This year delivered some key innovations, with the next generation iHeave devices (finally) being delivered just in time for Christmas and they are already in demand. OMC’s iHeave v2 provides an easy way to measure vessel motions in real-time.

This year also saw significant development in BerthAlert, PortWeather and TransitAnalyst. OMC won the tender to store and display the environmental data for all of Queensland.

There are some exciting developments in store for 2023, with the OMC Mobile App to be released in the new year.

It was a big year for OMC International, with the return of in-person conferences. OMC has had the privilege to be able to attend & exhibit both domestically and internationally after more than two years of  virtual conferences or postponed events. We were able to kick off the year with the AMPI conference in Port Kembla, New South Wales.

Although many conferences were beginning to be attended in-person, the 2021 Coasts and Ports conference was held virtually with year in April, with OMC’s own Mark Bennet receiving the PIANC Australia & New Zealand Young Authors Award for his joint paper with Giles Lesser, “A Methodology to Design a Rational Static Underkeel Clearance Rule for Dredging and Port Operations” on the operations at South Port, New Zealand. You can click here to read Mark’s paper for the conference.

OMC was proud to support and present at the IHMA Congress in Kuala Lumpur.

PIANC Australia & New Zealand APAC 2022 was hosted in our home city of Melbourne, while Ports Australia hosted their Biennial Conference in Brisbane, after being postponed by two years. It was a fantastic event, and a great opportunity for the industry to gather together and discuss the key challenges of Risk & Resilience.

OMC International was delighted to be a Gold Sponsor of the delayed IMPA pilots conference in Cancun, Mexico. OMC’s Jonathon Pearce had the pleasure of presenting on the subject of pilot operations quality assurance “POQA” and introduce our transit analysis system that will assist in delivering POQA to pilot organisations. We were also fortunate to present a live practical of TransitAnalyst at the New Zealand Marine Pilots Association Conference in Auckland later this year in November. To find out more about TransitAnalyst, click here to download a copy of the brochure or contact OMC.

Our CEO, Peter O’Brien, was invited to present on the digital port optimisation and risk management solutions provided to Port Hedland at the 2022 Safe Ships Safe Ports Forum.

OMC International was honored to have been a finalist in four categories at the 2022 Australian Bulk Handling awards, and delighted to win the Excellence in Transport Category. The event, held at the Melbourne Arts Centre in August, celebrates companies and individuals that have demonstrated innovative practices and superior performances across the year. OMC was recognised for its Dynamic Under Keel Clearance technology, and the contribution that it has made to enhancing port efficiency, mitigating risk, and reducing shipping related CO₂ emissions.

OMC was also a finalist in two categories at the International Bulk Journal Awards, held in Rotterdam in November.

Since becoming operational in Port Botany in July of this year, the DUKC® system has consistently helped the port and its clients reach new depths and break records. This becomes the third DUKC® system for New South Wales Port Authority, with Port Kembla and Newcastle being operational for 16 years and 13 years, respectively. With pilots overseeing over 4,500 vessels out of the three ports each year, the DUKC® system not only provides essential safety for both vessels and the environment, but also increases operational efficiencies for the ports.

Port Botany Harbour Master, Myron Fernandes, stated that “when you consider the size of these vessels and that, like an iceberg, there is an enormous dimension laying under the water, it is essential Marine Pilots have access to the best technology and a comprehensive range of specific information and data.”

Back in October, MSC Asya was able to call at Port Botany with a record-breaking displacement of 140,252 tonnes and a draft of 14.8m. The previous maximum allowable draft at the port was 14.6m, making MSC Asya not only the deepest draft containership to berth at Port Botany but reportedly, in all of Australia.

“Through this recent achievement, the Port Authority of NSW has managed to showcase greater efficiency and capacity outcomes at the port without the need for significant changes in infrastructure,” Mr Fernandes said.

Containerships have not been the only vessels to benefit from the DUKC® system either, with OMC working closely with Ampol to facilitate deeper tankers into the port. Shortly after MSC Asya, the STI Condotti was able to arrive into the port with a draft of 14.7m, making her the deepest tanker to have transited into the port. This is understood to have exceeded the previous draft by 50cm, equating to approximately 4,500 tonnes of additional cargo.

By working closely with the port, OMC is able to deliver accurate data that ensures the safe transit of bigger and deeper vessels.

The Governor of Victoria Exports Awards (GOVEAs) were held on October 29^th 2021, celebrating the most accomplished manufacturers and suppliers across the state. There were 14 winners announced at the virtual event across key export industries.

OMC International was awarded the ‘Advanced Technologies’ award for ‘outstanding international success in the field of information technology (IT), digital technologies, software, hardware or digital services, including solutions utilising cloud based platforms, artificial intelligence, machine learning, IoT, augmented /virtual reality and/or blockchain.’

Other winners from the award ceremony included Invetech, Hi Form, Deliciou, OET, Cobalt Design, Typsy Group, Packform, Sunpower Renewables, AW Bell, Safescape, Care Essentials, iBuild and Gabriela Safrankova.

All of the winners from the GOVEAs have become national finalists for the Australian Export and Investment Awards, which were hosted on November 29^th 2021. The finalists from the ‘Advanced Technologies’ category, alongside OMC, include AVI (WA), DroneShield (NSW), Fivecast (SA), Instaclutr (ACT), Lightning Protection International (TAS), Shorthand (QLD) and SPEE3D (NT).

A big congratulations to the businesses nominated.

OMC International has opened a new office at the Seaport in Halifax, Canada. As a founding partner of the The PIER at the Seaport, OMC has taken up residence at The PIER located in the historic Halifax Seaport District. The PIER is short for Port Innovation, Engagement and Research and its founding partners include CN, PSA International, Saab, and the Port of Halifax. The PIER aims to work as a living lab to work together, tactically and strategically, to develop solutions and commercial opportunities globally and locally.

“OMC and DUKC® were born out of the complex challenges being faced by ports three decades ago. The innovations that have followed since have been undertaken alongside our clients, those forward-thinking ports that are searching for opportunities to do things better,” said Peter O’Brien, CEO, OMC International.

“At OMC, we’re excited to be partnering with the Port of Halifax and members of ‘The PIER’ to deliver solutions to meet both existing and emerging challenges being faced by the port and maritime industry. ‘The PIER’ is a logical next step for us as we continue to grow our presence in Canada and North America. Being able to do so alongside other global companies in a collaborative way is a win-win scenario.”

“Bringing partners together in a living lab environment will create the conditions that allow us to solve the intricate problems facing the transportation sector,” said Captain Allan Gray, President and CEO, Halifax Port Authority. “No one party can tackle these challenges on their own, but together, we can develop sustainable solutions with benefits that reach well beyond the shipping industry.”

Congratulation to RAK Ports for winning the Intelligent Shipping Category at the latest Seatrade Awards for their implementation of DUKC®.

The system was commissioned on January 1^st 2020 and the first vessel that sailed set a new draft record. Since then, they have continued to deliver increased sailing drafts for their customers. An recent analysis of the environmental benefits of DUKC® indicated that the increase vessel utilization they are achieving is reducing shipping related CO₂ emissions by approximately 3.5% to 5.5%.

OMC is an active member of PIANC, supporting our employees to volunteer across various positions including on the Board, Regional Chapters and Young Professionals.

PIANC, which historically stood for the Permanent International Association of Navigational Congresses but is now generally known as the World Association for Waterborne Transport Infrastructure, is an important organisation in the development of technical guidance in the fields of navigation and port infrastructure. Primarily, PIANC’s mission is the publication of high-quality Technical Reports realised by international Working Groups. The Working Groups are typically comprised of participants from multiple member countries, recognised as experts in the issue being investigated. Their objective is to gather, analyse, and consolidate international, state-of-the-art, best practice material to provide evidence-based guidance on technical issues. OMC is proud to have had members both participate in and chair Working Groups, including those responsible for the publications:

• PIANC Report n° 117 – 2012 Use of HydroMeteo Information for Port Access and Operations
• PIANC Report n° 121 – 2014 Harbour Approach Channels Design Guidelines

Last year, PIANC introduced its Mentor Program, which is continuing now into its second year. Recognising the importance of both learning from, and contributing to, the wider maritime industry, OMC is excited to have six participants in the program, three as Mentors and three as Mentees. Peter O’Brien, OMC’s CEO is one of the Mentors and offers his view on the importance of mentoring:

“As a young engineer I was fortunate to receive excellent mentoring from experienced engineers that was invaluable at the time and I still to this day reflect on how important this was in shaping my career path.  Now having worked as an engineer for now over 30 years, I would like to offer the same to engineers embarking on their journey. To me this is a critical role for senior engineers to undertake.”