Marine life census preparing for launch

In October 2003 the Census of Marine Life (CoML) programme will be publicly launched. It is a global decade-long initiative to promote and fund research to assess and explain the diversity, distribution and abundance of species throughout the world's oceans. Related activities include the design and implementation of standard databases for marine species in collaboration with other international efforts and the design and implementation of innovative biological sampling techniques for the marine environment. Preparations for the project have been in place for several years and consultations and workshops during 1997 and 1998 explored the potential benefits, issues (technical, scientific and social) and limits of a marine census. In 1999 the Washington-based Consortium for Scientific Research (CORE) agreed to establish and host the CoML's international steering committee and secretariat. CORE comprises 67 institutions in the USA including universities, government laboratories and non-profit aquaria. It will promote, encourage, develop and support efforts to advance the knowledge and learning in the science of oceanography, and disseminate the obtained information to the public and the scientific community.

Strong growth of subsea industry

The average value of the global subsea market is expected to rise from $6.8 billion/year in the 1998-2002 period to $9.7 billion/year in 2003-2007. This, according to the new edition of The World Subsea Report published by energy analysts Douglas-Westwood and industry data specialists Infield Systems. This third edition of the Report has been re-written to cover the period 2003-2007. It forecasts strong growth over this period with global capex in the subsea sector expected to total $48.6 billion - an increase of more than 40% compared to the previous five-year period. It provides the industry executive with an overview of the growing subsea production segment of the offshore industry and value of world markets, describing the technology used in subsea developments and analysing the 650 subsea projects under consideration for the period to 2007. These are input to a specially developed model to value world markets over the five-year period.

DEFRA leads UK national wave monitoring network

The UK's Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (DEFRA), through the Centre for Environment & Aquaculture Science (CEFAS), has announced that it is leading a strategic initiative to monitor the wave conditions along lengthy stretches of the English and Welsh coastline, thus forming a national wave monitoring network. The generated wave data will be used by a variety of end users including flood managers in the Environment Agency, consultants, academics and sea users. The information is available in two formats: real-time and post recovery of wave monitoring buoys, and can be accessed via the website (www.cefas.co.uk/wavenet). The network also uses data provided by the Met Office, Shell UK and other third parties. DEFRA hope to extend this network to include other real-time wave data sources and also historic wave data from various institutions. Contact: Project Manager, Jon Rees at j.m.rees@cefas.co.uk.

MARPOL proposals under scrutiny

A set of formal proposals to change certain provisions of the MARPOL Convention was recently handed to IMO Secretary-General William O'Neil by the 15 Member States of the European Union (EU). The proposals call for further acceleration of the phase-out timetable for single-hull tankers, an immediate ban on the carriage of heavy grades of oil in single-hull tankers and for the Condition Assessment Scheme to be applied to tankers that are 15 years old or more. They will be circulated among all IMO Member States and Parties to MARPOL prior to their consideration at the 49th session on the Marine Environment Protection Committee (MEPC), to be held in London in July. In light of this, Mr O'Neil has reactivated the Informal Group of Experts, which was commissioned in 2000 to assess the post-Erika proposals, to study the impact of these new proposals submitted. The group is to look at criteria such as the number of single hull tankers to be affected and how they would be replaced.

A new 116 000t cruise ship is to be built at Fincantieri's Monfalcone yard for Carnival Corporation. The vessel which will be sister ship to the Caribbean Princess, will cost US$500M and is expected to be delivered in May 2006. The company has revealed that by utilizing an existing hedge against the Euro the new vessel will be built at approximately $US92cents to the Euro versus the current rate, which is approximately $US1.10. Additionally, the company has reduced the number of Holland America's Vista-Class vessels from five to four. 'The addition of four Holland America Vista-class vessels will result in a 59% capacity increase over a three-and-a-half-year period, which is a more rational growth rate for an upmarket premium brand,' says Micky Arison, Chairman and CEO of Carnival Corporation. The company has also realigned its newbuilding schedule, stretching out the delivery dates of three cruise ships being constructed at Italy's Fincantieri yard. This includes the delivery of Carnival Valor, which has been adjusted from September to December 2004, while Cunard Line's Queen Victoria will now be delivered in March 2005 instead of January.

DNA research into lrukandji culprits and antivenin

Scientists at the Australian Institute of Marine Science (AIMS) will soon embark on a genetic study of box jellyfish in a bid to build the understanding needed to develop an antivenin for Irukandji Syndrome (an extremely painful jellyfish sting which can be fatal). AIMS geneticist Dr Madeleine van Oppen is leading the research into the species, thought to be causing the debilitating illness. At present there is only one known cause of Irukandji Syndrome, the thumbnail-sized Carukia barnesi, but there are at least six other box jellyfish species menacing north Queensland's tropical waters responsible for causing the syndrome. Dr van Oppen said it is not known whether these jellyfish are closely related to the Carukia barnesi and she hopes to unravel a genetic relationship between the species. 'If we find closely related species cause similar symptoms, treatment could be made easier,' she said. 'Ideally, this information can be used to develop a fast-reacting dipstick test to identify a stinger from skin scrapings taken from stinger victims. It should help make treatment decisions quicker and more accurate.' Another facet to the research will be working out whether jellyfish that look the same are in fact different species, as has been the case in other jellyfish studies. First, samples have to be collected from the regions hardest hit by the Irukandji Syndrome, around Cairns and the Whitsundays. 'We'll also be collecting samples from the mid-shelf, where they are expected to appear in large numbers eight to 12 days after a full moon,' said Dr van Oppen. Dr van Oppen has been working on genetics of marine organisms since 1989. This project has been funded by the Great Barrier Reef Research Foundation.

The war in Iraq has had a limited impact on global shipping according to a report recently published by Drewry Shipping Consultants. John Harris, editor of Iraq: Impact on Global Shipping, says: 'Our prognosis is that the significance of Iraqi oil exports is overstated and certainly the impact on the tanker market from a cessation of Iraqi oil exports is not significant, particularly when other Middle Eastern producers take up the shortfall.' It also highlights two possible economic scenarios and examines their effect on shipping markets. The first outlined is a US led recession which will have a negative impact on shipping, while alternatively a recovery in growth will result in a more favourable outlook. The report goes on to warn that post-war reconstruction may push current port facilities beyond their capabilities.

Composite propeller on Triton trial

Sea trials of what is said to be the world's larges composite propeller have been successfully completed by the British research organization QinetiQ. The propeller, which measures 2.9m in diameter and weighs significantly less than an equivalent traditional design apparently demonstrated smooth take up of power and reduced vibration. It has been developed to explore the application of composite materials for marine propulsion, and QinetiQ say this is likely to have been the first time that a composite propeller of such a large size has been successfully demonstrated on a seagoing vessel. The firm believes it has considerable potential for applications where weight is critical, such as podded propulsion.

Below is the current list of events organised by the Institute of Marine Engineering, Science and Technology itself: