Marine Institute News

Ireland's new research vessel, the RV Tom Crean, has arrived in Irish waters and is currently docked in the Port of Galway before embarking on its first survey towards the end of July and then making its way to Dingle in advance of its official commissioning due to take place in Autumn 2022. The vessel has been named the RV Tom Crean after the renowned seaman and explorer from Kerry, who undertook three ground-breaking expeditions to the Antarctic in the early years of the 20th Century.The RV Tom Crean…

Ireland's new marine research vessel due to enter service in 2022 will be named the RV Tom Crean, Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Charlie McConalogue announced. "I am delighted to announce the name of Ireland's new marine research vessel is the RV Tom Crean, acknowledging the contribution of a legendary Irish Explorer," McConalogue said.Tom Crean was a renowned seaman and explorer who undertook three major groundbreaking expeditions to the Antarctic in the early years of the 20th Century which sought to increase scientific knowledge and to explore unreached areas of the world…

Over eight out of ten leading voices in Ireland’s marine industry are confident about the future growth potential for Ireland’s marine economy, according to a PwC and the Irish Marine Institute joint survey.The research reveals a number of interesting points that are on the minds of leaders in the marine industry, including the use of offshore technology to further develop wind energy, the fact that sustainability is high on their agenda, that regulation and licensing are proving challenging, and that talent and funding are vitally important for future viability.There is also a call for Government and the industry to work together to prioritise environmental sustainability.PwC partner Declan McDonald said…

U.S. Coast Guard approves Inland Logistics & Marine Institute course that will train mariners in Marine Fire Fighting utilizing state of the art equipment and simulators. Causal factors such as human error, associated dangers, welding, smoking, poor housekeeping, and faulty equipment will be thoroughly covered. Mariners will be learn proper use of Fire Fighting equipment with practical demonstration and live fire exercises. This course will satisfy U.S. Coast Guard regulations…

Commercial fishing is one of the world's most dangerous professions yet the internationally-binding instrument which specifically addresses fishing vessel safety, the Cape Town Agreement, is not yet in force – because it needs more countries to ratify it.That's why International Maritime Organization (IMO)  has teamed up with the Pew Charitable Trust, an NGO, to organise a series of seminars for government officials and industry representatives in key developing countries, to raise awareness of the Cape Town Agreement and the benefits of ratifying it.A note from the UN-agency said that these benefits include fewer accidents, fewer lives lost and a more effective infrastructure for monitoring and targeting illegal…

This course will train Mariners in Marine Fire Fighting utilizing state of the art equipment and simulators.Factors such as fire causes, associated dangers, welding, smoking, poor housekeeping, and faulty equipment will be covered. Mariners will be taught proper use of Fire Fighting equipment with practical demonstration and live fire exercises.The course will satisfy U.S. Coast Guard regulations for The Fire Prevention and Fire Fighting training requirements of Section A-VI/1 of the STCW Code…

St. CMS operates a range of marine simulation equipment that covers a broad range of marine and offshore activities. Much of the equipment is highly specialized and unique including fully motion capable simulators. The center also provides technical management and support of simulation equipment that is used by other parts of the Marine Institute. CMS simulation activities can be divided into three main areas; Training, Industrial Response, and Applied Research. To support these…

Shipyard Zamakona Pasaia completed last week the repair and maintenance of health dry rescue ship and maritime assistance "JUAN THING" the Social Marine Institute. The ship 75 meters long by 14 meters wide, has required the implementation of various repairs and general maintenance related to the compulsory performances Captaincy and Classification Society as well as reviews of critical equipment of the ship such as Propellers azimuthal Line Axis, or Stabilizing fins. Notably, there has been a complete dismantling of the propellers under the supervision of technical equipment maker Wartsila . They have also replaced the elastic blocks of the main and proceeded to realign the entire shaft line engines.

West Kentucky Community & Technical College is a SACS accredited college with an annual enrollment of 6,500 traditional and 2,897 online, long distance students that has achieved the ASPEN Institute Award on three occasions. The school is recognized as one of the leading colleges in developing and teaching degree programs through online technology to long distance learners and working from one main campus and 7 satellite campuses. This school’s Marine Technology and Logistics program is designed to be taught in an innovative environment.

The International Windship Association (IWSA) will host its annual Wind Propulsion Innovation Forum at SMM2016 in Hamburg, including an extensive agenda with expert speakers and panelists that aim to provoke discussion and debate about wind propulsion as key to the future of sustainable shipping. The IWSA Innovation Forum spans all four days of the conference, September 6-9. A broad spectrum of wind propulsion technology providers and ship development projects will be showcasing the latest developments in Rotor technology, Suction Wing, Dynarig and various Hard Sail technologies.

The Worldwide Ferry Safety Association’s conference on Ferry Safety and Technology, underway today, has featured sessions on Vessels & Landings, Marine Weather, and Training Challenges and Innovative Solutions. The panel on Training, moderated by Captain Jim DeSimone from the New York City Department of Transportation, included talks by Murray Goldberg (Marine Learning Systems) and Bill Anderson, Jr. from the Seattle-based Pacific Marine Institute (PMI). Goldberg spoke about success at BC Ferries in implementing an e-Learning program. According to Goldberg, research across many industries has shown that a combination of e-Learning, combined with a personal touch, is a far superior mode of training.

In keeping with their reputation as a nation that can overcome all obstacles, Vietnam is rebuilding its aging fishing fleet. With a government program of soft loans, designated Decree 67/ND-CP, fishermen are building boats along 28 coastal provinces from the north to the south of Vietnam. Capt. Trinh Van Hung, grew up in a fishing family and, after completing his schooling, he fished briefly with his father. His curiosity took him into business as a trader but the call of the sea was strong. At 25, he returned to the fishing.

The emerging technology tool is embraced by award winning West Kentucky Community & Technical College’s Inland Logistics and Marine Institute and its students. Years ago, it was not uncommon for a deckhand on a towboat with no higher education to work his way up the ladder to become a Captain or Chief Engineer. Today as technologies are added and new U.S. Coast Guard regulations are put into place, individuals are finding that working on America’s Inland Waterways requires not only a love of the waterways, but also a commitment to continuous learning.

More than 100 city officials, educators, community members, and representatives from the river industry attended West Kentucky Community and Technical College’s open house and ribbon cutting for its Inland Logistics and Marine Institute (ILMI) August 10. Visitors toured the recently renovated 8,000 square-foot facility located at 631 Marine Way between local river businesses and Paducah's downtown. The building includes classrooms, a state-of-the-art radar lab, diesel lab, video lab and five offices. “WKCTC’s Inland Logistics and Marine Institute will allow students the opportunity to train using the latest technology as well as providing a training venue to serve the local maritime and transportation industry,” said Troy Courtney, WKCTC’s ILMI director.

West Kentucky Community and Technical College will host an open house and ribbon cutting for the Inland Logistics and Marine Institute August 10 from 4 ­– 6 p.m. at 631 Marine Way in downtown Paducah. The event will highlight the completion of the 8,000-square-foot facility that will provide training and education for the logistics and marine industries. The Institute also houses WKCTC’s Logistics & Operations Management and Marine Technology programs. Students can earn an Associate in Applied Science degree in these programs, completely online. Registration for the fall semester is currently underway. Classes begin August 17.

A team of international scientists, led by the Marine Institute in Ireland, has completed a transatlantic sea bed mapping exercise, which has revealed previously uncharted seabed features including mountains and ridges taller than Carrauntoohil. Footprints of icebergs moving across the seabed, an ancient glacial moraine and a mountain higher than Carrauntoohil in Co Kerry have been mapped across the Atlantic by the team of scientists on board the State’s research ship, the MV Celtic Explorer. It followed the route taken by ships dropping the first transatlantic telecommunications cable between Ireland and Newfoundland in Canada in 1857.

A year after Irving Shipbuilding Inc.’s successful bid to build $25B worth of combat vessels for the Royal Canadian Navy and ships for the Canadian Coast Guard, the largest procurement contract ever awarded in Canada, a positive economic buzz continues to grow across the province and throughout the Atlantic region. It’s an optimism not generated by any other project in many years. The multi-billion dollar package provided through the National Shipbuilding Procurement Strategy (NSPS)…

Lockheed Martin Canada, a major supplier of systems, software and professional services to the Royal Canadian Navy, will be in Saint John, Halifax and St. John’s this week to meet with companies that could become partners and suppliers on shipbuilding projects, including the Arctic Offshore Patrol Ships and other future programs. In each location, Lockheed Martin officials will provide a briefing on how companies can prepare and position themselves for shipbuilding work through major contractors and then will conduct a series of one-on-one meetings to learn about the capabilities of many New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and Newfoundland and Labrador based companies.

Seated at his desk with a view of St. John’s harbour, Oceanex Executive Chairman Captain Sid Hynes is highlighting the innovation in the Oceanex Connaigra, Oceanex Inc.,’s 210-m custom-designed container/roll on roll off (Con/Ro) ice class 1A ship that is presently coming to life in the Flensburger Schiffbau-Gesellschaft mbH & Co. (FSG) shipyard in Flensburg, Germany. Following four years of study and research, the design stage was completed. First steel was cut in October 2012, and the keel was laid on February 11,  2013.

AXYS Technologies Inc. deliver 8 oceanographic buoys to the Fisheries & Marine Institute of Memorial University of Newfoundland (Marine Institute ). The buoys will expand the existing ocean observing network, known as “SmartBay ”, located at Placentia Bay along Newfoundland’s southern coastline. The data provides fishermen, vessel operators, weather forecasters and other stakeholders near real time access to a variety of marine meteorological and oceanographic data. The Marine Institute plans to deploy the buoys in the spring and summer of 2013…

‘Addressing the Challenges of New Frontiers’ is the topical theme for the International Marine Contractors Association’s (IMCA) Annual Seminar being held in Singapore November 6-7, 2013. The program for the 18th seminar in the annual series is now online at imca-int.com/events/imca-annual-seminar.aspx, and registration is open. Open to members and non-members alike, the seminar features keynote addresses, presentations, workshops and discussions on diving including key developments and advances in diving equipment and operations; marine and subsea operations including DP operations; marine operations, technology and equipment; offshore surveying in remote and harsh environments; ROV and AUV resources and developments in technology.

The Los Angeles City Council unanimously approved a 50-year lease to transform  a 100-year-old pier on the L.A. Waterfront in San Pedro into a world-class urban marine research and innovation center called AltaSea at the Port of Los Angeles. The lease agreement – signed between the Port of Los Angeles and Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors, the latter who currently serves as the fiscal sponsor for the AltaSea project – involves approximately 35 acres of land and water at the Port’s City Dock No. 1 site, Berths 56-60 and Berths 70-71. “Public-private partnerships like AltaSea represent an innovative way to encourage investment and redevelopment in our communities,” said Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti.

Next year, developers hope to start building offshore wind turbines in the U.S., which is already a leader in on-land wind generation. As turbines spin off the coast in a dozen other countries, particularly the UK, Denmark, the Netherlands and Germany, global offshore wind capacity has expanded nearly six-fold since 2006. Most of these installations are in shallow water though winds are stronger out further. If the U.S. is to have offshore turbines, many residents want them distant enough so they can’t be seen or heard.