University Of Victoria News

The Trustees of the Robert Allan Memorial Scholarship Trust and Robert Allan Ltd. Have awarded two scholarships for the 2023/2024 academic year.Awards have been made to Samuel Shanks of Port Alberni, BC, and Zachary Greenham of St. John’s, Newfoundland.Shanks is a second-year student of mechanical engineering at the University of Victoria, focussed on a career in marine engineering. Throughout high school and university he has gained considerable experience working in various aspects of the marine world.Greenham is a fourth-year student of naval architecture at Memorial University.

Global Diving & Salvage, Inc. has appointed Alisa Preston, P. Eng., as Director of Marine Technology to lead the growth of the marine services company’s underwater technology resources.Preston will be responsible for advancing the development of sustainable and innovative marine technology and remotely operated underwater vehicle (ROV) services as part of the overall business strategies for both Seattle-based Global and sister company MER Diving.Preston brings to the role a background in mechanical engineering, nuclear physics, project management and entrepreneurship.

In the Arctic, marine mammals such as belugas and bowhead whales rely on a quiet environment to communicate and forage. But as Arctic sea ice shrinks and shipping traffic increases, vessel disturbance could very likely impact their social behaviours, distribution and long-term survival, warns a new study led by University of Victoria marine biologist Lauren McWhinnie. Published in the peer-reviewed journal Ocean and Coastal Management, the study calls for precautionary measures to minimize the negative impacts of increased vessel traffic in the Arctic—such as noise and ship strikes—as climate change brings a longer ice-free season. “We…

DHT Holdings, Inc. said it has appointed Susan Reedy to its board of directors as a Class I Director with a term expiring at the company's 2020 annual shareholders meeting. In connection with Reedy's appointment, the company's board has increased to six directors. Reedy’s appointment as a director is in accordance with the Investor Rights Agreement (IRA) entered into between the company and BW Group Limited on April 20, 2017. Pursuant to the IRA, BW Group is entitled to nominate two persons to the company's board. Reedy is the second person to be nominated by BW Group as a director. Reedy has over 17 years of corporate legal experience. She is currently Head of Legal - Special Projects for BW Group and served as Deputy Managing Director & General Counsel of BW Ventures from 2011 to 2016.

The trustees of the Robert Allan Memorial Scholarship Trust have awarded the scholarship for 2017 to Taryn Loutit. Loutit is a fourth year mechanical engineering student at the University of Victoria with a passion for and an objective to pursue a career in naval architecture and marine engineering. She has an outstanding academic record and has completed five co-op work terms with marine-related businesses. The Robert Allan Memorial Scholarship Trust was initiated in 1982 from a bequest by the late Robert F. Allan, and with support from his many industry friends and colleagues.

Interferry CEO Len Roueche reviews the latest regulatory challenges impacting the ferry industry. With U.S. origins dating back more than 40 years, Interferry is the trade association and main voice for the global ferry sector – a crucial but often forgotten part of the wider shipping industry. Historically this has been particularly true with regard to regulatory issues at the International Maritime Organization (IMO), but in recent times the association has emerged as an increasingly influential platform within the corridors of power.

Underwater noise has been identified as a key threat to at-risk whales. In order to better understand and manage the impact of shipping activities on whales throughout the southern coast of British Columbia, a hydrophone listening station has been deployed by the Port Metro Vancouver, with support from the University of Victoria’s Ocean Networks Canada and JASCO Applied Sciences, to monitor underwater vessel noise in the Strait of Georgia. The hydrophone listening station deployment and monitoring activities are part of the Enhancing Cetacean Habitat and Observation (ECHO) Program…

Monitoring efforts along the Pacific Coast of the U.S. and Canada have detected the presence of small amounts of radioactivity from the 2011 Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Plant accident 100 miles (150 km) due west of Eureka, California. Scientists at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) found the trace amounts of telltale radioactive compounds as part of their ongoing monitoring of natural and human sources of radioactivity in the ocean. In the aftermath of the 2011 tsunami off Japan, the Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Plant released cesium-134 and other radioactive elements into the ocean at unprecedented levels. Since then, the radioactive plume has traveled west across the Pacific, propelled largely by ocean currents and being diluted along the way.

OceanWorks International announce the successful re-deployment of the VENUS coastal network in the Strait of Georgia after repairs. Placed in Canadian waters in the Strait of Georgia, VENUS is part of the Ocean Networks Canada Observatory, is a cabled undersea laboratory with nodes that provide live video, acoustic images and real-time data for ocean researchers and explorers. VENUS delivers real time information from seafloor instruments via fiber optic cables to the University of Victoria, BC.

From finding the first deep-water hydrocarbons in the Gulf of Mexico to locating the meteorite impact that doomed the dinosaurs, scientific ocean drilling has unlocked some major mysteries. A University of Houston (UH) geologist hopes to uncover more such secrets as co-chief scientist on a major international expedition to recover the first-ever drill core from the lower crust of the Pacific Ocean. Jonathan E. Snow, an associate professor in the department of Earth and atmospheric sciences…

OceanWorks International has produced the SIIM-375, a mini-Node variant of the Subsea Instrument Interface Module (SIIM) for the VENUS observatory. VENUS, the coastal network of the Ocean Networks Canada (ONC) Observatory, is a cabled undersea laboratory for ocean researchers and explorers. VENUS delivers real time information from seafloor instruments via fibre optic cables to the University of Victoria in British Columbia, Canada. VENUS is one of the 4 Seafloor Networks around the world in which OceanWorks has deployed its world-leading Seafloor Networks technology.

5. May. 2011 | [Group,Maritime] | Hamburg/Germany - Denis Morais is the winner of this year's GL COMPIT Award. At the COMPIT Conference taking place this week in Berlin, the Canadian IT expert was honoured for his contributions to promote frontier technologies in shipbuilding. The award is sponsored by classification society Germanischer Lloyd (GL). The jury singled out Denis Morais among several highly qualified candidates because his paper combined profound insight into business…

BMT Fleet Technology, of Ottawa, Ontario has announced its collaboration with the University of Victoria to design and deliver North America’s first ever hybrid, electric research ship. The vessel, formerly known as CCG Tsekoa II, will be used by the University as a research facility off the British Columbia (BC) coast to investigate changing coastal ecosystems, marine resources and continental shelf and slope dynamics. Funding in excess of $10 million has been provided by the Canada Foundation for Innovation, the BC Knowledge Development Fund and other partners, including industry.

Boatracs, a business unit of Advanced Remote Communication Solutions, Inc., has appointed new personnel to better service clients, and expand sales coverage in the Pacific Northwest. In newly created positions, Robert Trainor joins the company as Sales Engineer, managing activities for the Pacific Northwest, Alaska and western Canada, and Steven M. Bryan, Sr. as Manager of Projects, Design and Development. Both positions report to Charles J. Drobny Jr., Chief Operating Officer of Boatracs. Trainor is responsible for expanding Boatracs' regional coverage by delivering products and services that improve safety, integrate information, manage data, and facilitate fishermen's ability to obtain the best price for their catch while at sea.

The research capacity of the University of Victoria-led NEPTUNE Canada, the world’s first regional cabled ocean observatory, received a significant boost today with the announcement of an additional $20 million in funding. The $8 million from the Canada Foundation for Innovation (CFI), $8 million from the BC Knowledge Development Fund (BCKDF) and $4 million of in-kind support from private partners including Alcatel will allow scientists to significantly expand the scope and scientific impact of the NEPTUNE Canada observatory. Beginning in fall 2007, Alcatel will lay an 800-km network of powered fibre optic cable across the seafloor in the deep ocean off the B.C. coast.