Vanguard Magazine

www.vanguardcanada.com APRIL/MAY 2018 37 to their late-stage innovation, first refer- ence sale, and gaining an understanding of the procurement system. For the Gov- ernment, it provides them with late-stage R&D products and services to fill in the gaps wherever there are needs. "The world is changing at a more rapid rate than ever before," said Andy Smith, Deputy Commissioner – Strategy and Shipbuilding, Canadian Coast Guard, dur- ing his luncheon keynote address. "We see rapid technological advancement in all fields, including biotechnology, computer and AI, data mining, and 3D printing." He went on to add, "Without question, inno- vation is a priority for this government." To simplify "innovation", Smith views it in two streams – adaptive and transforma- tive. He explained that adaptive innovation is a day-to-day activity where they seek out commercial technologies that can help to address requirements and challenges. He elaborated that, in this mode, it is about taking advantage of cutting-edge technol- ogy to the extent that they can, but it is "a somewhat passive stance. … We can only fit today into our aging ships what is commer- cially available, and the range of options doesn't necessarily meet all of our criteria," said Smith. In looking ahead, Smith sees the option of striving for the greenest of technology, which highlights the need for transforma- tive innovation. He believes that is where the future is. He emphasized the need to seed technological advancement across the various aspects of the marine industry. This planting involves an interest in the energy domain with liquified natural gas (LNG), battery technologies and fuel cells. Getting into autonomous technology is another area of interest to help reduce energy consump- tion and to improve the life of operations. One question that Smith has been pon- dering for the future of autonomous in the Coast Guard include: "Can we take the search out of search and rescue? Could we deliver rescue autonomously?" He high- lighted that they are actively seeking op- portunities to innovate in this area. Modular functional capabilities is an- other area that is of interest to the Coast Guard. They are also seeding innovation for zero emission systems and handling of ship-generated waste. Other highlights from the agenda in- cluded two panels from members of indus- try and military and a presentation from Yves Boudreault, Chief Scientist, DRS Technologies Canada Ltd. Boudreault spoke about Naval Infra-Red Search and Track Systems (IRST), which have been designed primarily for early detection of anti-ship cruise missiles. This is often used to complement radars in self-defence of ships and has the added functionality of situational awareness. The first panel, which was moderated by Derek Buxton, Senior Director for Fu- ture Capability Development at the Ca- nadian Coast Guard, delved into de-car- bonization in marine propulsion systems. The panelists included Mark Keneford of Wärtsilä, Andrew Kendrick of Vard Marine Inc., Capt(N) Jacques Olivier of DND, and Brent Perry of Plan B Energy Storage, who tackled the question of de- carbonization in marine propulsion sys- tems. They looked at current technologies that allow ship owners to incrementally reduce carbon intensity and new alterna- tive energy systems that are under devel- opment for the marketplace. LNG was discussed at great lengths with Kendrick pointing out that, as we head down to a lower sulphur world by 2020, we will see LNG and other alterna- tive fuels being looked at. Keneford built on that point by talking about how we need to keep up with the market by look- ing at alternative fuels and that LNG is becoming more and more feasible. The last panel of the day was moderated by Commodore Simon Page, Director General – Maritime Equipment Program Management at the Royal Canadian Navy. He led the discussion by stating that "in- novation is directly related to thinking." He went on to add that we should be thinking innovation across all spectrums. Panelists Genevieve Allard of OpDAQ Systems, Jacob Kleiman of Structural In- tegrity Technologies Inc., and Jean Mi- chel Filion of Uncharted Research and Development Inc. showcased how differ- ent technologies and innovations are be- ing used in shipbuilding and repair and to improve efficiency. in Canada's nEw dEfEnCE poliCY – Strong, Secure, engaged – innovation is highlY EmBRaCEd. shipbuilding teCh Forum

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