Email News July 2008
Foreword
Welcome to the July issue of email news. This is the first of a new twice monthly email news service from Marine South East, with alternative issues of news and events. In a fortnight we will be sending out our events email news but in the meantime you can look at current events online by logging onto http://www.marinesoutheast.co.uk
We have streamlined the content to make it as relevant as possible to our readers, so please let us know if there are any issues you would particularly like raised in future months….
Posted 2008-06-29 20:03:58
In-depth report draws record crowd to Marine South East’s Waterfront Strategy MareNet event
The much awaited findings from the Solent Waterfront Strategy study were unveiled at Marine South East’s MareNet event on Monday (23rd June 2008) at the National Oceanography Centre in Southampton. A record crowd of around 100 people from the marine sector attended the event to hear the key findings from the study.
Importantly, the study reveals the major contribution the Solent marine industry makes to the UK economy, including future opportunities for growth. This is the first time factual evidence has been gathered to support claims that the Solent marine industry is a driver for economic growth. The Solent is one of the most important areas of water in the country and retention of waterfront access is vital for the future economic security and growth of the Solent marine community
Jonathan Williams, CEO of Marine South East, spoke at the event and led discussions about how the study can now be implemented. He added;
"The Waterfront Strategy confirms the substantial contribution that the marine sector adds to the Solent economy and also stresses the pressure that is on waterfront land space. We welcome this report as it gives us the evidence to retain waterfront sites for continued and future economic development and wealth creation for the marine industry."
The Strategy was initiated following a call from the marine industry itself which expressed concerns about the lack of available waterfront land space. It is being led by SEEDA, the South East England Development Agency in partnership with Marine South East (MSE), Partnership for Urban South Hampshire (PUSH), Hampshire Economic Partnership (HEP) and British Marine Federation (BMF).
Kathy Slack, Hampshire and Isle of Wight Area Director for SEEDA, said;
"For the marine industry to compete internationally and to secure its future success in the region we need to take action now to ensure that planners and policies makers are aware of the significant contribution the sector makes to the economy. It is essential that the public sector and partners play a major role in influencing policy making decisions to ensure plans are put in place to allow this industry to prosper. We also recognise that significant investment is required in recruitment and skills programmes to address the marine skills shortage."
Next steps - the Solent Waterfront Steering Group will develop an implementation programme that will help planners to identify the economic value of waterfront sites with potential for marine industrial use. A long-term waterfront management role is also needed, and the Group will explore how this could be achieved.
For further information and a copy of the Solent Waterfront Strategy please visit http://www.solentwaterfront.co.uk
Posted 2008-06-29 20:14:28
Seawork 2008 - Triskel Marine’s novel data gathering buoy wins the Marine South East ‘Spirit of Innovation Award’
Marine South East again sponsored the Innovations Showcase and Awards at this year’s Seawork Exhibition in Southampton. Entries were of the usual high standard and represented a wide range of the most innovative new products, projects and vessels that have been introduced by exhibitors during the past 12 months.
Awards were made in six categories with one overall winner:
- Marine Civil Engineering & Construction
- Vessel Design & Construction
- Marine Electronics
- Safety & Survival
- Marine Equipment & Materials
- Diving & Underwater Technology
The overall winner and winner in the marine civil engineering and construction was Triskel Marine Ltd for its ‘TML Data Buoy’. Legislative changes prompted Triskel to develop a new solution to the problem of affordable marine data collection for dredging operations. The Marine Bill and EU Integrated Maritime Strategy Paper will impose new legislative requirements on ports and harbours to gather good quality base-line environmental data to support such activities.
Through their membership of the SEEDA supported knowledge transfer network, EDSnet (Environmental Decision Support network) Triskel recognised a growing demand for affordable dense data networks, particularly in ports and rivers where the water movement can be chaotic and therefore difficult to monitor and model.
Existing methods of gathering water quality data use large and expensive oceanographic buoys. The large size and weight of these buoys make them expensive and difficult to deploy and recover. Triskel’s approach has been to minimise power consumption and size, resulting in a device that can be easily deployed by hand from a small boat rather than a large vessel equipped with a crane. In addition, recognising that operators dislike having to take computers and other electronic devices out onto the water all the buoy’s functions can be controlled from an office ashore via a data link.
On completion of prototype trials in the River Fowey the local mussel fishermen quickly recognised the value of real time water quality information and didn’t want the device removed.
On winning the ‘Spirit of Innovation Award’ MD Ken Wittamore said “it will give us invaluable exposure and credibility that is difficult for a small company to achieve in a tough market place.”
Winners in other categories included:
Vessel Design & Construction - Human Sciences and Engineering Ltd for their ‘High Speed Craft Human Factors Engineering Design Guide’.
Marine Electronics - Johnsons Outdoors UK for the ‘Hummingbird 1197c side imaging sonar’
Safety & Survival - Ocean Safety Ltd for their ‘Kru Sports Pro lifejacket with hood and harness
Marine Equipment & Materials - Turboswing BV for their Outboard Motor Towing Bracket.
Diving & Underwater Technology - Isptel Lda for their Computer based diving monitoring system – ‘Pro Diving 2008’
Posted 2008-06-29 20:30:28
New Kent Shipping Service Leads the Way
For the right route moving freight by water rather than by road can significantly reduce conjestion on the roads and lessen environmental impacts. In the UK despite these advantages the shift from road to water-borne modes of freight transportation has been slow. To help identify the reasons for this Marine South East conducted a study as part of its RACINE freight logistics project. The work revealed key barriers to be the high cost of port dues, pilotage fees and cargo handling charges for many commercial ports and the lack of suitable return loads. These charges make many potential short sea shipping routes uncompetitive against road and rail alternatives that do not face similar costs.
However, Kent-based company Scotline has been working to overcome these obstacles and has introduced a new shipping service to transport timber construction board from Scotland to the South East. The rising costs of the previous road transportation for this cargo were becoming a problem for the shipper.
Typical handling charges in a commercial port for timber cargos are £8/ton. By using their own terminals in Rochester, Goole and Inverness, Scotline are able to keep handling costs down to £5/ton making the seagoing route financially attractive. Scotline are also making their vessels available for return freight loads.
Additionally, in recent months many owner-driver hauliers operating on fixed price contracts have been unable to pass on rapidly rising fuel costs to their customers and are being squeezed out of business. If fuel costs continue to rise, the resulting reduction in the supply of road haulage could make waterborne transportation a more attractive alternative.
Roy Brooks, Director at Scotline and Chairman of the Chamber of Shipping 'Short Sea Shipping Issues Committee' commented: "Over the years we have promoted this sort of all inclusive delivery model encompassing all the different elements of shipping, port ownership, ship owning and distribution service. In this time the company has invested some 40 million pounds in ship owning and port facilities and this is expected to increase with the addition of two more coastal ships in the very near future."
In collaboration with Sea and Water, the Chamber of Shipping is exploring the best ways to support and promote growth in short sea shipping. Marine South East Chairman Iain Shepherd will be attending a meeting with the Chamber Shipping in August and will report back on plans to move forward.
Although this new service is based in Kent it is an issue that affects the whole region. Bill Moses, Chairman of the River Medway Business Users' Association supports the work that Roy Brooks has been doing over the last few years.
He commented: "Scotline's initiative in developing a coastwise link from Inverness to the south coast is to be applauded. This is a classic example of how road miles can be eliminated in favour of the proven 'motorways of the sea' concept that has found favour elsewhere in Europe yet escaped promotion or more importantly support within and around the UK coastline."
If you would like to find out more contact simon@marinesoutheast.co.uk
Posted 2008-06-29 20:36:19
Marine South East supports international 'Meet the Buyer' event January 2009
The British Marine Federation (BMF) has revealed details of a revamped programme for giving buyers the opportunity to learn more about new and innovative marine products at a Meet the Buyer event being held at the London Boat Show in January 2009.
This year Marine South East will be supporting the event with funding to further invest in the software which streamlines the process for registering both suppliers and buyers and matching them together for meetings. This will ensure that meetings as far as possible reflect the business needs of both buyers and suppliers.
The Meet the Buyer event, in association with IBI Magazine, known last year as the International One to One programme, will allow international suppliers of marine products from around the world to come to the Boat Show and meet potential customers.
This year's programme is a focussed series of meetings over two days - 13th and 14th January - and organisers expect over 500 meetings to take place. By fitting the programme into two days, the process will be made more efficient and will reduce the time representatives spend away from their businesses.
Three world renowned yacht builders that have already confirmed their participation for 2009 include:
RMK,Turkey
Oyster
Nimbus, Sweden
The event is also supported by UK Trade and Investment - the Government's overseas trade promotion body. The UK has one of the most dynamic and successful marine industry's in the world, a large proportion of which relies on export markets for business.
Commenting, Tom Chant, International Commercial Manager at the BMF, said: "This year's event will provide a more focussed environment for buyers to conduct face to face business meetings. We expect the success of previous years to be repeated, and look forward to providing the right forum for the marine industry to continue to thrive."
Prospective attendees - Suppliers and Buyers - for the Meet the Buyer programme can register their interest at http://www.bmfmeetthebuyer.co.uk
To get involved with this event please call Chris Grosscurth on 01784 223641 or visit htp://www.bmfmeetthebuyer.co.uk
Marine South East is also hoping to hold a MareNet event in the Autumn to explain more fully the various international trade programmes and initiatives available to marine companies and an update on the Meet the Buyer event. Keep an eye on the events listing on our website for more information http://www.marinesoutheast.co.uk
Posted 2008-06-29 20:43:12
Tips on tapping regional funding
Finance South East recently launched its Commercialisation Fund to facilitate the progress to market of business ideas (products or services) with clear potential for high growth.
The funding should allow a new business idea or innovation to sufficiently develop so that it can gain market entry or market traction. This may include first revenues or contracts, market-validation, or putting operational processes in place.
The Commercialisation Fund operates in two 'phases' with up to £30,000 available for each phase. An application for funding that involves activities across both phases may apply for a maximum of £60,000. An application may be made for either one of the phases.
Isle of Wight-based marine company Hybrid-Marine LTD was last month awarded funding through this programme. MD, Graeme Hawksley, was impressed with the funding process and has been working with Finance South East for some time. "It can be quite frustrating applying for funding streams from different organisations" he commented "we initially contacted Finance South East 18 months ago, and went through an investment readiness programme which included lots of useful actions and pointers on developing our business plan.
"The great thing about the Commercialisation Fund is that it was a fast track process to analyse the application. By getting feedback at the start of the process we have been able to proceed with developing the product and setting up a database of customers waiting for delivery.
"The funding we won has enabled us to finish the product development and go into production. We have previously found that the step from initial funding to analyse a business idea to support available to take the product to market was enormous - the commercialisation fund has gone some way to fill this gap."
If you would like to find out more on the Commercialisation Fund and other funding streams through Finance South East go to http://www.financesoutheast.co.uk or if you would like to find out more about Hybrid marine go to http://www.hybrid-marine.co.uk
Posted 2008-06-29 20:52:16
Lloyd’s Register introduces an environmental management standard for the shipping industry
Using the expertise of its quality assurance business, LRQA, Lloyd’s Register has developed a shipping industry specific guide for the ISO 14001 environmental management standard to enable ship operators to establish and implement effective environmental management systems.
The environmental ‘practical pack’ for ship operators is a step by step approach to assist in identifying and prioritising environmental issues. It is designed to help operators evaluate the environmental risks and to incorporate any legal and other requirements they face. Other requirements may include those coming from specific stakeholders, charterers or other expectations placed on shipping companies.
Shipping remains the most efficient, environmentally friendly, and often the only, means of moving freight. But much can be done to reduce the impact of shipping on the environment and managing the environmental impact of ship operations is a paramount expectation of regulators and many charterers as well as recognising the need to make the most of resources. The increasing operational complexity of shipping and increased regulation in the industry requires management to use systems to help them meet goals of continuous improvement.
There is increasing evidence of significant cost savings generated through the effective implementation of environmental systems. This is a tool that will help industry to minimise risk and to continually develop the capabilities of assets and human capital by reducing operational inefficiencies and reducing risk. Better environmental performance and resources should also be better for a company’s bottom line.
Lloyd’s Register’s Apostolos Poulovassilis said:” The marine industry has become increasingly aware of the importance of implementing management systems and standards. This pack provides operators with a pragmatic management tool to measure, manage, demonstrate and improve environmental performance. We see the development and support of this type of service as an increasingly important aspect of our role as a classification society: whether it is on as ship or in a shipyard. How do you get the most out of people and improve safety, protect the environment and overall performance? We believe the right tools with the right training can really help the industry and we are seeing great demand from our clients.”
For more information email mailto:news@lr.org or log onto http://www.lr.org
Posted 2008-06-29 20:59:05
Be a part of a major marine research project
The Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) is looking to expand its PhD programme by establishing a strong cohort of doctoral centres that will have an international reputation for excellence in research. EPSRC will fund support at the chosen centres for 10 PhDs every year for 5 years, a total of 50 PhD students.
In establishing these centres EPSRC wants to ensure they are funding highly innovative and exciting training environments that draw on research excellence and will produce highly skilled and talented researchers who are able to address challenging research problems to the benefit of the UK economy in the 21st century.
The University of Southampton has proposed research focused on the hydro-environment. Three main objectives for this are: (1) to identify and understand the physical hydro environment, (2) to model and simulate the processes governing this environment, and (3) to evaluate the performance of man-made systems and their impact on the hydro environment.
The potential applications of research outcomes are numerous. Examples are: the hydrodynamics of ships and marine structures; subsea exploration including autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs); man-made islands and reefs; extraction from the marine environment; modelling the world's largest rivers for sustainable water resources; underwater noise generation; performance and impact of off-shore energy systems.
Industrial companies and research institutions interested in finding how this could be of benefit for their organisations should contact Professor Ajit Shenoi, School of Engineering Sciences, University of Southampton by calling 023 8059 2356 or emailing R.a.shenoi@soton.ac.uk.
Posted 2008-06-29 21:05:33
Marine South East Chair becomes EU Ambassador of the Sea
Iain Shepherd was recently appointed EU Ambassador of the Sea, a role in which he will be promoting excellence in maritime affairs, working to improve understanding of the industry across the continent and helping to clarify and explain the concepts and ideas put forward by the commission thus informing national and regional debate. He will also be working to raise the profile of our industry in the wider forum.
As Ambassador he will have an opportunity to significantly increase co-operation between European countries, allowing us to preserve the maritime space in a productive and sustainable manner. One of the major issues arising over the last decade is security and a high level of integration will be required in the development of protection systems.
Another area that Iain will be concentrating on is the planning and management of the coastal zone. This will ensure the sustainable development of marine areas and coastal regions. He commented: “The debate on spatial planning continues; what we do know is that access to the sea for marine activities is a precious commodity that has evolved rather than been planned in the past. In the future, we need to think at least 20 years ahead, planning for what we need and ensuring that everyone who uses the seas has the correct access and infrastructure to support their activities in a sustainable manner.”
In his involvement with the EU Integrated Maritime Policy (Blue Book) Iain will help to bring the business opportunities that will arise out of future legislation to the South East. In conjunction with Marine South East and the Arc Manche region there are significant possibilities to make the SE a showcase for marine excellence and for our businesses to take a lead in designing and implementing the systems required for improved marine safety, environmental monitoring and security.
He will also be looking at the many different programmes that have been implemented in the various member states to address the skills shortage within the industry and encouraging a programme to review the national programmes to determine both best and most effective practice. Commenting he said; “This knowledge when shared can, I believe, allow us to make better progress and perhaps look in more detail at a Europe wide “Skills Passport”. That said I firmly believe that everyone in the Industry has a part to play in encouraging our young people to consider marine as their future”.
Posted 2008-06-29 21:13:13
The Future of Design Business Seminar, Wednesday 9 July 2008
Venue: Millbrook Technology Campus, Southampton,
Solent Synergy is partnering Dezineforce to bring marine companies a free seminar sharing the insights of Prof. Simon Cox of the University of Southampton and Director of the Microsoft Institute for High Performance Computing. They will be looking at cutting edge examples of engineering design, and developments in high performance computing, the semantic web and optimisation - technologies transforming the approach to design of major companies such as BAE Systems, Rolls Royce and Airbus.
Dr. Peter Collins of dezineforce will describe how these capabilities are now being brought within the reach of the smallest of companies.
Why should you attend?
- LEARN about groundbreaking approaches to design, and how these are now coming within the reach of all
- DEBATE key issues related to raising design capability, in the follow-on Q & A session
- NETWORK with others responsible for design, and for exploiting design for competitiveness
For further information email jackie.coventry@dezineforce.com
Posted 2008-06-29 21:15:19
Boatbuilding with Advanced Composites Conference, 9 July 2008
Venue: Begbroke Science Park, Oxford
Boatbuilding with Advanced Composites - Competing Successfully will show how advances in fibre reinforced composites can help the UK boatbuilding industry remain competitive in global markets.
The conference is organised by the National Composites Network and Faraday Advance and is designed for the UK boatbuilding industry in association with the British Marine Federation. Leading experts in advanced marine composites including boatbuilders, materials suppliers, designers and researchers will present the opportunities offered by the latest materials and processes, including innovative approaches to design and manufacture in boatbuilding. They will explain how to successfully implement changes from current practices, and make the case for investment by the industry matched where appropriate by public sector support.
The conference will interest all builders and designers of recreational and small commercial craft; suppliers of materials and processing equipment; researchers and academics involved in design, materials and processes for boatbuilding; and, those involved with standards and certification for boat design and construction.
The cost is only £50 per delegate including lunch and refreshments.
To register contact Jan Pearson at Faraday Advance by email faraday@materials.ox.ac.uk or tel 01865 283703.
