Newsletter – February 2019

The Canadian Coast Guard (CCG) Ship Time

• CCG has committed 35 days of sail time per year for five years to support CISMaRT-led R&D projects. CISMaRT members are invited to submit proposed projects requiring CCG ship time.

• The form for a proposed project and associated guidelines can be downloaded from Call for Projects Requiring CCG Ship Time.

The 2018 Halifax Workshops

• November 2018 was a busy month for CISMaRT. We hosted two back-to-back workshops at Four Points by Sheraton Halifax, NS.  The first was a CISMaRT progress meeting that focused on three pilot projects currently underway. We are also seeking feedback from Canada’s marine technology community for future projects. The second workshop, jointly hosted by CISMaRT and Transport Canada, focused on the issue of technologies for mitigating underwater noise from ships.

• The CISMaRT Progress Meeting, held on November 27, 2018, comprised updates on three pilot projects, a number of invited presentations and a breakout session designed to identify projects for CISMaRT to execute in the future. Projects that make a real contribution to Canada’s marine technology infrastructure are given priority.

• The pilot projects are in various stages of execution. The project on the strength of low- or non-ice class ships operating in ice-infested water began this past October.  The development of CFD best practices is the next project and is making good progress. Analyses have been performed and the results will contribute to the development of quality assurance procedures for typical ship problems.  The third project concerns the effect of manufacturing tolerances on propeller performance.  Some preliminary work has been done and shows great promise.

• The workshop presentations generated a lot of discussion and interest and was useful input for the brainstorming session where breakout groups worked on developing ideas for future projects.

• The workshop on Ship Noise Mitigation Technologies for a Quieter Ocean that followed, jointly hosted by CISMaRT and Transport Canada, and was held on Nov. 28-29, 2018. The purpose of the workshop was to develop a strategy for raising the international profile of the ship noise issue.  Another similar workshop was held at IMO premises in London Jan. 30–Feb. 1, 2019.

• The CISMaRT/Transport Workshop comprised a short course on underwater noise from ships, a number of invited presentations by leading experts in relevant subjects, two breakout brainstorming sessions and a general discussion session. The first breakout session addressed general topics related to underwater noise from ships, while the second focused on the technologies used to mitigate ship noise.

• The workshop deliberations indicated that uncertainties remain in several aspects of underwater noise effects on marine life, the most appropriate criteria to apply and the co-benefits of applying noise mitigation measures. While ship noise mitigation technologies exist, they have, in most cases, been applied to navy and research ships.  Further research is required to adapt these technologies to large commercial ships. The workshop yielded a numerous suggestions for such research.

• Reports on the two workshops outlined above are available at the CISMaRT website.

The 2019 Workshop

• The 2019 Workshop will be held in Montreal.
• Tentative dates: the week of October 7 or October 21.
• Details to be announced.