Australia Creates Permit-Free, Autonomous Marine Tech Test Area
For the first time in Australia, autonomous marine technology developers have a location to safely test autonomous vessels without needing to apply for a permit. The Australian Institute of Marine Science’s ReefWorks inshore test range, near Townsville in north Queensland, was granted regulatory sandbox approval for uncrewed vessels from the Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA).It’s the first approval issued under a proposed Australian Maritime Regulatory Sandbox advocated by Trusted Autonomous Systems (TAS), AIMS and AMC Search. The five-year agreement allows for permit-free
From Protecting National Sovereignty to Protecting the Reef
to drive rapid technological innovation in marine research and monitoring. Today, on International Women in Engineering Day, the AIMS Team Leader for Technology Development Engineering shares her unique journey.Growing up in a third-generation farming family near the small settlement of El Arish in north Queensland, Melanie Olsen thought engineers were train drivers.When a James Cook University engineering lecturer visited her small rural high school with a quad helicopter, Mel knew she’d found her career path and studied computer systems engineering at James Cook University.She was accepted into
$124 mi Reef Authority Funding Boost for Townsville
Australia’s lead management agency for the Great Barrier Reef will receive a $124 million funding boost over the next 10 years from the Turnbull Government. The funding commitment for the Townsville-based Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority is great news for the North Queensland region and Townsville, and follows the signing of Australia’s first City Deal for Townsville earlier this month. Frydenberg said the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority, which has been managing this acclaimed World Heritage Area for more than 40 years, will receive an additional $34.1 million over
BMT WBM Supports AQUIS Great Barrier Reef Resort Project
international maritime design, engineering and risk management consultancy, has provided critical inputs to the Environment Impact Statement (EIS), in the areas of flooding, water quality and coastal processes for the A$ 8.15 billion AQUIS Great Barrier Reef Resort Project proposed in Cairns in north Queensland. The EIS has been prepared by Flanagan Consulting Group for the proposed integrated resort and casino project featuring accommodation for up to 12,000 guests in eight hotels and suite towers; a 33 hectare artificial lake and 40 hectare resort ‘island’. The project also includes
Great Barrier Reef Protection: Australia Approved Sand Dumping
, an independent agency charged with protecting the reef, in January granted a permit to dump the sand about 25 kilometres (15 miles) away from the protected zone. That was after the park authority told the government in its recommendation in 2013 that the dredging proposal by port operator North Queensland Bulk Ports Corp would hurt the reef. "The Government approved the project subject to some of the toughest conditions in Australian history, to deliver a net benefit to the environment," Environment Minister Greg Hunt said in a statement emailed to Reuters. Greenpeace wants Hunt to
Green Group Challenges Great Barrier Reef Sand Dumping
near the Great Barrier Reef, arguing it fails to protect the World Heritage site. An independent agency charged with protecting the reef granted a permit in January for 3 million cubic metres of soil dredged up at the port of Abbot Point to be dumped about 25 km (15 miles) from the reef. The North Queensland Conservation Council filed a challenge to the permit at the Administrative Appeals Tribunal in Brisbane on Thursday. Source: Reuters
LNG Plant Support Catamarans Deployed
an alternative seating arrangement and offshore capability factored into their structures. With reduced passenger numbers and more interior space, the second life layout will enable the vessels to operate under NSCV 1C survey, allowing service areas such as the Great Barrier Reef and the Islands of North Queensland. With operations spanning from the Whitsundays to Sydney Harbour, Riverside Marine developed a vessel that would fit into the diversity of its operations, should the vessel need to be deployed elsewhere.
February 2024
