Vanguard Magazine

ShipTech Forum 2024 34 APRIL/MAY 2024 www.vanguardcanada.com S H I P T E C H F O R U M B Y N O R M A N J O L I N T he conference was opened with a keynote speech by Commodore Keith Coffen, the Director-General Mari- time Equipment Program Management (DGMEPM), with a sober- ing assessment of the maintenance chal- lenge facing the Royal Canadian Navy (RCN) in maintaining current fleets in op- erational service until such time as planned and envisioned new construction arrives in the next decade. His speech highlighted the need for a mission focus (the highest priority) on the lives and well-being of sail- ors by ensuring the ships and submarines were safe, relevant and fit for purpose. He also stressed the need to be honest, while maintaining an open dialogue, teamwork within the entire defence team, and em- bracing innovation. He was then followed by a panel discus- sion on the realities of maintaining aging fleets in the Canadian Coast Guard (CCG) and the RCN, moderated Neil O'Rourke, CCG Director-General Integrated Tech- nical Services. The panel, representing serving and retired senior naval techni- cal officers, as well as industry (Ontario ON 27 FEBRUARY 2024, VANGUARD'S ELEVENTH ANNUAL MARITIME FORUM, S H I PT E C H F O R U M 2024, WAS HELD IN OTTAWA, WITH A THEME OF "PUSHING FLEETS BEYOND DESIGNED LIFE". AS WITH SHIPTECH 2023, THE DAY-LONG IN- PERSON CONFERENCE WAS SIMULTANEOUSLY STREAMED FOR VIRTUAL ATTENDEES. WITH A TOTAL OF 250 ATTENDEES - 215 IN PERSON AND 35 VIRTUAL - THE AUDIENCE INCLUDED REPRESENTATIVES FROM BOTH GOVERNMENT AND INDUSTRY, RESULTING IN A DYNAMIC INTERACTION WHICH WAS ONLY LIMITED BY THE TIME AVAILABLE. HIGHLIGHTS Shipyards) discussed capacity restraints, notably the insatiable demand for skilled people and resource periodization versus risk management. All panellists were most interested in innovative industry solutions to reduce costs. The morning then proceeded with technical showcase by Automatic Coat- ing Limited on corrosion resistant coat- ings and their application in the marine industry, specifically warships. Following a networking break, the day's second panel discussion on innovative maritime solu- tions was moderated by Dr. John Leggat, a former CEO of Defence Research & De- velopment Canada (DRDC). The panel representing innovative Canadian industry (GasTOPS, JSquared & Hexagon Manu- facturing Intelligence Canada) discussed the best ways to leverage technology to conduct condition-based maintenance, particularly for things that were never de- signed to be repaired. In exploring how technology has changed the landscape, the panel deliberated the use of analytics and digital twins to develop diagnostics (not- ing that the RCN has been a world leader in digital twins). IDEaS booth- Shaun Casey and Alexis Young Le to right: Alp Tatar at the Deep Trekker booth with Serena Brown Photos: Adam Jones, Aaron Anandraj

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