Csiro News

Singapore and Australia have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to formally collaborate on establishing the Singapore-Australia green and digital shipping corridor.The MoU was signed by Chee Hong Tat, Singapore’s Minister for Transport and Second Minister for Finance, and Catherine King, Australian Minister for Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Local Government.Both countries will work with interested partners to explore opportunities to develop zero or near-zero greenhouse gas (GHG) emission fuel supply chains for the maritime industry…

It might be easy to blame EALs, but the ongoing causes of stern tube damage are varied, and possibly declining.Environmentally Acceptable lubricants (EALs) gained market traction with the introduction of US VGP regulations in 2013. Since then, DNV has observed two major trends. The first, starting in 2013 was early life damage, either during sea trials or within the first five years of operation, where aft stern tube bearings typically failed under extreme load conditions. Then from around 2018…

An investigation by Australian research organisation CSIRO’s research vessel RV Investigator has confirmed the location of the wreck of the MV Blythe Star.The 44-metre motor vessel Blythe Star was a coastal freighter that disappeared off Tasmania nearly 50 years ago. The vessel was travelling from Hobart to King Island with a cargo of superphosphate fertiliser and a ton of beer in kegs when, on October 13, 1973, it suddenly capsized and sank off the southwest coast of Tasmania…

On the night of September 26, near the end of the calm season on the Baltic, a broiling kilometer-wide circle disturbed the face of the sea and a huge mass of methane erupted into the air. The gas formed a cloud that crossed Europe, in what’s considered the greatest single release of this potent greenhouse gas ever recorded.It was caused by four breaches of Russia’s Nord Stream 1 and 2 gas pipelines, located in or near the territorial seas of Denmark and Sweden. Seismologists detected explosions at a depth of 70-90 meters on the seabed.

Surrey Satellite Technology Ltd (SSTL) has confirmed the successful launch of two satellites, NovaSAR-1, a Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) satellite, and SSTL S1-4, a high resolution optical Earth Observation satellite. The two satellites were launched into a 580km sun-synchronous orbit on board the PSLV launch vehicle from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota, India on 16 September at UTC 16:38 by Antrix Corporation Limited, the commercial arm of the Indian Space Research Organisation.Sir Martin Sweeting, Executive Chairman of SSTL, said “I am pleased to confirm that successful contact has been made with both satellites and they are in good health.

GE and CSIRO’s Data61, Australia's data innovation network, have developed a data analytics solution that will give the Royal Australian Navy greater insights into their fleet engine performance and enhance operational efficiency. GE supplies the Royal Australian Navy with its LM2500 gas turbines that power the Anzac, Adelaide, Canberra and Hobart class vessels. CSIRO’s Data61 has developed an application that will process data from GE engines captured from sensors and use advanced analytics to identify where improvements can be made.

The Australian and Queensland Governments are investing $45 million in an Australian first to improve water quality and reduce sediment run-off across the Great Barrier Reef. The $45 million Great Barrier Reef Gully and Streambank Joint Program will deliver a cohesive program of restoration work in key catchments including Burdekin, Fitzroy and Cape York. The joint program between government, the private sector, research institutions and conservations groups includes scientific investigation to understand the nature of gullies and the restorative activities required to fix them. Other work will include physical remediation, mulching, revegetation, fencing, native grass seed production and grazing land management improvements.

Being followed by an albatross is considered to bring good luck to mariners but the birds themselves aren’t always so lucky when trying to pick up a free feed from fishing boats. To better protect seabirds from fishing gear, AFMA has been working with the fishing industry to develop new devices for fishers to use. Following successful sea trials of two new devices led by the South East Trawl Fishing Industry Association (SETFIA) and the Great Australian Bight Fishing Industry Association (GABIA), the Australian Fisheries Management Authority (AFMA) has approved two new seabird mitigation devices, the “bird baffler” and “sprayer”, for use by fishers. The sea trials showed dramatic reduction in seabird interactions when using either of these two devices.

While searching for baby lobsters no bigger than a 50-cent piece, Australian researchers discovered a series of giant volcanoes off the coast of Sydney. The four previously unknown volcanoes, which are now extinct, are situated about 250 kilometres off Sydney in about five kilometres of water. The largest is 1.5 kilometres across the rim and rises 700 metres from the sea floor. They were uncovered by chance when marine biologists on Australia's new research vessel, the 94-metre Investigator, were searching the area for the nursery grounds of larval lobsters. One of the scientists on the voyage, oceanographer Moninya Roughan, said their discovery came as a complete surprise and was serendipitous because the ship was routinely mapping the sea floor.

CSIRO will be releasing a fleet of floating bio-robots between Christmas Island and Madagascar next week to measure biological indicators in the Indian Ocean including dissolved oxygen, nitrate, organic matter and particles. A bio-robot is a robot which can measure properties relevant to biology like organic matter. Four bio-robots, each worth up to $100,000, are being dropped into masses of spinning water. It will be the first time CSIRO has used the new BioArgo robotic floats to measure this massively under-sampled part of the world. "These can tell us about the growth of plankton, how much carbon they take up, how much gets used up the food chain and how much gets buried," CSIRO project leader Dr Nick Hardman-Mountford said.

CSIRO is set to increase confidence in large scale solar by more accurately predicting how different solar photovoltaic (PV) systems will perform on Australian shores. Over the course of a 32 month project supported by $1.3 million ARENA funding, CSIRO successfully established unique indoor and outdoor testing capabilities that are now accessible to PV researchers and industry. ARENA CEO Ivor Frischknecht said these new facilities would allow different solar panels and cells to be scrutinised, assessing how they respond to Australian conditions and predicting their output over time. “Accurately predicting the energy output of a solar PV power plant is critical throughout its lifecycle…

BMT WBM (BMT), a subsidiary of BMT Group Ltd, has announced that the Hawkesbury-Nepean River and South Creek model, developed for Sydney Water has been awarded the Program Innovation Award at this year’s Australian Water Association’s (AWA) New South Wales (NSW) Awards. BMT developed the TUFLOW FV (estuarine and riverine) component of the model, a core modelling tool which is used in many environmental modelling projects. Sydney Water is Australia's largest water utility, supplying water, wastewater, recycled water and some stormwater services to over 4.6 million people. As part of its operations, Sydney Water releases tertiary treated wastewater from several locations to the Hawkesbury-Nepean River system…

The first deep-sea exploration of the Perth Canyon, Australia's largest undersea valley, will launch today, Phys.org is reporting. The 12-day expedition is backed by Google billionaire Eric Schmidt and will study the conditions and marine life inside the canyon, which researchers hope will provide new information about the effects of climate change. A team of researchers from the University of Western Australia led by Professor Malcolm McCulloch will collaborate with researchers from the Western Australia Museum…

The World Heritage Listed Ningaloo Reef in Western Australia will be the focus of a new marine research partnership between CSIRO and BHP Billiton Petroleum announced today. Ningaloo Reef is the largest fringing reef in the world, extending 300 kilometres along the North West coast of Australia. The five year, jointly funded A$5 million research program will include both deep and shallow reef research, turtle and shark tagging, a PhD scholarship scheme and opportunities to engage the local community, including BHP Billiton Petroleum employees, in Exmouth, WA. Minister for Industry and Science Ian Macfarlane, joined CSIRO Executive Director Environment, Dr Andrew Johnson, and BHP Billiton Petroleum General Manager, Doug Handyside to launch the partnership in Perth today.

ARENA has invested $1 billion in more than 230 projects, fellowships and scholarships that are paving the way for a more diverse energy future for Australia. Thirty one of these projects have now been completed, with many more scheduled to reach key milestones and/or completion in 2015. Each of these projects is producing valuable knowledge and outcomes that are being shared with the energy industry to help overcome challenges and advance renewable energy in Australia. For example, the South Australian Centre for Geothermal Energy Research’s project has produced a reliable tool for accurate, pre-drilling predictions of geothermal energy reservoir characteristics. This could lead to a significant improvement in geothermal energy exploration and development.

Marine and coastal environment specialist, BMT Oceanica (BMT), a subsidiary of BMT Group Ltd, has been awarded the Australian Petroleum Production & Exploration Association’s (APPEA) “Understanding the Risks of Unplanned Discharges” study. BMT Oceanica will be working with Australia’s Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) to deliver this key project which will update current knowledge on the potential environmental impacts of unplanned releases of hydrocarbons and other chemicals into the marine environment. Phase one of the project is already underway and includes an international scientific review and the development of vulnerability assessment model that will help APPEA members enhance environmental and oil spill response plans.

The Australian Government today announced $21.5 million funding for 12 cutting edge R&D projects that will keep Australia at the forefront of solar research. Parliamentary Secretary for Industry Bob Baldwin made the announcement at an Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA) event held at the University of New South Wales (UNSW). ARENA CEO Ivor Frischknecht said the projects from the University of New South Wales (UNSW), the Australian National University (ANU), CSIRO and the University of Technology Sydney (UTS) represented the vanguard of Australia’s solar ingenuity. “These are the top 12 projects from a very competitive round where 110 applications were received, peer-reviewed and ranked against one another,” Mr Frischknecht said.

ARENA today announced $770,000 funding for Swinburne University of Technology to develop modelling on the performance of wave energy farms. The wave energy industry is emerging world-wide and there are few multiple device installations operating today. Predicting the best way to arrange future projects will help to better understand how different technologies will behave in certain circumstances. The modelling aims to discover the best ways of positioning wave arrays so that devices move in synergy with one-another, creating greater efficiencies. Swinburne is collaborating with interested Australian wave energy companies, which will sit on a project steering committee and have offered funding support and staff resources.

Rapp Hydema has been supplying deck machinery to research vessels since 1977, but this global market recently became especially significant for the group. In 2002, in what would be a watershed project, Rapp Hydema was chosen to outfit the NOAA Fishery Survey Vessel (FSV) Oscar Dyson class of vessels. The first four ships in the class were being constructed at VT Halter Marine Shipyard. “That NOAA research vessel contract provided us with excellent exposure,” said Johann Sigurjonsson, President of Rapp Hydema U.S.

ARENA today announced $450,000 funding for Abengoa to conduct a feasibility study into a solar thermal power station in remote Western Australia. ARENA CEO Ivor Frischknecht said the study will look into constructing a 20 MWe plant in Perenjori, connected to the South West Interconnected System (SWIS) electricity grid. “The solar thermal tower and a molten-salt energy storage system could supply power to a mining operation and the remote community of Perenjori. “Importantly, Abengoa is considering elements of CSIRO’s solar thermal technology, which was developed with ARENA support. It’s another example of how ARENA invests across the innovation chain to bring emerging Australian technologies towards commercialisation,” Mr Frischknecht said.

At the end of 2013, the team of Sembawang Shipyard of Singapore and Teekay Shipping Australia will hand over the new scientific Research Vessel Investigator to her owners, the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization (CSIRO), an agency of the Federal Government of Australia. The Investigator will be among the most capable and quietest non-naval research vessels in the world. It will serve Australia in diverse scientific operations ranging over an area from the equator to the ice shelf of Antarctica and spanning almost 1/3rd of the circumference of the globe.

In the very near future, the new scientific Research Vessel Investigator will enter service for the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization (CSIRO), an agency of the Federal Government of Australia. Investigator went to sea for her initial sea trials in December 2013. Once deployed, Investigator will be among the quietest and most capable research vessels in the world, serving multiple, diverse scientific roles in a geographical areas spanning one-third the circumference of the globe.

Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) & the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisatio (CSIRO) join forces. maritime environmental incident, such as an oil spill, to help understand the impact of pollution on the surrounding marine environment. Combat Pollution of the Sea by Oil and other Noxious and Hazardous Substances and the Montara Commission of Enquiry. CSIRO's significant expertise and experience in maritime and marine science will serve AMSA's need for immediate advice during an incident response to ensure timely decisions can be made that help minimise impact, and monitor Australia's marine environment against oil spills, pollution or damage from a vessel collision or grounding. around the country.