Registration is now open for the joint 3-day ‘Smart Operations: Driving a Lower Carbon Future’ virtual seminar organised by the Society for Underwater Technology, The Hydrographic Society in Scotland (THSiS) and the international Marine Contractors Association (IMCA) and taking place on the afternoons of Tuesday 2-Thursday 4 November.
As Cheryl Burgess, CEO of the SUT explained:
“Our businesses continue to operate in mature regions – stable, predictable environments that can generate significant revenue. How we maximise profitability today is a significant contributor to funding lower carbon initiatives.
“Mature regions expect a reduction of large greenfield projects – with operator focus shifting toward smart operations: efficient exploration methods, short-cycle projects and lower OPEX. This promotes lower development costs, standardised infrastructure and increased utilisation during production costs down. Our challenge is to deliver development in the most efficient and sustainable way possible, maximising value today, tomorrow and in the future and this is just what our expert speakers will be talking about.”
Day 1 concentrates on ‘Subsea to Shore’ with Ross Dornan of OGUK delivering a keynote address followed by speakers from IMCA, TP Group, and XOCEAN addressing ‘Uncrewed surface vessels (USVs) are a fact, not science fiction, they are here and now!’; Mimicking Insect behaviour to optimise vessel operations’; and ‘Asset inspection using uncrewed surface vessels – Delivering tomorrow’s and future challenges today’.
On Day 2 attention turns to ‘A Potential Difference – Subsea Power’ with a keynote address by Gael Chouchelamane of EC-OG and speakers drawn from Teledyne, University of Houston; and EC-OG talking about ‘Power for subsea applications’; ‘Subsea power generation and storage using ionized static electricity’; and Driving a low carbon future – today, tomorrow & future’.
‘Addressing the Big Issues – Decarbonisation’ is the topic for the final afternoon of the seminar with speakers from Versatec, Houlder and OMV Petrom in the spotlight covering ‘You have the information for data driven decisions, but you are not seeing it!’; ‘Pathways to fleet decarbonisation for the offshore support sector’; and ‘Normally uncrewed installations’.
Winners carried out the Five Deeps Expedition described by a distinguished member of The Explorer’s Club as “The most ambitious exploration expedition of the century”
Victor Vescovo
London UK, and Washington, DC, US — The Society for Underwater Technology (SUT) and The Marine Technology Society (MTS) are proud to announce that the 2021 Captain Don Walsh Award for Ocean Exploration has been won jointly by Commander Victor Vescovo, USN, Retired and Patrick Lahey for the 2019 Five Deeps Expedition and further dives of scientific or historical interest in subsequent years.
In 2015 Commander Victor Vescovo proposed a goal of finding and diving into the five deepest spots in the world’s ocean with dives taking place in the Atlantic, Southern, Indian, Pacific and Arctic oceans. This feat required not only a unique diving submersible but also fielding a specially equipped survey and support ship.
Patrick Lahey
Patrick Lahey and the team at Triton Submarines responded to Commander Vescovo’s project by creating a revolution in deep submergence capabilities. Patrick led a team of marine architects, designers, engineers and technicians to produce the Triton 36000/2, the first – and to date, only fully accredited (DNV/GL certified) human occupied deep submersible capable of routine exploration at full ocean depth. Commander Vescovo’s submersible of that design is the ‘Limiting Factor’. Lahey and the Triton Submarines team took the design from concept to build, testing, trials, shakedown, initial deployment and through to the successful completion of the Five Deeps Expedition.
Awarded jointly by the SUT and MTS, this esteemed award is named after American oceanographer, explorer, retired naval officer, and marine policy specialist Captain Don Walsh. Walsh and co-pilot Jacques Piccard were aboard the bathyscaph Trieste when it made its daunting record descent on January 23, 1960 into the deepest point of the world’s oceans – the Challenger Deep in the Mariana Trench. The award recognises outstanding, sustained, international contribution to the development, application, and propagation of marine technology toward the advancement of ocean exploration.
“It is a true honor to be recognized by the experts of the SUT and MTS, alongside my friend and colleague Patrick. I would have to emphasize that he and I were simply the leaders of an extraordinary team that enabled our success – and we certainly stood on the shoulders of giants like Captain Walsh and James Cameron who developed extraordinary, full ocean depth technologies before us,”
said Commander Vescovo.
“I am honored and humbled to have been chosen as a co-recipient of this prestigious award by the MTS and SUT together with my client and friend Victor. Developing the Triton 36000/2 was the most challenging and rewarding undertaking of my professional life so far. I was incredibly fortunate to work with a remarkably diverse team of talented, creative, and resourceful people who pioneered a revolutionary new submersible that enabled the successful completion of the Five Deeps Expedition. To receive the award from Captain Don Walsh personally is particularly meaningful because Don is a friend, mentor and living legend,”
said Lahey.
“The contributions of Commander Vescovo and Lahey to the advancement of ocean exploration are significant, and collectively SUT and MTS are honored to present them with this award in the name and legacy of Captain Don Walsh. It is exceptionally fitting to honor them both as a team as it is a true demonstration to how exploration and technology work in tandem to create ingenuity and progress,”
said Zdenka Willis, MTS President.
“What excited the judging panel was that this brought together the perfect combination – an explorer with a zest for life and discovery and superb technology. Indeed, it would be unbalanced to nominate Commander Vescovo without acknowledging the revolutionary application of modern marine technology achieved by Lahey and the team at Triton. Technology lies not only at the heart of the names of both societies but is key to our ethos and our membership,”
said Judith Patten MBE, President of the SUT.
Diving for historical and scientific purposes
Triton Submarine
Following the well-documented Five Deeps Expedition dives https://fivedeeps.com/ in 2019, further dives have taken place. In 2020, Commander Vescovo partnered with the French Navy to dive on the wreck of the submarine Minerve, and with the International Hydrographic Bureau and the Monaco Blue Initiative to explore the deepest spot in the Mediterranean. He then partnered with the King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) in Saudi Arabia to conduct scientific dives to the unique brine lakes at the bottom of the Red Sea.
Commander Vescovo has mapped over 1 million square kilometres of ocean floor and donated all his data to the Nippon Foundation General Bathymetric Chart of the Oceans (GEBCO) Seabed 2030 project.
After a second year of dives into the Challenger Deep, which included the first women to dive to the deepest depths, former astronaut Kathy Sullivan, the Pressure Drop surveyed the entire northern “Ring of Fire” from Guam to Alaska, discovering, mapping, and naming over 70 new underwater features. During the 2021 dives, Commander Vescovo marked a personal 12th dive into the Challenger Deep, and discovered the deepest wreck in history, the U.S. World War II destroyer Johnston off the Philippine Island of Samar.
The Society for Underwater Technology (SUT) is a proud supporter of the pre-COP26 Oceans of Knowledge 2021: Climate Change and the Ocean Conference, the fourth biennial conference in the series. The hybrid event is being held at the Institute of Physics in London with global remote participation.
The two-day conference addresses three key themes: climate change and sustainable use of the ocean and ocean resources; the role of the ocean in natural and engineered climate mitigation; and rising sea levels and coastal vulnerability. It is aimed at government and government agencies; the climate science and ocean observing community; ocean technology businesses; users of the coast and the ocean; coastal and ocean planning bodies; and ocean industries; SUT has individual and corporate members from, and special interest groups aimed at, all of these communities.
Ralph Rayner, immediate past President of the SUT and co-chair of the conference, organised by the Operational Oceanography Special Interest Group of the IMarEST said:
“Taking place immediately ahead of COP26, this is an opportunity to hear from an impressive array of speakers covering the three key conference themes Outputs from the conference will be delivered to COP26 through a side event and exhibition, helping to raise the profile of ocean issues in these all-important negotiations.”
Scene setting keynotes from luminaries including Sir David King, Founder and Chair, Centre for Climate Repair, Cambridge University, Former UK Government Chief Scientific Advisor, Dr Richard Spinrad, U.S. Undersecretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere and NOAA Administrator, and Emma Howard-Boyd, Chair of the Environment Agency will highlight current scientific understanding and responses to ocean-related aspects of climate change. Policy responses at a national and international level will be placed into the context of the UN Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable development and the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals.
Sessions over the two days look at The Challenge; Use of the Ocean and its Resources; The New Blue Economy; Meeting the Challenge; What We Know; What We Don’t Know; Living with Uncertainty; and Meeting the Challenge. The full programme and registration are at https://tinyurl.com/2fj2ef2x .
Outputs from the conference will be used to generate a summary report drawing together the three themes, informing follow on workshops, and supporting peer-reviewed publications.
Full information on SUT, its events globally, special interest groups, podcasts and webinars, publications, and other activities is at www.sut.org SUT Individual membership is £76 per year; to join, visit www.sut.org/sut-membership/application-for-membership/ or e-mail [email protected].
The Society for Underwater Technology’s (SUT) second virtual Offshore Wind Renewable Energy course, held in association with Cranfield University, will take place on 19-20 October over two online interactive 4-hour morning sessions.
The introductory offshore wind course featuring acknowledged industry and academic experts as presenters is designed with two specific groups in mind: professional non-engineering staff, who would benefit from understanding the offshore wind energy industry; and for engineers and technical staff new to the sector or making the transition from another industry.
Following an introduction to the SUT, topics being covered over the two days are:
Wind and the Net Zero Challenge inc Deepwater Floating Potential
Planning, Environmental Studies, and Approvals
MetOcean/Weather: UK and NW Europe Focus inc Deepwater for Floating Technology
Fixed Bottom Offshore Structure Design and Integrity
Offshore Site Investigation and Seabed Site Foundations
Construction and Cables
Floating Wind Structures
Completion, Post Installation, and Ongoing Operation
Time is set aside for questions and for networking.
As Cheryl Burgess, Chief Executive of SUT explains:
“SUT is an international Learned Society with members in 40 countries. It covers all aspects of marine science and engineering involved in the seabed, the water column and surface piercing structures.
“An increasing number of our corporate and individual members in the UK and overseas are involved with the rapidly expanding global offshore wind industry. We were thrilled by the reaction to our first offshore wind virtual course at which we had delegates from all over the UK and from France and South Korea. Naturally we asked for feedback and were delighted by what we received:
The course was well balanced, interesting, and enjoyable. Excellent presenters.
Excellent value
For me, it was perfect.
I thought it was brilliant. Fast paced but very understandable. It was pitched at exactly the right level.
All presenters were very informative and delivered subject matter effortlessly.
This course is absolutely fantastic!
“Receiving feedback such positive feedback proved that we really ‘hit the spot’, we look forward to similar reactions from our October delegates.”
Course fees are £325 for SUT members; and £415 for non-Members (excluding VAT where chargeable). The course is CPD approved. SUT Individual membership is £76 per year. To join, visit www.sut.org or e-mail [email protected].
The Society for Underwater Technology’s (SUT’s) next Virtual Subsea Awareness Course will be held 20-24 September 2021, featuring 15 hours (over five days running from 10:00-13:00 BST) of foundation-level interactive sessions presented by leading industry figures.
The course is aimed at new entrants who are already technically qualified but just entering the offshore energy industry and/or the subsea sector; technically qualified experienced personnel undergoing a technology transfer and conversion process into the subsea sector; and non-technical personnel from legal or finance sections who regularly deal with the subsea sector. It is based on SUT’s highly successful face-to-face 5-day course from which more than a thousand delegates have benefited over the past 20+ years. The course is CPD approved. Registration is at www.sut.org/event/virtual-subsea-awareness-course-3/
Sessions will be delivered by a dozen experts drawn from Fellows and members of the SUT including selected speakers from BP, Wood, the Pembrokeshire Coastal Forum, Subsea 7, and Oceaneering and will cover subsea production equipment and systems; flow assurance; pipelines and risers; construction and installation; metocean; renewables and future technology trends; operation, maintenance and decommissioning.
Looking back at the first Virtual Subsea Awareness Course held earlier this year, Cheryl Burgess, SUT’s Chief Executive explained:
“It was attended by 20 delegates from the UK and overseas and attracted very positive feedback with comments such as ‘Really well worth it!’; ‘It was enlightening. Experts with decades of experience explaining principles at exactly the right level… and answering questions!’; ‘Thanks for an enjoyable course’; ‘Virtual courses really work. I would recommend it to individuals trying to improve their understanding and companies wishing to invest in their employees’; ‘I’m taking away a lot of new awareness from the course’; and perhaps, best of all ‘I wish I had been on this course years ago!’.
“We look forward to welcoming new delegates and know they will find it similarly inspiring. Our confirmed speakers are Paul Benstead; Michail Birdas; Dave Brookes; Ila Glennie; Steve Hall; Hooman Haghighi; Tony Laing; David Saul; Bernadette Weber; and Graham Whitehead. We thank them for giving of their time so generously and freely.”
The course fee for SUT members if £715 (with this discounted price also available to EEEGR, OES, IMCA and EIC members); and £845 for non-members (excluding VAT where applicable).
Following the implementation of COVID-19 lockdown restrictions in the UK in March 2020, the SUT HQ staff adapted to working from home. The SUT has taken the decision to enable all HQ staff to continue to be home-based as the SUT office leases in Aberdeen and London have come to term. SUT staff have provided continuous valuable services to members throughout the pandemic: engaging with members directly and through the Branches and Special Interest Groups, running webinars, and online training courses.
Like many organisations we have adjusted to working in the new normal. We have adapted with our online offering and virtual meetings, planning for the future and return to face-to-face meetings and events including international conferences and exhibitions. SUT’s new address, HQS Wellington, will be a postal address only. Please update our contact details. You can still write to us and send hard-copy communications to:
Society for Underwater Technology, HQS Wellington, Victoria Embankment, London WC2R 2PN
The Offshore Site Investigation and Geotechnics (OSIG) committee of the Society for Underwater Technology (SUT) will hold its first ‘in-person’ seminar in almost 18 months in mid-September.
The full-day event will address ‘Energy in Transition and its Impact on Offshore Site Investigations’, followed by a drinks reception and dinner; all being held at St. James’ Park, Newcastle upon Tyne, the home of Newcastle United FC.
The seminar, on Thursday 16 September, will comprise some 20 presentations including conventional and floating offshore wind, decommissioning and carbon capture and storage (CCS) from a wide variety of speakers from industry, academia and government. Companies/organisations presenting include Oil & Gas UK, MMO, MarineSpace, BP, RPS, Partrac, TotalEnergies, NGI, Cathie, Geowynd, SSE, DnV, Blue Gem Wind and Ørsted.
Karen Dalton (RPS), chair of the organising committee, said:
“This is an excellent opportunity for anyone planning, operating and executing offshore activities, to meet in-person to hear and be part of the discussion around issues facing the industry as the global energy transition progresses.”
LONDON, UK and WASHINGTON, DC —Beginning this month, the Society for Underwater Technology (SUT) and the Marine Technology Society (MTS) will launch three professional certification programmes for marine technologists and technicians. These programmes serve as a passport for job mobility and create new opportunities for MTS and SUT members.
The Institute of Marine Engineering, Science and Technology (IMarEST) has licensed SUT and MTS to offer their members the opportunity to apply for registration as Chartered Marine Technologist (CMarTech), Registered Marine Technologist (RMarTech), and Marine Technician (MarTech). IMarEST has a Royal Charter in the United Kingdom and can add suitably qualified and experienced applicants to these registers.
“Becoming professionally registered recognises experience and competence beyond academicqualifications and shows a commitment to integrity and a responsibility for the wider public in your work. Because ongoing reflection is central to maintaining your place on the register, the process builds a more self-aware and sophisticated workforce. Gaining Technician, Registered, or Chartered status is a universally recognised mark of expertise which places the individual within a respected circle of professionals and helps strengthen their influence. Those at this level work to high ethical standards and it gives both peers and the wider community trust and confidence in their work,”
explained Gwynne Lewis, Chief Executive, Institute of Marine Engineering, Science & Technology (IMarEST).
“The CMarTech, RMarTech, and MarTech professional registers will advance the marine technology workforce which will benefit the sustainability of our ocean and the blue economy for many years to come,” said Zdenka Willis, President of MTS. “We thank SUT and the IMarEST for their partnership in these programs, and we look forward to recognizing our members who complete them.”
MTS Past President Rick Spinrad added,
“The CMarTech, RMarTech, and MarTech professional registers are globally respected and provide substantial value to our industry. In achieving the registration, our members will advance the trajectory of their careers and positively impact ocean technology. The synergy of the IMarEST, MTS, and SUT along with the success of the pilot program brought us to this day, and we encourage members in all marine science positions to apply.”
SUT President, Judith Patten, said,
“I wholeheartedly echo Zdenka’s and Rick’s views. This is a crucial step in the SUT’s history. As a learned society, furthering the education of scientists and technologists to maintain high standards in marine science and technology is one of the published aims of the SUT. Launching this initiative enforces our society’s commitment to helping our technologist and technician members fulfil their potential. Not only do we welcome the first tranche of programmes but, on behalf of our scientific members, we look forward to the addition of CMarSci and RMarSci registers later in the year. Working with the IMarEST and MTS like this not only helps individual members, but also ensures we fulfil another of our aims – to maintain high standards in marine science and technology.
“Equally, we are proud of what our Perth Branch has achieved working with Engineers Australia and look forward to news of Australian members successfully achieving their Chartered accreditation.”
SUT and Engineers Australia have completed the work required to make Chartered accreditation in the area of practice of subsea engineering possible at three levels: Chartered Professional Engineer, CPEng, Chartered Engineering Technologist, and CEngT, Chartered Engineering Associate, CEngA.
Apply now through the SUT and MTS websites. Detailed information, a FAQ sheet, and applications for CMarTech, RMarTech, and MarTech are available online at www.sut.org and www.mtsociety.org.
SUT and MTS plan to launch two additional certifications, Chartered Marine Scientist (CMarSci) and Registered Marine Scientist (RMarSci), licensed by the IMarEST, in October 2021.
CMarTech, RMarTech, and MarTech are professionals who harness, exploit, manage, use, or apply marine technology in the pursuit of wealth creation and/or the provision of services in the marine sector. They are characterized by their ability to deal with complex issues, both systematically and creatively and can make sound judgments in the absence of complete data to develop solutions to problems and communicate their conclusions clearly to specialist and non-specialist audiences.
The Marine Technologist Certifications are open to everyone who can demonstrate the required high-level knowledge, understanding, and professional competence. There are many routes that can be measured to meet this standard, including a combination of academic awards, vocational qualifications, and experiential learning through work. Competence includes the knowledge, understanding, and skills that underpin performance.
Typically, Chartered Marine Technologists will be professionals from disciplines such as: Fleet Managers, Hydrographers, Marine Superintendents (Deck), Meteorologists, Pilots, ROV Pilots and Developers, AUV Technicians, Marine Logisticians, Deck Officers and Ratings, Marine Surveyors, Shipping Professionals, Harbourmasters, University faculty, Navigators, Radar/Sonar Maintenance Experts, Warfare Officers and Ratings and Naval Officers and Ratings, Instrumentation and Platform Designers and Developers, & Offshore Oil, Gas & Renewables Practitioners.
About the MTS
The Marine Technology Society (MTS) promotes awareness, understanding, and the advancement and application of marine technology. Incorporated in 1963, the international society brings together businesses, institutions, professionals, academics, and students who are ocean engineers, technologists, policy makers, and educators. The Society publishes a peer-reviewed journal — The Marine Technology Society Journal. It has three technical divisions and 31 Professional Committees (technical interest groups). The society hosts several conferences yearly, and it supports 13 Sections, which focus on events and programs unique to their geographic areas, enhancing networking among local colleagues, businesses, universities and government/military offices. www.mtsociety.org
About the SUT
The Society for Underwater Technology (SUT) is a multidisciplinary learned society that brings together organisations and individuals with a common interest in underwater technology, ocean science and offshore engineering. SUT was founded in 1966 and has members from more than 40 countries, & branches in 10, including engineers, scientists, other professionals, and students working in these areas. In recent decades many of our members have come from the offshore hydrocarbon sector, today we also see growing numbers of members from offshore renewables, marine autonomous systems, and the policy, law and insurance sectors who support offshore activities of many kinds through SUT Special Interest Groups, training and events. www.sut.org
Engineers Australia (equivalent to the Engineering Council in UK) has acknowledged this body of work and created Subsea Engineering as an Area of Practice. Assessment of competency in the Subsea Engineering area of practice is conducted by EA with SUT accredited assessors providing technical input.
Assessment for Chartered Professional Engineer (Subsea Engineering), Chartered Engineering Technologist (Subsea) and Chartered Engineering Associate (Subsea) are currently available.
Can you imagine a bridge made only out of pasta and glue holding more than 300kg? AMC’s Maritime Engineering students hold a record of 327kg. This year (2021) you could watch the annual Pasta Bridge Competition virtually as 9 teams competed for the strongest bridge.
The pasta bridge competition is problem based learning activity in Mechanics of Solids, a second year unit offered by AMC’s National Centre for Maritime Engineering and Hydrodynamics. Each team of 4 students spends 2 months use their engineering knowledge and skills to design, build designing and constructing a bridge from pasta to see how much weight it could withstand before ultimately breaking into a thousand pieces.
The bridges are designed and constructed according to an international set of rules developed by the Okanagan College in Canada. The bridges must be exclusively made from pasta and glue, must span over a 1000 mm gap and weigh less than 1000 grams. The bridge which holds the largest weight before failure is declared the winner.
Congratulations to Team Gnocchi Balboa for being crowned 2021 AMC Pasta Bridge Competition Champions with an amazing competition load of 156.55kg at Australian Maritime College in Tasmania.
The competition was kindly sponsored by Society for Underwater Technology (SUT) Perth Branch.
Ian Wilson receiving his well-deserved Certificate of Appreciation.
Last week Society for Underwater Technology (SUT) Perth Branch and Engineers Australia launched the long-awaited Subsea Competency Framework to the public – an event originally planned to be held early 2020. It was a fantastic night, and it was great to see so many professionals and companies acknowledged for their tremendous efforts in launching this framework (view full list here).
This development has been a voluntary collaboration between experienced subsea engineering professionals and companies involved in Subsea Engineering in Australia and abroad. This Framework was developed with the intent for Subsea Engineering to be recognised as an Area of Practice (AoP) by Engineers Australia.
The initial Framework has been designed to recognise Chartered Professional Engineers and it is in the process of extending to encompass the entire career of all involved in Subsea, from students through to Subject Matter Experts including Engineering Technologists and Engineering Associates.
One of the benefits of this Framework is it can be used as a career planning tool and personal recognition as a competent subsea engineer, which is recognised in Australia and Internationally. The SECF provides individuals and engineering graduates considering a career in subsea engineering with a framework from which a personal development plan can be formulated. Individuals can create their own personal development plan (49 profiles within the SECF – see more here) and align it with their employers training and development program if appropriate.
Thank you to all who contributed along the way and a special thank you to Ian Wilson for his dedication and continued efforts to make this happen.
