Ocean Business is one of the un-miss-able events in the ocean technology calendar. Ocean Business 2015 took place from 14 – 16 April 2015 at the National Oceanography Centre in Southampton UK. The venue is expected to welcome over 5000 visitors from 65 countries. The second day of Ocean Business saw over 3100 visitors through the door, bringing the total number of visitors to the 15th of April to nearly 4000.

The success of Ocean Business is staggering. Since its launch in 2007, the show has grown year on year, 2013 saw well over 4000 visitors and over 2000 bookings for the training and demonstration sessions. Of these visitors, 38% came from outside the UK, proving the show is recognized as a key international event. Registration is online at www.oceanbusiness.com/register (now closed)

ASV C-ENDURO - On display at the entrance to the NOC, this solar and wind assisted catamaran was one of three ASVs on a fish tracking mission in 2014. Chris Close is seen here inspecting the C-Enduro. Chris is the manager of the SeaVax project, a quest to build a fleet of large workboats that are designed to harvest plastic waste from the 5 garbage gyres in the Atlantic, Indian and Pacific oceans. A 6th plastic gyre is reportedly accumulating in the Arctic ocean. Ocean plastic is a serious problem that threatens fish stocks internationally - as toxins are passed up the food chain when plastic is ingested by fish that feed on smaller marine organisms. Seabirds and marine mammals are also dying from either eating plastic or being caught up in nets and rope. The SeaVax is powered by solar and wind energy.

OFFSHORE SURVEY - TECHNICAL COMMITTEE 2015

Conference Chairman:

Ed Danson
Managing Director
Swan Consultants Ltd, UK

Conference Committee:

Helen Atkinson
Operations & Publications Manager
Both THS UK and the International Federation of Hydrographic Societies

William Heaps
Assistant Marine Advisor
Associated British Ports, UK

David Parker
Chairman of The Hydrographic Society UK/Civil Hydrography Manager
UK Hydrographic Office, UK

Sam Hanton
Chief Surveyor
Nautronix Plc, UK

Nick Hough
Technical Advisor
IMCA, UK

Scott Winning
UK Project Survey Lead
Subsea 7, UK

Peter Blackler
General Manager
Horizon Geosciences, United Arab Emirates

Andrew Waddington
Managing Director
Unmanned Survey Solutions & Andy Waddington Hydrographic Consultants, UK

Dave Roberts
General Manager
NCS Survey, Norway

OFFSHORE SURVEY 2015 LAUNCHES CUTTING EDGE CONFERENCE PROGRAMME!

The Offshore Survey Committee are delighted to reveal one of the most impressive programmes yet for its fifth conference which takes place from 15 - 16 April 2015, alongside Ocean Business at the National Oceanography Centre in Southampton UK. 

After an overwhelming response to the call for papers, the technical committee has developed a high powered programme which covers timely issues for the offshore industry.  Conference Chairman, Ed Danson, explains; “Once again we are thrilled to have attracted some of the industry's leading presenters. Over 70 abstracts were submitted and the quality was so high that it was an extremely challenging task for the technical committee to whittle down to just 20 papers, as a result I'm delighted to announce we have a balanced, relevant and exciting programme to present in April.” 

The conference will be opening to an unmissable keynote presentation from Rafael Ponce, Global Maritime Business Development Manager at Esri, who will be talking about the future of GIS and how this could transform the offshore industry. Other sessions include up-to-the-minute information about the AUV search operations for the missing Malaysia Airlines jet MH370, presented by Chris Moore, AUV Programme Manager of Phoenix International and further presentations which demonstrate the technological breakthroughs that the industry has made in the past 12 months.

Offshore Survey will continue its reputation for providing a unique mix of global technology and business from all corners of the industry. The full programme can be viewed at www.offshoresurvey.co.uk

The Offshore Survey conference will be held alongside Ocean Business 2015. Visitors are encouraged to register in advance online at www.oceanbusiness.com/register. The exhibition and workshops are all FREE to attend, there is a fee to attend the conference. For more information on Offshore Survey and Ocean Business, please visit www.oceanbusiness.com, email info@oceanbusiness.com, or call: +44 (0) 1453 836363.

SEAVAX QUADCOPTER SCOUT - A 'proof of concept' model for a robot ship that is designed to vacuum up plastic ocean waste, incorporates a UAV for advanced surveying to assist a fleet of autonomous vessels to perform their toxic resource recovery task. The Indian Navy are proposing using IC powered aerial drones for their military fleets. BMS are interested in deploying electrically powered unmanned craft with a significant range for marine scouting missions. The idea is that EUAVs can recharge from their mother-ship on return to the landing deck - in this case at the rear of the vessel. The Global Ocean Commission is looking at ways of tackling ocean waste at source where 80% of it originates from land.

OCEAN BUSINESS CONFERENCE AGENDA

OCEAN CAREERS 2015 - ARE YOU INTERESTED IN TAKING PART?

Ocean Careers is an event that runs alongside Ocean Business, offering advice on career opportunities within the ocean technology, marine science and offshore industries. We are looking for a number of professionals within the industry to present and discuss the wide range of job opportunities available and offer advice within their specific sector. Ocean Careers also consists of short speed meetings where students can meet face-to-face with industry professionals to find out all they need to know about the industry from qualifications to lifestyle! If you are interested in taking part or would like more information please contact Cheri Arvonio at carvonio@divcom.co.uk

SEAVAX PROJECT MANAGER - Chris Close visited the NOC hosted Ocean Business event to attend the MAS workshop. He reports that Ocean Business was hugely successful for the SeaVax project. From those exhibiting and others attending the event as visitors, Chris may have found the sensors he was looking for in the quest to rid the oceans of plastic waste. Other useful contacts were made, in connection with marine mammal rescue possibilities and advance scouting capabilities.

MARINE AUTONOMOUS SYSTEMS WORKSHOP - 15 APRIL 2015, MARS HANGER, NOC

AGENDA

1400 - Registration and refreshments

1415 - Introduction to the UK Marine Industries Alliance & The MAS Programme
John Murray, Vice Chair, UK MIA

1425 - The MASSMO project (Marine Autonomous Systems in support of Marine Observations) - From a SBRI to new USV to real data collection off southwest UK
Dr Russell Wynn, NOC MARS

1445 - InnovateUK/Dstl Maritime Autonomous Systems Collaborative R&D Call
David Elson, Marine lead Technologist, Innovate UK

1505 - The role of the Centre for Maritime Intelligence Systems (CMIS)
Richard Westgarth, Maritime Strategy Manager, QinetiQ

1525 - Regulation - unblocking some of the myths of MAS
James Fanshawe, Chairman, MOST and the MAS Regulatory Working Group

1545 - The MAS skills challenge
Dan Hook, Managing Director, ASV Limited

1605 - Q&A Panel of speakers

1630 - Close

To gain access to the MARS Hangar it is essential that you register as a visitor to Ocean Business unless you are an exhibitor.

CAR PARKING - A FREE car park exclusively for Ocean Business visitors and exhibitors is located in: Ocean Way, Ocean Village Marina, Southampton SO14 3TJ.  Follow the yellow AA traffic signs located around the city to ‘Ocean Business 2015 Exhibitor and Visitor Parking’. There will be free shuttle buses running between the car park and Ocean Business. In addition there will be free shuttle buses running between selected Southampton hotels and Ocean Business. Further information can be found here: http://www.oceanbusiness.com/travel/

SOCIETY OF MARITIME INDUSTRIES (SMI) - John Murray is the chief executive of the SMI, seen here standing by the Isis ROV at the MAS event on Wednesday the 15th of April.

MAS WORKSHOP CONTACTS

Clementina Upton (Events Manager)

Society of Maritime Industries
28-29 Threadneedle Street, London EC2R 8AY
Direct: +44 (0)20 7448 7023
Email: events@maritimeindustries.org
Website: www.maritimeindustries.org

SEAVAX DRONE - One day careers in ocean waste management might be a viable option for biology students looking to be productive in the marine environment - in a closed loop society. The research for this is currently the subject of assessment of the feasibility of applying for EU funding and/or making crowd funding applications - when this is more properly an international project where each country with a coastline might contribute. Fingers crossed that there is enough interest in cleaning up the oceans to make this a reality. Big business is not usually interested in funding such social challenges because of the additional overheads. There are though a few generous corporations with responsible social charters, who may support such ocean friendly campaigns. 

It is proposed that a SeaVax carries two large wind turbines that generate electricity in combination with moveable deck mounted solar panels (shown here tracking the sun) to power the onboard machinery. Processing takes a lot of energy, calling for a very high output mobile generator - which is what the patent ZCC concept is all about. SeaVax is the most advanced marine robot concept to date.

EXHIBITORS A-Z 2015

Catch the AutoNaut from MOST on stand V19

OCEAN BUZZ

Oceanbuzz is a simple format that works and is very well received within the industry. Nothing fancy, but regular bits of interesting news that gets circulated globally and on a weekly basis. Folks are spreading the word and their list is growing daily. This FREE of charge newsletter is brought to you by the organisers of the Ocean Business event. It is FREE to subscribe to and FREE to include your event listings and newsworthy articles.

AMSI AWARD - During the gala dinner, Dan Hook, Managing Director of ASV, was named as the AMSI Council Business Person of the Year Award. On presenting the award, Richard Burt, Chairman of the AMSI Council of the Society of Maritime Industries, said: "This award is designed to recognise the individual which in the opinion of the adjudicating panel has made a significant contribution to the business of marine science and technology in the UK." NOC has collaborated with Dan and the team at ASV to develop C-Enduro, which forms part of the MARS fleet. We look forward to continuing to work with ASV and building on the success our partnership has brought to date. 

To send in your news, simply email: oceanbuzz@divcom.co.uk and they will help spread the word to over 12,000 subscribers.

COMPUTER SIMULATION - Dr Katya Popova, an ocean modeller at the NOC held workshops at this Ocean Business event in 2015. She showed how the latest advances in ocean circulation computer modeling are providing increased detail for environmental consultants – including how new sea routes could appear in the Arctic in the future and how plastic and oil ocean waste distribution might be predicted. This could be an invaluable tool for projects like the SeaVax ocean cleaning robots if allied to the proposed SeaNet fleet operations. At the time of writing SeaVax is a 'proof of concept' model, with the team now looking to design and build a full size prototype.

CAREER RESOURCES

A list of resources to help you obtain further information on careers within the industry and jobs that are available.

IMCA Careers - Really useful site that will help explain just how diverse the jobs are within the marine contracting business. Includes in depth feature articles, personal points of views from people working in the industry and links to companies that are looking to recruit.

IMarEST Careers & Recruitment - Providing details of the jobs available within the marine environment, recruitment opportunities a Job Seeker Advice page for those new to the industry.

Oceanbuzz - A weekly newsletter that goes out to over 12,000 subscribers. Jobs are regularly posted and you can also send in ‘Jobs Wanted’ adverts that will be included at no charge.

Society for Underwater Technology (SUT) Education Training & Education - Another great website providing information on their Education Support Fund, types of jobs available and educational and training facilities.

The UK Hydrographic Society Jobs Page - Have a jobs board listing jobs currently available and you can also obtain more information on courses focusing on hydrographic surveying and related industries.

www.jobs.ac.uk - Search jobs in science, research, academic & related employment in the UK & abroad.

THE NOC'S ISIS MONSTER ROV - Many ROVs operated in the oil and gas industry are designed to dive to 3,000m, whereas specialised science ROVs can operate in the deepest of oceans, 6,500m and beyond. Some marine trenches extend to around 11,000m. The science ROV named Isis is a work-class vehicle capable of descending to a depth of 6500m. The vehicle is supported with containerised control room, workshop and spares storage, with a Launch and Recovery System (LARS). Suitably sized and dynamically positioned (DP) ships of opportunity allow the system to be freighted and operated around the world.

Most ROVs are equipped with at least a video camera and lights. Additional equipment is commonly added to expand the vehicle’s capabilities. A science ROV’s instrumentation suite may include sonars, magnetometers, a still camera, manipulators, water samplers, and instruments that measure water clarity, light penetration and temperature. ROVs enable intricate survey of the seabed. They also allow us to take precision samples and to conduct experiments at water depths unreachable by human divers due to the water pressure. Although manned submersibles exist that can transport humans to these depths, ROVs are a more compact, portable and practical alternative without the human risk element. An ROV can be maneuvered precisely with its thrusters (propellers). Through its eyes (cameras), the manipulators (hands) can be used to select and recover small, delicate objects more precisely than any other sampling system. Scientists can see the undisturbed area from where samples are selectively taken, providing them with a better understanding of habitats and structures. Complex in situ experiments can be achieved maintaining the environmental conditions and minimizing sample damage caused by recovery to the surface.

The National Oceanography Centre Southampton (NOCS) is a centre for research, teaching, and technology development in Ocean and Earth science. NOCS was created in 1995 jointly between the University of Southampton and the UK Natural Environment Research Council and is located within the port of Southampton at a purpose-built dockside campus with modern facilities. In 2010 the University and NERC components demerged, and the NERC-managed component became the National Oceanography Centre (NOC – with the Proudman Oceanographic Laboratory in Liverpool). The two components of NOCS continue close collaboration through the jointly run Graduate School, shared research facilities and laboratories, complementary research groups, and many joint research grants and publications. The University component “Ocean and Earth Science, National Oceanography Centre Southampton” (OES) is part of the Faculty of Natural and Environmental Sciences, (FNES). It was ranked 30th in the world for Earth and Marine Sciences by the QS World University Rankings in 2014.

The NOC is wholly owned by the NERC monopoly and brings together the NERC-managed activity at Liverpool’s former Proudman Oceanographic Laboratory and the National Oceanography Centre, Southampton, creating the UK’s leading institution for sea level science, coastal and deep ocean research and technology development. The new centre works in close partnership with institutions across the UK marine science community.

BUMPER YEAR 2013

Ocean Business Breaks Visitor Records for Fourth Consecutive Show! Business was booming at Ocean Business 2013 from 9-11th April 2013 held at the National Oceanography Centre in Southampton, UK. The show was extremely successful, with an unbelievable 29% increase in visitor numbers from the last show in 2011. 4111 visitors attended over the 3 days, 38% from outside of the UK, boasting a truly international show representing a total of 65 countries.

Company representatives from the recently formed MAS Consortium met at Ocean Business 2015. From left to right: Chris Muldoon (Steatite Ltd), Richard Hill (MSubs Limited), Dr Mark Crittenden (OXIS Energy Ltd), Paul Edwards (Steatite Ltd), Maaten Furlong (NOC), Kevin Forshaw (NOC), Guillaume De Forton (OXIS Energy Ltd) and Aidan Thorn (NOC).

These figures do not come as a surprise to us. One of our engineers attended the show on the 11th of April and indeed found there to be a buzz. The venue is perfect for such an event. Parking was available to visitors not far off, and a coach service was laid on at regular intervals - so eliminating congestion near the NOC.

Our scout was out to find suitable ROVs and towed arrays for the Bluefish project. The number of ROVs on display was bewildering to begin with, but after a few laps he got a handle on what might and might not be compatible. All of the exhibitors were very knowledgeable about their products. One stand had engineers that even started talking about suitable (board to board) interface between their ROVs and our autonomous mother-ship. If they'd had more time, we feel sure they would have drawn up command and control dialogue on the spot.

SEAVAX BUSINESS PLAN - We will be trying several test rigs in 2015 to increase operational flexibility, the aim being to make these vessels commercially viable into 2020, when fishing nations will realize the value to of cleaner oceans to increasing the health of fish stocks. In the short term, the hope is to sufficiently interest crowd funding or other investment to kick start the pre-production prototype phase. To enable us to qualify for Horizon 2020 assistance as an SME we would need to raise substantial funds to meet their stringent audits. Hence, at the moment the European Commission's blue growth call favours only mature companies. Start ups do not get a look in. Especially those with projects that are not immediately commercial - such as social projects. We are actively seeking collaborative partners and corporate or other sponsors for this venture.

SUPPORTERS IN 2013

Website www.oceanbusiness.com

Email info@oceanbusiness.com

Tel: +44(0)1453 836363

Diversified Communications UK
The Pike House, George Street

Nailsworth, Gloucestershire, GL6 0AG
Email: info@oceanbusiness.com 

Tel: +44(0) 1453 836363 

Fax: +44(0) 870 486 7249

cotswolds@divcom.co.uk

Exhibitor Stand Sales / Sponsorship

Jo Blain - Senior Sales Executive
jblain@divcom.co.uk

Cheri Arvonio - Event Manager

carvonio@divcom.co.uk

Exhibitor / Visitor Helpline

Emma Crane - Operations Manager
ecrane@divcom.co.uk

Danielle Smith - Event Coordinator

dsmith@divcom.co.uk

Marketing

Sophie Potten - Marketing Manager

spotten@divcom.co.uk

Training and Demonstration / Vessels

Cheri Arvonio - Event Manager
carvonio@divcom.co.uk

Event Director

Versha Carter - Group Exhibition Director

vcarter@divcom.co.uk

NOC CONTACTS & VENUE

LINKS & REFERENCE

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