG UPDATE
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Wanted: unusual suspects The Biofouling Management SIG seeks your help in bringing to light the lesser-known hitchhiker species causing problems around the world
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uman activities have provided new pathways for marine species to spread and cross natural biogeographic boundaries into new habitats. On ships, marine species can be translocated when taken up in ballast water or when they colonise the outer hull and niche areas and/or its internal seawater systems. Niche areas include submerged recesses, protrusions and other fittings on or penetrating the underwater hull, such as propulsion and steering equipment, bilge keels, stabiliser fins, hull markings and internal seawater systems. Since healthy and diverse marine ecosystems are generally resistant to colonisation by new arrivals, the movement of alien arrivals is generally into areas of low natural biodiversity or habitats that have been disturbed – particularly by human activity. Artificial structures around ports and harbours, including ships, wharves, pontoons and sea walls, provide substrates for biofouling organisms, both native and alien species, to colonise. In addition to shipping, the opening of canals, aquaculture and the aquarium trade have all contributed to the movement of alien marine
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species. Once a species arrives in a new habitat, secondary pathways such as local ferries, small fishing boats, recreational craft and similar local vessel traffic become the dominant vector by which a species spreads along coastlines within the region.
Know thy enemy It’s worth noting that the species taken up in a ship’s ballast water differ from those accumulated on its outer surface. Species in ballast water are a subsample of the biological community found in the water body at the location of uptake. The subsample may include plankton, invertebrate larvae, small fish, seaweed propagules, etc. Biofouling species tend to be more robust and opportunistic, settling wherever a surface is available and able to survive the hydrodynamic and other environmental stresses associated with ship voyages. They are also characterised by fast growth and high reproductive output, but short lifespans, and low competitive strength. After establishing in a new location, alien species can be either drivers or passengers of ecological change. Those classed as drivers directly alter the biodiversity and functioning of
the ecosystems they find themselves in, while passengers take advantage of habitats that have been disturbed or damaged in some way. Evidence suggests that most biofouling species fall into the latter category, establishing as a secondary impact to changes in the environment. Apart from the qualitative changes in the environment, biofouling species have impacts that can be assessed in economic terms – for example, clogging the inlets of seawater cooling systems for industrial plants, or as competitors to farmed species on aquaculture ropes, nets and cages. But by far the biggest knock-on effect is felt in shipping, where the build-up of biofouling on a vessel’s hull degrades its hydrodynamic performance in the water, slowing the vessel down. To maintain speed, the additional drag must be compensated for by increasing engine power
and burning more fuel – which, for owners with eye on next quarter’s results, is equivalent to burning money. Higher fuel consumption also leads to increased emissions of CO2 and other greenhouse gases and atmospheric pollutants, such as SOx, NOx and particulate matter.
Protecting the bottom line It is unsurprising then that considerable sums have been pumped into R&D efforts to come up with ways to prevent biofouling damaging the bottom line by hitchhiking a ride below the waterline. As a result, there are now a variety of fouling control coatings available on the market. They can be broadly divided into two groups: biocidal coatings and biocide-free coatings. Biocidal coatings work by continually releasing their active ingredient(s) at a rate sufficient to inhibit attachment. Biocide-free coatings, sometimes called fouling release coatings (FRC),
LEARN MORE AT IMarEST TV Last year, the IMarEST supported the 4th ANZPAC Workshop on Biofouling Management for Sustainable Shipping. A packed programme explored the subject from all angles – from emerging breakthroughs in biological research to the latest best practice for oceangoing vessels, recreational craft and naval ships. The presentations are available at www.imarest.org/tv
SIG update, 1
“A key focus for us is understanding where the tangible impacts of marine invasive species originating from biofouling are most felt and prioritising these impacts, to make the best use of finite resources” either reduce the adhesion strength of biofouling organisms or are extrahard coatings with no active ingredients, but tough enough to withstand regular scrubbing to clear away established marine growth. Meanwhile, internal seawater systems can be fitted with mechanisms – often electrochemical in their function – to stop growth obstructing seawater pipes and in-line equipment.
More to learn Yet there’s plenty we still don’t understand about biofouling. Questions concerning the efficacy of fouling control coatings and marine growth prevention systems remain. Since biofouling species are prone to building up in recesses and other sheltered areas
of the hull, evaluating how well these solutions work in different vessel areas would enable shipowners to make better coating choices. The results would also help steer research efforts to where they are most needed. To this end, moves to strengthen links, increase communication and facilitate data sharing among shipping companies, regulators, coating manufacturers and technology providers should be encouraged. However, the biggest gap in our knowledge relates to the impacts caused by biofouling species. An improved understanding of the current distribution and ranges of key alien species, as well as their environmental tolerances, would go a
long way in supporting the development of better control measures. That’s just the known unknowns. There’s likely a whole host of unknown unknowns – and the IMarEST’s Biofouling Management SIG is eager to discover them. The SIG is currently running a survey with the goal of compiling a league table of invasive species with the biggest impact on local marine ecosystems. The idea is not only to gauge their role in disrupting delicately balanced natural habitats, but also to assess the socioeconomic implications for local communities and other stakeholders.
Casting a wide net “To ascertain the true scale of the problem, we need to hear from everyone – not just the scientists working on known species in known trouble spots,” says SIG chair John Lewis. The input doesn’t have to be from peer-reviewed research publications, he stresses. In fact, for the purposes of this exercise, it’s probably better if it’s not. The SIG’s intention is to cast the net as widely as possible. “It might be a throwaway remark you overheard at a conference or through an interaction with a regulatory body; a mention in a local news report; or even a direct observation or encounter,” says Lewis. The SIG is especially keen to hear from nonEnglish speaking parts of the world – areas where localised bio-invasions
might otherwise fly under the radar of media outlets and researchers. Lewis reveals that early responses have already elicited some unexpected perspectives on the problems biofouling is causing different industries.
Cross-sector collaboration The group is making headway in its efforts to promote crosssector collaboration by establishing links with other SIGs. “Conversations surrounding biofouling are very much dominated by its immediate and clear impact on shipping, but other sectors are affected too,” explains Lewis. This rationale has led to cooperation with the Offshore Renewables SIG, with a view to transferring learnings from the shipping sector to reduce the upkeep costs of renewable energy assets affected by biofouling. “A key focus for us now is understanding where the tangible impacts of marine invasive species originating from biofouling are most felt and prioritising these impacts, to make the best use of the finite resources available to marine environmental protection and conservation.”
GET IN TOUCH If you want to contribute to the Biofouling Management SIG’s survey, contact technical@ imarest.org mentioning ‘Biofouling Big Three’ in the subject line. MARINE PROFESSIONAL
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Renewable energy, 1
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OFFSHORE WIND
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New generation of wind capture
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The Carbon Trust’s technology acceleration initiative will inject drive into offshore wind ambitions WORDS / MARK CALVERLEY
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ver the last decade, the amount of power generated by UK offshore wind farms has grown from 1.4GW to 10GW. This means offshore wind supplied 10% of the country’s electricity needs in 2019. Much of the success to date has resulted from fiscal incentives, innovation support and policy, which have halved costs over the past five years. Achieving growth targets will require floating wind to follow a similar path.
Achieving scale The Carbon Trust Offshore Floating Wind Joint Industry Project (JIP) aims to address the technology challenges in moving floating wind from pilot/demonstrator projects to commercial scale. The JIP is an
industry-led, collaborative R&D programme that delivered its Phase 2 report in July 2020, which addresses the following: ● Turbine requirements and foundation scaling: Bigger turbines offer increased energy yield, and turbine manufacturers are now offering 13–15MW nacelles. It was found that only minor modifications are required to the turbine design, which reflects the use of existing turbine designs in all the pre-commercial projects. The towers require redesign due to increased loads from the floater motions and the controller also needs modification to address loads and optimise power production. Across all concepts, steel and mooring mass per MW decreases significantly for larger turbines.
● Heavy-lift offshore
operations: There is limited capacity for large turbine lifts, primarily limited by height. Due to the sensitivity of the lift operations, motion compensation systems are being developed, but they are not specific to floating wind. Innovation gaps identified include greater engagement between turbine manufacturers and the supply chain, development of climbing cranes and providing opportunities for R&D to trial new technologies. ● Dynamic export cable development: Robust dynamic export cables are critical to the availability of wind turbine power, and this is an area where significant innovation is needed. The challenges include cable design and testing/qualification, and handling techniques. Five companies are competing
to develop a new cable to meet these challenges. ● Monitoring and inspection: Digitalisation with arrays of sensors could inform risk-based management, while more cost-effective inspection techniques could support a sampling approach where a limited number of assets inform the condition across the entire fleet. ● De-risk and innovate to reduce costs: The remaining phases of the JIP will de-risk technology, identify innovative solutions and achieve cost reduction to help deliver largescale deployments. The wind industry has already proven itself in delivering solutions, and we can look forward to more clean power being delivered from floating wind. However, alongside the technical innovation, policy will also have to deliver favourable contract conditions to stimulate the market, a clear project pipeline and improvements to the offshore transmission regime.
Powering 50 million homes The global market for floating wind is expected to reach 11GW globally by 2030, and 70GW (enough energy to power 50 million homes) by 2040, worth £195bn and reducing CO2 emissions by 433 million tonnes every year.
Mark Calverley is director of Blue Ocean Consulting and a Fellow of the IMarEST. He is a member of the Offshore Renewables SIG. For more information, or to join the group, please email caitriona.hanly@imarest.org MARINE PROFESSIONAL
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Institute news
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The latest updates from the IMarEST – from Council elections to industry accreditations. Visit www.imarest.org for more
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NEWS IN BRIEF Nominations open for election to IMarEST Council
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Nominations for election to Council are now open for positions taking office at the Annual General Meeting in March 2021. New candidates, and incumbents completing a first term as an elected member of Council, can be nominated to stand for election in Elected Member seats. Vacancies are expected in three electoral divisions: ● Americas; ● ANZSPAC (Australia and New Zealand only); and ● Europe, Middle East and Africa. Nominations to stand in the annual worldwide election for the Honorary Treasurer are also open; the incumbent is expected to stand for re-election, but challengers are welcome.
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How to nominate All nominations require a proposer and a seconder. For forms and further information, send an email to governance@ imarest.org. The deadline for submitting completed nomination material is 1700 GMT on Monday 2 November 2020.
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Professor John Chudley FIMarEST (right) visiting part of the extensive Simulation Suite at Dahra Global
The IMarEST accredits Dahra Global’s professional development course for Qatari Emiri Navy The IMarEST has accredited an initial professional development (IPD) programme for the Qatar Emiri Navy, developed and delivered by Dahra Global Technologies & Consultancy Services. The training syllabuses cover personnel at three key stages: naval cadets who have completed their four-year basic training, junior naval officers and mid-level naval officers. The accreditation panel praised the attention to The accreditation detail and creativity Dahra Global showed in the panel praised the development and production of course materials. attention to detail For example, handbooks and supporting materials and creativity Dahra are mostly customised for the target audience. A Global showed in dedicated six-person team was set up to produce the development and edit video lectures and slide decks to a and production of consistently professional standard. course materials The training provided by Dahra Global has a direct impact on trainees’ promotion prospects and overall career development within the navy. IMarEST accreditation provides them with a head start, as trainees who complete the Naval Cadet Training Course, Sub-lieutenant Training Course or Principal Warfare Officers Course meet the IPD requirements in full for registration as a Marine Technologist (MarTech), Registered Marine Technologist (RMarTech) and Chartered Marine Technologist (CMarTech), respectively. ● To find out more, visit www.imarest.org/accreditation
News, 1
MEMBER UPDATE
STEM Returners: The Hidden Workforce
Representatives from the IMarEST visited Ningbo University to inspect its facilities
The IMarEST awards double accreditation to Ningbo University The IMarEST has accredited two bachelor’s degree programmes run by the marine faculty of Ningbo University (NBU), China. The approval of NBU’s Naval Architecture & Ocean Engineering and Marine Technology courses involved close scrutiny of the academic programme, backed up by a site visit to inspect facilities first-hand and to meet with staff and students. This latest endorsement follows the successful accreditation of the university’s Marine Engineering course last year. NBU joins a growing list of universities in the region that have sought IMarEST accreditation as a stamp of excellence, including the Ocean University of China, IPB University (Indonesia) and UniKL MIMET (Malaysia). The review panel praised the overall level of enthusiasm and interest in the programmes displayed by students, many of whom talked excitedly about their future careers as industry practitioners, reflecting the faculty’s commitment to make industrial placements and practical experience a core part of its students’ education. ● To find out more, visit www.imarest.org/accreditation
More than eight out of 10 people seeking to return to jobs in the engineering industry feel they have been victims of a biased recruiting system, and two-thirds feel the traditional recruitment process works against them. Already a significant issue, this bias will also potentially have a negative impact on efforts to re-employ the thousands made redundant due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The groups facing the biggest barriers to re-entry include female engineers responsible for childcare and those from ethnic minorities, including refugees. Graduates from ethnic minorities also face high barriers to entering the industry. These are the findings of a new survey by STEM Returners, an initiative set up by the IMarEST and the Women’s Engineering Society that helps professionals to return to full-time engineering jobs after a career break. ● View the findings in full at bit.ly/2Qa03Kd
THIS IS ENGINEERING/FACEBOOK
Whalefish and the IMarEST partner to advance professional standards Whalefish, a non-profit marine outreach and conservation organisation, has partnered with the IMarEST to inspire the next generation of marine professionals and upskill those working in the marine science sector. Based in the UK and South Africa, Whalefish engages with students, professionals and the public to better connect science, industry and communities, and to raise awareness of marine conservation issues. It hosts workshops teaching practical skills in marine science and offering an insight into career opportunities in the marine industrial and academic sectors. In addition to training, Whalefish provides impartial scientific advice to the media and promotes research that aims to improve marine protection management strategies and support initiatives that encourage transparency. Whalefish’s mission aligns with the IMarEST’s commitment to sustainable development. The partnership will help to boost this commitment – inspiring, recruiting and retaining young professionals in the marine sector to ensure the protection of the ocean for future generations. ● To find out more about becoming an NGO partner, email marinepartners@imarest.org
DIARY DATES 5-9 OCTOBER 2020 INEC/iSCSS 2020 – International Naval Engineering Conference/ International Ship Control Systems Symposium Online MARINE PROFESSIONAL
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Big qs, 1 VERSION
THE BIG QUESTIONS
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“Our research has shaped legislation on cosmetic microbeads”
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An authority on microplastics, Professor Richard Thompson’s research findings have laid bare the plastic pollution problem ART
INTERVIEW / CARLY FIELDS
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What does your role involve? I like to think one of my abilities is to work across traditional discipline boundaries. This is driven by a desire to understand things in their entirety more than in their abstract. As the head of the award-winning International Marine Litter Research Unit, I’ve been directly involved in researching microplastics and marine litter for two decades. We’ve published keystone papers on the sources, pathways, impact and legacy of microplastics and have been among the first to consider the effects on human wellbeing. We also work closely with governmental and industry organisations, because this is an issue that requires a whole-society approach. As director of the Marine Institute, I head up the University of Plymouth’s largest research institute. Here I work to represent a multidisciplinary academic community that includes biologists, oceanographers, chemists, engineers, artists, psychologists, lawyers and shipping and logistics experts, to name just a few. I also teach and act as a supervisor to PhD students.
CLIENT
What excites you most in your role? I feel I have the potential to make a difference – and that is a real motivation. In addition, my work is incredibly diverse – no two days are alike.
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What first inspired you to get into marine biology? I had an interest in aquatic life from a young age. However, on leaving school, I was uncertain about pursuing higher education and ran my own business for several years. However, my interests in marine science grew, in particular as a consequence of learning to dive, so I enrolled on a marine biology degree. As a mature student, I was determined to use this time most productively, so I wrote to a number
We were the first to quantify microplastics in the oceans... and the response was something none of us was prepared for of organisations asking if I could undertake some volunteering. I had the opportunity, over successive summers, to work at a marine laboratory in Australia and undertake an expedition to East Africa, looking at commercially collected sea shells. I saw that there were opportunities that I hadn’t had before. What I really took from university was the interaction with people who were studying the environment from different aspects. They were motivated and passionate, and that came through from the lectures and projects we did. You get a bug for that passion, and that was certainly quite different to working in a business environment.
What’s been the most challenging project that you’ve worked on? Every project offers a different challenge. I guess the key one for me was our 2004 paper, published in Science, entitled ‘Lost at Sea: Where is all the plastic?’ At that time, no one was really conducting research into the most abundant forms of marine plastics – the really small fragments. We were able to obtain some Leverhulme funding, and we worked through the plankton record, finding evidence of plastic pollution dating back to the 1960s. We were the first to quantify microplastics in the oceans in that paper, to define them, really. And the response – from the media, the public and the academic community – was something none of us was prepared for. Now it has become a major field of research, and we’re still at the forefront of it, with our research now having shaped national and international legislation on cosmetic microbeads. What would you like to change in the current marine landscape? Current levels of plastic contamination are harming our oceans and the creatures within – yet they are totally avoidable. I hope one day I can look back and feel that some of the work we did made a difference in helping society transition to a more sustainable use of plastics.
MARINE PROFESSIONAL
Issue 4 2020
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Evologics VERSION REPRO OP SUBS ART PRODUCTION CLIENT
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