Four months ahead of the SUT’s 9^th International OSIG Conference “Innovation Geotechnologies for Energy Transition” (12-14 September at Imperial College London) the Society for Underwater Technology is pleased to announce the new Mick Cook Award for Significant Contribution to Marine Site Investigation. The winner will receive a prize of £1000, a trophy and a certificate.

The SUT’s OSIG Committee (Offshore Site Investigation and Geotechnics) is one of its largest and most active committees with an impressive history of industry conferences, training, and networking events.

Mick Cook, a long-standing member and former Chair of the OSIG Committee, as well as being a Past Treasurer and Council Member of the SUT, explained the reasons behind the new SUT Award:

“From my own lengthy and rewarding career and involvement with SUT’s OSIG Committee I know the value and importance of peer-recognition of achievements and contributions through an International Award can make to both individuals and industry. 

“I am delighted to be able to sponsor this Award and support all those who contribute to the field of geotechnics and geophysics from yesterday, today and tomorrow.”

The inaugural Mick Cook Award for Significant Contribution to Marine Site Investigation and Characterisation will be presented at the upcoming London conference in September 2023.  The Award will be run annually with the presentation at the SUT AGM between the running cycle for the Society’s International OSIG Conference. 

Open to all working in the field of marine site investigations and characterisations globally, details of the full requirements for nominations or applications for the award are available online at https://sut.org/mick-cook-marine-site-investigation-award/

All applications/nominations to be received by 14 August 2023.

“The countdown for nominations from around the globe is on in earnest, the award will recognise significant contribution to geotechnics and geophysics and be open to everyone regardless of where they are in their career,” said SUT’s CEO, Cheryl Burgess. “The SUT and members of the OSIG Committee are excited by Mick’s generosity; which has been welcomed by some of the sector’s key stakeholders – Neil Morgan, Professor Richard Jardine, and Andy Hill.”

Announcing the Award, Neil Morgan, Chair SUT, OSIG Committee and Lloyd’s Register Principal Geotechnical Engineer, Technical Support Office, Marine & Offshore said:

“The launch of this award is welcome news. It will encourage those working in the offshore geoscience industry to develop what will be needed in the future. The energy transition means we will see ever-increasing demands for marine site investigation and characterisation. This will be against a background of shortages of skilled resources and equipment to perform the work and interpret the results.

 “The resource constraint means getting the maximum value from data will be essential and it will also be essential that the data acquired can be applied to large scale developments with rapid project timelines. Innovation and creativity will be needed to ensure the offshore geoscience community fulfills the future needs of offshore energy stakeholders in a reliable and cost-effective way.”

Richard Jardine FREng, FICE, FCGI, Professor of Geomechanics, College Proconsul, Imperial College London explained

“The creation of a new SUT Award, funded by Mick Cook, to recognise each year a particularly Significant Contribution to Marine Site Investigation or Characterisation, covering the broad disciplines of Geophysics and Geotechnics represents a highly encouraging, positive and timely development.

 “Mick has made his own important contributions through a long career in these fields, taking part in developments that are proving crucial in realising successfully the imperative international drive towards low-cost, low-carbon, energy.

 “Mick’s unstinting work with the SUT Offshore Site Investigations and Geotechnics (OSIG) committee, their guidance notes, short courses and internationally leading conferences has been one of the factors behind the UK’s excellence and prominence in the practical, industrial, scientific and academic aspects of geotechnical engineering for sustainable offshore energy production.”

While Andy Hill, Marine Geohazards Technical Authority – S&ORA, BP America added

“News of this award is very timely as the importance in the delivery of efficient and effective Integrated Offshore Site Characterization has rarely been as important as it is now.

 “Mick Cook has been directly involved in the development of offshore site investigation rationale over the past forty years in projects around the world. For much of this time he has been involved with the Offshore Site Investigation Committee of the SUT and a driving force behind a number of its outputs – most recently the Guideline Document for the Planning and Execution of Geophysical and Geotechnical Ground Investigations for Offshore Renewables which is an important resource in supporting the development of staff entering this sector.

 “This award will go further in encouraging staff to make their mark in the industry over the next decade by continuing to push technology and technique forwards.”

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Full details on the International OSIG Conference being held 12-14 September 2023 at Imperial College London are at https://tinyurl.com/he85ypfn. Further information on all aspects of the SUT’s work globally and information on membership are at www.sut.org

Using digital technologies to visualize operations and identify uncertainties in order to make better commercial and ESG decisions

We are in a second energy upheaval! The first occurred when the maritime sector changed, simultaneously, from sail to steam and wood to iron. The London market in the form of Lloyds responded to this. Today, in a very similar frenzy, this time to achieve ‘Net Zero’, the technologies may be very different, but insurance and investment market-need and human nature remain very much the same.

Karen Seath, Lead Blue Economic Ecosystem at the D’Arcy Thompson Simulator Centre, based at St Andrews University explained: “Insurance and indemnity are two crucial enablers of investment in innovation and change, yet those involved may not be able to adequately determine residual uncertainty due to the novelty.

“Evermore accessible visualization and simulation tools and techniques now make it possible for underwriters, P&I Clubs to be brought in at an early stage, alongside investors, using virtual assets placed within the intended operational setting, when there is still the time, money and appetite to make the changes that would make the difference between them coming on board, or not. What is being re-kindled in this initiative is a proven, commercial symbiosis.”

The free SustainaVerseTM Afternoon Workshop taking place at Lloyds Lab in The Lloyds Building, Lime Street, London on Tuesday 16 May (12:00-15:30) aims to provide a solution.

The D’Arcy Thompson Simulator Centre as a provider of sustainability assurance, the London City Branch of the Society for Underwater Technology (SUT) as a learned society, Beazley as underwriters, the Waves Group as warranty surveyors working in maritime and oil and gas, and IQ3 Connect, providers of a collaborative VR platform, are holding the event at Lloyds Lab to explore how A CANVAS (Abstraction, Calculation, Analysis, modelliNg, Visualization, Animation and Simulation) can help ensure that test design is complete, and residual risk adequately identified.

Aimed at Underwriters, P&I Clubs, Sustainable, Responsible Impact+ Investors+, Brokers, Lawyers, Technology Providers, Operators and Owners, Members of the SUT, and Members and Associates of the International Salvage Union (ISU), the workshop will feature two short presentations covering electricity generation scenarios and ESG. A hands-on exercise using collaborative VR, will then be followed by examples of where Visualization and Simulation has informed academic research, operations, and spatial planning.

As Moya Crawford, President of the SUT, said: “The SUT is delighted to be involved in this event. Our aim, as a multidisciplinary learned society, is to bring together organisations and individuals with a common interest in sustainability, responsibility and impact, alongside our traditional areas of underwater technology, ocean science and offshore engineering. Introducing the latest digital technologies in tandem with creating thinking around classification, places our London City Branch at the heart of debate and knowledge-sharing around global ‘net zero’ challenges”.

To register to attend this free event, please go to the SUT’s Events Page: at sut.org/event/sustainaverse-afternoon-workshop/ or contact Karen Seath at: [email protected]