Welcome to the September 2024 update from the Blue Economy CRC where we highlight the news, project updates, events and achievements over the last quarter.
Vale Greg Page
2024 International Conference on Ocean Energy
Blue Economy Zone (BEZ) research trial
Ocean Wave Energy report release
M4 Wave Energy Device Albany launch
CRCs towards net-zero
Futures of Seafood update
Project report releases
Project updates
Publications
New PhDs & Postdocs
Vale – Greg Page 29.10.1938 – 1.9.2024
Greg Page played a pivotal role in shaping the initial vision for what subsequently developed into the Blue Economy CRC. Greg was an entrepreneur and innovator who believed passionately that there was a better way to manage marine food production.
Compared with the bountiful oceans of his youth, over 60 years ago in southeastern Victoria, he saw the oceans of today as empty, and felt that there was no long term future for seafood if all humanity did was ‘take from the sea’ and ‘not put anything back’. As a businessman, Greg recognised the importance for sustainability of incentivising actions that ‘put back’.
With this vision, Greg created Southern Blue Reefs, with the aim to use artificial reefs to deliver commercial products (e.g. seaweeds, crustaceans, mollusks) while also contributing to other ecosystem services including nutrient recycling, climate mitigation and biodiversity. Greg’s enduring impact in the BE CRC was to advocate for and support the development of bull kelp culture, a species suited to grow out on artificial structures.
Given recent interest in nature positive outcomes, Greg’s vision and approach should remain an inspiration for future innovation in sustainable marine seafood development.
2024 International Conference on Ocean Energy
Last week delegates gathered as a global community of experts, innovators, policymakers, and industry leaders with a shared vision for the future of ocean energy at the 2024 International Conference on Ocean Energy. An expert line-up of ocean energy leaders, presenters and panellists explored cutting-edge technologies, discussed challenges, and collaborated on solutions that will undoubtedly shape and advance ocean energy.
The breadth of knowledge shared throughout the sessions was extraordinary. It is clear that ocean energy is a real and growing part of the global renewable energy mix and that Australia can be a global leader.
Take a look at the image and video gallery from the event which provides a unique snapshot into this global event. Delegates and presenters can also download both high and low res images from the event.
Proposed Bass Strait Aquaculture Research Trial in Commonwealth Waters
The Blue Economy Cooperative Research Centre has been in Burnie these past weeks consulting on the proposed Bass Strait multi-species Aquaculture Research Trial in Commonwealth Waters.
Thank you to those who have made time to meet the team and attend the online session. More information about the proposal including the proposed trial site, proposed research activity, supporting documentation and how to have your say can be found via the project page below.
Stay up-to-date via the project page for further updates.
Today at the 2024 International Conference on Ocean Energy the Blue Economy CRC project led by The University of Western Australia and project partners launched the Ocean Wave Energy in Australia Report - a comprehensive overview of the ocean wave energy sector in Australia.
The report details an overview of our ocean wave resource, market opportunities, applications and integration, developing a wave energy industry and an environmental and social analysis.
Hugh Wolgamot, project lead from The University of Western Australia states:
“Australia has the best wave energy resource in the world but wave energy does not feature in most conversations around renewable energy opportunities. This report aims at bringing wave energy to the forefront of the conversation on the energy transition by demonstrating Australia's wave energy potential and presenting recommendations to regulators, developers, researchers and policymakers.”
Early September in Albany we were excited to launch the Moored MultiMode Multibody’ (M4) Wave Energy Demonstration Project. The device will be deployed in Albany's outer harbour, King George Sound, in mid-September 2024 for a period of six months, showcasing the area’s exceptional wave energy potential.
“This project is a testament to Albany’s potential as a global leader in clean ocean energy. The M4 device is designed to harness the power of waves, and by making our data publicly accessible, we aim to drive forward innovation in renewable energy both locally and globally.” Professor Christophe Gaudin, Director of The UWA Oceans Institute and Marine Energy Research Australia.
Deployment is planned for October this year so stay tuned via the project page below for updates.
CRCs actively playing an important role in Australia’s decarbonisation research and innovation infrastructure
The Blue Economy CRC is proud to join 12 other Cooperative Research Centres in a landmark report on our work on Australia's decarbonisation goals and transition to net zero.
The report forecasts that over 2017-2032, the contribution of a group of 13 CRCs is set to see:
an increase of $1.7 billion to Australia’s real economy as a result of industry-led decarbonisation research and innovation.
an increase of $4.8 billion in Australia’s economic output (GDP).
$5.80 generated in additional economic output (GDP) for every dollar invested.
3,705 job years to 2032 to be delivered.
This landmark report shows while we still have significant progress to make, CRCs are already delivering tangible outcomes on our path to Net Zero. Read the full report including our work with Carnegie Clean Energy on driving decarbonisation in ocean industries and other R&D efforts.
A partnership towards decarbonising the Australian aquaculture industry
The Blue Economy CRC and Futures of Seafood team represented at Seafood Directions - the premier ideas, innovation and networking event for the Australian seafood industry.
Chair of the Blue Economy CRC Greg Johannes and Chair of Seafood Industry Australia, Clayton Nelson took the opportunity to sign a MOU that formalises the great work underway between the SIA and the BE CRC teams on the Futures of Seafood and Decarbonisation of Australian aquaculture industry studies to name a few.
The Futures of Seafood study team also unveiled progress and what’s ahead. Thanks to BDO, CSIRO, Atlantis, FoodMinds, Eratos, FRDC, and SIA.
Code of Practice for Aquaculture Vessels Report Release
The Australian Code of Practice for Aquaculture Vessels serves as a comprehensive guide for the planning, construction, surveying, and operation of aquaculture vessels within Australian waters.
Led by the team at BMT with project partners DNV, Oysters Tasmania, Tassal Group, The University of Queensland and the University of Tasmania, the report is specifically tailored to domestic commercial vessels operating exclusively within the Exclusive Economic Zone. The Code addresses the unique challenges associated with aquaculture operations, recognising the hazards inherent in the industry.
Practitioner Summaries Released - Ethics, Values and Social License in the Blue Economy
From aquaculture to offshore wind farms, marine industries offer enormous opportunities for Australia - but they also pose ethical challenges.
This month, the Ethics, Values and Social License project team, led by researchers from Griffith University’s Institute for Ethics, Governance and Law have released three additional short reports designed to help industry and government strengthen ethical practices in ‘Blue Economy’ operations.
The reports explain why concepts like the ‘social licence to operate’ have become important, provide guidance on navigating key ethical risks, and stress the importance of transparency and independence in achieving community acceptance.
Developing a unified, whole of marine estate approach for Australia
This draft guiding principles for an Australian MSP framework represents the first step in developing a unified, whole of marine estate approach specifically for Australia.
It has been developed through a collaborative process with Australia’s First Nations people, established and emerging ocean industries, commonwealth, state, territory and local government agencies, non-government organisations, and researchers. The report identifies five principles for an integrated marine planning scheme that support the aspirations, and needs recognised by our collaborators.
Project Lead Prof Chris Frid states,
"This report details the results of extensive consultations with First Nations communities, industry, NGOs, national peak bodies and government agencies. We heard strong support for a holistic, and integrated process and strong alignment around 5 core principles a marine spatial planning process for Australia should embody. The results of the project suggest that a robust MSP process could support investment and development of the Blue Economy and support collaborative, inter-sector, approaches delivery of Australia's Sustainable ocean Plan."
The draft guiding principles report will be made available via the project page in the coming days so please check back for updates.
Collaboration to transform offshore windfarm support with Hydrogen-Powered Vessels, accelerating Australia’s shift to zero-emission maritime technology.
The Blue Economy CRC together with BMT and project partners are excited to announce that Southerly Ten has joined the ‘Hydrogen Powering of Vessels project as a new partner. This partnership aims to further the development of hydrogen-powered wind farm support vessels, providing a critical use case study to drive innovation in the maritime industry.
The addition of Southerly Ten to the project marks an exciting new phase. Southerly Ten, a specialist offshore wind developer with two Feasibility Licences in the Gippsland offshore wind zone, will contribute invaluable insights into vessel sizing, fleet mix studies and operational requirements for windfarm support.
Charles Rattray, Chief Executive Officer at Southerly Ten states,
“We‘re pleased to join as a Project Partner to explore hydrogen-powered offshore wind support vessels. This is an exciting opportunity to drive decarbonisation and pioneer sustainable solutions in the high-growth maritime industry.”
We are excited to report on the following progress updates across a selection of our current projects.
Project Launch: Analysing Graduate Attributes and Employability of BE CRC PHD students
One of the pillars of the Blue Economy CRC is to educate a new generation of engineers and scientists with detailed cross-disciplinary knowledge to work in future blue economy industries. Our latest project will create dialogues between universities, industry and our educational program to evaluate existing mutual benefits of large industry-university partnerships. <Read More>
Project Update: Hydrogen Powering of Vessels
The Hydrogen Powering of Vessels project has made significant strides this quarter contributing insights to the maritime industry’s transition to sustainable energy. Two key reports were produced and circulated to participants for feedback and the conference paper, Numerical Investigation of Hydrogen Fuel Tank Skid Leakage on a Hydrogen-Powered Vessel, was presented at OMAE 2024 in Singapore. <Read More>
Completed Project: Developing a Robust Collar-tie
This project led by researchers from the University of Queensland, led by Michael Hetizmann, and engineers from Tassal Group, headed by Peter Heard, has been successfully completed with the submission of Akshay Krishna Ambika Harikumar's PhD thesis. Efforts to commercialise both the innovative collar-tie and the newly developed wear-resistant nano-clay material are now underway. <Read More>
Completed Project: Robust Salmon Feed Delivery Systems
This project aimed to better understand the dynamics of feed pipes systems and develop robust system solutions. Outcomes included understanding of the operating environment and operational challenges, computer simulations to predict the movement of fish pens subject to wave and current action and the development, testing under laboratory conditions, and on-site trails of systems for holding and organising feed pipe bundles.
Project Lead, Rowan Paton, ACS Australia comments “this project successfully developed technologies to increase the robustness of the feed pipe systems in future high-energy sites, assisting with an important step for Tasmanian salmon industry”. <Read More>
The potential of offshore wind in Australia’s future energy planning
The Blue Economy CRC held a highly anticipated and well-attended webinar in August on Developing Offshore Wind Energy in Australia and the potential of offshore wind in Australia’s future energy planning.
The webinar presented ongoing work addressing key preconditions for the development of offshore wind in Australia, addressing social acceptability, law and policy settings, and supply chain operations.
Check out the recording of this webinar via the link below.
Congratulations to our PhD Scholars on their recent publications!
Fida Ali and co-authors systematically examine and present the main exclusion zones and evaluation criteria used worldwide for the optimal selection of sites for co-locating offshore wind and floating solar farms. https://hubs.la/Q02NyD3D0
Avik Nandy and his publication 'Developing a Semi-Automated Near-Coastal Water Quality-Retrieval Process from Global Multi-Spectral Data: South-Eastern Australia' https://hubs.la/Q02M7vr80
Brianne Lyall published in 'Reviews in Aquaculture' with her research on 'The problems with pin bones: Intermuscular bone development and function in salmonids and their implications for aquaculture'. https://hubs.ly/Q02JRcxb0
Kelly Hoareau in Frontiers in Marine Science with her work on 'Reflections on the past, present, and potential futures of knowledge hierarchies in ocean biodiversity governance research'. https://hubs.la/Q02HyG3v0
The BE CRC places heavy emphasis on Education & Training, with an unprecedented scale of research opportunities on offer, including fully funded Higher Degree by Research (HDR) PhD scholarships across its five research programs. We are pleased to introduce some of ourlatest PhD scholars and PostDoctural Research Fellows who have recently joined us.
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