Email News July 2012
Welcome to the July 2012 edition of the Marine South East email newsletter
If you would like to submit an article for consideration please email the text and a suitable image or logo to sarah@marinesoutheast.co.uk
Posted 2012-06-18 15:07:36
Solent LEP Launches Bridging the Gap Funding for SMEs
The Solent LEP, in partnership with The News, Portsmouth University, Portsmouth City Council and the FSB, has launched 'Bridging the Gap', a new fund for SMEs and Start-Up businesses in the Portsmouth, Gosport and Havant areas.
Bridging the Gap will award grant funding to those entrepreneurs and SMEs with the best new business and growth proposals. Bids will be judged in competition with one another and so only the best proposals will be supported.
The funding available is significant; with £950,000 available for the best SME Growth proposals and £950,000 for the best new business ideas. The LEP hopes to support at least 50 new businesses to start trading and 50 SMEs to grow, and is inviting bids for grants of between £5,000 and £50,000 in order to achieve this target. There is no pre-determined use of the funding, and innovative ideas are encouraged.
Commenting at the launch of the scheme, Anne-Marie Mountifield, Executive Lead for the Solent LEP said:
"Enterprise is a key driver of productivity and economic growth. Currently, business start-up rates in the Solent fall well below regional and national benchmarks. The Solent LEP recognises that SME's hold the key to a successful, private sector led, economic recovery in the Solent area and I am delighted to be able to announce that the LEP are making available nearly £2 million to support local SME's in the Gosport, Havant and Portsmouth area and we hope to support some 100 businesses, creating a minimum of 125 new jobs and safeguarding at least 75 existing jobs."
The Bridging the Gap scheme is funded from the Regional Growth Fund and will lever in over £1 million additional private sector investment to the Solent economy, and create over 125 new jobs and safeguard at least 75 existing jobs.
For more information about the Bridging the Gap fund, please visit http://www.solentlep.org.uk/enterprise_zone
Posted 2012-06-19 14:07:00
Marine South East calls on Government to create National database for Offshore Wind Farm Supply Chain
As a result of the recent Offshore Wind Farm supply chain events organised by Marine South East we have been instrumental in urging the government to develop a database of all the potential suppliers that would make it easier to identify suppliers.
BIS officials have now revealed plans to compile a database of every British company that could help build the Round 3 wind farms. The aim to help ensure UK-based firms
provide more than half the equipment to the next generation of offshore wind farms.
An official in the Green Economy Team at the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS), told
delegates at a recent event that it was considering pulling together the catalogue as part of its ongoing efforts to support the emerging sector.
The offshore wind industry has faced criticism from some quarters due to its reliance on imported turbines, parts
and workers to build the first generation of wind farms.
But industry insiders hope to drive down costs by maximising UK content, while also creating jobs. Using UK
content could also ease the delivery process for many of the larger components, such as blades for the new
generation of 5-7MW wind turbines that could be as long as 80 metres.
Richard Barron, project manager at Marine South East (MSE),
is in the process of compiling a database for companies that could supply EON's 700MW Rampion Offshore wind farm, which is planned for construction off the coast of Hastings.
The initial research had already identified more than 600 companies in Sussex that could supply Rampion, ranging from foundries to portakabin suppliers. MSE is currently investigating gaps in the supply chain and looking for ways of identifying companies to fill them.
"We've identified something like 762 sub categories in the supply chain, largely across 18 tier-one contractors
and were able to identify in Sussex 600 companies in a position to supply services and products," he said. "What
is glaringly obvious is there's a need for a national database."
Heidi Bridger, assistant director in BIS's Green Economy Team, said it was hoping to establish a database by
pulling together information from regional projects such as the one being run by E.ON and Marine South East.
"We're not working on it at the moment, but there are plans afoot that somebody should be and it's one of the things we are looking at as part of the support programme," she said.
For more information on the Marine South East E.ON project please contact Richard Barron on 02380 111596 or email richard@marinesoutheast.co.uk
Posted 2012-06-18 15:23:40
WaveSentry to gather wave data from Transmanche Ferry
The 'WaveSentry' project is developing a new information and forecasting tool for managing the risks of marine operations in adverse sea states. The system uses a diverse range of data sources including satellites and wave buoys. One novel data source involves the indirect measurement of sea conditions from the motion of vessels underway.
A WaveSentry technology pilot system will be operating in the English Channel over the coming winter months. To collect ship motion data in the pilot area the Chelsea Technology Group will be fitting a modified version of their 'FerryBox' system to the 'Seven Sisters' a Newhaven - Dieppe cross channel ferry operated by Transmanche Ferries.
Recorded motion data will be uploaded into the WaveSentry system whenever the ship is within GPRS mobile network coverage. Ship sourced wave data will be validated by comparison with direct wave measurements from a specially positioned seabed 'AWAC' sensor, the Greenwich Light Vessel and the Seaford wave buoy.
MSE wishes to thank Transmanche Ferries for their kind participation in the WaveSentry project.
The WaveSentry consortium consists of:
* HR Wallingford Ltd
* EMU Ltd
* Surrey Satellite Technology Ltd
* The National Oceanography Centre, Southampton
* Chelsea Technology Group Ltd
* Marine South East Ltd
Organisations from both industry and the knowledge base concerned with the provision or use of sea-state measurements and forecasting are invited to join the WaveSentry Knowledge Network.
To join please follow the link: http://www.groupspaces.com/wavesentrykn/join
For more information please contact Simon Powell on: 02380 111592 or email simon@marinesoutheast.co.uk
WaveSentry is part funded by the Technology Strategy Board.
Posted 2012-06-26 15:13:07
PROPOSSE paper presented at World Conference on Transport Research
While short sea shipping is one of the oldest forms of transporting cargo, in recent years it has been largely superseded in Europe by an all conquering road transport system. Yet a judicious use of short sea shipping routes can deliver cost benefits.
MSE was a partner in the recently completed PROPOSSE project, which aims to foster short sea shipping routes for trade within the Atlantic arc of Europe - Portugal, Spain, France, Ireland and the UK.
Following his work with MSE on PROPOSSE John Fannon presented a paper incorporating project results at the World Conference on Transport Research at Antwerp in May 2012. In particular John described the web hosted TruckDriver utility, which indicates the cost savings to be obtained using RORO short sea shipping routes between Ireland, the UK and mainland Europe, as opposed to the Dover Calais crossing.
The paper also points out the potential significant cost savings by using Lift On Lift Off (LOLO) containers for the sea crossing and also the current disadvantages. John proposes management arrangements and alliances between Ports and Hauliers to enable a cheap and efficient LOLO service to be set up to compete with current conventional operations.
The paper can be downloaded from the MSE website by following the link:
http://www.marinesoutheast.co.uk/docs/papers/
PROPOSSE was part funded by the EU Interreg Atlantic Area Programme.
For further information contact John Fannon: john.fannon@sollerta.com
Posted 2012-06-26 15:20:50
New Composites in Ships web group set up
The Materials KTN has recently started a new Composites in Ships web group to stimulate discussion, provide information updates and bring together people with a common interest in the subject.
There is great potential to use more composite materials in ships. We are seeing a sharp increase in the use of composites in commercial aircraft, road vehicles and trains because of the weight reductions that can be achieved, and resultant fuel reduction.
The leisure marine sector has been using FRP composites for over 50 years. Rising bunker prices mean that reduced fuel use is becoming more critical in ships, and the benefits to ship stability by reducing topside weight are very significant. Alternatively, reduced structural weight can allow for higher payload/more cabins in a cruise ship, or can increase top speed.
Polymer composite materials also have excellent fatigue properties and do not corrode as steel does. Thus through life maintenance costs can be significantly reduced where steel is replaced with composite material. They also lend themselves to integrated functionality, whether for embedded services, reducing radar signature or integrating sensors, photovoltaics, antennae, etc. Composites are increasingly being used in valves and pipework, and can potentially replace steel in numerous ancillary parts, reducing weight and corrosion.
A major obstacle to the structural use of composites in ships is their combustibility. SOLAS (Safety of Life at Sea) regulations require structural materials in ships to be non-combustible, unless "equivalence" can be demonstrated through a complex process. However, the excellent thermal insulating properties of composites could in many situations reduce the spread of fire. Indeed composites are used to protect steel structures from fire in some offshore installations. Thus suggestions have been made to IMO committees as to how to allow for the use of composites with appropriate assessment.
The Materials KTN has created this sub-group to provide a forum for and bring together those interested in composites in ships. The web-page includes links to other relevant websites and to numerous informative reports and resources. Articles will be posted regularly - contributions from members are invited.
For more information go to https://connect.innovateuk.org/web/composites-in-ships and to join, click "Join this group" in the banner.
Posted 2012-06-19 14:33:57
Dartford successful in gaining University Technical College
Dartford has been successful in getting a University Technical College which will specialise in Engineering; including marine engineering.
The UTC Bluewater will provide an exciting, innovative, business-led, problem-solving curriculum throughout Key Stage 4, enabling students to achieve relevant work-related qualifications and transferable skills for future training or employment.
The project-based approach will develop a deeper understanding of real issues and create lifelong real world learning in a 21st century engineering society. Students will work independently and collaboratively tackling engineering, ICT and business problems.
For more information please contact Stephen Leahey sla@leighacademy.org.uk
Posted 2012-06-06 20:22:44
Data analysis: linking terrestrial and ocean data sets Thursday 11th October 2012, Brest, France
Within the framework of the FP7 EMSAC project, Pole Mer Bretagne, Europole Mer and its international partners invite delegates to participate in this event which is happening during Sea Tech Week 2012, to highlight the current situation of data management complexity between terrestrial, estuarine, coastal and ocean areas.
The event will take place from 1400 – 1800 (timings to be confirmed), Thursday October 11th, 2012 at Le Quartz, Congress Centre, Brest
Coastal areas host substantial economic and recreational activities, both maritime and terrestrial. These activities, along with climate change, present potential pressures and risks, such as point source, diffuse pollution from catchments, sea-level rise, aquifer submersion, coastline erosion or simply maritime accidents generating oil spills. Therefore, coastal areas are highly vulnerable and in order to mitigate and adapt to these risks efficiently, it is essential to understand how the coastal areas work.
Over the last two decades, models have contributed greatly to improving our understanding of coastal seas and rivers. Despite extensive monitoring data of all kinds (including teledetection data), linking properly together the watersheds, rivers, estuaries and coastal seas is still an issue. Indeed, the land-sea continuum is a rich and complex ecosystem controlled by strong exchanges of material and energy between land and sea that take place at different scales in space and time.
These issues are especially relavant to marine spatial planning (MSP) and integrated coastal zone management (ICZM) and to the recent EU Directives (e.g. Water Framework, Marine Strategy Framework) promoting good environmental status.
This workshop is an opportunity for experts (from scientific, engineering and commercial perspectives) to:
* Explore deficiencies in the current state-of-the-art,
* Consider the potential for advances in know-how and technology,
* Identify the major challenges to improve data management in the land sea continuum.
The workshop will:
* Promote dialogue, discussion and information-exchange on the topic
* Create a platform to strengthen cooperation between industry, academia and policy makers
* Develop a number of embryonic collaborative project ideas
Who should attend?
The workshop is aimed at an international audience of experts (scientists, engineers and decision-makers from private and public institutions) designing or using models coupling land-ocean and facing data management issues (in terms of data analysis and processing).
To attend, please register at: http://registration.europolemer.eu/STW2012-EMSAC/
For more information, please email: mailto:philippe.monbet@pole-mer-bretagne.com
For information about the EMSAC project please visit: http://www.emsacnet.eu
