Technical Presentation –– 30 April 2024
John Polglaze, Director of PGM Environment, gave a presentation on Warship Environment Protection: Avoiding Utopian Aspiration in Favour of Rational, Balanced, Objective Pursuit to a meeting at UNSW Canberra at ADFA, with the Deputy Chair of the ACT Section, Cameron Whitten, as MC on 30 April, and streamed live. The presentation was attended by 12 with a further 12 participating online.
Many navies seek perceived benefit from proclaiming the intent to acquire ‘fully environmentally compliant’ warships, but such statements indicate minimal understanding of what compliance entails, or realisation of the emasculation of ships’ operational effectiveness inherent to such ambition. Inescapable technical realities void any possibility of achieving this aspiration in all but limited circumstances.
Compliance with marine environmental protection obligations can be exceptionally onerous for warships and, in many cases, nonsensical to pursue and impossible to achieve. Compliance is becoming ever more divergent from the standard caveat of “not impairing the operations or operational capabilities of such ships”. Some requirements can be accommodated, offering benefits in terms of operational effectiveness and sustainment. Many, however, cannot be sensibly addressed without severe penalty in combat capability, survivability and through-life costs. Strict application of merchant ship risk remedies to warships can result in inappropriate design responses to ill-defined, inconsequential or non-existent risks, and myopic adherence to IMO prescripts can sometimes result in perverse outcomes which actually amplify risks to the environment. Navies need to be smarter in characterising and managing environmental risks, and innovative in generating fit-for-purpose technical solutions.
The presentation was/was not recorded, etc.***and is expected to be available soon on the RINA YouTube channel.
The Presenter
John Polglaze, the Director of PGM Environment, has over 25 years’ experience as a maritime environmental consultant. This follows a 19 year full-time naval career with service in submarines and surface ships, and he maintains his commission as a Captain in the Australian Naval Reserve. As well as work for the IMO, other maritime regulators and commercial ports and shipping, he has worked in warship environmental compliance for over 30 years. He has contributed to a notable proportion of current Australian navy environmental management policies and procedures and related engineering policy, and his warship acquisition experience spans an array of capabilities, including patrol vessels, combat support ships, small and large amphibious platforms, frigates and destroyers, as well as nuclear-powered and conventional submarines.
Annual General Meeting
The ACT Section held its AGM on the evening of 9 April as an online meeting with Warren Smith as MC and 11 in attendance. Warren Smith continues as Chairman. Cameron Whitten takes over the Vice Chairman role from Trevor Dove while Jeremy Nolan takes over the Secretary role from Jordan Rayson. Lily Webster remains as Assistant Secretary while Lachlan Clarke remains as Treasurer. Tamasin Welsh takes over from Martin Grimm as Nominee to the Australian Division Council. Ray Duggan, Martin Grimm and David Lyons continue as committee members while Trevor Dove and Alistair Smith have stepped down from the committee.
The new committee comprises
Chair Warren Smith
Deputy Chair Cameron Whitten
Secretary Jeremy Nolan
Assistant Secretary Lily Webster
Treasurer Lachlan Clarke
Nominee to ADC Tamasin Welch
Member Ray Duggan
Martin Grimm
David Lyons
Technical Presentation –– 2 April 2024
Julius Moeller, Advisor Navigation Safety and Digitalisation, Australian Maritime Safety Authority, gave a presentation on Digitalisation in the Context of Autonomous Shipping to a meeting at UNSW Canberra at ADFA, with the Chair of the ACT Section, Warren Smith, as MC on 2 April, and streamed live. The presentation was attended by 12 with a further 15 participating online.
The maritime industry plays a crucial role in global trade and commerce, and the utilisation of contemporary technologies is contributing increasingly to safe and efficient shipping operations. As a consequence, there has been a great demand within the industry to introduce and enhance the next generation of technologies in the process of a digital transformation. This has been acknowledged by the International Maritime Organization (IMO) in several documents. A popular example of IMO legislation related to digitalisation is the introduction of the e-Navigation strategy for improving the safety and efficiency of shipping operations as early as 2008. Building on these advancements, the industry is now also witnessing a transition towards autonomous shipping. This paradigm shift aims to improve operational efficiency, safety, and environmental sustainability.
This presentation provided an overview of the current developments at both national and international levels and presented AMSA’s activities in this space.
The presentation was recorded and is expected to be available soon on the RINA YouTube channel.
The Presenter
Julius Moeller is an Advisor for Navigation Safety and Digitalisation at the Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA). His expertise lies in global digitalisation, cybersecurity, and maritime communications. With a background in computer science and research in maritime digitalisation, Julius has contributed to international maritime standards and guidelines through various technical committees associated with IHO, IMO, and IALA. After completing his PhD in Germany, he relocated to Australia to work for AMSA, where he focusses on designing, implementing, standardising, and validating maritime IT solutions to enhance navigation safety.
