Halifax-based Marine Thinking will lead two research projects with a total value of almost $5 million, Canada's Ocean Supercluster announced on Thursday.
The two projects to be led by the Halifax company were part of a package of three new ocean innovation projects with a total value of more than $9 million unveiled by the Supercluster at an event at The Pier in Halifax on Thursday. The projects will be jointly funded by the cluster and partners.
The organization charged with developing new technology and an enhanced workforce for Canadian ocean industries said in a press release that the global ocean economy is expected to outpace the broader economy by 20 percent by 2030, and Canada’s ocean community aims to grow the country’s ocean economy by 5X to $220B by 2035.
Founded in 2018, MarineThinking has developed technology that helps both uncrewed and crewed vessels adopt autonomous capabilities. The company last year attended NATO’s new innovation accelerator DIANA operating out of Boston.
The new projects are:
$3.9M AI-Powered Vessel, Automation Toolkit Project
This project aims to deliver an AI-powered vessel automation toolkit, intended to transform existing vessels into smart vessels that have autopilot capabilities and improved operational efficiency.
Smart vessel applications will include enhanced catch monitoring capabilities through autonomous navigation and fishing route planning, and autonomous location detection of ghost gear in deep water, the group said.
The project is led by Marine Thinking, in partnership with ACEL Power of Vancouver, BC, and Dalhousie University in Halifax.
With a total project value of $3.9 million, Canada’s Ocean Supercluster is contributing$1.5 million.
$940K Amphibian UWILD Remote Robotic Platform Project
This project is intended to increase the speed and accuracy of ship hull inspections and reduce the risks to diving crews.
The project is led by Marine Thinking, in partnership with Innvotek and Innovate U.K, both of London, England. With a total project value of $942,871, Canada’s Ocean Supercluster is investing $330,560.
The project will allow Marine Thinking to develop a Launch and Recovery System for Innvotek’s Amphibian Underwater Inspection in Lieu of Dry-docking (UWILD). The amphibian UWILD offers a safe, technology-driven, and cost-effective robotic solution for underwater inspections, the group said.
The UWILD can offer hull cleaning and inspections that cover large areas without fatigue, operating above and below the waterline, and able to access confined spaces that are difficult for divers, allowing pinpoint location of defects and giving more data to perform accurate predictive maintenance analysis.
$4.5M Forecast AI Project
Led by Victoria, BC-based MarineLabs, the project will support operational efficiencies, improve marine safety, and grow ocean AI technology using MarineLabs’ AI that allows hyper-localized, highly accurate weather forecasts for the marine industry. The group said that current publicly available forecasting models struggle to capture the precise topographic features influencing local wind and wave formation, hindering marine operations such as mariner working conditions and vessel port approaches.
It's intended that job creation in data science, software engineering, marine operations, manufacturing, and engineering design, combined with international market sales, will support recurring revenue. This project will directly support the creation and maintenance of more than 50 jobs and indirectly support the creation of 250 jobs, the group said.
Other partners include Go Deep International in Saint John, and LeeWay Marine in Dartmouth. With a total value of $4.5 million, Canada’s Ocean Supercluster is contributing $1.8 million.
