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MATES FOLLOW SIMILAR PATHS Maritime engineering graduates all find jobs at Caterpillar’s Burnie facility
SEA LEGS TO BE A THING OF PAST The rise of autonomous shipping will drive changes in education and training
ICE MISSION FOR YELLOW SUBMARINE A hi-tech autonomous underwater vehicle heads to Antarctica this summer
FUTURE IS SHIPSHAPE The $90 billion naval program is expected to usher in a new era of job creation
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CONTENTS
STAY CONNECTED
03 Welcome
ABOVE BOARD: THE DIGITAL AGE
Principal Shuhong Chai
04 Alumni profile
Jeanine Drummond
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Above Board is a quarterly e-news and annual magazine distributed to Australian Maritime College alumni and industry stakeholders.
06 Engineering graduates
Four mates follow eerily similar paths
08 Autonomous shipping
Feedback is welcome, please email Communications.Office@utas.edu.au
Sea legs to be a thing of past for marine engineers
10 Shipbuilding initiative
Naval program to lead to huge jobs growth Work placements open up significant development opportunities 13 AMC Search
Do you need to refresh your STCW certificate in 2019? 14 Alumni profile
Nick Browne 16 AUV research
Yellow submarine gears up for first mission under ice in Antarctica
18 Renewable energy
Research project helps turn the tide on how we generate energy
AMC AROUND THE WORLD Are you an AMC alumnus? Share your story for the chance to win a GoPro Hero7 Black Edition. We want to find out where your AMC qualification has taken you, and inspire the next generation of maritime graduates.
Entry is easy!
Visit amc.edu.au/aroundtheworld, upload a picture that best represents your work or where you live, and tell us in 300 words or less: • What you studied at AMC and year of graduation • What you do now • What you love about your career > amc.edu.au/aroundtheworld Cover image: Naval Group The Shortfin Barracuda submarine will replace Australia’s Collins Class fleet
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WIN A GOPRO
HERO7 BLACK EDITION Competition runs 01/12/18 – 28/02/19. Winner drawn Monday 25/03/19 and notified by email. For full terms and conditions visit our competition entry page.
CRICOS Provider Code 00586B / OOM0550007
12 Co-operative program
PRINCIPAL’S COLUMN
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Welcome to the Summer 2018/19 edition of Above Board PRINCIPAL SHUHONG CHAI
The maritime sector is undergoing a period of major transformation, bringing a raft of challenges but also opportunities that we as an industry must navigate. At AMC, our focus has been on how we can help industry respond to these challenges by tailoring our courses and programs to meet shifting demands. As the national institute for maritime training, education, research and consultancy, AMC is well-positioned to help build the skilled workforce required by
Aerial View: AMC Search has partnered with the Institute for Drone Technology to deliver this specialised drone training from our Sydney Study Centre.
industry to thrive into the future. We’ve been working on realigning our product offering, establishing key partnerships and investing in cutting-edge infrastructure in response to the changing operational environment. We’re restructuring our ocean seafaring courses to offer flexible study options and accommodate the needs of students and their employers (find out more on p.5). Drone technology has unprecedented capacity to provide improvements in safety, efficiency and innovation in the maritime environment and our commercial arm, AMC Search, has partnered with The Institute for Drone Technology™ to deliver this specialised training from our Sydney Study Centre. In the Defence space, the Federal Government’s investment in the continuous naval shipbuilding plan has led to an
increase in demand for maritime engineers, logisticians, bespoke training for new equipment and systems, and research to develop cutting-edge new vessels. Find out more about the key role that AMC is playing in helping to build this national capacity on pages 10-11. We were also pleased to participate in a series of engineering-focused workshops held around the state in conjunction with Engineers Australia designed to bring together local industry to discuss issues facing the sector and ensure Tasmania has a strong engineered future. It marked the first collaboration between the University of Tasmania and Engineers Australia after the two organisations signed a memorandum of understanding to work together to strengthen the state’s engineering knowledge and capacity. Engineers are at the heart of innovative economies, turning scientific knowledge into solutions to commercial and community problems. Tasmania has about half the national average of engineers per capita, so educating more engineers and raising the profile of the profession will be crucial to building the state’s future. It’s encouraging to see the valuable contributions that our maritime engineering graduates are making in diverse fields, such as the four friends applying their skills to the underground mining sector at Caterpillar (p.6). We look forward to seeing these initiatives develop further in 2019 and working closely with industry, government and regulatory bodies to ensure our training, education and research continues to meet their needs. ABOVE BOARD
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ALUMNI PROFILE
JEANINE DRUMMOND
ALUMNI PROFILE WRITTEN BY KIM MILLAR
Just weeks into a new role as Harbour Master at Port of Newcastle, Jeanine Drummond reflects on 20 years in the maritime industry, diversity and inclusion, and what she hopes her legacy will be. AMC alumna Jeanine Drummond didn’t set out to be a seafarer, let alone lead a team at one of Australia’s major ports. She’d ditched her PE teaching degree, went with her father one day to visit his mate onboard a ship and before she knew it, the Sydneysider had fallen in love with the sea. That was 23 years ago.
Pushing for change: Jeanine Drummond, Harbour Master at Port of Newcastle, is a keen advocate for more diversity in the industry.
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Ms Drummond’s first port of call was the Australian Maritime College, where she started a traineeship with ASP Shipping studying a seafarer’s deck officers course. “I first went to sea in the second half of my first year at AMC. We left Sydney and travelled the world on the container ship Australian Venture, so instantly I was travelling and experiencing everything the maritime industry has to offer,” she said. After completing her cadetship, she secured a role with BP on international crude oil tankers as a 3rd mate, then a 2nd mate, progressing through the ranks to work for Teekay Shipping in a Master’s role. It was during her time with Teekay that she grabbed the opportunity to do shore-based work while on leave, while she also worked internationally in Singapore and Vancouver. The lure to work on a new-build FPSO (floating production storage and offloading facility)
SUPPLIED
DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION IN THE MARITIME INDUSTRY
– Woodside’s Enfield project on the north-west shelf – took Ms Drummond to Western Australia in a master and marine technician role. From there, she became a master on tugs at Gladstone Port before a management opportunity as a marine adviser at Caltex proved an opportunity too good to refuse. Three years later, Ms Drummond found her seafaring and shorebased experience was valued in her home port of Sydney, where she moved to Manager, Port Services and six months later, Deputy Harbour Master. In August 2018, she transferred to Newcastle to become Harbour Master. The mother-oftwo says Newcastle is not only a great place to raise a young family, but her job is providing some exciting challenges.
“There are significant projects in the pipeline, including the introduction of escort towage capabilities for large tankers. To safely move these tankers into our port, we need specially designed tugs,” she said. Ms Drummond’s relationship with AMC has been continuous throughout her career, gaining qualifications as a Master Mariner and achieving a Bachelor of Business in Maritime Management. The Port Authority of New South Wales also sends staff to AMC for ship handling training and project development work. “Each time I visit, I notice the increase in the standard of simulator training and particularly the integration of those simulators,” she said. Vice-chair of the International
Only about 2 per cent of the operations sector in the maritime industry is female
ALUMNI PROFILE
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Fully loaded: An aerial view of a vessel leaving the Port of Newcastle.
remain world leading and competitive in safe and efficient operations.”
PORT AUTHORITY OF NSW
I want my daughter, my son, to know anything is possible and opportunities are out there Association of Ports and Harbour’s Women’s Forum, a member of the Women in Shipping and Transport Association and the Nautical
Institute, Ms Drummond has become a strong advocate for diversity in the maritime industry. “We haven’t made significant
Under the changes, Bachelor of Applied Science (Nautical Science) students will be able to study remotely for up to 45 weeks of their three-year degree, while Bachelor of Applied Science (Marine Engineering) students will have the option to complete up to 34 weeks of their studies online.
NEW STRUCTURE OFFERS BETTER BALANCE The Australian Maritime College’s ocean seafaring courses are being restructured to offer flexible study options and accommodate the needs of students and their employers.
AMC Head – Ocean Seafaring, Captain Darrel Silva, said the qualifications lead to careers onboard oceangoing vessels as engine watch-keepers, chief mates/masters, engineers and electro-technical officers. The new blended mode of delivery will be rolled out progressively from 2019-2021 and was prompted
Ms Drummond believes the industry needs to do more to raise awareness of the roles and opportunities available through more effective recruitment and advertising strategies. “The maritime industry is invisible. Schools don’t talk about it. Unless you know someone who works in the industry, you won’t know what roles exist. We have to be bolder,” she said.
inroads in the 20 years I’ve been in the industry. With the exception of some niche sectors and cruise ships, only about 2 per cent of the operations sector in the maritime industry is female,” she said.
There is a strong professional and indeed personal desire to inspire the next generation of seafarers, create change and continue conversations that challenge the status quo.
“Having an inclusive workforce and diverse ways of thinking will help the maritime industry
“I want my daughter, my son, to know anything is possible and opportunities are out there.” ■
by feedback from students and industry.
“For sponsoring companies, it means they won’t have to release their officers from work for long periods and incur the additional travel, accommodation and allowance expenses. Overall, the new program structure is designed to provide a better work-life-study balance.”
“Typically, students complete their degree in phases, interspersed with time spent working on ships. While the majority of course delivery occurs in semesters one and two, students are also required to complete short courses that are offered outside of those periods,” Captain Silva said. “The new course structure gives students the option of studying remotely, meaning they will no longer have to take leave from work or be away from their families and home town for an extended time.
Students will be able to choose whether to attend on-campus classes or study remotely for the first eight to 10 weeks of the semester. They will then attend two to four weeks of consolidated practical, simulation and revision training before sitting the final exam on-campus or at an approved exam centre.
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ENGINEERING GRADUATES ON THE NORTH-WEST COAST
FOUR MATES FOLLOW EERILY SIMILAR PATHS
have been put to use on machines, not boats. They’re the same skills, just differing applications.” Caterpillar’s Centre of Excellence for Underground Hard Rock Vehicles is based in Burnie (population under 20,000) and it is here that research, development and testing on new designs and systems for Caterpillar’s global fleet of underground mining dump trucks and loaders occurs. The manufacturing plant is in Rayong, Thailand.
MARITIME ENGINEERING GRADUATES ALL FIND JOBS AT CATERPILLAR’S BURNIE FACILITY WRITTEN BY KIM MILLAR
GRANT WELLS
What are the odds? Your best mates from school all end up at the same university, graduate with the same degree, work for the same international company and all in the same town?
That’s the story at Caterpillar in Burnie, north-west Tasmania, where four maritime engineering graduates have secured engineering positions – and all within 18 months. Tyler Krause, Josh Polley, Josh McCarthy and Jack Ball completed their Bachelor of Engineering (Marine and Offshore Engineering) degrees between the years 2012-2017. Mr Krause was the first to be employed at Caterpillar. From a family of fisherman, he grew up watching his father build his own boat and considered himself “handy with the tools”, so studying engineering at AMC seemed a natural fit.
Inseparable: AMC maritime engineering graduates Josh McCarthy, Tyler Krause, Josh Polley and Jack Ball.
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His final-year thesis focused on Finite Element Analysis (FEA) and the effect of pressure on bulk carrier cargo loads. When a job was advertised that required FEA skills, Mr Krause was quick to apply.
The job was advertised through a recruitment company, so he didn’t initially know who the employer was. “I was even more keen when I found out it was with Caterpillar and I’d be working on research and design of global significance,” Mr Krause said. “Maritime and mining are very similar industries. Whether you’re out to sea or underground, the conditions can be harsh and downtime on equipment is costly because of the often isolated locations and extreme conditions. “My degree has set me up well. My engineering knowledge and analysis skills
The engineering design team is currently working on the next generation of automation systems. As advancements are made they are tested and validated at the purpose-built proving ground and offsite testing facility, just a few kilometres from the main office. “Automation is a rapidly changing part of the business. Designing and testing products to be better is incredibly exciting to be involved in,” Mr Krause said. “To have a say in taking new automation products from an initial idea to performance, through testing and validation, and then see a whole new system develop and function is very rewarding.” Less than three months after Mr Krause began at Caterpillar, Josh Polley was employed in the systems team. Caterpillar employs approximately 90 engineers at Burnie, with Tyler Krause, Josh McCarthy and Jack Ball working in the technology team. “We might be working on cooling design or engine
It was worth those extra hard yards to now have completed a full engineering degree
ENGINEERING GRADUATES ON THE NORTH-WEST COAST
implementation and power train systems, so there’s lots of variety. The AMC experience has allowed me to enter the workplace directly at an engineer level. That ‘piece of paper’ has been really crucial,” Mr Polley said. Mr Ball and Mr McCarthy are the most recent AMC graduates to join Caterpillar’s engineering team. They both started at Caterpillar on the same day in November 2017. “Caterpillar is at the forefront of engineering design, so the work is challenging. AMC set me up well for research and testing with hands-on practical opportunities, such as the AMC pasta bridge challenge, along with use of the model test basin and towing tank. The AMC experience gave me a skillset that was transferable to use in the underground mining industry,” Mr Ball said. Prior to enrolling in his maritime engineering degree, Mr McCarthy had considered a trade. “I was always hands-on. AMC has provided a gateway to where I am now. It was worth those extra hard yards to now have completed a full engineering degree,” he said. Caterpillar Burnie Human Resources Manager Brett Smith said while recruitment of alumni from AMC hadn’t been a deliberate strategy, the students graduated with a solid foundation in the basics of engineering.
SIMON LITTLE (SIMPLOT)
ALUMNI PROFILE AN UNCONVENTIONAL PATHWAY
Simon Little’s pathway to university study has been somewhat unconventional.
A career highlight was working on Hydro Tasmania’s world-leading King Island Renewable Energy Integration Program (KIREIP). The diesel conversion program developed a groundbreaking hybrid off-grid power system for the island’s population, which is capable of 100 per cent renewable operation.
Growing up on the Mornington Peninsula in Victoria, he’d always had a passion for diving and an equally deep aversion to hitting the books – so much so he skipped his Year 12 English exam and missed out on receiving a tertiary entrance score.
Mr Little credits the industry-specific AMC ocean engineering course with providing him with the skills to adapt to different engineering disciplines.
Mr Little relocated to Albury, NSW, with his partner at the time and secured employment at a mechanics workshop. Following a half-hearted attempt at a mechanical apprenticeship, he decided to reassess his options and explore the idea of a career in engineering.
“The degree is well-rounded, encompassing structural, civil, instrumental and mechanical components which have all been useful in my career,” he said.
However, to gain entry to a university engineering degree without having achieved an ATAR score required an alternate route.
An experienced project manager, Mr Little has recently left employment with Elphinstone Pty Ltd (an international mining and heavy equipment manufacturer, headquartered in Tasmania’s north-west) for a new challenge with Simplot Australia.
Mr Little was accepted into AMC after knuckling down and completing the pre-requisite mathematics and chemistry foundation subjects. In 2011, he graduated with a Bachelor of Engineering (Ocean Engineering).
He’s project managing a multimilliondollar production line process upgrade at Simplot’s potato manufacturing plant at Ulverstone, also in north-west Tasmania. He’s found the transfer into the fast-moving consumer goods and food manufacturing space interesting.
His thesis in computational fluid dynamics led to employment, initially in mining with Tasmanian-based manufacturing and engineering support business Southern Prospect, and later in utilities and renewables.
“The project is centred on upgrading the conveying technology. Working as an engineer you are always learning, always trying to do things differently or better, so it is always challenging, no matter the industry,” Mr Little said. In addition to his maritime engineering qualifications, Mr Little holds a postgraduate degree in management.
GRANT WELLS
“Our engineering applications are quite specific to the business, so if our starting design engineers have a good education base then we can build their skills and develop engineering teams and specialists in hydraulics, electrical, mechanical and structural design to meet our requirements,” Mr Smith said.
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Fresh challenge: Simon Little is project managing a multimillion-dollar production line process upgrade at Simplot’s potato manufacturing plant at Ulverstone. ABOVE BOARD
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AUTONOMOUS SHIPPING
SEA LEGS TO BE A THING OF PAST FOR MARINE ENGINEERS THE RISE OF AUTONOMOUS SHIPPING WILL DRIVE CHANGES IN EDUCATION AND TRAINING WRITTEN BY KIM MILLAR
Way of the future: Rolls-Royce is one of a growing number of companies planning to launch autonomous ships.
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At the current pace of advancement, it’s inevitable autonomous ships will become a key driver within the shipping industry during the next 30 years. The role of marine engineers will need to shift from seafarers to shore-based workers with new skills and expertise. But will maritime education and training providers be prepared to provide the required training?
Gamini Lokuketagoda leads AMC’s simulated engine room training. With recent developments pushing the boundaries of ship automation (modern day shipboard machinery is able to run in excess of 16 hours a day without human intervention),
he believes remotely operated coastal vessels will be in operation in the next few years, closely followed by unmanned oceangoing vessels. In a research paper presented at the International Association of Maritime Universities 2018 Annual General Assembly, Mr Lokuketagoda points to the Yara Birkeland, the world’s first fully electric, autonomous container ship with zero emissions as evidence of the move towards remote shipping. The ship is scheduled to be delivered in 2019, initially running with a skeleton
AUTONOMOUS SHIPPING
The concept of remote operation of ships machinery from shore will pave the way for a new breed of marine engineers/remote operators crew and becoming fully autonomous by 2020. Dutch company Port Liner recently started building Europe’s first fully electric emission-free barges. The five barges will carry 24 containers each, and will eventually become autonomous, he said. In a world with autonomous shipping, the future role of the marine engineer will essentially be confined to a shore-based operating station, making decisions based on the telemetry from the machinery managed remotely, similar to technology used in defence and the aviation industry.
valuable into the future. “A dynamic, realtime computerised simulator can compress years of experience into a few weeks and provide knowledge of the dynamic and interactive processes typically encountered within shipboard engine rooms,” Mr Lokuketagoda said. The collaborative research study between Japan's Kobe University and AMC reiterated the need to connect the theoretical and practical in marine engineer training, with proper design of simulator exercises providing clear demonstrations
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of relevant theoretical concepts, such as thermodynamics, heat transmission and electro-technology. Mr Lokuketagoda flagged that if autonomous ships were to achieve economic benefits by reducing crew costs, then remote machinery operators must be capable of handling operational and emergency situations by making informed and timely engineering decisions. “This critical factor depends on the knowledge and skills received through appropriate training and assessment programmes,” he said. “The use of engine simulators provide maritime and engineering training institutions with the tools and technology to provide appropriate training to prepare a future workforce for a world of autonomous shipping.” ■
“The concept of remote operation of ships machinery from shore will pave the way for a new breed of marine engineers/remote operators,” Mr Lokuketagoda said.
ROLLS ROYCE
Traditionally, the hands-on training philosophy for engineers has been a mix of shore and ship-based training, with certification of competency based on appropriate duration of sea service with certain propulsion machinery, followed by further sea service and associated education, training and assessment.
S-MODE SET TO MAKE LIFE EASIER FOR SEAFARERS Dr Jiangang Fei delivered an update on research into the best way to incorporate standard or default mode (S-Mode) training into maritime education programs at the IAMU Annual General Assembly in Barcelona. S-Mode refers to a proposal to build a universal standard mode into all ship’s navigation equipment so that
CHRIS CRERAR
Mr Lokuketagoda said future marine engineers would not be sailing, but may gain the required experience through virtual sea-time and simulator-based training approaches, which will be increasingly
type of navigation devices and equipment on a ship’s bridge pose significant challenges to seafarers and pilots since they have to familiarise themselves with all the devices and equipment within a very limited time when they board different ships,” Dr Fei said. when this default switch is pressed, the display, menu, and interface of the equipment from different manufacturers will be standardised.
“In emergencies, such differences may lead to confusion and even wrong decisions or actions causing serious maritime incidents.”
“The differences in design, display and interface among the same
Due to its significance to maritime safety, the International Maritime
Vital teaching tool: Gamini Lokuketagoda in the engine room simulator at AMC’s Maritime Simulation Centre.
Organization has chosen the development of S-Mode as one of its top six priorities for e-Navigation and called on the maritime industry to contribute to the development of guidelines. “This IAMU-funded research project will play an important role in developing the guidelines for S-Mode so that maritime institutions are better prepared to cater for the educational and training needs of our future seafarers,” Dr Fei said.
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10 COVER STORY
SHIPBUILDING INITIATIVE TO BE NATION'S GREATEST REGENERATION IN NAVAL CAPABILITIES SINCE WORLD WAR II
NAVAL PROGRAM TO LEAD TO HUGE JOBS GROWTH WRITTEN BY NICOLE MAYNE
of jobs on the horizon that are set to last for many generations. The initial program will be followed by naval warship, submarine and auxiliary vessel replacement programs that are yet to be defined.
Naval shipbuilding careers should be top-of-mind for job seekers as excitement builds with one of the most significant nation-building programs in Australia’s history.
Jobs for life: The naval shipbuilding program will create jobs for many generations.
The $90 billion continuous naval shipbuilding program is the greatest regeneration of Australia’s naval capabilities since World War II and provides the opportunity not only to create new jobs, but to replace jobs lost in the automotive and other manufacturing industries, according to the Naval Shipbuilding College.
All sorts of skilled and professional workers will be needed to build and sustain our future frigates, submarines and offshore patrol vessels, and when the build phase is complete Australia will have a sustainable advanced manufacturing capability that will provide the jobs of the future.
It is expected to drive unprecedented employment opportunities, with thousands
Leading the charge is the Naval Shipbuilding College – the fulcrum between job-seekers, the naval shipbuilding industry, and education and training providers to ensure a skilled workforce develops to meet future capability and demand.
BAE SYSTEMS
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The College has been established by the Australian Government with Kellogg Brown & Root and Huntington Ingalls Industries (the largest shipbuilder in the United States, on the back of a 130-year partnership with the US Navy).
Naval Shipbuilding College Program Director Bill Docalovich said the College is focused on making naval shipbuilding a “career of choice” as it continues to develop endorsed courses with education and training providers throughout Australia. “Naval shipbuilding in Australia will offer a diversity of job opportunities and career pathways. We are working hard to inform high school students, university leavers and job seekers about these opportunities,” Mr Docalovich said. “This is truly a nation-building program that will positively impact the Australian economy given more than 15,000 jobs will be created as part of the naval shipbuilding plan. “It will open up an exciting career journey for life. Quite literally, workers can progress their careers from the ship’s deck to the boardroom. Now is the time for bright young people to step up and help shape naval shipbuilding in the future.”
COVER STORY 11
BAE SYSTEMS
The expansion of the naval shipbuilding and repair sector is expected to have a ripple effect within the broader maritime industry, with a surge in demand for portable skills such as engineering, project management and supply chain management. Australian Maritime College Principal Associate Professor Shuhong Chai said that AMC had the expertise and infrastructure required to help build this capacity and facilitate the success of the naval shipbuilding program. “We’re pleased to be a strategic partner of the Naval Shipbuilding College and are working in collaboration with pre-tertiary education providers around Australia on aligning our courses to meet industry demand,” Associate Professor Chai said. “We’ve recently signed agreements with South Metropolitan TAFE, TAFE SA and TAFE NSW to create direct pathways from their diploma and associate degree level courses to AMC’s specialist maritime engineering and global logistics degrees.
“Our nation-leading maritime engineering degrees are also being reconfigured to offer defence specialisations and dedicated work placements within the defence industries.” The University of Tasmania is also engaging with business and industry on plans to create a defence and innovation precinct alongside AMC at the Newnham campus. If the proposed precinct is realised, it will build on existing AMC defence strengths in naval design and systems to incorporate new endeavours across a range of disciplines. The proposal sits within a broader $300 million investment program to establish new University precincts at Inveresk in Launceston and West Park at Burnie. Meanwhile, the Naval Shipbuilding College is working closely with the shipbuilding industry, including the appointed prime shipbuilders BAE, Naval Group and Lürssen, to determine exactly what jobs and skills will be needed to ensure AMC graduates are job-ready and at the front of the employment line.
Big deal: Above, Naval Shipbuilding College Program Director Bill Docalovich says more than 15,000 jobs will be created as part of the $90 billion program; left, BAE Systems will build nine Hunter class ships for the Royal Australian Navy. The ships will be the most modern and most capable antisubmarine frigates in the world.
Now is the time for bright young people to step up and help shape naval shipbuilding in the future “Naval shipbuilding will provide opportunities for workers at every stage of their careers. This includes attracting schoolleavers, those transitioning from another industry, former shipbuilding employees and unskilled workers interested in a new career,” Mr Docalovich said. “Candidates are being connected to the many current and future career opportunities through a national workforce register, a talent pool linked to naval shipbuilding, the supply chain and associated sustainment industries, and managed by the Naval Shipbuilding College.”
More information: navalshipbuildingcollege.com.au
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12 CO-OPERATIVE PROGRAM
AMC’S CO-OPERATIVE PROGRAM GIVES STUDENTS AN EDGE Thomas Fallon has been working for major specialist defence providers on internationally significant research and design projects as part of his Co-operative Engineering Program studies. He’s discovering there’s a world of career opportunities out there for him when he graduates.
Leg up: Thomas Fallon says co-op work placements have provided him with significant development opportunities.
A love of surfing and the ocean drew Mr Fallon to pursue maritime studies and he chose AMC for its unique course offerings. From the central coast of NSW, he says he’s appreciating living and studying in Launceston, which he describes as “a part of the country that many others haven’t yet discovered”. The Bachelor of Engineering (Ocean Engineering) student
completed a seven-month placement with Serco Defence in Sydney in 2015 and a year-long contract within the Maritime Division of Defence Science Technology (DST) Group in 2017. Mr Fallon believes the reputation of AMC as providing industry-relevant training put him in good stead for both placements. “Both these roles required a regular application process, however, industry familiarisation with AMC’s Co-op Program ensured that I had an edge over other prospective student candidates,” he said. The structural integrity of degrading surface ships was the focus of his most recent placement at DST.
An internationally collaborative project, Mr Fallon was part of a team developing and implementing numerical tools to conduct ultimate and fatigue strength assessments of naval vessels. The co-op work placements have provided Mr Fallon with technical and professional skill development opportunities. Earlier this year, he presented at the Defence Science Student Conference in Adelaide to students and industry leaders about his experience. The conference also heightened his understanding of the commitment by the Department of Defence to expand Australia’s naval industry. “Defence is an area of continuous technology development, so it will provide for exciting work for engineers, like me, in the future.” He is due to complete his degree in 2019. ■
NEW SCHOLARSHIPS ON OFFER Interested in studying maritime engineering at AMC and gaining valuable work experience while you study? Looking for financial assistance to move to Tasmania to undertake this degree? AMC is excited to launch new co-operative program scholarships for 2019. We’ll provide financial assistance (min. $4000) to assist with relocation and accommodation expenses. The scholarships are open to students with an ATAR score of 90 and above. Find out more by emailing Scholarships.Office@utas.edu.au
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AMC SEARCH 13
DO YOU NEED TO REFRESH YOUR STCW CERTIFICATE IN 2019? WRITTEN BY JESSICA WILLIS
2019 will be a busy year for seafarers, as many people will be required to undertake refresher training to renew their STCW certificates. AMSA introduced new rules in 2014 forcing all seafarers to undertake refresher training every five years, so all certificates that were renewed in 2014-2015 will begin to expire next year. Training must be undertaken before a certificate expiring, which means seafarers need to start planning now to make sure they remain legally certified by AMSA. REFRESHER TRAINING WITH AMC SEARCH To help seafarers meet their legal requirements, AMC Search, the commercial arm of the Australian Maritime College, is running over 20 refresher courses during 2019, including Certificate of Safety Training, Certificate of Proficiency as Rating, Chief Integrated Rating and Certificate of Competency (Master, Deck and Engineer Officer). Training will be delivered at the AMC campus in Launceston as well as at the new Sydney Study Centre in Darling Harbour.
AMC Search Training Manager Emilie Donovan said that as Australia’s maritime short course specialists, AMC Search recognised that seafarers would be under immense pressure next year to undertake refresher training. “So by massively expanding our refresher training program and offering it from a new location in central Sydney, we believe we are helping to relieve the pressure on seafarers by providing Australia’s most extensive and best value STCW refresher program in 2019,” she said.
WORLD-CLASS EMERGENCY RESPONSE FACILITIES Not only is AMC Search Australia’s best value refresher training provider, it has exclusive access to all of AMC’s world-class facilities in Launceston. Facilities include a designated indoor survival training pool that includes a mock-up of a ship’s superstructure, which is complete with life raft launching facilities. Night time survival rescue missions are simulated, as the facility can be blacked out, and
there is also the ability to create water turbulence, rain, wind noise and storm effects. Unlike the vast majority of maritime training providers, AMC Search also has access to its own firefighting training ground for the firefighting component of the Launceston refresher courses. The firefighting ground is equipped with a wide range of modern firefighting equipment. It includes specialised areas for fighting liquid and gas fires, fires in helicopters, as well as fires within a ship superstructure using self-contained breathing apparatus. EXCELLENT TRAINING RECORD AMC Search has been providing specialised maritime training for over 30 years – and this experience shows. The vast majority of AMC Search’s training staff have extensive seafaring experience, and 98 per cent of over 500 students surveyed between July 2017 and July 2018 reported they were satisfied or very satisfied with the quality of the teaching they received.
COMPANIES ALSO NEED TO PLAN To beat any last-minute rush, companies with staff who need to renew their certificates by 2020 should also consider scheduling training during 2019. Staff training must be completed prior to a certificate expiring, and time needs to be considered for issuing new certificates ahead of the deadline. TESTIMONIAL “I live in Western Australia, however have always travelled to AMC Search to revalidate my Certificate of Competency due to the professionalism of the AMC Search team, the course material and the lecturers’ relevant knowledge of all the subjects. The accommodation and the on-campus eating venue are convenient and well-staffed, and the simulator centre is excellent.” – Kim Cleggett, Director, International Maritime Services Pty Ltd
More information and registrations: amcsearch.com.au/ refresh or call 03 6324 9850 ABOVE BOARD
14 ALUMNI PROFILE
NICK BROWNE (AUSTRALIAN ANTARCTIC DIVISION)
history of Australia’s Antarctic program.
ALUMNI PROFILE SUPPLIED
MANAGING AUSTRALIA’S BIGGEST ANTARCTIC SHIP BUILD PROJECT WRITTEN BY KIM MILLAR
AMC alumnus Nick Browne has taken on the role of a lifetime. He’s project managing the design, build and delivery of Australia’s new Antarctic icebreaker RSV Nuyina – a once-ina-generation project that will form the centerpiece of Australia’s Antarctic program.
Replacing the Aurora Australis, the new icebreaker will be a state-of-the-art ship that will provide new possibilities for scientific research in the Southern Ocean and Antarctica. The vessel is currently under construction at Damen Shipyards Galatz in Romania, and, once built, the 160-metre long, 25,000-tonne vessel will operate from Hobart. As project manager, Mr Browne leads a multidisciplinary project team within the Antarctic Modernisation Branch of the Australian Antarctic Division in Kingston, near Hobart.
Ground-breaking icebreaker: An artist’s impression of the RSV Nuyina in Antarctica.
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“The project is responsible for delivering a shipping capability; not just a ship. This means, in addition to the RSV Nuyina, we need to provide a new commercial ship operator and
maintainer (Serco Defence) for an initial operating term of 10 years,” he said. “We also need to procure essential associated infrastructure and equipment to support the operation of RSV Nuyina (such as specific port facilities) and facilitate the transition from the Aurora Australis to the Nuyina within the Australian Antarctic Division.” The design, build and 30-year operational and maintenance lifespan of the vessel will cost $1.9 billion, representing the single biggest investment in the
The icebreaker will be the main lifeline to Australia’s Antarctic and sub-Antarctic research stations, and will drive Antarctic and Southern Ocean scientific research, sustaining the next generation of Australian Antarctic scientists.
Mr Browne has been working on the RSV Nuyina project for more than six years and expects his role to formally end in 2022, following the completion of warranty processes and once the vessel is fully operational. “I always dreamed and hoped to be involved in a project as significant as the RSV Nuyina project, however I did not necessarily think that it would eventuate, and certainly not in such a key project management role,” he said.
I always dreamed and hoped to be involved in a project as significant as the RSV Nuyina
ALUMNI PROFILE 15
“However, I have been lucky to have received an excellent educational foundation at the Australian Maritime College and a good breadth of professional experience in my career, primarily through my time with Lloyd’s Register in Australia.” Mr Browne graduated with a Bachelor of Engineering (Hons) in Naval Architecture from AMC in 2005.
DAMEN/AAD
“My degree in naval architecture has provided me with a great foundation of technical knowledge relating to ship design and construction activities,” he said. “The degree has always had a very strong focus on industry alignment to ensure that its graduates were equipped with the knowledge and skills demanded by the Australian and international maritime industry.”
There are several AMC connections within the RSV Nuyina project team at the Australian Antarctic Division. “We are lucky enough to have several alumni here, including Captain Mike Jackson, who has worked with AMC for many years in different capacities. We worked closely with ex-AMC Board Chairman David Sterrett in developing our requirements set for the operations phase of Nuyina,” Mr Browne said. “We are also in the process of investigating options to leverage off the courses provided by AMC as part of our professional development activities, in particular to further strengthen our capability to provide oversight of the RSV Nuyina operations and maintenance phase.” When the RSV Nuyina project is complete it will have consumed at least a decade of his working
FAST FACTS LENGTH OVERALL 160.3 metres MAXIMUM BEAM 25.6 metres MAXIMUM DRAUGHT 9.3 metres DISPLACEMENT 25,500 tonnes ICEBREAKING 1.65 metres at 3 knots
SPEED 12 knots economical, 16+ knots maximum
CONTAINER CAPACITY 96 TEU
RANGE 16,000 nautical miles
CARGO WEIGHT 1200 tonnes
ENDURANCE 90 days
PASSENGERS 117
CARGO FUEL CAPACITY 1,900,000 litres / 1671 tonnes
CREW 32
life. So, what do you do next, when you’ve been involved in one of Australia’s most significant maritime projects?
DISPLACEMENT
25,000 TONNES
“I certainly have future career aspirations beyond the RSV Nuyina project completion, however I am not completely sure what direction they may take me. It is really a matter of timing and opportunity, but I would first of all like to finish what I started with the RSV Nuyina design and construction program,” Mr Browne said.
DAMEN/AUSTRALIAN ANTARCTIC DIVISION
“There is a very exciting future here at the Australian Antarctic Division and its modernising Antarctic program. The Division is by far the most interesting and unique place I have worked, and I get a real sense of satisfaction knowing that the work I do here directly supports the achievement of Australia’s national interests in Antarctica.” ■
Huge project: The RSV Nuyina in the wet dock at Damen Shipyards with the crows nest, navigation bridge and science observation deck installed aft of the two forward cargo holds.
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16 AUV RESEARCH
YELLOW SUBMARINE GEARS UP FOR FIRST MISSION UNDER ICE A HI-TECH AUTONOMOUS UNDERWATER VEHICLE HEADS TO ANTARCTICA THIS SUMMER TO STUDY THE CONTINENT’S UNIQUE ENVIRONMENT WRITTEN BY WENDY PYPER (AUSTRALIAN ANTARCTIC DIVISION)
The seven metre-long, 1600kg autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) will be deployed around and beneath the Sørsdal Glacier, near Davis research station, to study the sea floor and underside of the ice shelf, and develop the AUV’s capability for future missions under larger Antarctic ice shelves.
Secrets of the sea: The AUV is fitted with a range of hi-tech sensors that gather vital information about the surrounding environment. IMAGE: INTERNATIONAL SUBMARINE ENGINEERING
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The project, led by Professor Richard Coleman, Director of the Australian Research Council’s Antarctic Gateway Partnership, will see a team of scientists and engineers deploy the torpedoshaped AUV from the station’s boat ramp and travel alongside it in a small boat to the glacier, about 11 km south-east of Davis. While the AUV is at the surface the team will communicate with it over WiFi, but once under the ocean surface and ice shelf it must have all the information it needs to operate autonomously. To provide this the team use a geographic information system package to draw mission lines for the vehicle to follow and establish ‘rules’ for encountering changes in the environment, such as what to do if the sea floor is shallower than expected or the ice surface is too close, and when to come ‘home’.
AUV engineer Peter King, from the Australian Maritime College, said the team will use a range of on-board sensors to survey the front of the ice shelf and, all going well, venture beneath it, with increasing distance and duration as the AUV’s performance is assessed. “First we’ll test the AUV in open water to ensure all the systems are performing as required, then we’ll survey the open water in front of the ice shelf, to understand the density layers and currents in the water column,” Mr King said. “As we get closer to the face of the ice shelf we’ll build a map of the sea floor and the depth of the ice face below the surface, to understand the shape of the cavity opening. From there we’ll plan our safest entry path and venture beneath.”
The AUV has a multi-beam echosounder that emits sound waves and listens to the returning echoes, to build a picture of the environment. The echosounder can point downward to map the bathymetry (shape and depth) of the sea floor, or upward to map the shape and roughness of ice. A side-scan sonar can point sideways to map the shape of ice walls. Also onboard are a sub-bottom profiler that can see beneath sea floor sediment, instruments to measure water temperature, depth, salinity and velocity, and a magnetometer that measures the magnetism of geological features. The upward looking echosounder will provide critical information to ice-ocean modellers, Dr David Gwyther, from IMAS, and Dr Ben GaltonFenzi, from the Australian Antarctic Division, who are working to understand the speed of ice shelf retreat in East Antarctica and the contribution of ice shelf melt to sea level rise. “One of the difficulties of estimating future sea level is understanding how the Antarctic ice sheet will contribute,” Dr Galton-Fenzi said. “Half of the mass loss of the ice sheet is melted off the underside of ice shelves by the ocean, but we know little about
AUV RESEARCH 17
Practice makes perfect: Erica Spain from the Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies pushes the AUV into Lake St Clair during a dress rehearsal ahead of its first Antarctic mission
WENDY PYPER/AAD
how the ocean interacts with the ice sheet because these regions are so difficult to access.” Dr Gwyther said the AUV would provide the very first look at the shape of the underside of the Sørsdal Glacier. “The topography of the underside of the ice shelf is important because its ‘roughness’ creates turbulence in the water as it flows past the ice shelf. The rougher the surface, the more heat is mixed up from the ocean cavity below, and this affects melting,” he said. Measurements of ocean characteristics beneath the ice shelf will also provide important information on the temperature of the water that enters the cavity and where it has come from (such as warmer water from the continental shelf), and the speed the water is moving. This information will help scientists improve models of ice-ocean interactions, essential for projections of sea level rise.
The lessons learnt from this deployment of the AUV will help shape future deployments about the glacial and geological history of the region,” she said. “We may also see some biology, as any time you have thick sediments and long residence times, you often get a buildup of methane and biological communities around it.” Ms Spain has been working closely with the AUV team for the past 12 months to test the vehicle’s capabilities for mapping sand waves and sponge gardens in northern Tasmania and Bass Strait. After a year of preparation and practice the team are confident the AUV will perform as expected, but there will no doubt be challenges and learnings in this first of many
icy missions. “The lessons learnt from this deployment of the AUV will help shape future deployments at locations that are likely to be more critical for sea level rise, such as the Totten and Amery ice shelves,” Dr Galton-Fenzi said. The AUV (named nupiri muka or ‘eye of the sea’ in palawa kani, the language of Tasmanian Aborigines) is funded by the Australian Government through the Antarctic Gateway Partnership – a $32 million Special Research Initiative of the Australian Research Council that aims to provide new insights into the role of Antarctica and the Southern Ocean in the global climate system. AMC contributed $3 million to the cost of the vehicle. ■
FLEET BOOSTED BY REMUS 100 AMC has expanded its AUV research capability with the arrival of the REMUS 100 to its growing fleet. The REMUS 100 is a compact AUV containing sophisticated sensors and navigation and power resources that enable it to perform intricate sonar and oceanographic surveys over large areas. Small enough to be carried by two people, it is a low-logistics option that can be deployed from the beach, small runabouts, large vessels, and anything in between. Operator Rowan Frost said the robot would be used for a variety of projects from bathymetric mapping, habitat mapping, pipeline surveys and measuring properties of the water column.
For IMAS PhD student Erica Spain, the information revealed by the downward-looking echosounder is of most interest to her project investigating underwater habitats. WENDY PYPER/AAD
“I’d like to see if there are any glacial features under the ice, such as glacial moraines and cold seeps, which can tell us
Fresh perspective: The AUV will use on-board instruments to build a picture of the underside of the floating portion of the Sørsdal Glacier (pictured) and the sea floor beneath it.
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18 RENEWABLE ENERGY
PROJECT ON TRACK TO PROVIDE THE INFORMATION NEEDED TO STIMULATE INVESTMENT IN TIDAL ENERGY
TURNING THE TIDE ON HOW WE GENERATE ENERGY WRITTEN BY JESSICA WILLIS
Making waves: Bluefin crew member Daniel Garwood recovers the acoustic doppler current profiler (ADCP) from Banks Strait, a narrow channel above Tasmania’s north-east coast that connects the Bass Strait with the Tasman Sea.
It’s been almost 15 months since the AUSTEn (Australian Tidal Energy) project began its work on one of the country’s largest tidal energy research projects. In this time, the 11-strong team has carried out two field campaigns, mapped 200 sq km of sea floor, and generated numerical models covering
scales from the 15km-wide Banks Strait to the whole nation.
“Building on our progress so far, within three years the team is set to deliver a publically-available tidal energy map, detailing the country’s tidal energy resources in unprecedented detail, as well as carry out detailed feasibility studies on key sites to assess their suitability to contribute to the country’s energy mix,” she said.
Project lead Associate Professor Irene Penesis said the $5.8 million project, which received $2.49 million from the Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA), is on track to provide the detailed information needed to stimulate tidal energy investment in Australia.
“We’re finding significant resources and are confident that the AUSTEn project will deliver the information needed to help drive Australia’s tidal energy industry forward.” BRAVING THE BANKS STRAIT
A total of 28 days have so far been spent on board vessels such as AMC’s research vessel Bluefin braving storms with 50 knot winds to collect data from 10 locations during two field campaigns in the Banks Strait.
JARRAH ORPHIN
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The University of Queensland’s Dr Remo Cossu said the expeditions set out to gather the data needed to determine the tidal energy potential of the Banks Strait, a narrow channel above Tasmania’s north-east coast that connects
RENEWABLE ENERGY 19 All hands on deck: Instruments used to measure tidal energy resources await deployment on the deck of the Bluefin.
data into software that, in his expert hands, can generate numerical models of the hydrodynamics of vast swathes of ocean.
We’re confident that the AUSTEn project will … help drive Australia’s tidal energy industry forward the Bass Strait with the Tasman Sea. “We deployed instruments to measure the strength and rhythm of ocean currents and turbulence, as well as collect environmental parameters – such as water temperature and sediment characteristics – to help assess the site for deploying tidal energy devices,” he said. “Another important aspect we studied was the bathymetry of the seafloor, which is important for numerical models and to conduct a geotechnical analysis of the site.” The data collected will inform an in-depth industry feasibility study for this high-potential site, and the next field campaign will take place in 2019 at a second location identified as promising by a national scale model being developed by CSIRO.
NATIONAL SCALE MODEL UPDATE
If tidal energy is to have a future in Australia, then it’s important to understand the magnitude of the tidal energy resource across all of Australia and to detail the spatial extent and characteristics of that resource. Prior estimates of Australia’s national tidal resource have been derived from coarse resolution (of order 10km) numerical models, which are too coarse to resolve many geographical features – such as straits and headlands – which lead to the accelerated tidal currents of interest to tidal stream energy developers. A team at CSIRO Oceans and Atmosphere in Hobart, led by Dr Mark Hemer, is developing a new numerical tidal model for Australia using the unstructured Coastal Ocean Marine Prediction Across Scales (COMPAS) model, which aims to resolve Australia’s
shelf waters at much higher resolution in regions where it is most needed (the higher tidal energy regions), and lower resolution in less energetic regions. Dr Hemer said a first pass national simulation had been completed that identified energetic tidal regions across the country. Banks Strait, Tasmania is identified as one of the most attractive sites for tidal energy development, with other sites including Tasmania’s north-west, Northern Territory (Clarence and Dundas Straits), the Kimberley in WA, Victoria’s Port Phillip Heads and Backstairs Passage, SA. MAPPING ENTIRE OCEANS
While the field team have been braving some of Australia’s most boisterous stretches of water, a no-less crucial component of the project has more subtly been carried out from an office deep in the Australian Maritime College. Dr Philip Marsh, a numerical modeller, works on a scale that the field team could only dream about. He considers entire oceans, feeding tide, waves, wind and bathymetry
“We’re looking at how fast the current flows so we can determine how much power we’re able to take out from these sites. This gives us an overall idea of how feasible a site is for deploying large scale turbine arrays,” he said. “The first area that was identified as being really good was Banks Strait so I’m focusing in on that. Once the national map is finished, we’ll pick another area and I’ll focus in on that in much higher detail, down to less than five metres.” BEYOND FAST FLOWS
It’s not just fast currents and large flows that contribute to selecting the most suitable sites for tidal turbines. Considerations like distances from ports and environmental restrictions also influence the most suitable sites for tidal turbines. Dr Philip Marsh is working with CSIRO Energy researchers Dr Jenny Hayward and Dr Saad Sayeef to develop a multi-criteria assessment model to prioritise these differing factors using a variety of data sources. “The development of this model will allow us to locate the most suitable locations for tidal turbine deployments nationally based on a wide range of criteria, not just the size of the resource.” ■ ABOVE BOARD