OMC International celebrates its 30th anniversary with move to new headquarters AustralianmaritimeengineeringcompanyOMCInternational(OMC),therecognisedworldleaderinreal-timeUnderKeelClearanceManagement(UKCM),iscelebratingitsmilestone30thanniversarywithamovetolargerMelbourneheadquarters.

FounderandExecutiveDirectorDrTerryO’BrienAMsaidOMChasmovedfromHarperSttonearby126TrenerryCrescent,Abbotsfordtohouseitsgrowingworkforceofmorethan50employees,aswellastoallowforpostgraduatestudentsandshortstaycollaborativevisitswithglobalmaritimepartners.“Wearehiringmorestafftomeetagrowingdomesticandinternationalworkload,aresponsetoanincreasingrecognitionofourDUKC®e-Navtechnologyastheindustrystandardforsafeandefficientreal-timemanagementofUKC,”hesaid.

OMC’scustomisedDUKC®systemsareoperationalinsomeofthelargestbulk,containerandmulti-cargoportsintheworld,includingthePilbaraironoreportsinnorthWesternAustralia(beneficiariesincludeBHPBilliton,RioTintoandFortescueMetalsGroup)andinsomeoftheworld’smostimportantwaterways,includingTorresStraitandCanada’sStLawrenceRiverfromMontrealtoQuebecCity.

DUKC®innovatorDrO’BrienpioneeredhisfirstsystemduringsixyearsofdevelopmentandtestingbeforeitbecameoperationalatthecoalexportportofHayPoint,QueenslandinMarch1993.ItwasthefirstdynamicUKCsystemimplementedanywhereintheworldandmonitoredtheUKCuntil12hourspriortotheship’sdeparturefromtheberth.Itdeliveredeconomicbenefitsofmorethan30cmextradraftcomparedtotheexistingStaticUKCruleformostsailings.Duringthefollowingyearsoffurtherincrementalsystemrefinements,theincreasedmaximumdraftallowedmorecargotobeloadedinfavourableswellandtideconditions.

“Inmanycases,DUKC®enableslargeshipstosailupto1mdeeperthanpermittedbytraditionalandnecessarilyconservativeStaticrules,andnotonlytoloadmorecargosafelybutalsotosailwithwidertidalwindows,”DrO’Briensaid.“TheconceptofsailingwithlesswaterunderthekeelwasandstillisaconcernforsomeRegulatorsbutDUKC®isalwayssaferthanStaticUKCrulesbecauseOMC’sreal-timetechnologyconsidersallthedynamicvariables-aswellasshipsize-intheUKCdecisionmaking.”

SailingincreasinglylargershipsclosertotheseabeddemandsimpeccableattentiontodetailandDrO’BrienstressedthatOMC’sextensiveexperienceinscreeningallinputdatainawidevarietyofportsettingsandenvironmentsaroundtheworldprovidescertaintyinthisfirststepincustomisingasystemforanewportorwaterway.HesaidOMChasimplementedametoceanprocessingandQualityAssuranceframeworkbasedontheinternationalguidelines‘QualityAssuranceofRealTimeOceanographicData’.

OMC’sDUKC®offersareliableandcomprehensivesolutionformaintainingasafeUKCwhilesailingthroughdepthrestrictedchannels,whichisfullyvalidatedbyitsuniquetrackrecordofsafesailing-over24years-withnotouchbottomincident.ThisAustraliantechnology,developedinhouse,hascontributed

MEDIA RELEASE 29 May 2017

29 May 2017

significantlytothesafetyandefficiencyofshippingbulkandcontainercargo,earnedthousandsofexportdollarswhileremainingunmatchedbyanyotheremergingcompetitor.

NoothermaritimeorganisationofferssuchaspecificfocusontheverticaldimensionofUKCmanagement.UnderthecontinuedleadershipofDrO’BrienandhissonPeter,whomanagesthecompany’sday-to-dayoperationsasCEO,theOMCteamcontinuestodevelopandsupportnewfunctionalitiesforDUKC®technologywhichisoperationalin22portsandwaterwaysaroundtheworld.Thelatestreleaseisweb-

basedDUKC®Series5whichisnowoperationalin11oftheseportsandwaterways.DrO’Briensaidthatin

additiontotoday’supgradeatHayPoint(fittinglythefirstDUKC®port)andlastweek’scommissioningofanupgradeforGeraldton,Series5hasbeenrolledouttoRioTinto’sCapeLambertandDampierportslastyear;toNapier,Newcastle,ArriumSpencerGulf,WhyallaandGeelongin2015,FremantleandMontreal-StLawrenceRiverin2014,PortHedlandin2013andTorresStrait(AMSA)in2011.Theweb-basedSeries5SystemusesAIStoprovidecontinuousreal-timemonitoringofUKCbetweenberthandfairway.Ittakesintoaccountallthedynamicvariables,suchastides,wavesandcurrents,affectingthenetamountofwaterunderthekeelateachpointonthetransitandmostimportantlyallowsspeedchangesthroughoutthetransittominimisesquat.OMCprovidescriticalmonitoringandsupportofitsDUKC®shipsonthewater24/7,365daysayear.

EfficiencygainsforusersofDUKC®Series5

WhilemaintainingsafetyisalwaysOMC’sfirstconcern,therecentadvancesinitsSeries5systemshavecontributedtosignificanteconomicgainsforitsusers.Forexample,DPCM®(DynamicPortCapacityModel)isanoptionalstand-aloneextracapabilitytoDUKC®Series5andhelpsmaximiseportthroughputandchannelcapacity.TheDPCM®hasbeenappliedatPortHedland–theworld’slargestbulkexportport–andhelpedincreasemodelledportthroughputbyabout80mtpaforaminimalinvestment.Alsorecently,inajointeffortwithPilbaraPortsAuthority(PPA),OMC’sSeries5systemrecentlyhelpedenablethelargesteverironoreshipment–270,006tonnesontheFortescueMetalsGrouploadedshipHLTUBARAO-toleavePortHedlandatarecordsailingdraftof19.95metres.

“OMCcontinuestoworkcloselywithPPAtooptimiseclearancedepthsandmakethemostofthehighestpartofthetidetosendoutasmanyofthebiggerironorecarriersaspossible,”DrO’Briensaid.“Oneofourmostsignificantjointachievementswasin2015whenarecordeightshipssailedforthefirsttimeontheonetideunderDUKC®advicefromPortHedland,whichhasalargetidalrangeandlongtransittime.”Meanwhile,atthesmallerregionalbulkportofGeelong,theVictorianRegionalChannelsAuthorityadoptedDUKC®in2015asawayofadmittinglargershipswithmorecargo,withoutrequiringanychangestothechannelinfrastructure.Intherightcircumstances,shipsmaybeallowedupto12metresdraftandthatmeansacargoupliftof1350to3000tonnespership.Foroneoftheport’sshippers,VivaEnergy,eachextra10cminshipdraftresultsinasavingofabout$1millionayear.InFebruary,DUKC®technologyplayedakeyroleinhelpinganothershipperGrainCorpsetnewtonnagerecordsforitsGeelongoperations,thusimprovingtheglobalcompetivenessofVictoriangrains.UnderDUKC®advicetheNordPolluxsailedwithmorethan61,900tonnes(biggestsingleshipmentofcanolafullyloadedinGeelong),theTomahawkdepartedcarryingalmost61,800tonnes(biggestsingleshipmentofwheatfullyloadedinGeelong)andtheTwinkleIslandsailedwithabout62,500tonnesofbarley(largestshipmentofthegrainfullyloadedinGeelong).

GreaterawarenessofDUKC®asariskmitigationtoolWhilerecognisingthehugeeconomicbenefitsofDUKC®technology,DrO’Briensaidmanyportsandsafetyauthoritieswereincreasinglyseeingthehugesafetyadvantagesofinstallingcustomisedsystemsasariskmitigationtool.“ThiscapabilitywasthemainreasonwhyPortofMelbourneCorporation(PoMC)implementedourtechnologyafteralongthoroughprocessofindependentvalidationandtrialling,”hesaid.“ThisproofofthecapabilityofourtechnologytoaccuratelymanagetheUKCoflargeshipstransitingthesometimestreacherousentrancetoPortPhillipBay,oneoftheworld’smostchallengingwatersforshipnavigation,increasedawarenessofitsafetyadvantage.WhatmustberememberedherewithOMC’sfocusontheverticaldimensionofUKCisthat,whileitisachallengetomodeltheshipasittransitsthewaterwayinreal-time,ithasthepotentialtoofferoftensignificanteconomicandenvironmentalbenefitswhilemitigatingtheriskofagrounding.”GreaterawarenessofDUKC®asaconjunctivedredgingdesigntoolDrO’BriensaidOMC’stechnologyalsominimisesdredgingbyliterallytakingshipsdeeperonacomputerscreen.Overtheyears,DUKC®’smethodologyhasbeensuccessfullyusedtodesigntheverticaldimensionsofanewchannel,ortodeepenanexistingchannel,soastominimisechanneldredgingquantitiesandassociatedenvironmentaleffects.WhenaDUKC®systemisalreadyinstalledinaport,DUKC®canincreaseportcapacitywithlesscapitaldredgingbecausethissoftwarecanbeusedconjunctivelywithdredgingtocreatethechanneldepthprofilewhichmatchestheUKCrequirementsthroughoutthetransitsothattheamountofmaterialdredgedismatchedtothedepthsrequiredfortheshipstransiting.“WhileitistruethatthemostoptimaldredgingdesignispossibleonlywhenaDUKC®operationalsystemhasbeeninstalled,thiscostisvalueaddingandisamortisedintothesavingsindredgingcostsandintooperationalefficiencygains,”hesaid.“InthePortofTaranaki,NewZealand,OMCreducedtheport’splanneddredgingcostsbyapproximately50%throughtheintroductionofDUKC®.”Overtheyears,OMChaswondredgingoptimisationstudiesforanumberofportsincludingDarwin,AnketellPoint,CapeLambert,OakajeeandPortHedland.DrO’BriensaidOMCdoesongoingworkwithPPAandRioTintoontargetingthedredgingrequiredtooptimiseproductivity.

Hesaidthata“keypartofOMC’smaintenanceandsupportismanagingtheport’sbathymetricdataandsiltationissuesandweareworkingregularlywithanumberofourclients,particularlyafterstormsorcyclones,onmanagingchangingbathymetry.ItisastandardapproachofOMCtoprovidesupportservicestoanalyseandupdatewithindaysthebathymetrydatausedbytheDUKC®systemasnewsurveysbecomeavailablethusprovidingquick-turnaroundemergencybathymetricupdates.”

R&Dinitiatives

DrO’BriensaidOMC’sR&DDepartmentcontinuestodevelopnewproductsandsolutionsinresponsetouserneed.TheseincludeOMCiHeave®whichmeasuresshipmotionsinextremeweatherconditions.PortsincludingBrisbane,Melbourne,Geraldton,Portland,SanFranciscoandHalifaxhaveusedOMCiHeave®forhighlyaccuraterecordingsofreal-timeshipmotionsinlargeswellswheretraditionalmethodsofmeasuringwaveresponsesbyplacingaDGPSunitonthebowaretooriskyduetotheheavyseas.“HavingagooddatabaseofmeasuredwaveresponsemotionsclarifieswhetherornotaUKCproblemexists,”DrO’Briensaid.“Thesecanalsobeusedbyportsforvalidationneedssuchas,forexample,theintroductionoflargecontainerships.”

OMCplaysleadingroleinUKCMinformationexchange

AsOMCcelebratesits30thanniversarythismonth,itcontinuestoplayitsleadingroleasthedeveloperandoperatorofreal-timeUKCsystems.Inrecognitionofitsinternationalstanding,OMChasbeeninvitedtoparticipateastheExpertContributortonewdevelopmentsinUKCmanagementinformationexchangefore-navigation.OMCisprovidingitstechnologytoleadthecurrentIHOs-100UnderKeelClearanceManagementInformationProjectTeam(UKCMPT)whosebriefistodevelopanIHOS-129basedproductspecificationforUKCMinformationtoenabletheoutputsofUKCMservicestobedisplayedforusers(IHO,2015).ThisProjectTeamcomprisesanumberofIHOMemberStatesincludingSweden,France,Korea,USA,Russia,Finland,UKandTheNetherlandsandischairedbyarepresentativefromtheAustralianMaritimeSafetyAuthority(AMSA).Thisworkisexpectedtobecompletedin2018.

ThisinternationalrecognitionoftheleadingroleofOMCinthedevelopmentofUKCMsystemsbuildsupontheearlierrecognitionbyPIANCininvitingDrO’BrientoparticipateastheonlyAustralianrepresentativeoninternationalWorkingGroupsforthe‘HarbourApproachChannelsDesignguidelines’(PIANCReportNo.121publishedin2014)and‘UseofHydroMeteoInformationforPortAccessandOperation’(PIANCReportNo.117publishedin2012.)OMCisalsoanindustrialmemberofIALA,andparticipatesintheworkofitsVTSande-Navigationcommittees.

Lookingahead,DrO’Briensaidthatasothercompaniesstarttoenterthenichebusinessofreal-timeUKCtechnologyandmakeclaimsthattheycandeliverreliableandvalidriskmanagement,itiscrucialthatgovernmentandmaritimesafetyauthoritiesshouldbenchmarkanynewproposalagainsttheonlyprovenUKCmanagementsystemwhichhassignificantlong-termvalidity-thatisalongtrackrecordofsafesailingswithnogroundings.

“OurAustraliantechnologyisworld’sbestpracticeformodellingthecriticalverticaldimensionofUKCandtherehavebeenmorethan160,000transitsworldwideusingDUKC®advicewithoutasinglegroundingincidentinthepast24years,”DrO’Briensaid.“ThereisaDUKC®assistedshipsailingsomewhereintheworldeveryhourwhichiswellworthcelebrating!”

*On16November2015,OMC’smaritimetechnologywinsthe2015InternationalBulkJournal(IBJ)SafetyinBulkHandling(Marine)Award,announcedatadinnerinAntwerp.

*IntheQueen’sBirthdayHonoursListinJune2015,OMCInternationalExecutiveDirectorDrTerryO’BrienisappointedaMember(AM)oftheOrderofAustraliafor“significantservicetomaritimeengineering,tothedevelopmentofinnovativemarinenavigationequipmentandtoeducation”.

*On19November2014,OMCExecutiveDirectorDrTerryO’BrienAMisinductedintotheAustralianMaritimeHallofFamefor“makinganoutstandingcontributiontoAustralia’smaritimeindustry”duringanimpressivecareerspanningmorethan50years.

*On19November2012,atanawardsceremonydinnerinHamburg,OMCwinsthe2012IBJ‘InnovativeTechnology’AwardforshipmotionmeasurementinstrumentOMCiHeave®.

Mediainquiries:LouiseMaher+61394126500