#12
Summer 2020
amc.edu.au
Above boArd
A CLASS ABOVE AND BELOW THE WAVES Naval architect Nicholas Clark on the unique challenges of his chosen career
Amc reAdy to plAy key role
‘eye of the seA’ ups the Ante
Facilities will help shape $90 billion National Naval Shipbuilding Enterprise
The $5 million AUV nupiri muka to become a lynchpin of climate research
keys to unlock our Blue economy CRC sets sights on ocean for sustainable seafood and renewable energy
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PrINCIPAL’S COLumN
PRINCIPAL MICHAEL VAN BALEN AO
Since our last edition, the maritime industry has continued to undergo significant change. Within Australia, the Naval Shipbuilding Program (NSP) has driven much of the agenda, and the demand for a highly skilled and productive workforce. The development of knowledge around naval capabilities in support of the NSP will require a national approach from government, industry and academia to succeed. The establishment of the Australian Maritime Development Centre (AMDC) seeks to leverage that development through nationally networked centres of capability excellence, and discussion and exploration around the future of the Australian maritime industry continues with government. In all areas, the Australian Maritime College seeks to participate actively and provide meaningful contribution as the national maritime institute. Work progresses on the development of the Maritime Defence Innovation and Design Precinct. The Operational Capability Description, the ‘what’ and the ‘why’ rationale for the Precinct, is near complete and will inform the project plan, the ‘how’ and the ‘when’ of the Precinct to be developed in the first half of this year. The Precinct will provide a national hub for Defence, industry and academic collaboration and excellence in research and development, innovation, and test and evaluation, and be a centre of excellence within the AMDC network. As such, it will produce and deliver knowledge and technologies essential to the high performance, resilience and survivability of Above bOArd AbOve boArd
Welcome to the Summer 2019/20 edition of Above Board
naval vessels and their human operators, deployable systems, and supporting offshore and coastal infrastructure. The Precinct development will align with the University of Tasmania’s Northern Transformation Program, with AMC and the Blue Economy Cooperative Research Centre remaining at the Newnham campus. The Blue Economy CRC will support a research community of 50 PhD students and 50 postdoctoral research fellows, including from AMC, with partner organisations nationally and internationally. The focus of the first five years of the 10-
The maritime engineering specialisations and skill sets of naval architecture and marine and offshore systems engineering are fundamental inputs to the Defence sovereign industrial capabilities of the continuous shipbuilding program; the Collins Class submarine maintenance and technology upgrade; and test, evaluation, certification and systems assurance. The maritime business management and international logistics specialisation will provide the capability for operation of the smart shipyard underpinning the shipbuilding program, and the associated global supply chains.
In all areas, the Australian Maritime College seeks to participate actively and provide meaningful contribution as the national maritime institute. year program will be to develop and test new offshore engineering, aquaculture and renewable energy technologies, which will be brought together to address the challenges of offshore food and energy production, and leverage the benefits of co-location, vertical integration, shared infrastructure and services.
In support of the increased workforce demand, AMC has reinvigorated and redeveloped its interactive, practical and inspirational Why Study Maths? program that deploys academic staff to show predominantly Year 8-10 students how mathematics can be applied to maritime engineering.
As a strategic partner of the Naval Shipbuilding College, AMC is also working within its national provider network to deliver solutions to shipbuilding workforce demand challenges. AMC’s contribution to the generation and sustainment of this workforce continues as the premier domestic provider of specialised tertiary study programs in maritime engineering, and maritime business management and international logistics.
Within Tasmania, AMC has commenced working with the Education Department to introduce a STEM curriculum for Year 11 and 12 students, whereby credits are awarded towards the attainment of undergraduate foundation units. The NSP presents significant challenges for the Australian maritime industry, that will require a coordinated national response. Through our holistic approach to workforce
CONTeNTS
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CONTENTS 02
Welcome
Principal Michael van Balen AO and knowledge development, AMC looks to play a pivotal role in both areas. To this end, AMC has provided a submission to the Senate Economics References Committee inquiry into developing and delivering Australia’s sovereign naval shipbuilding capability, which is available to view at: https://www.aph.gov.au/ Parliamentary_Business/Committees/ Senate/Economics/Navalshipbuilding/ Submissions Likewise, discussion and debate around Australia’s coastal trading framework continues with AMC involved in the Government’s consultation for reform of the framework to progress practical solutions. AMC looks forward to contributing to the discussion as the year progresses. ■
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cover story
Naval architect Nicholas Clark 06
Amc ready to play key role
Facilities to support national sovereign shipbuilding enterprise 08
underwater collisions
Research facility to look at ways of improving ship and submarine design 10
Alumni profile
Submarine technician Tim MacDonald 12
student profile
Rachel Allen 13
maritime simulations unit
Facility opens doors in Sydney 14
Alumni profile
Captain Scott Laughlin 15
researcher profile
PhD student Indika Fernando 16
‘eye of the sea’ ups the ante
AUV nupiri muka is poised to play a major role in climate research 17
Graduate profile
Hollye Wooding 18
keys to unlock our blue economy
CRC turns to ocean for sustainable seafood and renewable energy Cover image: Alumnus Nicholas Clark, looking forward to his next role in the $90 billion National Naval Shipbuilding Enterprise.
stAy connected
ABoVe BoArd: the diGitAl AGe Above Board is a quarterly e-news and annual magazine distributed to Australian Maritime College alumni and industry stakeholders. The AMC is helping to shape the future of the Australian maritime industry. Pictured is its stand at the Pacific 2019 expo in Sydney.
Feedback is welcome, please email Communications.Office@utas.edu.au aBOVE BOaRD
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COver STOry
NicholAS Clark
Alumni profile ALUMNUS RELISHES ROLE AS NAVAL SHIPYARD ARCHITECT by Nick clark
As a young boy, Nicholas Clark watched ships go past his Legana home as they travelled up and down the Tamar River. “I came from a trades-based family and was always involved in building, repairing and making things, and tinkering with small boats,” he recalled. Not many years later the Australian Maritime College alumnus is the Senior Naval Architect at ASC Shipbuilding and looking forward to his next role in the $90 billion National Naval Shipbuilding Enterprise – in particular, the construction of nine Hunter class antisubmarine frigates from 2020. At present, the 32-year-old is overseeing numerous aspects of new Hobart class guidedmissile destroyers, named Hobart, Brisbane and Sydney respectively. The 146m, 6,400-tonne destroyers are tasked to provide air defence for accompanying ships, in addition to land forces and infrastructure in coastal areas. “I’m responsible for weight management, launches, dockings, inclines, management of the loading conditions at the wharf, sea trials support, and SME advice for in-service support,” he said. The third ship of the Hobart Above boArd
class is NUSHIP Sydney (V), due for delivery early this year. “Right now, I’m preparing to incline Sydney when she returns from trials and writing a docking report from when we docked her in July,” he said.
spotted a course pamphlet for naval architecture which listed the subjects for all four years. “At a glance, I thought the subjects sounded interesting, so I signed up on the spot.” His experiences on the training vessel Bluefin were both enjoyable and critical to his future. “I did two five-day voyages up the northeast coast with Giles (Thomas), Paul (Furness), Irene (Penesis) and my fellow naval architecture mates,” he said.
He was also involved in the sea trials of the sister ships HMAS Hobart and HMAS Brisbane.
“It was a great way to get practical experience. The Bluefin is remarkable because it is an AMC facility that no other university in Australia has.”
Being a naval shipyard architect is a unique role that Nic relishes: “I’ve enjoyed all the different opportunities, tasks and responsibilities that have come along in the last eight years,” he said.
The forming of friendships with lecturers and students who later became part of a professional network was also an advantage.
‘Working with so many skilled people who pull together to build these complex ships is probably the most satisfying part of the job’ “It’s a hugely challenging program to be part of, that unless you live it, it is hard to understand. But working with so many skilled people who pull together to build these complex ships is probably the most satisfying part of the job.” Naval architecture was not Nic’s original choice. It was a generic engineering course at the University of Tasmania that he applied to enrol. “I never received confirmation that I had been accepted, so I went to the AMC front desk and
“I met several lifelong friends at AMC. It’s a close-knit group, and several of our career paths are converging in Adelaide right now,” he said. “I’ve come across many past students of AMC in the seafaring and commercial shipping industries, including our sea trials civilian crew.” Lessons and theory learned at AMC have served him well. “Paul Furness’s hydrostatics notes live on my desk and were the basis for the launching,
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Unique job: Alumnus Nicholas Clark is the Senior Naval Architect at ASC Shipbuilding.
in-water management and seatrials management calculations for the Hobart class,” he said. He used lessons learned at AMC facilities for the Hobart’s first-of-class inclining. After graduation, Nic studied a Master of Philosophy under the supervision of Professor Jonathan Binns. It was from there that his career in shipbuilding started after being taken on at ASC Shipbuilding (now a subsidiary of BAE Systems Australia) as a weight-control engineer working for the principal naval architect in engineering. “I originally applied for a graduate program position but was offered a direct-entry role after an interview in Adelaide,” he said. “It was a good initial role for a naval architect because weight and centre of gravity can make or break a ship.” He was able to seize opportunities across the shipyard as they came up because of the broadness of his degree at AMC. “I was able to put fundamental theory into practice,” he said. Nic said an AMC course is a good option for school-leavers because career prospects are bright for naval architects and marine engineers. “Given how much work is happening right now, and will continue to increase in the future for all the naval programs coming online, we will need every naval architect and marine engineer that we can get,” he said. ■
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NAvAL SHIPbuILdING
MATT KING
RESEARCH FACILITIES TO MAkE CRITICAL CONTRIBUTION IN $90 BILLION NATIONAL NAVAL SHIPBUILDING ENTERPRISE
Amc reAdy to plAy key role by Nick clark
The Australian Maritime College and University of Tasmania Defence Network will support the development of a national sovereign shipbuilding enterprise via a broad range of disciplines.
With Australia’s best maritime facilities and research expertise, AMC is well-positioned to make a critical contribution to the $90 billion National Naval Shipbuilding Enterprise which will construct 12 offshore patrol vessels, nine frigates and 12 submarines over the next 30 years. AMC, which has an agreement with the Adelaide-based Naval Shipbuilding College, is also in a position to contribute well-trained personnel to the estimated 15,000 technical and skilled jobs required. A Defence Maritime Innovation and Design Precinct based at the Newnham campus will comprise disciplines spread across the University under three pillars:
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• Naval Systems and Maritime Assets • Human Systems and Resilience • Remote Sensing and Platforms In April 2019, the Australian Government pledged $30 million over three years for Phase 1 of the Precinct, which will be broken into three tranches: $3m in 2020-21; $15m in 2021-22 and $12m in 2022-23. AMC Principal Michael van Balen AO told a stakeholder briefing in September that an Operational Capability Description (OCD) on the Precinct for the Department of Defence would be completed early this year, to inform development of the project plan. “Part A of the OCD was completed a couple of weeks ago and passed to Government for both comment and to provide background to Defence for funding allocation,” Mr van Balen said. “We hope to get their feedback and then use that to assist development of Part B
‘It will be important to leverage off the unique research capabilities that exist across the entirety of the University’ – AMC Principal Michael van Balen AO
NAvAL SHIPbuILdING
‘We will be looking at how humans cope in extreme environments’ – Defence Network domain development adviser Nicola Hodgman
of the document which will range through the sorts of capabilities that we will look to achieve within the Precinct. We have been in discussions with the Defence Science and Technology Group (DSTG) Head of Land Division, Dr Peter Shoebridge, to provide input to the development of the DSTG paper that will go to the Defence Committee seeking the $30 million.” Mr van Balen said human performance factors relating to maritime personnel and vessel design was a new field of study and would receive considerable attention from specialist areas within the University. “It will be important to leverage off the unique research capabilities that exist across the entirety of the University, through a cross-discipline approach,” he said. Defence Network domain development adviser Nicola Hodgman said the human capabilities and resilience stream would be informed through examination of human performance in places such as Antarctica. Study areas would include cognitive psychology, food innovation, chemical detection, medical research, sports therapy and rehabilitation. “One of our distinct research capabilities is in Antarctica so we will be looking at how humans cope in extreme environments,” Ms Hodgman said. Elsewhere, the University’s Centre for Food Innovation at Scottsdale, in partnership with the Defence Science Technology Group and CSIRO, is researching nutritious food for defence personnel with an extended shelf life using microwave-assisted thermal sterilisation technology.
defence elements, or maritime contractors, at a secure level, is critical,” he said. It would mean contractors and researchers would not be sitting in a void in terms of the information flow. AMC has an established reputation for defence excellence through the existing ARC Research Training Centre for Naval Design and Manufacturing, where US, Uk and Australian defence organisations already carry out research work. “The aim of the MDIDP is to grow the knowledge of all the various platforms that we as a nation are seeking to build over the next 30 years,” Mr van Balen said. “Grow the knowledge and have the understanding of how the elements of the design of the platform work, use this knowledge to tailor the design to meet our requirements, test and evaluate the design to ensure it meets compliance, and then advance them further to ensure a progressive development of capability as we go into a batch building program. The Precinct is hoping to contribute to these areas through our niche research capabilities.”
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PHASE 1 Increasing existing capabilities, bringing in human factors into the network including cognitive performance and nutrition and the ICT component; PHASE 2 Work to attract Defence primes and Tasmanian subject matter experts (local industry) into the Precinct; PHASE 3 Construction investment phase as well as expanding on research and supporting elements. The plan would seek to look 1015 years into the future. In October 2019, Thales Australia became the first Defence prime to commit to the MDIDP. Thales has previously undertaken sonar testing research in Tasmania’s deep, cold and acoustically quiet lakes in 1991. “We will be working with AMC and industry participants, such as AMOG Consulting, on advanced acoustic measurements to be taken at a wide range of speeds, over a number of distances, and with a high degree of precision using equipment designed with the expertise of the AMC,” Thales Australia Chief Executive Chris Jenkins said. The remote lakes of Tasmania provide the perfect environment for these tests as supported by AMC and the Precinct. ■
Development of the MDIDP has been planned over three phases:
Overall, Mr van Balen says that under Phase 1, the Precinct facilities will be developed with the focus very much on enhancing existing research capability. Enhanced Information and Communication Technology and a high-level computing capacity will be essential at the Precinct. “The ability to go into a secure ICT system so that you can communicate directly with
Food for thought: Study areas include nutrition for defence personnel.
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NeW FACILITy
RESEARCH FACILITY TO LOOk AT WAYS OF IMPROVING SHIP AND SUBMARINE DESIGN
UNderStANdiNg UNderWAter colliSioNS by Nick clark
A world-first research facility which was opened at the Australian Maritime College in October has state-of-theart equipment that will aid better understanding of underwater collisions. The appropriately named Underwater Collision Research Facility (UCRF) is the outcome of a four-year collaboration between Defence Science and Technology (DST) and the AMC. Under a Collaborative Research Agreement, Defence Science and Technology funded the purchase of equipment and the University provided the building capital works and support infrastructure to house the facility at its Newnham Campus. The UCRF aims to provide means through which the complex, fluid-structure interactions involved in underwater collision events can be studied scientifically under laboratory conditions. Accurate knowledge of the response of the fore-end structure of a submarine vehicle involved in a collision is important to the safety of the submarine structure and its crew. Developing the understanding of this behaviour may be considered somewhat similar to work performed to prove, and improve, the crashworthiness design of motor vehicles, but in water. Through this work, the technical risks associated with underwater and near-surface collisions, will be able to be accurately assessed, so that effective mitigations may be introduced. The UCRF equipment includes an 18 kilojoules drop weight impact tower capable of performing water backed experiments, a 1.2 kJoule drop weight impact chamber to perform fully flooded Above boArd
Knowledge: The drop weight impact tower used in fluidbacked tests.
experiments, a 900,000 fps high speed camera and a high resolution laser scanner. Defence Minister Linda Reynolds said the UCRF was an exciting development which would provide a better understanding of the impact of underwater collisions. “Researchers will look at ways of improving ship and submarine design which will keep our Navy crews safer by improving the safety of our submarines and autonomous underwater vehicles,� Senator Reynolds said.
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Collaboration: underwater Collision research Facility manager Dr Roberto Ojeda.
NIcK clArK
‘We are committed to making a technical contribution to the development of Australia’s sovereign naval ship building program’ – University of Tasmania Vice-Chancellor Professor Rufus Black
on the historic strengths of the University and the AMC and illustrates the impact – literally and figuratively – Tasmanian science and engineering can have on meeting national challenges.” The UCRF will be a centrepiece of the University of Tasmania’s Maritime Defence Innovation and Design Precinct to be developed on the Newnham campus.
“We are committed to making a technical contribution to the development of Australia’s sovereign naval ship building program commensurate with our role as the national maritime institution,” Professor Black said. “The opening of this new facility builds
“The UCRF will add innovative research knowhow to the work already done at our unique research facilities to advance defence and defence industry requirements,” Mr van Balen said. The UCRF could also play a role in: • Collision and design assessment of autonomous underwaver vehicles (AUVs) including those substantially constructed of composites; • Shock qualification tests for equipment used on naval platforms; • Support to offshore industry, such as in relation to pipelines and offshore structures subjected to impacts. ■
ScoTT GelSToN
ScoTT GelSToN
University of Tasmania Vice-Chancellor Professor Rufus Black said the facility added to an existing suite of maritime research facilities which are the most advanced in the Southern Hemisphere.
Australian Maritime College Principal Michael van Balen AO said the UCRF would advance AMC’s aim for the MDIDP to become an integral part of the national Defence Network.
Impact: Specimens after testing.
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10 ALumNI PrOFILe
reeVe JollIFFe/TrIToN SUBMArINeS
tim MaCDonalD
Alumni profile by Nick clark
AMC alumnus Tim Macdonald has lived life to the fullest of late, demonstrating the opportunities and adventure that an Australian Maritime College degree can unleash.
Deep dive: AmC alumnus Tim macdonald took part in the history-making Five deeps expedition.
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Not only was Tim involved last year in the expedition which set a world record plumbing the depths of the world’s five oceans, but he also trekked in the vast Namib Desert in South Africa, hiked in the US State of Wyoming and visited Newfoundland and the Svalbard Islands in the Arctic Circle. In late 2019, he embarked on a submarine pilot training course.
It was as Submersible Integration Engineer with Triton Submarines LLC that led to Tim’s role in the historymaking Five Deeps Expedition, which was filmed for the Discovery Channel. As well as reaching the deepest parts of the five oceans, the project also made headlines inspecting the wreck of the Titanic and discovering a stalked ascidean, a bizarre jellyfish-like creature otherwise known as a sea squirt, at the bottom of the Java Trench in the Indian Ocean. Tim, 30, originally from Shoal Bay, NSW, was an AMC student from 2008 to 2016, where he completed a Bachelor of Engineering (Marine and Offshore) degree. He was involved in the design and construction of the $35 million DSV Limiting Factor (Triton 36000/2), the submersible in which US explorer Victor Vescovo plunged to the world-record depth of 10,928m in Challenger Deep within the Mariana Trench. Challenger Deep is commonly known as the deepest point on Earth. It was an extraordinary mission right from the start. “It was all super-secret – we weren’t allowed to tell anyone, no photos, we weren’t even allowed to use public wi-fi on my laptop in case somebody hacked in,” he said. He said the staying under the radar was to keep
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pressure off the construction team during four years of design engineering and testing. Getting the submarine construction formula right was essential because at the lowest point in the Mariana Trench the water pressure is 17,000 pounds per square inch on the hatch.
reeVe JollIFFe/TrIToN SUBMArINeS
“The hatch is 1100mm in diameter so it had something like the equivalent of 200 fully laden Jumbo jets on top of it with that pressure,” he said. “With the titanium sphere pressure hull, we had to go to five different titanium suppliers and get their samples and send them off and get them tested. Tim, who is based in Cape Town, said because everything was so new there was an element of prototype testing during the expedition.
that. The charts at one point were off by 1000m. “So everyone thought the Diamantina Fracture Zone was the deepest part and it was not even close … then we mapped the Java Trench and found the deepest point was not even on the radar. “Even though the extreme deep only makes up 4 per cent of the ocean floor, it accounts for a large percentage of the unknowns, such as how the tectonic plates move and work.” The Five Deeps Expedition has been completed, but he is hopeful that a Triton Submarines Ring of Fire Expedition in the North Pacific is next on the agenda. “That is where all the plates are moving up against Los Angeles and where there is a lot of thermal activity,” he said.
“For a prototype sub you probably want to have 20-50 dives under your belt to work out problems with the sub and figure out what is the best way of doing things,” he said.
The expedition would travel up the West Coast of the United States and to Alaska and around to Russia and down to Japan.
“We did that while trying to achieve the objectives of the Five Deeps.”
Tim is driven by a desire to contribute to the preservation of the world’s oceans.
He enjoyed the science of the project and learning and working with engineers and technicians who were some of the best in their field. “I enjoyed the fact that we mapped and explored trenches that had never been explored before,” he said. “People had a rough idea where the deepest point was in the Indian Ocean, but no one knew for sure and we confirmed
‘One of the best and unique parts of my degree was having access to the facilities at the AMC’ – AMC alumnus Tim Macdonald
“I am inspired by the scientists I work with, and their passion for understanding motivates me to further myself and become a valuable tool in assisting them in their endeavours,” he said. “I want to help marine scientists develop the tools to achieve their desired research outcomes and help solve some of the questions that exist in marine sciences.” Tim is enthusiastic about his experience at the AMC and the Tasmanian lifestyle. Access to AMC facilities and the ability to tap into the knowledge of teaching personnel during his degree was beneficial to his later career. “One of the best and unique parts of my degree was having access to the facilities at the AMC and getting practical experience using the model test basin, towing tanks and cavitation tunnel during projects,” he said. “The hiking, camping fishing, surfing, climbing and just about every outdoor activity in Tassie is world-class. “I studied on campus, which was massively beneficial because I tend to get distracted and bogged down easily,” he said. “Immersing myself in the study culture was great.” His aim is to achieve a Masters Degree in Engineering and become a Chartered Engineer. ■
the fiVe deeps expedition ATlANTiC
Puerto Rico Trench
8,376m
December 2018
iNDiAN
Java Trench
7,192m
April 2019
PACifiC
Tonga Trench
10,928m
May 2019
SOUTHeRN
South Sandwich Trench
7,433m
February 2019
ARCTiC
Molloy Hole
5,550m
August 2019
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12 STudeNT PrOFILe
rAchel allen
student profile by Nick clark
A Women in Engineering scholarship was a bonus for Australian Maritime College student Rachel Allen. Not only did the scholarship cover 75 per cent of the costs of living on campus but it also indirectly enabled her to further her sporting career. “I represented Australia in orienteering while I was here,” she said. “The scholarship meant I could spend the money I would have spent on accommodation on other things which I used to fund a trip to Hungary to compete in the 2018 World Orienteering Championships.” Rachel’s discovery of the AMC was almost an accident but she was hooked as soon as she knew about AMC courses. “I was at the University Open Day in Hobart and I had a blank spot that I didn’t know what to do with and somebody said, ‘There’s an AMC presentation going on in this room’ and I didn’t know what that was so I just went and watched it,” the 20-year-old from Hobart said.
“It was good that it was in Tasmania and that it was only a three-hour drive from home.” Rachel said she had always thought of a career in science or engineering and her parents were both in marine science. “I grew up near the sea on Hobart’s Eastern Shore so always loved the ocean –
start for her University career. “I think being able to make friends on campus straight away, being connected to your peers and talking to people in your course and being able to live with them was really positive,” she said. “It was also great being so close to class as well.”
‘It was an obvious choice – a pairing of the ocean and engineering and the AMC’ – Australian Maritime College student Rachel Allen
“It was an obvious choice – a pairing of the ocean and engineering and the AMC.”
Highlights of her first year at AMC were projects in each of the two semesters which combined many of the academic aspects with a hands-on project.
Now a second-year student Rachel believes living on campus was the best possible
“The first one was a program on autonomous service vessels, to navigate a
surfing, kayaking and wind surfing,” she said.
shipping channel according to international shipping channel regulations and we did that with sensors that detect colour and also distance from objects,” she said. “That was really fun because we got to program that as well as build the vessel from scratch. “In our second semester we focused on a dynamics project which was building a rat-trap boat. “I really enjoyed the programming aspects of first year and the systems design, so I’m leaning potentially towards a marine and offshore engineering career which encompasses a lot of the systems side of ship design.” She will undertake a six-week internship with the Australian Centre for Field Robotics in the 2019-2020 summer. ■
“They had a presentation about all the engineering degrees and I was like, ‘This is actually really interesting maybe I’ll do that next year’.”
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KIMMo HIrVoNeN
Opportunity: rachel Allen travelled to Hungary to compete in the 2018 World Orienteering Championships.
SydNey CeNTre 13 AmC SeArCH
Remote access: The maritime Simulations unit at the Sydney Study Centre.
AMC Search CEO Dean Cook said the MSU was ideal for engineering consultancy projects from the convenience of Sydney.
Amc simulAtion fAcility opens its doors in sydney A new simulation hub at the Australian Maritime College’s Sydney Study Centre will improve maritime safety across Australia by making simulated training accessible to more people.
The MSU is operated by AMC Search, the training and consultancy division of the AMC, and was opened on 30 October last year by Mike Gallacher, CEO of Ports Australia.
The Maritime Simulations Unit (MSU) provides remote access from Darling Harbour to the world-class Maritime Simulation Centre at AMC’s Newnham campus.
“Familiarisation with equipment and processes as well as the ability to practise emergency scenarios in a safe but realistic environment are key to keeping people safe at sea,” AMC Principal Michael van Balen AO said.
The Sydney MSU gives access to pedagogical expertise and an extensive library of vessel and port models previously only available in Tasmania. Facilities include kongsberg and Transas simulation solutions which underpin training in vessel navigation, vessel traffic services (VTS) and Global Maritime Distress and Safety System emergency and distress calls. A Maritime Bridge Simulator can also support marine and offshore engineering projects such as port development and channel design.
“Clients can avoid the time and costs associated with travel to a major simulation centre while retaining the benefits of access to AMC’s in-house models and decades of simulation expertise.” The facilities include:
by Nick clark
It will give maritime organisations an immersive, ultra-realistic environment for training and engineering consultancy.
“Organisations working on projects such as port development or operational efficiencies will be able to optimise designs and processes at the earliest stages of a project using the Sydney MSU,” he said.
‘Our new MSU aims to enhance maritime safety across NSW and the rest of Australia’ – AMC Principal Michael van Balen AO
“Our new MSU aims to enhance maritime safety across NSW and the rest of Australia by extending the reach of the pedagogical expertise and simulation training expertise developed over decades at the AMC in Tasmania to organisations in a convenient Sydney location.”
Maritime Bridge Simulator • A Web-enabled simulator delivers ship handling and navigation training; • Supports marine and offshore engineering consultancy projects including port development and channel design; • Provides remote access to worldclass simulated training and modelling software and specialists at the AMC’s Centre for Maritime Simulations. Vessel Traffic Services Centre of Excellence • Supports a highly realistic training environment for VTS operations and management; • Based on the latest Transas Navi-harbour Vessel Traffic Management System (VTMS) solution and including a fullscale, two-position VTS Centre and a visual view of the navigational situation of the VTS area. Global Maritime Distress and Safety System (GMDSS) simulation lab • Australia’s only fully functional GMDSS simulator; • Can accurately imitate actual ship-toship communications and ship-to-shore stations. Utilises highly realistic simulated terrestrial and satellite communication systems. ■ aBOVE BOaRD
14 ALumNI PrOFILe
cAptAiN Scott laughlin
Alumni profile by Nick clark
He will be joined in Sea Acceptance Trials and Special Sea Trials, to be held in the Arctic Ocean, by former AMC alumna kay Myers.
The Australian Maritime College alumnus will be one of two co-captains for the technologically advanced icebreaker and research vessel which is earmarked to replace the Aurora Australis in 2020-21.
kay will be the Construction and Commissioning Manager for the project. She completed a Naval Architecture degree at AMC in 2005 before working in Australia and abroad on several internationally renowned projects.
AAD
Captain Scott Laughlin is keenly anticipating the finish of construction of the $529 million RSV Nuyina and getting back into icy waters.
Captain Laughlin, of Hobart, has been closely involved in the design and construction of the 160m ship. He has been based in Galati, Romania, as commissioning draws closer.
Captain Laughlin completed a Diploma of Applied Science (Nautical Science) at AMC in 1992.
“It has been a pleasure to go from poring over 2D drawings and a 3D model to actually seeing the ship for real,” he said in November.
‘It has been a pleasure to go from poring over 2D drawings and a 3D model to seeing the ship for real’
He started on the Aurora Australis in 1994 and worked his way up to Master, a position he held for more than 10 years while completing more than 50 voyages.
Shipshape: From left, Captain Scott Laughlin and chief engineer John Wicks with electrical technical officers Cameron Grant and Mathew Wright – all from Tasmania.
He is inspired by the cold and challenging conditions of the Southern Ocean.
– Captain Scott laughlin
“There is nothing more satisfying than successfully transiting through the Roaring 40s, Howling 50s and Screaming 60s [winds that batter the Southern Ocean], sighting the sea ice edge and crossing hundreds of miles through the ice to conduct science operations, or to resupply one of the Australian Antarctic Stations,” he said.
DAMeN/DMS MArITIMe/KNUD e HANSeN A/S
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“Ever since I did my first trip I have always wanted to go back.” He was awarded the Peter Morris Medal by the AMC in 2014 for his dedication to international maritime safety and personnel standards. He will alternate as captain with Englishman Paul Clarke. ■
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TribuTe iNdikA FernanDo
reseArcher profile Banana quality in supermarkets is on the improve and industry wastage on the decline, thanks to AMC PhD student Indika Fernando. Indika unpeeled most of the reasons for less-than-pristine supermarket bananas during his three-and-half-year study Improving Banana Quality Through Supply Chain Management. The study took him from the banana-growing plantations of far North Queensland to supermarket shelves in Melbourne. During that time, he inspected more than 30,000 bananas to determine the nature of damage at each stage along the supply chain. He provided recommendations to the $600 million banana industry on ways to improve quality in the post-harvest supply chain. “My project was to identify the causes of damage and tell the industry how to minimise them,” he said.
until the cartons were opened for sale,” he said. “This made it difficult to understand whether it occurred on the farm or the distribution centre or during transport and handling, or due to compression on fruits during storage.” His study showed that the extremely lengthy supply chains in Australia meant bananas were prone to damage from vibration and shock during road transport. Indika looked to quantify vibration and shocks that may cause defects in bananas during interstate transport that spans thousands of kilometres. “We worked with Launceston’s Definium Technologies to develop sensors that capture
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the movement in trucks during the journeys,” he said.
29 SePteMber, 1943 – 4 MAy, 2019
He placed the sensors in trucks and inspected bananas at both despatch and destination. “Then I could see what vibration and shock did to this fruit and model the damage levels in relation to the vibration intensity and duration of exposure,” he said. Indika trialled solutions for minimising damage using state-of-the-art electrohydraulic simulators in the laboratory. His recommendations included improved packaging, modifications to packing clusters and stacking arrangements in pallets, as well as several work-practice changes targeted at the industry to improve the postharvest quality of bananas. His research is also supported by the ARC Training Centre for Innovative Horticultural Products, in collaboration with partners from the industry. ■
He inspected more than 30,000 bananas to determine the nature of damage at each stage along the supply chain
Indika said 5 to 8 per cent of bananas in Australia were lost during post-harvest handling and distribution, a much higher wastage than comparative international markets. “The problem was that damage which occurred throughout the supply chain remained latent ScoTT GelSToN
Focus on fruit: Indika Fernando’s research is set to improve banana quality.
it was with great sadness that the Australian Maritime College community farewelled Professor Barrie lewarn last year. born in england in 1943, Professor Lewarn completed his initial seafarer training in england. He came to Australia in 1979 and initially started teaching in Sydney. In 1980, he became involved at the newly established Australian maritime College, with the development of courses including the cadet training program. He joined the original staff as a lecturer and later Head of the School of Nautical Studies and was the staff representative on AmC Council for several years. In 1994, as the result of restructuring within the College, Professor Lewarn was appointed as director of the Faculty of marine Transport and engineering, which encompassed engineering, Shipping Operations and maritime business. He held the position until his retirement in 2005. He was appointed an Honorary Professor in 2007. After his death former Principal Neil bose paid tribute. “AmC attracts a loyalty from its staff who believe in its mission and barrie exemplified that loyalty,” he said. A service to celebrate Professor Lewarn’s life was held in the College auditorium and attended by his family, friends, and former colleagues and students.
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‘eye of the SeA’ UpS the ANte THE $5 MILLION AUTONOMOUS UNDERWATER VEHICLE NUPIRI MUkA IS POISED TO PLAY A MAJOR ROLE IN IMPORTANT CLIMATE RESEARCH AT THE REMOTE THWAITES GLACIER by Nick clark
After a successful trial in Antarctic waters at the Sørsdal Glacier last year, the $5 million Autonomous Underwater Vehicle nupiri muka (‘eye of the sea’) is stepping up to a major role this year.
Lynchpin: From left, Isak Bowden-Floyd, Konrad Zurcher, Guy Williams and Peter King prepare the vessel at AmC in October.
With massive new capabilities the AUV is positioned to become the lynchpin of major international research programs at the heart of climate change research at the remote Thwaites Glacier, sometimes known as the Doomsday Glacier because of its potential to accelerate sea level rise.
led by the USA and Uk in this area,” said Associate Professor Guy Williams, Academic Lead of the University of Tasmania’s Autonomous Maritime Systems Laboratory.
“It also enables us to go to a
‘We can run more instruments, we can run twice as far – basically it is a massive capability boost’
“The big change is that last year was the engineering trial and this time we are off to the main game in the sense that we are joining a korean project which partners with a large international research program
– Australian Maritime College AUV facility manager Peter King Associate Professor Williams said the project was called the International Thwaites Glacier Collaboration. Australian Maritime College AUV facility manager Peter king said the nearly 8m, 2000kg AUV will operate from korean icebreaker Araon. “Last year, we operated from the Davis Station but this year we will be operating from the ship, which is a bit more dynamic,” he said. NIcK clArK
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deployments allow you to get where the action is, you are right at the ice front when you are launching.
“There are a few extra challenges but ship
much bigger research hotspot, in this case the Thwaites Glacier in the Amundsen Sea area of West Antarctica, where there is a lot more active and integrated research. There are several important ice shelves in this region and Thwaites and greater potential for the AUV to conduct longer runs underneath the ice.” Mr king said since last year the AUV’s battery capacity had been doubled. “So we can stay in the water nearly twice as long as we could prior,” he said.
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Precious cargo: The nearly 8m, 2000kg Auv will operate from Korean icebreaker Araon.
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GrAduAte profile by Nick clark
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“It means we can run more instruments, we can run twice as far – basically it is a massive capability boost.” Mr king said the first at-sea trials of the locally built launch and recovery system (LAR) had been successfully conducted from the Ocean Dynasty off the south-east coast of Tasmania in October. He said the AUV’s initial testing saw it travel about 700m under an ice shelf of between 300m to 400m thickness, diving to within 75m of the ocean floor – a depth of 1300m. Associate Professor Williams said the team was building towards the AUV’s full capability of travelling up to 100km under the ice shelf and back. The AUV would help research teams address data gaps in relation to the rate of melting of ice shelves. “The main uncertainty is that we don’t know much of the geometry of the cavities underneath the ice shelves, which makes it difficult to accurately model the ocean circulation that is causing the melting,” he said. He said key data was being sought from the AUV to
map both the sea floor and thickness of the ice above. “With improved cavity geometry, the ocean modellers can do a better job of determining how much heat is getting under and how much melting is occurring,” he said. Associate Professor Williams said the enormity of the task meant an international effort was required. “It takes more than one country to study an ice shelf and the problem involves observations of the surface of the ice, the ocean, the atmosphere with many different instruments deployed in an integrated way,” he said. “So there will be different icebreakers visiting over the next few years and instruments left out on the ice during the year.” The AUV is scheduled to leave New Zealand bound for Antarctica at the end of December. After a two-week voyage on the korean icebreaker, the AUV will be deployed as often as possible with an expected return in late February. ■
Australian Maritime College 2019 graduate Hollye Wooding is wasting no time putting into practice the skills she learned in her four-year Bachelor of Ocean Engineering (Honours) degree.
leadership and organising skills.”
The West Australian will return to her home state to work with engineering, construction and services company Subsea 7, along with three other AMC graduates.
“I had a teacher in high school who was really passionate and he suggested AMC to the whole maritime year group,” she said.
“I did an internship with Subsea 7 last summer and really loved it there and they invited me to come back and work for them,” she said. “It will involve project management of offshore installations such as pipelines, wellheads, the maintenance and fixing of all sorts of things on the sea floor to a depth of 100m and working with divers. “Project management is what I am most interested in: planning it all out, resourcing all the materials and working with a team to come up with solutions.” She said the experience of working with fellow AMC students on assignments was a good introduction to project management work.
Hollye appears to have been destined to come to AMC after doing a four-year marine and maritime studies course during her high school years.
“Looking into it, it seemed like the degree for me seeing as I liked the ocean and I wanted to do engineering anyway.” Hollye was an influential student on campus, holding the presidency of the Student Association for 2018 and 2019. “I joined the Student Association in my second year and was the events officer organising events at the bar and other recreation activities,” she said. “In the third year, I became president, which was great, representing the students on all sorts of committees like the learning and teaching committee, occupational health and safety committee and bringing up any issues with course work.
“Pretty much all of our assignments are group work so you learn to work in a team pretty quickly,” she said.
“Anything that the students wanted we sorted out for them. I liked being a part of it and part of the community and developing strong connections with everyone.
“There was lots of hands-on stuff, a lot of experiments using the Towing Tank and Model Test Basin which gives you a lot of project management,
“You move here when you are 17 or 18 and you don’t know anyone and everyone’s from interstate so it was a good way to meet people.” ■ aBOVE BOaRD
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the keys to unlock our Blue economy COOPERATIVE RESEARCH CENTRE SETS SIGHTS ON OCEAN FOR SUSTAINABLE SEAFOOD AND RENEWABLE ENERGY by Nick clark
THE $329 million Blue Economy Cooperative Research Centre based at the Australian Maritime College and University of Tasmania is poised to get down to work from early 2020.
The CRC’s aim is to answer one of the planet’s most critical questions: How do we sustainably feed and power ourselves from the world’s oceans? The recipient of the largest competitive round of CRC funding to date in Australia was announced in April 2019 and comprises $258 million from stakeholders and $70 million in government funding over 10 years.
It recognises that Australia’s marine industries are constrained by access to coastal sites and must move offshore to expand. The CRC aims to realise opportunities in sustainable and environmentally responsible offshore seafood production and renewable energy across Australia’s Exclusive Economic Zone, the third largest in the world.
The CRC concluded its funding agreement with the Australian Government in October and is expected to shortly execute an agreement with about 40 participants from Australia and overseas. An extensive recruitment process recently resulted in the appointment of former Department of Primary Industries, Parks, Water and Environment secretary John Whittington as the chief
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Optimistic: Far left, blue economy CrC Interim research director Irene Penesis. Taking the reins: Left, new blue economy CrC CeO John Whittington.
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executive officer of Blue Economy CRC-Co Ltd. AMC Professor Irene Penesis is the Interim Research Director. In November, a call for projects was issued with expressions of interest in the form of Scoping Studies and General Projects sought from potential participants. The CRC will be a unique model in which aquaculture, renewable energy and offshore engineering disciplines collaborate to supply nutrition and energy to Asia’s growing markets. It is expected to unlock $4 billion in value for the national economy over the decade. “Industries must be enabled to safely move from the coastal zone into more exposed operating environments before we can secure this major opportunity for the nation,” Professor Penesis said.
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The Blue Economy CRC is expected to support a research community of 50 PhD students and 50 postdoctoral research fellows. The CRC will deliver its research outcomes though five programs: • Offshore Engineering and Technology
‘The potential to make a difference to the way we work with our oceans is enormous’ – New Blue economy CRC CeO John Whittington
• Seafood and Marine • Offshore Renewable Energy Systems • Environment and Ecosystems • Sustainable Offshore Developments. The initial five years of the program will look at development and testing of new aquaculture renewable energy technologies and identify the infrastructure needed to support these systems in an offshore environment. If successful this is likely to be the first example of its type in the world, where the research will examine the benefits and synergies of co-location. “We’re confident that it will deliver ground-breaking research alongside commercially viable new materials, concepts, prototypes, and monitoring
systems,” Professor Penesis said. The Blue Economy CRC will build on extensive research undertaken at the AMC in marine renewable energy including wave and tidal energy using AMC facilities and developing technology, and leverage the enormous capacity, experience and utilisation potential of the more than 40 partners that are involved in the CRC. “The potential to make a difference to the way we work with our oceans is enormous,” Mr Whittington said. “We are tremendously excited to get underway to find productive, environmentally sensitive and sustainable technologies to unlock the emerging blue economy and to ensure that Australia takes a leading role in what will be an area of truly global interest.” ■ aBOVE BOaRD