Cyltech ACT applies new technology to protect engines using 2015 ECA-compliant low sulphur fuel oils 

Shanghai, 1 December 2015 – Leading global lubricants manufacturer Castrol, has announced the launch of Cyltech ACT, a new cylinder oil specifically designed for vessels operating in Emissions Control Areas (ECAs) using low sulphur fuels (including LNG). The new lubricant reflects Castrol’s ongoing commitment to developing a tailored and informed cylinder oil strategy that helps ship operators to successfully manage the complexity of transitioning ECAs.

Cyltech ACT utilises Ash Control Technology (ACT), which minimises the risk of ash build up. Preventing hard ash build up is essential for protecting critical parts of the engine when burning low sulphur fuel oil. Cyltech ACT has a BN of 16 and creates over 30% less ash than a 25BN oil[1], whilst at the same time delivering excellent ring-zone cleanliness. As a result, Cyltech ACT has Letters of No Objection from the major engine manufacturers and has performed exceptionally well in engine tests to date.

Paul Turner, VP marine and energy, Castrol said: “New regulations, changes in engine design and vessel operations plus alternative fuels are presenting our customers with increasing challenges. Castrol has always maintained that effectively lubricating the cylinders of large 2-stroke engines in today’s complex environment can only be achieved through the selection of a range of lubricants. In terms of the 2015 ECA requirements, we have invested in analysing vessels’ transitions so that we can bring a high performance lubricant to market that is based on insight-driven technology. This is the latest example of how we are working collaboratively with ship operators to recommend the right lubricants for each vessel’s operating profile as well as helping them to create efficiencies through approaches such as feed rate optimisation.”

ECA legislation, which came into force on 1 January 2015, requires vessels to meet sulphur restrictions of 0.10%. Castrol has always maintained that every vessel will require a different cylinder oil strategy tailored to meet specific trading patterns and operational factors, which relies upon selecting the right combination of lubricants. This is a position that is mandated by the OEMs.

Through building an in-depth understanding of ECA transitions and by concentrating on its customers and chemistry, Castrol has accumulated significant experience across a wide range of engines and operating regimes. Castrol understands that careful assessment of engine type and mark, length of time spent in ECAs, fuel sulphur content outside of ECAs, specific operating parameters such as slow steaming and the number of lube oil storage tanks on a vessel all directly influence the optimal  cylinder oil strategy for any given vessel or fleet. Castrol has a global network of knowledgeable and experienced technical support engineers to advise customers on the best options for every vessel.

The new lubricant joins existing products within the Cyltech range, including Cyltech 70 and Cyltech 100. Only by selecting the right combination of products can acceptable levels of protection against corrosive wear be achieved, particularly for many engines that were on slow steaming regimes or for new engine designs that were particularly prone to corrosive wear.

Cyltech ACT will be available in Singapore, ARA and key USA ports by the end of Q1 2016 with other countries and ports following throughout 2016.

For more information about Castrol’s range of marine lubricants and technical support services, please visit the Castrol website:http://www.castrol.com/en/b2b/home/industry-expertise/marine.html

With the “Train-the-Trainer” seminar for teachers titled “The Marine Environment and us: Ensuring a Sustainable Future”, HELMEPA’s “Educational Community and Public Awareness Campaign on the Marine Environment, Shipping and Sciences” was concluded in the Region of Corinth. The Campaign, which is being implemented across 14 Greek cities until 2017 is supported by UK independent charity, Lloyd’s Register Foundation^* (the Foundation).

The seminar was organized in cooperation with the Directorates for Elementary and Secondary Education of Corinth at the Alexandrion Conference Center of Loutraki and was attended by 50 teachers. Presented topics included the marine environment, shipping, climate change and marine litter. Discussion on the latter was enriched with the experience of representatives from the local volunteers’ team “Loutraki Divers” and the Loutraki Diving Club, who presented a brief exhibit of typical litter items they have collected from the local seabed.

Participants received a Certificate of Attendance along with supporting educational material and became members of the “Marine Teachers” network of HELMEPA, through which they will be continuously updated on the Campaign’s themes and will be able to share ideas on innovative educational activities.

The Campaign’s environmental Exhibition operated under the auspices of the local Municipalities for a total of 25 days at the Municipal Theater of Corinth and the Alexandrion Conference Center of Loutraki. During these days it was visited by approximately 1,600 schoolchildren and 90 teachers from 15 Elementary and High Schools of the wider region, who were transported to the Exhibition on the Campaign’s expenses.

Besides raising awareness among the school and educational communities on the themes of the Campaign, the aim of this HELMEPA–LRF initiative is to inspire youth in Greece to get involved in science and engineering. Thus, an educational visit of students from the Perachora High School to the Army’s School of Engineering in Loutraki was organized. There students and accompanying teachers were informed by experts on the Ancient Diolkos, a paved roadway constructed between the 7^th and 6^th Century B.C. for the transportation of merchant ships from the Corinth Gulf to the Saronic Gulf and vice versa. The Ancient Diolkos, a segment of which exists in the School’s grounds, constituted a forerunner of the Corinth Canal and is considered one of the most important engineering achievements of Ancient Greece.

HELMEPA wishes to thank the Municipalities of Corinth and Loutraki-Perachora-Agioi Theodoroi for placing under their auspices the Campaign, the Directorates for Elementary and Secondary Education of Corinth for the their cooperation in the scheduling of school visits to the Exhibition and the seminar, as well as all the schoolchildren, teachers and local clubs of Corinth, who through their warm response sent an optimistic message for the region’s future.

Lloyd’s Register Foundation (the Foundation) helps to protect life and property by supporting engineering-related education, public engagement and the application of research.

http://www.lrfoundation.org.uk/

UNEP Deputy Executive Director Ibrahim Thiaw

For decades, North-South cooperation was seen as essential in helping developing countries. Today, it is South-South cooperation that is on the rise, with interregional trade expected to overtake that in the North: 

Minister Xie, Under Secretary General Ambassador Wu, Executive Secretary Figueres, ministers, excellencies, ladies and gentlemen – welcome!

Thanks to all of you for attending this historic event in Paris, where every single one of us cares about the unprecedented threat of climate change and the urgent need for more inclusive, sustainable development. We are in an unprecedented position to do something about those threats and to deliver a better future for our children and theirs.

For decades, North-South cooperation was seen as essential in helping developing countries. Today, it is South-South cooperation that is on the rise, with interregional trade expected to overtake that in the North.

Each Southern nation brings unique assets, strengths and experiences, which they are exploiting tangibly, through capital and technology, and intangibly, through knowledge and solutions. So it is no surprise that South-South cooperation is emerging as a key element of the global response to climate change. For example, while global investment in clean energy was up by 17 per cent, in developing countries it was up by more than double that, at 36 per cent.

Many emerging economies are moving to the frontline of international climate policy, taking a lead in defining and implementing low-carbon, climate-resilient and sustainable development pathways. For example, China’s quest to create an “ecological civilization” has halved the average cost of renewable energy in just a decade, while the country is delivering hard and fast on its commitment to South-South cooperation on climate change. In September, President Xi Jinping announced a fund of $3.1 billion. And just last week, he announced the launch of ten low-carbon industrial parks, 100 mitigation projects and 1,000 training opportunities.

Likewise, Brazil now tops the world in reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation, achieving 90 per cent reductions in the last decade. Meanwhile, India has committed to sourcing 40 per cent of its energy from renewables by 2030. With countries from Mongolia to Kenya developing ambitious climate change strategies, there is no doubt that the South-South cooperation model has shown serious potential for tackling climate change and the other 16 goals of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

Far from substituting North-South cooperation, South-South cooperation complements it. That raises the question: What gaps should it fill in the climate agenda for developing countries?

Clearly there is financial gap. Even if Northern countries mobilize the $100 billion a year in climate funding they committed to giving the South until 2020, financial support remains rare for most developing countries. Yet, South-South financing and knowledge could close that deficit. For example, improving institutional capacity would help to make an effective case for climate finance, and strengthen their ability to negotiate and implement increasingly complex climate agreements.

But there is also a knowledge gap, which South-South cooperation could help to fill. It can increase Southern engagement in international efforts and scientific processes, such as the IPCC, and improve collaboration between the developers and users of knowledge. It can also increase the sharing of traditional knowledge among Southern countries. Much of this is inherently sustainable and appropriate for developing countries. For example, REDD+ shares best practice among nearly 60 countries to cut emissions from deforestation and forest degradation, while conserving biodiversity.

And South-South cooperation can increase the uptake of ecosystem-based approaches to adaptation and mitigation. The benefits are already clear in the UNEP-China joint project on ecosystem-based adaptation, which supports Mauritania, Nepal and Seychelles, and which promotes cooperation between Asia and Africa.

Well, there is plenty to do, so how do we make it all happen. First, we can ensure that the South-South approach to climate change is fully integrated into the other targets for 2030. Last month, the UN Secretary-General’s Climate Team concluded: “Climate change has become one of the major pillars for South-South cooperation on our way toward sustainable development…”

One way to deliver on this is to develop a matrix that aligns sectors of importance to the South, where Sustainable Development Goals overlap with climate change priorities, with needed interventions, such as finance and knowledge sharing.

Second, we can build on existing processes and mechanisms under the UNFCCC that support actions by developing countries. Here, South-South Cooperation can support some of the climate institutional architecture by using existing financial and technology mechanisms, such as the Global Environment Facility and Adaptation Fund, and the Technology Expert Committee. It can also create potential alternatives, such as multi-donor trust funds under the UN umbrella.

And finally, we can accelerate the “Platform for Promoting South-South Cooperation on Climate Change,” which the National Development and Reform Commission called for in Lima. Through knowledge sharing, capacity building, policy support, finance and technology exchange, it would scale-up in line with national capabilities and priorities.

There is no question that cooperation among developing countries will contribute significantly to implementing the 2030 Agenda. But, while today we are talking about how to capitalize on South-South cooperation, I hope that in the very near future, we will be talking about South-North-South cooperation, as many developed nations realize how much this model has to offer.

- See more at: http://www.unep.org/newscentre/Default.aspx?DocumentID=26857&ArticleID=35616&l=en#sthash.ktoHHM7T.dpuf

Andreas A. Tsavliris delivering his speech

The Tsavliris Salvage Group Christmas Season Cocktail Reception last Tuesday at the Britannia Room of the Royal Thames Yacht Club in the heart of Knightsbridge, broke another record, even above that of 2013 – coincidentally a Tuesday, when more than 350 guests enjoyed the first major event of its kind in the administrative capital of shipping, London!

Andreas A. Tsavliris having just greeted Martin Hall and Neil  Bailey

Who wasn’t there; all sectors of the world’s shipping cluster where represented; academics, average adjusters, bankers, bunker brokers, charterers, class society executives, diplomats, environmentalists, flag state representatives, government officials, journalists and media consultants, lawyers, barristers and QC’s, marine consultants, P&I Club representatives, risk managers, salvage experts, shipowners and shipmanagers, you name it were there!

Graham Barnes, Lilian Evgenidis and Richard Wilson

We spotted Simon Kverndal QC from Quadrant Chambers, Graham Barnes from BankServe Insurance Services, Martin Hall from Clyde and Co,  Tristan Smale from TLT, Toby Stone from the Australian Maritime Safety Authority, ITOPF’s Dr. Karen Purnell, former Lloyd’s register CEO Richard Sadler, Tom Boardley, Lloyd’s Register Head of Marine Division, Jonathan Morley too from Lloyd’s Register, Simon Gutteridge from Maritime & Offshore Media, George Mcmenamin from Willis, Dr. Abdul Rahim from ClassNK, Jeremy J. Thomas from the LSLC , Tim Hill QC from Stone Chambers, Tim Fuller from Tindal Riley (Britannia) Ltd, Richard Gunn from Reed Smith and many others.

Dr. Aleka Mandaraka-Sheppard, George A. Tsavliris and Toby Stone

The Greek presence was also felt, as always a very strong presence with Dr. Aleka-Mandraka-Sheppard, the founding director of the  London Shipping Law Centre, Stathes Kulukundis from R&K, Prof. Costas Arkoumanis, Ambassador-at-large of the Hellenic Republic with responsibility for energy and new technologies, Valiant’s Nikos A. Vergottis, Zenon Mouskas,  Hermes’ Nicholas Skinitis with his wife Peghi, Constantina Mavraki from Noble Europe and Yiannis Chasikos from Atlantis Capital Management…

Costas Amarantidis, director-general of the Greek Shipping Co-operation Committee was present too,  Angeliki Koutoulia from Commerze Bank in Luxemburg, Niki Tiga from the Shipowners Claims Bureau,  Evangelos Panagiotopoulos from Cass Business School, Teekay’s Lilian Evgenidis, Prof. Nikos Nomikos from Cass Business School,  Agapi Terzis from the LSLC, Maria Dixon from ISM, Athanassios Malakos just graduated from Cardiff’s University, Paris Mangriotis and Maria Dragoumerli from LOC consultants, Gabriella Elia from Tatham Macinnes LLP, Jean Gowin from Jeanius Consulting and many many others…

Anny J. Zade, Costas Amarantidis, Maria Dixon and Athanassios Malakos

We overheard interesting discussions on the shipping markets, the BDI’s drop being the number one concern, but equally the rise in the freight rates of tankers – dirties in particular, politics with the Migrants and Terrorists issue being top of everybody’s…agenda, the Greek financial trouble and conflicts from Gibraltar to Afghanistan, how safe is the use of LNG as bunkers… A great evening of business networking but entertainment too as the Festive Season is on for yet another month! Excellent drinks and canapés complimented the evening, and as always an event to meet friends from the past!

A full house listening to Andreas A. Tsavliris speech

Our hosts, two of the Tsavliris brothers, Andreas and George with family members and colleagues from the Piraeus and London offices, did, together with the RTYC personnel, their best to entertain us. Milena A. Tsavliris, Mirela A. Tsavliris, Natalia A. Tsavliris, Alexander G. Tsavliris with his wife Eleni, Konstantine G. Tsavliris. There was Lia Panagopoulos, head of marketing and PR from Tsavliris’ Piraeus office, Christina Sakkas, and as always Jan May, the person behind all Tsavliris’ London events!

Andreas A. Tsavliris with his wife Milena, daughter Natalia Tsavliris, Pericles Vassilopoulos and his elder daughter Mariela A. Tsavliris

Andreas A. Tsavliris delivered this years’ annual Christmas speech*, and as you will hear herebelow in the live video, he covered all aspects: the Salvage industry and LOF in particular, the Tsavliris Group successes, world geopolitics, the Greek saga – being optimistic, and some family good news (there is always something in the air from the vast Tsavliris’ family to hear more or less every year!). Tradition and respect too for the Group’s founder, the late Alexandros Tsavliris , an interesting mentioning!

More pictures…

Zenon Mouskas and Gabriella Elia

Tristan Smale, Agapi Terzis and Jeremy J. Thomas

* Some of the main points of Andreas A. Tsavliris’ speech, in case same cannot be heard clearly on the video, are:

• “We had an interesting year.  We bought another Tug to operate in the Greek and Mediterranean waters.  We carried out about  11 (eleven)            salvage operations all over the world.  Each case had its difficulties and peculiarities,  but we are satisfied with the results.”
• “The importance and value of the LOF and I sincerely hope the Underwriters, P & I Clubs and owners will also realise this and be convinced to support and encourage the use of the LOF because it is without doubt the best contract we have today and we must protect it.”
• “As a result of the difficulties the industry is facing and going through we The many changes the industry is facing,  some companies are merging, some joint ventures , some closing down their Salvage operations,   and also others thinking of selling…  Hope the industry is taking note of this and will take such measures not to let our industry be damaged any further.”
• “We would like to be given more support and encouragement , have less disputes and confrontations and in general show more trust in how the salvor carries out his operations.  We should all make a concerted effort to work together in a more positive manner…”
• On the major issue of Piracy: “I am happy to see quite a substantial drop in Piracy activities in the Somalia area and we hope there will also be an improvement in Nigeria.”
• On Greece: “That is quite a complicated political and economic situation not to analyse this evening but we are hoping in time and with a lot of patience and preserving we will see better days ahead.  What is happening today is very unfortunate indeed, and the country must fight its way back to a more healthy situation.”
• On the Lloyds List Awards in Greece, which took place four days ago:…  “we sponsored once again the Seafarers Award which gives us great pleasure and is always a great honour when you are able to support the seafarers who are the heart and soul of the ships and our companies.”
• On his late father, Alexander Tsavliris: …”we are producing a book  in his honour.  He would have been 100 years old if he were alive and with us today and we decided to produce a book about 250 pages about his life, his achievements and our families –  which hopefully be ready sometime next year…”
• On the company’s history: “.. we are also celebrating 75years since the founding of our Dry Cargo Shipping Company and 50years since the establishment of the Salvage and Towage Company”
• On his daughter Natalia and  her engagement to Pericles Panagopulos:   “…on a personal note I have a very happy announcement to make, my daughter is engaged to be married.  We wish you every happiness,  always in good health, long life and many babies…”
• Concluding, he thanked… “ Jan May for organising once again this excellent event and for all your hard work.  The same goes for all our staff in Greece, we thank all of you for your hard work, your loyalty for all these years and for standing by us.”

Paris: …signs of Climate Change…

On the outcome of the recent COP 21 negotiations in Paris, Victoria Stulgis, Senior Associate, Carbon War Room commented:
“Despite calls to regulate shipping from the European Parliament, Denmark and the Marshall Islands, as well as multiple industry leaders including Maersk, it is disappointing to learn that shipping has not been included in COP21’s global climate change agreement.

“Shipping contributes approximately the same amount of CO2 as Germany in terms of global emissions. Yet, while Germany is targeting an 80% emissions reduction by 2050 outside of any commitments arising out of the recent Paris negotiations, the IMO GHG Study 2014 states that shipping is on course to increase emissions by 50-250% by the same year. The latest EU Parliament report predicts that by 2050, shipping will represent 17% of global GHG emissions.

“Despite the outcome at COP, it is vital that the shipping industry recognises the importance and urgency of addressing greenhouse gas emissions, to effectively contribute to the global benchmark of well below 2 degrees. The industry must also recognise that the eyes of the world are now watching what shipping will do next. At the next MEPC session, only a few months away, shipping is likely to come under scrutiny yet again.

“With so many profitable efficiency technologies available today, the private sector can capitalise on emission reduction schemes which can create new business opportunities across the industry. Reduction targets would send a clear market signal so that stakeholders can make informed investment  and R&D decisions. This becomes even more important when you take into account the long investment cycles of the shipping industry.  Clarity on future regulation can provide the shipping industry with the certainty it needs to take advantage of profitable solutions.

“Some in the industry are resisting regulatory action, preferring instead to see how existing fuel efficiency measures such as EEDI and SEEMP play out.   But we have yet to see these policies drive any meaningful investment in some of the promising new technologies that can unlock significant savings, such as air bubble systems and flettner rotors.  While these first steps are important, to stay within 2 degrees, we must make more progress in ship design, operation, types of fuels and the integration of smart and innovative clean technologies.

“Despite the lack of a clear target setting from Paris, we have seen that businesses and entrepreneurs have developed the solutions and are ready to scale their implementation.  We’ve already seen financing agreements between leading investors and shipowners, charterers making decisions based on efficiency, and vessels being retrofitted at drydock with efficiency technology solutions.  But the rest of the industry has been slow to follow – and regulation and standardisation can accelerate this process.

“The European Parliament, Denmark, Marshall Islands and Maersk, among others, have spoken: shipping needs to be regulated.  The industry is ready for regulation, and we are looking forward to seeing more countries and businesses come forward in support of explicit targets for shipping before MEPC 69 in April.”

www.carbonwarroom.com
www.shippingefficiency.org

The International Maritime Organization (IMO) has welcomed the historic achievement of the 2015 Paris Climate Change conference (COP21). 

The Paris Climate Change Agreement identifies a clear goal of “holding the increase in the global average temperature to well below 2°C above pre-industrial levels and to pursue efforts to limit the temperature increase to 1.5 °C above pre-industrial levels.”

IMO has contributed, and will continue to contribute, to global GHG reduction goals. IMO and its Member States recognise the important need for international shipping, which accounts for 2.2% of CO2 anthropogenic emissions, to support global efforts to mitigate the impact of climate change.

IMO Secretary-General Koji Sekimizu said, “The Paris Agreement represents remarkable progress and builds on the 1992 Rio Earth Summit, which itself was a significant step forward. The absence of any specific mention of shipping in the final text will in no way diminish the strong commitment of IMO as the regulator of the shipping industry to continue work to address GHG emissions from ships engaged in international trade.”

To date, IMO is the only organization to have adopted energy-efficiency measures that are legally binding across an entire global industry and apply to all countries. Mandatory energy efficiency standards for new ships, and mandatory operational measures to reduce emissions from existing ships, entered into force under an existing international convention (MARPOL Annex VI) in 2013. By 2025, all new ships will be 30% more energy efficient than those built last year. This is more than a target, it is a legal requirement, and demonstrates that IMO is the correct and only forum to identify solutions and an appropriate pathway for international shipping to de-carbonize with the rest of the globe.

Continuing efforts will include development of a global data collection system for ship’s fuel consumption to be discussed in detail at the next meeting of IMO’s Marine Environment Protection Committee in 2016, further consideration of a total-sector reduction target for GHG emissions from international shipping as proposed by the Marshall Islands in 2015, and continued investigation of additional mechanisms for ships to support the implementation of the Paris Agreement.

To date, IMO is the only organization to have adopted energy-efficiency measures that are legally binding across an entire global industry and apply to all countries.

During COP21, IMO provided an update of its work to address GHG emissions from bunker fuels used for international shipping. Specifically, IMO reported on its work on further developing guidelines to support the uniform implementation of the regulations on energy-efficiency for ships; and on its efforts with regard to technical co-operation and capacity-building to ensure effective implementation and enforcement of the aforementioned new regulations worldwide and, importantly, activities to support promotion of technical co-operation and transfer of technology relating to the improvement of energy efficiency of ships.

At IMO, the Governments of the world come together to develop the regulatory framework for international shipping which forms the basis for investment decisions. There is a clear imperative now for IMO’s Member States to rise to the challenge set by the Paris Agreement. Secretary-General Sekimizu said, “I now encourage Governments to bring the spirit of the Paris Agreement to IMO and come forward with new, creative proposals and to approach them in a constructive and cooperative manner.”

He said the challenge set by the Paris Agreement also extended to ship designers and marine engineers to develop the technological solutions, to those who operate and manage ships, to seafarers and those who educate them and, importantly, to the business of shipping, which needs to ensure that investment in innovative low carbon technologies is properly incentivised.

As the Paris Agreement once again highlighted, there is a clear imperative that development must now be truly sustainable. As a facilitator of global commerce international shipping is indispensable to the world, and IMO Member Governments, observer organizations and wider civil society will continue to drive the progress made in Paris.

IMO – the International Maritime Organization – is the United Nations specialized agency with responsibility for the safety and security of shipping and the prevention of marine pollution by ships.

From OI 2014-crowded aisles

Online registration for Oceanology International 2016 (OI 2016) the world’s largest marine science and ocean technology exhibition and conference is now open, and the conference programme with its ten free-to-attend streams has also been published. OI 2016 takes place from Tuesday 15 – Thursday 17 March at London’s ExCeL, and will be the largest ever held in its 47-year history, with over 8,000m2 sold to organisations from 32 countries.

Full information, and online registration is at www.oceanologyinternational.com

• Oceanology International China 2016 - the fourth show in the annual series will be held 9-11 November 2016, CECIS, Shanghai, China. Developed with government and industry associations it provided organisations with the opportunity to capitalise on China’s rapidly growing offshore energy and marine industries.www.oichina.com.cn/en
• Oceanology International 2016 (15-17 March 2016, ExCeL London, UK): will build on the success of the 2014 show, which attracted 8,410 participants – an increase of 10% over 2014. Exhibitor figures at the world’s largest marine technology and ocean science show were higher than ever before with 528 exhibiting companies from 35 countries. www.oceanologyinternational.com
• Oceanology International North America (14-16 February, 2017, San Diego Convention Center). The launch of this biennial conference and exhibition is in line to attract more than 2,000 marine energy professionals and 250 paying conference delegates. www.oceanologyinternationalnorthamerica.com
• Catch the Next Wave conference:  Now in its third edition, Catch the Next Wave is an exclusive conference taking place on 14 March 2016, the day before Oceanology International 2016 at the prestigious Royal Institution, London.  The event takes a longer term view of the capabilities that will shape our future ability to explore, understand, exploit and protect the oceans, with a focus this year on next generation robotics and automation.  www.ctnwconference.com

Ecoslops continues to meet growth objectives in establishing three new projects signed by 2017, and builds on significant progress made in 2015 

Ecoslops, the first company to develop technology to produce recycled marine fuels from marine oil residues (‘slops’), today announces that it has received an agreement in principle from the Port of Abidjan, in the Ivory Coast, to provide the company with land on which to establish a new oil residue recycling plant in the region.

Vincent Favier, CEO of ECOSLOPS, says: “The authorities within the Ivory Coast, and the Port of Abidjan have shown significant interest in both our unique technology and expertise.  With the growth of the port and its position as the gateway to the subcontinent, developing a recycling plant in the region represents the best opportunity for Ecoslops to establish a strong foothold in West Africa.  As we look to develop the project, our focus is on establishing strong local partnerships on both an industrial and financial basis to ensure we maximise the value of the opportunity. In conjunction with the recent signing of a Letter of Intent for the construction of a recycling plant in the Port of Constanta, Romania, this latest development works towards further meeting our objective to have three new projects signed by 2017, as highlighted in our IPO.”

The Abidjan Port Authority has granted Ecoslops with five hectares (ha) of land within the port boundaries. Ecoslops will now begin preliminary studies and analysis to evaluate the full financial and technical considerations of the project, and establishing relationships with local partners.

The Ivory Coast project follows the successful implementation of industrial production at Ecoslops’ first plant in the Port of Sinès, Portugal, which recycles over 98% of slops collected, as well as the first sale of marine fuel products and light bitumen.  In December 2015, Ecoslops also signed a Letter of Intent to explore the feasibility of creating an oil residue recycling plant in the Romanian Port of Constanta, on the Black Sea.   The companyis continuing to pursue discussions with major operators to scope further opportunities in the Mediterranean and Northern Europe.

About ECOSLOPS (http://www.ecoslops.com): ECOSLOPS has developed a unique technology to transform oil residues from shipping (slops and sludge) into new recycled marine fuels. The Company’s ambition is to establish itself as major player in the treatment of marine hydrocarbon waste. The ECOSLOPS solution is based on a perfect knowledge of the processes of collection, treatment and recycling of slops and sludge. ECOSLOPS offers an economic and ecologic solution to port infrastructure, waste collectors and ship owners through industrial scale treatment unit they develop and operate. The first industrial unit is based in Sinès, first commercial port in Portugal.

ECOSLOPS is a public listed company on Alternext in Paris (ISIN: FR0011490648; Ticker: ALESA) and is PEA-PME eligible.

From OI 2014-crowded aisles

Advancing technology is allowing us to work with the ocean in ways that were previously impossible, which will lead to an exponential growth in the economic value of the sea.  That development will be a significant growth factor in the global economy, but only if done right, “right” meaning a balance of economic growth, with responsible stewardship based on science and information derived from ocean monitoring and observing.  

The ‘Marine Technology and Services Sector Role in the Blue Economy’ day-long conference at Oceanology International 2016 (OI 2016), the world’s largest marine science and ocean technology exhibition and conference track (ExCeL London, UK 15-17 March), will explore the latest trends in ocean observing, viewed through the lens of the ‘Blue Economy’.  Like all OI conference sessions it is free-to-attend. Free online registration is at www.oceanologyinternational.com

Taking place on OI 2016 opening day, Tuesday 15 March, by means of a series of presentations drawn from a record number of abstracts, this programme will help attendees evaluate their own ocean science, technology, and economic activities through new perspectives and identify key trends that will influence future developments. This conference programme includes distinguished keynotes, two focused panels and an international roster of speakers.

“We are pleased to announce Tim Moltmann, Director of Australia’s Integrated Marine Observing System (IMOS) as the keynote speaker who will set the context of how a national ocean observing system is providing value locally, regionally, globally and underpins the ‘Blue Economy’,” explains Event Director, Jonathan Heastie of organisers Reed Exhibitions.

“IMOS is entering its second decade of operations, and while established under an Australian Government research infrastructure program to deliver ocean observations to marine and climate scientists, its open-data approach is translating into broader use of data streams including for operational uses and applications.  Further, the two panels will look at the topic of the ‘Blue Economy’ from the perspectives of the ocean observing networks and also from new technologies provided by industry.

“We have worked with two key players on creating this conference stream, Zdenka Willis, Director, U.S. Integrated Ocean Observing System (IOOS) Program, and Justin Manley, Founder of Just Innovation LLC,” explains Jonathan Heastie. “The programme they have devised is highly topical and a ‘must-attend’ session of interest to our broad exhibitor and visitor base. We are looking forward to a packed hall throughout the day.”

Zdenka Wills, Director US IOOS explains: “I am excited to co-chair another Oceanology International conference highlighting the scientific and technical developments in ocean observing and the positive impacts they bring to our global ocean community.”

While Justin Manley, Managing Director Just Innovation LLC adds: “The two panels in this programme will provide concentrated, high quality, information about trends in operational ocean observation systems and innovative technologies that will shape the future of the sector.”

Down to detail
Following opening remarks from Zdenka Willis, keynote speaker IMOS Director Tim Moltmann will take to the lectern to deliver ‘From observation to impact – an Australian perspective on development of the Blue Economy. Eric Comerma, Director International Services, RPS ASA will follow with ‘Operational data management in support of search & rescue operations in the Central Mediterranean Sea’, after which a panel session ‘Ocean observing systems – focus on the Blue Economy will involve four panellists.

The four panellists are Liesl Hotaling, President, Eidos Education; Tony Knap, Director, GERG, Texas A&M University and Executive Director, POGO; Martin Visbeck, Professor in Physical Oceanography, GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kiel & Kiel University; and John Breslin, General Manager, SmartBay Ireland.

Following a break for visiting the exhibition and networking, the early afternoon session will begin with Luisa Cristini, Project Manager, National Oceanography Centre considering ‘Costs and benefits of multidisciplinary fixed-point ocean observations.  The second panel of the day will then discuss ‘Instrumentation for ocean observing’. The six international panellists are Julian von Borries, Technical Director, HYDRO-BIOS Apparatebau; Carmem-Lara Manes, Director R&D, Microbia Environnement; Peer Fietzek, Manager Science & Research, Kongsberg Maritime Contros; Oliver Ferdinand, Researcher, University of Oldenburg; Mary-Lou Tercier-Waeber, Senior Scientist, University of Geneva; and Dan Eduard Mihaiescu, Associate Professor, Politechnic University, Bucharest.

Their stimulating 70 minute discussion will be followed by a presentation on ‘Ocean pH measurement: An in situ microfluidic’ by University of Southampton PhD student, Tianya Yin.

The final session of the day sees three strong presentations, the first from Rob Smith, Managing Director, Fugro Global Environmental and Ocean Sciences Inc on ‘Remote Ocean Current Imaging System’; this is followed by ‘Project Azul: An ocean observing system focused on offshore O&G operations’ by PROOCEANO’s General Manager, Mauricio Fragoso; and the final presentation by Caroline Acton, Metocean Business Development Manager, Met Office is on ’Seasonal forecasting: an innovative system to ensure safe and efficient marine activities within a Blue Economy’.  Following the 10-minute wrap up, it’s time for all attendees to join the networking evening on the exhibition showfloor.

Packed exhibition
There are Canadian, French, German, Irish, Dutch and US national group stands at OI 2016, as well as a diving pavilion; and individual exhibitors come from 32 countries: Australia, Belgium, Canada, China, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Malta, Netherlands, New Zealand, Nigeria, Norway, Portugal, Romania, Russia, Singapore, Slovakia, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, UAE, UK and the USA. Together they take up over 8,000m2 of stand space making OI 2016 the largest ever held in its 47-year history. In 2014 there were 520+ exhibiting companies and total attendance over the three days of over 8,400 industry professionals.

OI 2016 is staged in partnership with the SUT and with The Hydrographic Society UK; the Institute of Marine Engineering, Science & Technology (IMarEST); the International Marine Contractors Association (IMCA); the Marine Technology Society (MTS); and the Society of Maritime Industries (SMI) as endorsing organisations.

Further information on all aspects of Oceanology International including visitor registration is available online atwww.oceanologyinternational.com and OITeam@reedexpo.co.uk

About Oceanology International
Oceanology International is the global forum where industry, academia and government share knowledge and connect with the marine science and ocean technology community, improving their strategies for measuring, exploiting, protecting and operating in the world’s oceans. Established in 1969, Oceanology International features the world’s largest exhibition for marine science and technology, multiple agenda-setting technical conferences, and a visiting vessels and waterside demonstration programme.

The Oceanology International portfolio includes:

• Oceanology International 2016 (15-17 March 2016, ExCeL London, UK): will build on the success of the 2014 show, which attracted 8,410 participants – an increase of 10% over 2014. Exhibitor figures at the world’s largest marine technology and ocean science show were higher than ever before with 528 exhibiting companies from 35 countries. www.oceanologyinternational.com
• Catch the Next Wave 2016 Now in its third edition, Catch the Next Wave is an exclusive conference taking place on14 March 2016, the day before Oceanology International 2016 at the prestigious Royal Institution, London.  The event takes a longer term view of the capabilities that will shape our future ability to explore, understand, exploit and protect the oceans, with a focus this year on next generation robotics and automation.  www.ctnwconference.com
• Oceanology International China 2016 The fourth show in the annual series will be held 9-11 November 2016, CECIS, Shanghai, China. Developed with government and industry associations it provided organisations with the opportunity to capitalise on China’s rapidly growing offshore energy and marine industries. www.oichina.com.cn/en
• Oceanology International North America 2017 (14-16 February, 2017, San Diego Convention Center). The launch of this biennial conference and exhibition is in line to attract more than 2,000 marine energy professionals and 250 paying conference delegates. www.oceanologyinternationalnorthamerica.com

From OI 2014-crowded aisles

Challenging times for the offshore survey and metrology industry require innovative and leading edge techniques and technologies that deliver operational efficiencies and productivity. And that, in the words of one of the co-chairmen of the ‘Positioning and Metrology’ day-long conference at Oceanology International 2016 (OI 2016), the world’s largest marine science and ocean technology exhibition and conference, (ExCeL London, UK 15-17 March), is just what will feature on the conference agenda.  Like all OI conference sessions it is free-to-attend. Free online registration is atwww.oceanologyinternational.com

Taking place on OI 2016 opening day, Tuesday 15 March, conference stream co-chairs Jonathan Davis, Survey & Geospatial Data Management Manager – AGT Region, BP, and  Malik Chibah, INS Group Manager, Sonardyne, explain: “In these challenging times for the offshore survey and metrology industry We are excited to have prepared a conference programme that will cover a range of leading edge techniques and technologies which will deliver operational efficiencies and productivity improvements in the field of underwater positioning and imaging.

The session will bring together oil and gas companies, survey contractors and key equipment suppliers to present example applications of new technology to industry challenges. The day will be split into four sessions – ‘Multibeam Sonar’, ‘GNSS’, ‘Optical and Laser Imaging’, and ‘Acoustic Positioning’. Multiple presentations have been selected which will allow all attendees to gain a unique insight into key emerging operational capabilities for the industry.”

“Our joint chairmen have worked hard to put together a highly relevant and topical conference stream which will undoubtedly be of interest to all professionals in the offshore survey and metrology industry, be they visitors to OI 2016 or exhibitors,” explains Event Director, Jonathan Heastie of organisers Reed Exhibitions.

Down to detail
Following introductions by the co-chairs, Frederic Auger, Chief Surveyor at Total E&P will deliver the keynote address, to be followed by Blair Cunningham, President of Technology, Coda Octopus Products Inc’s view of ‘Use of innovative real-time 3D sonar technology enables installation of a monopod Liquid Natural Gas (LNG) platform and pipeline under low visibility and high current conditions, increasing productivity and reducing project risk’.

GNSS then comes under the conference spotlight with two presentations, the first ‘Combining GNSS and INS for robust surface positioning’ by Dr David Russell, Technology Manager, Veripos; and the second ‘Towards centimetre-level offshore surface positioning’ by Fugro Intersite BV Geodesist, Matthew Goode.

Following the lunchtime break for visiting the exhibition and networking, the afternoon concentrates on an optical/laser panel session; followed by the session on acoustic/inertial activity. Three confirmed speakers take to the lectern in the optical/laser panel session – Jason Gillham, CEO of 2G Robotics looking at ‘Stereoscopic vision coupled with SLAM technology for efficient subsea metrology operations’; Fugro’s Commercial manager, Dan Matthews who will concentrate on ‘Evolving metrology and mapping techniques using subsea LiDAR’, and DimEye Corp’s President and Arnauld Dumon, whose 10-minute presentation will be on ‘Subsea 3D survey: a new business model with innovative photogrammetry’. Their quick fire presentations will be followed by half an hour’s discussion and Q&A.

The final session of the day looking at acoustic/inertial issues features two confirmed speakers – Mikael Larsen, Principal Engineer – INS at Sonardyne International who will speak on ‘Tightly integrated acoustically aided INS, laser mapping and contactless metrology’; and ASV’s Business Manager – Offshore Energy, James Hailstones on ‘Using an ASV for oil and gas services work’. When the conference stream ends it is time to take part in the networking event on the exhibition show floor.

Packed exhibition
There are Canadian, French, German, Irish, Dutch and US national group stands at OI 2016, as well as a diving pavilion; and individual exhibitors come from 32 countries: Australia, Belgium, Canada, China, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Malta, Netherlands, New Zealand, Nigeria, Norway, Portugal, Romania, Russia, Singapore, Slovakia, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, UAE, UK and the USA. Together they take up over 8,000m2 of stand space making OI 2016 the largest ever held in its 47-year history. In 2014 there were 520+ exhibiting companies and total attendance over the three days of over 8,400 industry professionals.

OI 2016 is staged in partnership with the SUT and with The Hydrographic Society UK; the Institute of Marine Engineering, Science & Technology (IMarEST); the International Marine Contractors Association (IMCA); the Marine Technology Society (MTS); and the Society of Maritime Industries (SMI) as endorsing organisations.

Further information on all aspects of Oceanology International including visitor registration is available online atwww.oceanologyinternational.com and OITeam@reedexpo.co.uk

About Oceanology International
Oceanology International is the global forum where industry, academia and government share knowledge and connect with the marine science and ocean technology community, improving their strategies for measuring, exploiting, protecting and operating in the world’s oceans. Established in 1969, Oceanology International features the world’s largest exhibition for marine science and technology, multiple agenda-setting technical conferences, and a visiting vessels and waterside demonstration programme.

The Oceanology International portfolio includes:

• Oceanology International 2016 (15-17 March 2016, ExCeL London, UK): will build on the success of the 2014 show, which attracted 8,410 participants – an increase of 10% over 2014. Exhibitor figures at the world’s largest marine technology and ocean science show were higher than ever before with 528 exhibiting companies from 35 countries. www.oceanologyinternational.com
• Catch the Next Wave 2016 Now in its third edition, Catch the Next Wave is an exclusive conference taking place on 14 March 2016, the day before Oceanology International 2016 at the prestigious Royal Institution, London.  The event takes a longer term view of the capabilities that will shape our future ability to explore, understand, exploit and protect the oceans, with a focus this year on next generation robotics and automation.  www.ctnwconference.com
• Oceanology International China 2016 The fourth show in the annual series will be held 9-11 November 2016, CECIS, Shanghai, China. Developed with government and industry associations it provided organisations with the opportunity to capitalise on China’s rapidly growing offshore energy and marine industries.www.oichina.com.cn/en
• Oceanology International North America 2017 (14-16 February, 2017, San Diego Convention Center). The launch of this biennial conference and exhibition is in line to attract more than 2,000 marine energy professionals and 250 paying conference delegates. www.oceanologyinternationalnorthamerica.com

Photograph taken at Oceanology International 2014 accross Kongsberg stand . Credit to: Trevor Smeaton

‘Handling Big Data’ appears on the conference agenda at the forthcoming Oceanology International 2016 (OI 2016) for the first time. The half day conference at the world’s largest marine science and ocean technology exhibition and conference (ExCeL London, UK 15-17 March) deals with the challenges of ‘big data’ both in terms of data management and data communications.

“OI has consistently evolved over its long history to ensure that it embraces all relevant fields of interest, and dipping a toe into ‘big data’ waters is proof of this continuing evolution,” explains Event Director, Jonathan Heastie of organisers Reed Exhibitions. “It is sure to be a step welcomed by many visitors and exhibitors who deal with huge volumes of data on a daily basis.”

The half-day afternoon session on Wednesday 16 March will be chaired by Harvey Stoelinga, General Manager, Teledyne RESON BV and Teledyne PDS Software Development, and Keith Haines, BMT Professor of Marine Informatics, University of Reading.

As Harvey Stoelinga asks: “Are you using volumes of data and do you want to learn about efficiency of your data infrastructure technology? Are you tracking and visually monitoring your vessels as well as capturing information from their information pool?  Are you working on underwater sites with the need of 3D millimeter accuracy of the structures you are working with? Do you use big data sets in combination with analytical tools to assess risks in coastal zones? Do you use big data sets, open data and linked data techniques to share process and interact with marine science data? Do you generate, verify and manage large oceanographic datasets to be used in various applications?”

Adding: “If you can say ‘yes’ to one or more of these questions than this conference strand is definitely worth visiting!”.

Professor Keith Haines explains: “With four company presentations and two university groups, we should get a great overview of cutting edge applications and research platforms being developed to take advantage of big data being rapidly processed into applications. Presentations will cover surveying to underwater imagery to meteorology and ocean waves and currents for offshore applications; risk management in the coastal zone, and the technologies linking big datasets together and making them more useable. I’m looking forward to a very exciting session.”

Like all OI 2016 conference sessions, ‘Handling Big Data’ is free to attend. Free online registration is open atwww.oceanologyinternational.com

Down to detail
The session comprises six presentations in addition to the Chairmen’s welcome.

Michael Liddell, Construction Support and Positioning Manager, Fugro Survey Limited will start the conference ball rolling with his presentation ‘Surveying on a cloudy day’. He will be followed by Amos Barkai, CEO of OLRAC SPS who will be looking at ‘The development of an integrated Electronic Monitoring (EM) and Reporting (ER) system to be used on-board commercial fishing boats based on eEye on-board camera surveillance technology and the Olrac Electronic Logbook Solution’. Bertrand Chemisky, Vision and Robotics Manager, COMEX SA will then present on ‘ORUS3D: Optimal reproduction of underwater sites’.

After a short exhibition and networking break, Al Rumson, PhD Research Student, Cranfield University will speak about ‘Big data revolutionizing risk mitigation for coastal management’; to be followed by Jon Blower, Director of Science at the Institute for Environmental Analytics on ‘How to be BOLD: Big, Open and Linked Data in the ocean sciences’.

The final presentation in this new conference strand by Robin Stephens, Metocean Group Manager, BMT ARGOSS, looks at the ‘Challenges of managing and verifying large data sets generated by ocean modelling in West Africa to support commercial applications’, in a paper co-authored by Clare O’Neill of the Met Office, and Elizabeth Orelup of Oceanweather.

Packed exhibition
There are Canadian, French, German, Irish, Dutch and US national group stands at OI 2016, as well as a diving pavilion; and individual exhibitors come from 32 countries: Australia, Belgium, Canada, China, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Malta, Netherlands, New Zealand, Nigeria, Norway, Portugal, Romania, Russia, Singapore, Slovakia, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, UAE, UK and the USA. Together they take up over 8,000m2 of stand space making OI 2016 the largest ever held in its 47-year history. In 2014 there were 520+ exhibiting companies and total attendance over the three days of over 8,400 industry professionals.

OI 2016 is staged in partnership with the SUT and with The Hydrographic Society UK; the Institute of Marine Engineering, Science & Technology (IMarEST); the International Marine Contractors Association (IMCA); the Marine Technology Society (MTS); and the Society of Maritime Industries (SMI) as endorsing organisations.

Further information on all aspects of Oceanology International including visitor registration is available online atwww.oceanologyinternational.com and OITeam@reedexpo.co.uk

About Oceanology International
Oceanology International is the global forum where industry, academia and government share knowledge and connect with the marine science and ocean technology community, improving their strategies for measuring, exploiting, protecting and operating in the world’s oceans. Established in 1969, Oceanology International features the world’s largest exhibition for marine science and technology, multiple agenda-setting technical conferences, and a visiting vessels and waterside demonstration programme.

The Oceanology International portfolio includes:

• Oceanology International 2016 (15-17 March 2016, ExCeL London, UK): will build on the success of the 2014 show, which attracted 8,410 participants – an increase of 10% over 2014. Exhibitor figures at the world’s largest marine technology and ocean science show were higher than ever before with 528 exhibiting companies from 35 countries. www.oceanologyinternational.com
• Catch the Next Wave 2016 Now in its third edition, Catch the Next Wave is an exclusive conference taking place on14 March 2016, the day before Oceanology International 2016 at the prestigious Royal Institution, London.  The event takes a longer term view of the capabilities that will shape our future ability to explore, understand, exploit and protect the oceans, with a focus this year on next generation robotics and automation.  www.ctnwconference.com
• Oceanology International China 2016 The fourth show in the annual series will be held 9-11 November 2016, CECIS, Shanghai, China. Developed with government and industry associations it provided organisations with the opportunity to capitalise on China’s rapidly growing offshore energy and marine industries. www.oichina.com.cn/en
• Oceanology International North America 2017 (14-16 February, 2017, San Diego Convention Center). The launch of this biennial conference and exhibition is in line to attract more than 2,000 marine energy professionals and 250 paying conference delegates. www.oceanologyinternationalnorthamerica.com

Photograph taken at Oceanology International 2014. Credit to: Trevor Smeaton

The Unmanned Underwater Vehicles Showcase has long been a feature at Oceanology International 2016 (OI 2016), the world’s largest marine science and ocean technology exhibition and conference, (ExCeL London, UK 15-17 March). This year not only has this  conference strand, organised with the Society for Underwater Technology (SUT), been expanded, to cover autonomous surface vessels (ASVs), hence its new name, the Unmanned Vehicles and Vessels Showcase (UVVS),  but it has been extended to a day and a half-long conference.  Like all OI conference sessions it is free-to-attend. Free online registration is at www.oceanologyinternational.com

“The half day on Wednesday 16 March will concentrate on technology and instrumentation; then the full day on Thursday will focus on the future of AUV operations, applications for AUVs, swarm robotics and surface vehicles,” explains Event Director, Jonathan Heastie of Reed Exhibitions. “The contents of the conference stream are mirrored in the exhibits on the exhibition showfloor, OI has always been rich in UUVs and we are seeing an increasing number of ASVs on display.”

“Blessed with a very strong set of papers submitted, it has proved very hard to select those to be presented, even with the expansion of the programme by an extra half day,” explain conference co-chairs, Dr Bob Allwood, Chief Executive, Society for Underwater Technology (SUT) and the SUT’s Business Development Executive, Ian Gallett.

“The presentations will cover a look into the future of autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs), their applications and, very interestingly, the increase in their cost-effectiveness by deploying them in swarms.  Also included are autonomous surface vessels (ASVs) and a detailed look at some of the developments in technology that these and the AUVs can utilise to further increase their usefulness.

“Apart from looking into the future with the reports of new developments, results from trials and operations are also reported. This promises to be a very interesting and informative day and a half, and one not to be missed by anyone with an interest in the future of  autonomous vehicles at sea.”

Down to detail
Under the heading ‘Technology and Instrumentation’ there will be five presentations on the morning of Wednesday 16 Marchfollowing the opening remarks by Bob Allwood and Ian Gallett.

The first speaker is Mark Atherton, Manager of Business Development and Special Projects at Kongsberg Mesotech Ltd looking at ‘Technical innovations to domed scanning sonar improve performance in deepwater operations’. This will be followed by ‘Extremely rugged but thin, buoyant optical cables’ delivered by Stephen O’Riorden, Director of Business Development at Linden Photonics. Angus Lugsdin, Business Development Manager of Tritech International will then give his views on ‘A new approach to acoustic velocity logs for underwater navigation’; prior to a look at ‘Remotely controlled subsea drill’ by Rodrigue Akkari, Director, Applied Concepts in Data Acquisition.  The final speaker of the morning is Pere Ridao, Director of the Computer Vision and Robotics Research Institute at the University of Girona who will talk about ‘3D areas with strong relief with hovering capable AUVs’.

Moving on to the second day of UVVS (Thursday 17 March) the morning will start with Graham Lester, Vice President, Hydroid Inc’s look at ‘Where do we go from here? – The development of the next generation Autonomous Underwater Vehicle technology’.

‘Swarm Robotics’ then come under the conference spotlight with three compelling presentations. The first is by Luc Simon of RTSYS, on ‘An effective swarm of high-speed compact and long endurance AUVs’; to be followed by ‘Swarm AUVs for environmental sensing at high spatial resolution’ being given by Felix Schill, co-Founder of Hydromea SA. The final speakers in the session are Dr Chris Haworth, Business Development Manager, SeeByte and Dan Hook, Managing Director, ASV with their joint presentation on ‘Developing adaptive behaviours for unmanned and autonomous maritime systems’.

These presentations are followed by a four paper session on AUVs and their applications. Total Meocean Specialist Lattes Philippe will speak on ‘Underwater glider platform survey for oil and gas exploration’; to be followed by Roland Rogers, Maritime Sector Lead at the National Oceanographic Centre telling his audience about ‘Advancing deep sea operations for unmanned vehicles’; with Per Espen Hagen, Senior Principal Engineer, Kongsberg Maritime looking at ‘Pipeline tracking with AUV: Operational experience and lessons learned’; and BG Group’s Subsea Developments Manager, Phil Bremner, delivering ‘Flatfish – A compact subsea resident inspection AUV’.

‘Surface Vehicles’ is the final session of the conference stream. Justin Manley, Managing Director, Just Innovation LLC will speak on ‘ASVs as tow platforms: Wave Glider experience and results’; to be followed by Vegard Evjen Hovstein, CEO of Maritime Robotics AS with ‘Unmanned Surface Vehicles (USV): an efficient tool for maritime data acquisition’; and lastly James Cowles, Science and Survey Product Manager, ASV will talk about ’Using autonomous surface vehicles for Passive Acoustic Monitoring (PAM)’.

Packed exhibition
There are Canadian, French, German, Irish, Dutch and US national group stands at OI 2016, as well as a diving pavilion; and individual exhibitors come from 32 countries: Australia, Belgium, Canada, China, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Malta, Netherlands, New Zealand, Nigeria, Norway, Portugal, Romania, Russia, Singapore, Slovakia, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, UAE, UK and the USA. Together they take up over 8,000m2 of stand space making OI 2016 the largest ever held in its 47-year history. In 2014 there were 520+ exhibiting companies and total attendance over the three days of over 8,400 industry professionals.

OI 2016 is staged in partnership with the SUT and with The Hydrographic Society UK; the Institute of Marine Engineering, Science & Technology (IMarEST); the International Marine Contractors Association (IMCA); the Marine Technology Society (MTS); and the Society of Maritime Industries (SMI) as endorsing organisations.

Further information on all aspects of Oceanology International including visitor registration is available online atwww.oceanologyinternational.com and OITeam@reedexpo.co.uk

Seeing things close up. Photograph taken at Oceanology International 2014. Credit to: Trevor Smeaton

The growing economic importance of the aquaculture industry in the marine environment, and the opportunities for technology transfer are highlighted by the day-long ‘Aquaculture’ conference stream on Wednesday 16 March at Oceanology International 2016 (OI 2016) the world’s largest exhibition and conference for marine science and ocean technology (London’s ExCeL, 15-17 March). This follows the successful debut of the topic at OI in 2014. Like all the component parts of Oceanology International it is free to attend, online registration is at www.oceanologyinternational.com.

Looking forward to OI 2016, the Chairman of the Aquaculture conference committee, Professor Peter Davies of the University of Dundee, explains: “The opportunity to bring to the attention of the wider marine science and technology community the new challenges faced by the aquaculture sector is exciting and timely.  The sector continues to grow globally and with this growth come new challenges that call for innovative research and technology solutions.

“The innovation thread runs through the 2016 programme and it is exemplified by presentations on the industry-led Innovation Centres that have been established recently in Norway and Scotland to facilitate collaborations with academic researchers.

“Questions of fish health, containment, environmental security, marine biofuel development and spatial planning all feature strongly in the industry’s strategic considerations and these themes are also addressed in the programme.

“Furthermore, the programme reflects the fast moving nature of the industry and the constant pressure to respond to new threats and opportunities,” he adds. “For example, the need to develop new sites in unsheltered waters demands new and innovative approaches to design moorings and anchors able to withstand severe weather conditions, to develop sensors and automatic measurement and telemetry systems for fish cages and to monitor the behaviour of farmed fish populations.

“Presentations on the exciting opportunities associated with attempts to develop fuel from the sea, the need to examine the possibilities for more land-based systems for aquaculture and the progress with marine shellfish farming all signify new areas of exploration in the industry. “

“The day’s event has been created by a committee of four individuals with wide experience of research and practice in the aquaculture field,” explains Event Director, Jonathan Heastie of organisers Reed Exhibitions.  “Professor Peter Davies has interests in fluid mechanics in relation to aquaculture systems; and the involvement of Alex Adrian, Aquaculture Officer for The Crown Estate, reflects that organisation’s aquaculture business interests around the UK in relation to finfish, shellfish and macroalgae.

“Richard Slaski, Managing Director at Epsilon Resource Management Ltd, Executive Director of Fisheries Innovation Scotland (FIS) and Head of the Secretariat of the Scottish Aquaculture Research Forum has many years’ international experience in the fields of aquaculture, commercial production, fisheries and related marine environmental strategy and policy; and the fourth member of our strong committee, Professor Kenneth Black (Scottish Association for Marine Science), is a researcher in marine science and sustainability with particular expertise in the environmental impact of aquaculture.”

“They have put together a stimulating programme that will undoubtedly open many eyes to the business opportunities in this growing industry.”

Getting down to detail
Committee members Richard Slaski and Alex Adrian will get the conference off to a flying start with the scene-setting ‘Challenges facing offshore aquaculture’. Keith Jeffery, Aquaculture Development & Support Officer at CEFAS will then speak about ‘The potential for shortening the pen-based phase of the salmon ongrowing cycle: strategic implications’, to be followed by Lawrie Stove, Managing Director of AquaMoor talking about ‘Innovative mooring technologies for exposed aquaculture locations’.
After a short networking break John Holmyard, Managing Director of Offshore Shellfish will speak about ‘Offshore mussel farming: Theory and reality’; ‘A ruggedized, deployable and autonomous system for the quantification of faecal indicator bacteria in natural waters for improving biosecurity in shellfisheries’ will be Molecular Biologist, Jonathan McQuillan of the National Oceanography Centre’s topic; to be followed by Arne Fredheim, Research Director, Department of Aquaculture Technology, SINTEF Fisheries & Aquaculture looking at ‘A centre for research-based innovation in exposed aquaculture operations – collaboration and synergies between maritime industries within the “Ocean Space’’.

The lunch break enables those attending the conference stream to visit the exhibition; and the third session begins with Marco Pieterse, Director of BlueLeg Monitor talking about ‘Surface water quality observation moving to the internet of things era: The EcoWatch; his presentation will be followed by Ketil Horn, Sales Manager of Nortek AS speaking about ‘A novel system for easy access to critical parameters in modern fish farms’; and then Peter Miller, Principal Earth Observation Scientist, Plymouth Marine Laboratory will take ‘Satellite-based water quality monitoring for shellfish farms to support management decisions’ as his topic.

The final session sees Jason Cleaversmith, Director of Business Development at SAIC, talk about ‘The Scottish Aquaculture Innovation Centre’; before two speakers both from SAMS take to the lectern – first Phil Kerrison, Postdoctoral Research Associate speaking about ‘Marine biofuel production technology’, to be followed by Michele Stanley, Senior Lecturer in Marine Molecular Biology on ‘Biorefining’.

Packed exhibition
There are Canadian, French, German, Irish, Dutch and US national group stands at OI 2016, as well as a diving pavilion; and individual exhibitors come from 32 countries: Australia, Belgium, Canada, China, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Malta, Netherlands, New Zealand, Nigeria, Norway, Portugal, Romania, Russia, Singapore, Slovakia, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, UAE, UK and the USA. Together they take up over 8,000m2 of stand space making OI 2016 the largest ever held in its 47-year history. In 2014 there were 520+ exhibiting companies and total attendance over the three days of over 8,400 industry professionals.

OI 2016 is staged in partnership with the SUT and with The Hydrographic Society UK; the Institute of Marine Engineering, Science & Technology (IMarEST); the International Marine Contractors Association (IMCA); the Marine Technology Society (MTS); and the Society of Maritime Industries (SMI) as endorsing organisations.

Further information on all aspects of Oceanology International including visitor registration is available online atwww.oceanologyinternational.com and OITeam@reedexpo.co.uk

ENDS
 
CAPTION: Photograph taken at Oceanology International 2014. Credit to: Trevor Smeaton

About Oceanology International
Oceanology International is the global forum where industry, academia and government share knowledge and connect with the marine science and ocean technology community, improving their strategies for measuring, exploiting, protecting and operating in the world’s oceans. Established in 1969, Oceanology International features the world’s largest exhibition for marine science and technology, multiple agenda-setting technical conferences, and a visiting vessels and waterside demonstration programme.

The Oceanology International portfolio includes:

• Oceanology International 2016 (15-17 March 2016, ExCeL London, UK): will build on the success of the 2014 show, which attracted 8,410 participants – an increase of 10% over 2014. Exhibitor figures at the world’s largest marine technology and ocean science show were higher than ever before with 528 exhibiting companies from 35 countries. www.oceanologyinternational.com
• Catch the Next Wave 2016 Now in its third edition, Catch the Next Wave is an exclusive conference taking place on14 March 2016, the day before Oceanology International 2016 at the prestigious Royal Institution, London.  The event takes a longer term view of the capabilities that will shape our future ability to explore, understand, exploit and protect the oceans, with a focus this year on next generation robotics and automation.  www.ctnwconference.com
• Oceanology International China 2016 The fourth show in the annual series will be held 9-11 November 2016, CECIS, Shanghai, China. Developed with government and industry associations it provided organisations with the opportunity to capitalise on China’s rapidly growing offshore energy and marine industries. www.oichina.com.cn/en
• Oceanology International North America 2017 (14-16 February, 2017, San Diego Convention Center). The launch of this biennial conference and exhibition is in line to attract more than 2,000 marine energy professionals and 250 paying conference delegates. www.oceanologyinternationalnorthamerica.com

Patrizia Heidegger

Ship owners found to be irresponsible: data on shipbreaking practices in 2015 reveal appalling record

Herewith the full report / news from the NGO shipbreaking Platform:

Read our country-specific press releases: Belgium and France | Brazil and Portugal | Germany |Greece | Italy | Japan | Spain

Click here to download the list of all ships dismantled worldwide in 2015Brussels, 4 February 2016 – Ignoring industry leaders and human rights and environmental organisations, ship owners continue to profit from dangerous and dirty shipbreaking practices on South Asian beaches in 2015, according to new data released today by the NGO Shipbreaking Platform. 768 large ocean-going vessels were sold to the scrap yards last year. 469 were broken on the beaches of India, Pakistan and Bangladesh where shipbreaking yards do not provide fundamental labour rights, ignore international waste trade law, and fail to respect international environmental protection standards.  One of many accidents that killed or maimed shipbreaking workers last year was a major gas explosion at Shitol Enterprise, a shipbreaking yard in Bangladesh. A gas cylinder burst killed four workers immediately and severely injured another four. The vessel they were breaking was sold to Shitol Enterprise by the Greek shipping company Universal Ship Management Corporation, and sailed under the flag of St. Kitts and Nevis, a typical low-cost, end-of-life flag of convenience. Greek owners by far outstripped ship owners of other nationalities by having sold the most end-of-life vessels to dirty and dangerous shipbreaking sites in South Asia, and for the first time in many years, Bangladesh was the world’s number one destination for scrap ships. DUMPERS 2015 – examples of particularly bad practices The worst dumper prize goes to IDAN OFER, son of shipping magnate Sammy Ofer. Idan Ofer owns QUANTUM PACIFIC GROUP and has a controlling stake in Israel’s largest publicly traded company, ISRAEL CORPORATION. Combined, these shipping companies sold the highest number of vessels for substandard breaking operations in 2015: nine in total, with six of them going to Bangladesh, where conditions are known to be worst. GREEK SHIP OWNERS sold the most ships to South Asian shipbreaking yards in 2015, with 87 ships in total. Since the NGO Shipbreaking Platform started to compile data on world-wide ship dismantling practices in 2009, Greek shipping companies have unceasingly topped the list of owners that opt for dirty and dangerous shipbreaking. Backed by the Greek government, they continue to refuse liability for the damage done to workers and the environment in South Asia. Despite being part of several sustainable shipping initiatives and boosting environmentally friendly technologies on-board operational ships, well-known South Korean shipping companies such as HYUNDAI and HANJIN; Taiwanese container giant EVERGREEN; and Japanese companies including MOL, K-LINE and the TOYOTA owned TOYOFUJI sold vessels for breaking in Bangladesh in clear contradiction of their own company values and standards. SOUTH KOREAN SHIP OWNERS sold 27 ships exclusively to South Asia, mostly to Bangladesh. Also JAPANESE SHIP OWNERS sold exclusively to South Asia, many to Bangladesh. German shipping company NORDDEUTSCHE VERMÖGEN sold three vessels to the beaches of India and Bangladesh – the Northern Glance, the Northern Diversity and the Northern Vitality. The latter had been arrested in the port of Wilhelmshaven in Germany in 2012 to prevent an imminent illegal export to India. Despite awareness of the poor conditions at the South Asian shipbreaking yards NORDDEUTSCHE VERMÖGEN did not care about their vessels hitting the beaches, one of which went to Bangladesh – no lesson learnt. See our latest blog-post on the case here. Polish government-owned POLSTEAM sold ships to Bangladesh and Pakistan – and refused to take responsibility for their own actions following an alert sent by the NGO Shipbreaking Platform. Worse, the Polish government has likewise not acted. “Despite a lot of international attention on the problems of shipbreaking on the beaches of South Asia, the statistics for 2015 show that the vast majority of ship owners have not changed their practice for the better. On the contrary, most have opted for one of the worst shipbreaking destination in the world – Bangladesh, where children are still illegally exploited to break ships manually on tidal mudflats” said Patrizia Heidegger, NGO Shipbreaking Platform Director. [1] Ship owners sell their vessels to South Asian yards via cash-buyers, companies that specialise in the trade of end-of-life tonnage. Cash-buyers promise ship owners not only the highest price, but also to rid them of their responsibility to properly deal with the end-of-life management of their ships. [2] Ships contain large amounts of toxic materials such as oil sludge, asbestos and paints laden with heavy metals and would yield less profit at end-of-life if sold to a recycling facility that firmly follows environmental and occupational health and safety standards. One sign of hope, is a group of leading ship owners that have vowed to take responsibility for clean and safe end-of-life management and demonstrate that alternatives are available. The European Union is also expected to publish a list of approved ship recycling facilities worldwide by the end of 2016. This will satisfy the call from those that demand better practices, including investors such as ABN-Amro and cargo owners such as H&M, Stora Enso and Phillips – none of whom wish to be associated with polluting and harmful end-of-life management of old ships. While, only vessels sailing under an EU flag will be legally obliged to use an EU approved recycling facility, any ship owner can nevertheless opt for an EU approved facility for its non-EU flagged ships on a voluntary basis. The NGO Shipbreaking Platform therefore demands that shipping companies and their investors only allow their vessels to go to yards listed on the EU list. Moreover, governments of the world’s leading maritime nations, such as Greece and Germany, must likewise take steps to ensure national use of the EU list. Introducing a financial incentive based on the polluter pays principle would go a far way in pushing irresponsible ship owners towards sustainable ship recycling. [3] For detailed figures and analysis on ships dismantled in 2015, click here. For background information on global ship dismantling practices, click here. NOTES [1] Last year, in Bangladesh alone, 16 workers lost their lives in explosions, by falling from heights or by being crushed by falling steel plates. At least 22 workers were seriously injured, and some of them are still awaiting proper medical treatment. Many more workers became ill from inhaling asbestos fibres and toxic fumes such as those released when cutting the ships with blow torches. According to the ILO and leading trade unions, shipbreaking on the beaches of South Asia is one of the most dangerous jobs in the world. Pakistani shipbreaking yards in Gadani also lack proper infrastructure and facilities to protect workers or to properly manage the hazardous wastes found on-board ships. Despite reported improvements in four Indian yards that have received a Statement of Compliance with the requirements of the International Maritime Organisation’s Hong Kong Convention from Japanese classification society ClassNK, concerns persist related to the continued operations in unprotected tidal waters; the lack of proper accommodation and medical facilities for workers; and the lack of proper downstream waste management. Six workers died in accidents at shipbreaking yards in India last year, however, the authorities do not disclose the accident record to the public. Yards in other parts of the world, are not necessarily all operating in line with standards that ensure sustainable ship recycling. While many ship recyclers will seek to have their facility listed on the EU list, only those that comply with the requirements and do not use unprotected beaches and coastal areas causing pollution of the marine environment, will be approved. [2] Cash-buyers, such as GMS and Wirana, are responsible for almost all sales to substandard yards in South Asia. For more on the role of cash-buyers and especially their use of Flags of Convenience at end-of-life, see our report: What a difference a flag makes. Why ship owners’ responsibility to ensure sustainable ship recycling needs to go beyond flag state jurisdiction (2015). [3] Possibilities for introducing a financial incentive for safe and clean ship recycling is being discussed at the European level. The idea is that all ships entering European waters will need to hold a ‘ship recycling licence’. Money set aside would only be paid back to the last ship owner upon proof that the ship has been recycled in a safe and environmentally friendly way. Share Tweet Forward

Photo Credit: Red Rose Exile CC

Athens, 2 February 2016 - More than 150 delegates from 21 Mediterranean countries and the European Union, all parties to the Barcelona Convention, will meet in Athens next week to decide on key environmental issues related to the marine and coastal areas of the region.

The meeting coincides with the 40^th anniversary of the Barcelona Convention, which, together with the Mediterranean Action Plan (MAP), represents one of the most advanced legal regimes worldwide for the protection of marine and coastal environment. This first-ever agreement under the United Nations Environment Programme’s (UNEP) Regional Seas umbrella has served as a model for the 12 subsequent Regional Seas cooperation frameworks around the world.

During the last four decades, the Barcelona Convention developed seven protocols addressing specific aspects of Mediterranean environmental conservation. These have evolved from preventing pollution from maritime transport, marine exploration, and land-based activities to protecting biodiversity, and managing coastal zones.

Mediterranean countries have endeavoured to integrate sustainable development into their national policies. The Mediterranean Strategy for Sustainable Development, adopted in 2005, has become a strategic guiding document for all stakeholders and partners to translate the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development at the regional, sub-regional and national levels.

Building on these achievements, the delegates to next week’s meeting are expected to adopt basin wide strategies, MAP medium-term strategy for the coming 6 years, key action plans as well as a regional framework on climate change adaptation.

During a high level event with the theme “Forty Years of Cooperation for Healthy and Productive Mediterranean Sea and Coast: A Collective Journey Towards Sustainable Development” the region’s ministers will take stock of the successful first four decades of the Barcelona Convention. They will also draw a roadmap for the sustainable development of the Mediterranean in the coming ten years, within the framework of the global SDGs.

The Meeting comes at a key moment for the Mediterranean, as the region is integrating the agreed universal goals into its own sustainable development agenda, transitioning to a green and blue economy.

About UNEP/MAP

The Mediterranean Action Plan (MAP) was adopted in 1975 by Mediterranean countries and the European Community under the auspices of the United Nations Environment Programme’s Regional Seas Programme to monitor and protect the Mediterranean marine environment from pollution threats while ensuring the integrated development of the natural basin’s resources on the basis of multilateral cooperation.

About the Barcelona Convention

In 1976, Mediterranean countries and the European Community adopted the Barcelona Convention for the Protection of the Mediterranean Sea against Pollution as the legal basis for international cooperation in protecting the Mediterranean environment.

The scope of Barcelona Convention gradually widened to include integrated coastal zone planning and management. Today, 40 years later, there are 22 Contracting Parties working together to protect the Mediterranean marine and coastal environment while boosting regional and national plans to achieve sustainable development.

- See more at: http://www.unep.org/newscentre/Default.aspx?DocumentID=26862&ArticleID=35885&l=en#sthash.a6VYa9Fu.dpuf

Exhibitions offer a chance to see and discuss new technology. Photograph taken at Oceanology International 2014, credit to: Trevor Smeaton

EVEN MORE TO OCEANOLOGY INTERNATIONAL 2016 THAN RECORD BREAKING EXHIBITION AND 10 CONFERENCE STREAMS

The world’s largest marine science and ocean technology event, Oceanology International 2016 (ExCeL London, 15-17 March), not only features a record-breaking exhibition (the largest in its 47-year history) and a conference comprising 10 highly topical streams featuring 108 speakers over the three days, but a host of associated events and features. Online registration is open at www.oceanologyinternational.com with free admission to all the show’s component parts.

“It’s going to be a highly stimulating three days, with plenty to interest our wide-ranging audience of end-users who share an interest in and commitment to the technology and science behind global ocean exploration, exploitation and protection,” explains Event Director, Jonathan Heastie of organisers Reed Exhibitions.

“Vessels and dock-side demonstrations; a programme of exciting events in our Trade & Innovation Theatre on the exhibition showfloor; and the South Gallery rooms being used for a growing number of events as well as for our 10-stream conference all play a part. Networking will be very much the order of the day, both on the evening before OI opens with the ever-popular ‘Icebreaker’ for exhibitors; and within the exhibition at the end of the first day allowing business to continue over a relaxed couple of hours until 19:00.

About the features and associated events
“Briggs Marine, CMS-Geotech, emma technologies, Hays Ships, Kongsberg Maritime, NDT Offshore, Norbit Subsea, the Port of London Authority and Teledyne Marine have already confirmed vessels coming to OI 2016; and DWTEK-Tritech; RTSYS, SeaBotix and Seafloor Systems are amongst those staging dockside demonstrations and making use of our seated area for their guests,” he adds. “We are expecting more vessels and more demonstrations to be confirmed in the coming weeks.”

The Trade & Innovation Theatre events include:

• ‘Near & Far Market Trading’ offering new investment, export and partnership opportunities for exhibiting and visiting organisations (15 and 17 March)
• ‘Open Ocean & Coastal Observatories Workshop’ (15 March; 14:00-17:00, organised by SLR Consulting)
• ‘Clusters, Collaboration & a Common Blue Voice’ (16 March; 13:00-14:30) an event featuring The Maritime Alliance (TMA),  partners in the inaugural Oceanology International North America in San Diego (15-17 February 2017)
• The ‘Meet the Investor’ Seminar (16 March; 10:00-12:30 organised by the Oiltech Investment Network), followed by the ‘invitation only’ ‘Meet the Investor Workshop’ (13:00-17:00)
• And the OI 2016 New Products Showcase on the afternoons of 16 and 17 March.Programmes and fuller information on all of these events is at www.oceanologyinternational.com/Whats-On/Trade–Innovation-Theatre/

• XPRIZE Workshop: Design a Prize – the “Blue Button Challenge” (15 March, afternoon, time tbc)
• ‘Technology Cluster Workshop’ (16 March; 09:30-11:30 organised by SLR Consulting and open to all)
• ‘IMCA ROV Workshop’ (16 March; 13:30-17:00 – events@ imca-int.com for free registration)
• ALSEAMAR’s conference (with Total) on the SeaExplorer glider with hydrocarbon sensor (17 March; 10:00 – 16:45)
• And the OI 2016 Careers Day on 17 March organised in association with the Society for Underwater Technology (SUT) and the Institute of Marine Engineering, Science and Technology (IMarEST).

• Oceanology International 2016 (15-17 March 2016, ExCeL London, UK): will build on the success of the 2014 show, which attracted 8,410 participants – an increase of 10% over 2014. Exhibitor figures at the world’s largest marine technology and ocean science show were higher than ever before with 528 exhibiting companies from 35 countries. www.oceanologyinternational.com
• Catch the Next Wave 2016 Now in its third edition, Catch the Next Wave is an exclusive conference taking place on14 March 2016, the day before Oceanology International 2016 at the prestigious Royal Institution, London.  The event takes a longer term view of the capabilities that will shape our future ability to explore, understand, exploit and protect the oceans, with a focus this year on next generation robotics and automation.  www.ctnwconference.com
• Oceanology International China 2016 The fourth show in the annual series will be held 9-11 November 2016, CECIS, Shanghai, China. Developed with government and industry associations it provided organisations with the opportunity to capitalise on China’s rapidly growing offshore energy and marine industries. www.oichina.com.cn/en
• Oceanology International North America 2017 (14-16 February, 2017, San Diego Convention Center). The launch of this biennial conference and exhibition is in line to attract more than 2,000 marine energy professionals and 250 paying conference delegates. www.oceanologyinternationalnorthamerica.com
• Further press information:

• Photographs taken at Oceanology International 2014 are available from Judith Patten.
• Our preview material ‘What They’re Showing’ (currently runs to well over 30 pages, but more will be available shortly!) is now available on request from Judith Patten. It includes news of exhibitor launches and other featured exhibits; a diary of events at OI 2016 is also being put together. Both sorts of information can be tailored to your requirements on length, content and deadline.

10 February 2016 - Brightlingsea, Essex, UK - A planned Oil Spill Incident Management Exercise was successfully completed in Brightlingsea Harbour on Tuesday 9 February. The object of the exercise was to test the capability and processes for response to a hydrocarbon (fuel oil) spill in the harbour.

The scenario set by Adler & Allen involved a commercial aggregate vessel, such as might periodically transit the harbour (played for the exercise by Brightingsea Harbour’s Pilot Vessel), suffering a fire onboard which the ship‘s crew extinguished, but which resulted in injuries to those fighting the fire and one casualty in the water. The scenario then called for the vessel to strike a submerged object which punctured an onboard fuel tank resulting in a release of marine gas oil into Brightlingsea Creek.  The vessel issued a May Day distress call that was received by Brightlingsea Harbour, which then put into place their planned response, calling on other emergency services and agencies for support. Prior to the exercise only base line information about the incident was shared with the Brightlingsea Harbour team, with additional scenarios and objectives being added by both Adler & Allen and representatives from other organisations during the exercise. These additional scenarios included a road traffic incident delaying the arrival of equipment, members of the public entering the water to assist wildlife and becoming casualties, and an injury to a key member of the response team. In addition to these fictional scenarios the response team also had to contend with a real life surprise element in the form of a tidal surge above predicted height, which made effective deployment of equipment more challenging. Overall the exercise was successful, with invaluable lessons learnt that will allow additions and improvements to be made to the Oil Spill Contingency Plan. The exercise allowed the Harbour team to gain valuable expertise to ensure a real life incident is handled as rapidly and efficiently as possible. Among the lessons learned were: Provide additional staff training in some key areas Review of equipment provisions of Brightlingsea Harbour Authority Increase frequency of exercises including local resilience training with emergency services Introduce a holding area for emergency and other support services arriving on scene to facilitate their smoother introduction to the Incident Command Centre and avoid congestion on the harbour side Identify additional facilities to enable a larger and more efficient Incident Command Centre and onsite media facility Further clarify media procedures and inter-agency liaison regarding media output Identify remote resources and equipment rendezvous points for all agencies Identify a partner security company to provide security support and resources to the police when dealing with incidents over an extended period. Develop partnerships with neighbouring port authorities for provision of support and relief staff and equipment in the event of a very large or extended incident Speaking after the initial debrief, Deputy Harbour Master David Boughton commented, “It was certainly a worthwhile exercise. I was particularly pleased with the turnout from the emergency services and other agencies and grateful for their commitment and support. The harbour team has definitely found it a very constructive experience and we have learnt new skills, all of which will assist us in the future. It has highlighted our desire to do additional resilience training with the local coastguard, police, fire and rescue services. Overall I’m very proud of how our team has responded to this exercise.” Amongst the elements of the exercise which were particularly praised by the assessors were: On scene communications between the incident command centre and on scene personnel The speed and efficiency of both the initial incident response and subsequent equipment deployment The high level of engagement by the emergency services and other agencies who were all well represented at the exercise The positive attitude of Brightlingsea Harbour’s team and their commitment to learning and to evolving their major incident response plan Over the coming days each of the services and agencies involved in the exercise will produce a feedback report to Brightlingsea Harbour Commissioners for review and action as appropriate. On conclusion of the event Jim Addison, Chairman of Brightlingsea Harbour Commissioners, noted, “It has been a most constructive and useful day for both Brightlingsea Harbour Authority and our partners in major incident control. It is only through exercises such as this that we can check and improve our plans for handling incidents and we have been very impressed by the work carried out by all parties today. In particular, I would like to praise the Brightlingsea Harbour team who undertook this exercise in the wake of the recent sudden death of Harbour Master, Steve Chick. Postponing the exercise in light of Steve’s death was considered, but the team, led by our newly-appointed Deputy Harbour Master, David Boughton, felt confident the event should go ahead. A decision that has been more than vindicated today.”

HELMEPAhails the 40^th anniversary of the signing of the Barcelona Convention for the protection of the environment in the Mediterranean 

The 19^th Conference of Mediterranean States for the Environment in the framework of UNEP’s Mediterranean Action Plan (UNEP/MAP) is taking place until tomorrow, Friday 12 February in Athens. This meeting coincides with the 40^th anniversary of the signing of the Barcelona Convention from 15 countries at the time and the creation of the Mediterranean Action Plan, which constituted UNEP’s first Regional Seas Program.

The Conference is attended by 150 representatives of 21 States and non-governmental organizations, such as HELMEPA as well as the European Commission.

Proceedings will conclude in the adoption of important resolutions and strategies for sustainable development, adaptation to climate change, prevention and combating of pollution from ships and marine litter, integrated coastal zone management, the expansion of invasive species, protection of cetaceans and coral reefs and the creation of marine protected areas.

HELMEPA, having contributed since the late 1980s as UNEP/MAP Partner to this joint effort of Mediterranean States, hails this important anniversary and looks forward to further enhancing cooperation for the protection of the Mediterranean environment.

(Photo by Adam Cohn – www.adamcohn.com – Kicking an Oil Drum, Alang Shipyards, 2015)

Maersk end-of-life vessels to hit the beaches again. NGOs denounce container ship company’s step back to boost profits

Brussels, 12 February 2016 - The NGO Shipbreaking Platform and Transport and Environment (T&E) denounce Maersk Group’s decision to beach their end-of-life vessels in India [1]. The world’s leading container ship owner was previously guided by a progressive policy on ship recycling: its old vessels were dismantled in modern ship recycling facilities in either China, Turkey or Europe. Maersk’s decision to resort to the low-cost beaching method in India undermines European efforts to improve global conditions and the company’s position as industry leader. 

“Maersk estimates they can realise an additional 1-2 million USD per ship by onselling to dismantling companies in India. It is hypocritical to see Maersk’s engagement in India presented proudly in the company’s CSR Report as one that aims at promoting higher standards. The fact is that they are already selling ships now to facilities that operate under conditions that would not be allowed in Europe – they admit themselves that the decision to go to India is primarily taken to make their financial report look better”, says Patrizia Heidegger, Executive Director of the NGO Shipbreaking Platform.

The Platform had welcomed Maersk’s initial idea to set up a long-term cooperation with stakeholders in India provided that the objective was to set up a modern ship recycling facility in line with the safety and environmental requirements set out by the European Ship Recycling Regulation. However, the hasty decision to sell off end-of-life vessels to Alang shows that the decision is merely driven by profits. In times of low freight rates, Maersk intends to boost its profits by selling to yards that do not comply with European standards.

All yards in Alang dismantle vessels in the intertidal zone. This means that ships are broken in an unprotected marine environment – a method which has been identified at the international level as one that needs to be phased-out and that European law has banned. Environmental concerns remain linked to the abrasion of toxic paints during the beaching process and when cut-off blocks and hulls are winched further up the beach, oil spills and the release of slag and paints chips into the water, and the debris created by the gravity method when blocks crash down on the intertidal zone.

Moreover, working and living conditions in Alang remain inadequate. The lack of decent accommodation will not be solved before the first Maersk vessels arrives in Alang, nor will there be access to a proper hospital specialised in accidents and burn wounds. Maersk seems also to ignore the lacunae of proper downstream waste management in India: asbestos-containing materials can and are re-sold freely and PCBs cannot be properly destroyed. These issues are not dealt with by the Hong Kong Convention – for European Union approval these problems will however need to be addressed.

“The situation in Alang is not ‘fantastic’ as stated by Maersk. Similar conditions would not be accepted in Denmark, in any other shipping nation in Europe, or in the shipping hubs in East Asia. By selling ships to the Alang beach, Maersk is externalising costs for proper recycling and undermining the standard set by the European Ship Recycling Regulation,” states Patrizia Heidegger. “We expected visionary leadership from Maersk and that their CSR report boasted support for the setting up of a truly modern ship recycling facility in India. Instead they are rubberstamping practices that they previously denounced.”

NOTES

[1] Maersk has stated in Danish press that several of their ships will be sold to the beach of Alang in the coming six months.

Photograph taken at Oceanology International 2014: Nothing beats face-to-face conversations – it’s what exhibitions are all about. Credit to: Trevor Smeaton

Invasive species have been identified as one of the four greatest threats to the world’s oceans. Invasive alien species are now generally recognised as one of the greatest threats to biodiversity globally, they present serious economic, environmental and health impacts and, as a result, place major constraints on development. That’s why invasive species will be coming under the conference spotlight at Oceanology International 2016 (OI 2016), the world’s largest marine science and ocean technology exhibition and conference, being held at London’s ExCeL from Tuesday 15 – Thursday 17 March. Free online registration is now open at www.oceanologyinternational.com  

• Ballast Water Management from Regulation to Monitoring, Chris Mooij, Director and Head of the Modelling, GIS and Metocean (MGM) Team, Intertek
• Ballast Water Treatment Systems, Dr Stelios Kyriacou, Technical Director – Ballast Water Management Systems, Wärtsilä
• Universal Challenges in Ballast Water Management and Sensor Technology Developments, Stephanie Lavelle, Chelsea Technologies
• Challenges in Combatting Biofouling, Tom Vance, Research and Development Manager, Plymouth Marine Laboratory
• Hull Coating Developments, Speaker TBC, International Paint

• Oceanology International 2016 (15-17 March 2016, ExCeL London, UK): will build on the success of the 2014 show, which attracted 8,410 participants – an increase of 10% over 2014. Exhibitor figures at the world’s largest marine technology and ocean science show were higher than ever before with 528 exhibiting companies from 35 countries. www.oceanologyinternational.com
• Catch the Next Wave 2016 Now in its third edition, Catch the Next Wave is an exclusive conference taking place on14 March 2016, the day before Oceanology International 2016 at the prestigious Royal Institution, London.  The event takes a longer term view of the capabilities that will shape our future ability to explore, understand, exploit and protect the oceans, with a focus this year on next generation robotics and automation.  www.ctnwconference.com
• Oceanology International China 2016 The fourth show in the annual series will be held 9-11 November 2016, CECIS, Shanghai, China. Developed with government and industry associations it provided organisations with the opportunity to capitalise on China’s rapidly growing offshore energy and marine industries. www.oichina.com.cn/en
• Oceanology International North America 2017 (14-16 February, 2017, San Diego Convention Center). The launch of this biennial conference and exhibition is in line to attract more than 2,000 marine energy professionals and 250 paying conference delegates. www.oceanologyinternationalnorthamerica.com