Plenary II

Sustainable Commercial Use of Seas and Oceans
Date: Wednesday, 7th June, 2023
Time: 9.00-10:40 am
Location: UCH

Keynote: Mary Crowley, Director of Ocean Voyages Institute (OVI)
Moderator: Fausto Ferreira, Assistant Professor University of Zagreb
Panelists:
Prof Karen Wiltshire, Vice Director of the Alfred Wegener Institute
Kimberly Blakemore, Director of Environmental Sustainability, Analog Devices
Prof. Richard Neilson, UK National Decommissioning Centre Director, University of Aberdeen
Gerard Dooly, Co-Director Centre for Robotics & Intelligent Systems, UL
George Kallimasiotis, Commercial Manager at Resolve Marine Group

Abstract: Commercial use of the seas and oceans for human needs is as old as history. Through time, our impact on the blue ocean environment was less than it has become and now to continue our use of the seas and oceans it is imperative that we do so sustainably. This Plenary Session looks at some of the impacts we have on the oceans and how we should change to embrace a managed life-cycle approach for Sustainable Commercial Use of Seas and Ocean.

Mary Crowley
Director of Ocean Voyages Institute (OVI)

Mary Crowley is the Founder and Executive Director of Ocean Voyages Institute (OVI) which was established in 1979 as a public charity based in Sausalito, California. Their goal is to preserve the maritime arts and sciences, the ocean environment and island cultures. She is also a co-founder of the Mission Resolve Foundation. Mary also founded, and is the CEO of Ocean Voyages, Inc, an international yacht chartering company which offers trips on sailing vessels and luxury yachts worldwide to expose people to our ocean world.
Ms. Crowley previously served as Executive Director of the Oceanic Society, publisher of Oceans magazine and on the board of Directors of Project Jonah, the Maritime Museum of San Diego, Sail San Francisco and many other organizations. Her current board positions include Ocean Voyages Institute, WELL Network as well as the Richardson Bay Maritime Association. Read More

Fausto Ferreira
Assistant Professor at the University of Zagreb

Dr Fausto Ferreira is an Assistant Professor at the University of Zagreb, Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Computing. His research activities are conducted within the Laboratory for Underwater Systems and Technologies (LABUST).

He has been involved in 15 EU Projects (FP6, FP7, H2020, Horizon Europe, INTERREG, Erasmus+) and 2 Office of Naval Research Global (ONRG) projects (including a Visiting Scientist Program grant). He is the Coordinator of the Erasmus+ project Marine Robots for better Sea Knowledge awareness (MASK). He has been the Deputy Technical Director of 6 Robotics competitions (SAUC-E 2014, euRathlon 2014, euRathlon Grand Challenge 2015, ERL Emergency 2017-2019) and Technical Director of 1 robotics competition (SAUC-E 2016). He has also been PI and co-PI of two U.S. Office of Naval Research Global funded projects and is currently PI of two EU funded projects. Read More

Prof Karen Wiltshire
Vice Director of the Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research (AWI), Director of the AWI sites on Helgoland and Sylt

Prof Karen Wiltshire is the Vice Director of the Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research (AWI), and Director of the AWI sites on Helgoland and Sylt. As a coastal and climate researcher, she is engaged at the centre of the action. Coastal waters and its tidal interfaces are the cradle of life in the ocean: microalgae and seagrasses not only find ample nutrients to form underwater meadows and forests. In the intertidal, young herring, oysters & co. also hatch and grow, lending the coastal waters far greater biodiversity than the open sea. At the same time, no other ocean region is as intensively used. In many places, coastal protection structures, ports, towns and cities, not to mention tourism, protect, encroach and interact with mudflats, seagrass meadows, salt marshes, mangroves and dunes. Read More

Prof. Richard Neilson,
UK National Decommissioning Centre Director, University of Aberdeen

Richard has 34 years’ experience in engineering research and development within the University sector, with much of his research undertaken in association with industry. This started with his PhD on the vibration of aircraft engines with Rolls Royce Ltd. Most of his research has involved the application of design and dynamic analysis to solving engineering problems.From 1998-2002 he spent four years on part-time industrial secondment to an oil services company and since then much of his research has been in the context of oil and gas, subsea engineering and decommissioning. He is currently Director of the National Decommissioning Centre, and is leading the Centre’s input to the development of an underwater laser cutting system.

Kimberly Blakemore
Director of Environmental Sustainability, Analog Devices

Kimberly Blakemore is the Director of Environmental Sustainability for Analog Devices, a global semiconductor leader committed to creating a more connected, safer and sustainable future. She focuses on sustainability-related commercial opportunities, including those that enable the global energy transition to net zero. Kim brings a multi-sectoral lens to her work, having previously held positions in philanthropic investing and in corporate strategy. Kim earned an MBA in Sustainability from Antioch University New England and a BA from Cornell University.

Gerard Dooly
Co-Director Centre for Robotics & Intelligent Systems, UL

Gerard is a Co-Director of the Centre for Robotics and Intelligent Systems.
He has a PhD in Optical sensing by the University of Limerick (“An Optical Fibre Sensor for the Measurement of Hazardous Emissions from Land Transport Vehicles”).
He has worked extensively in the optical fibre sensors and marine robotics research centres at UL since the completion of his PhD in 2008. His research interests include optical fibre sensors, differential optical absorption spectroscopy, advanced control systems, underwater robotic engineering and advanced sonar operations and processing. He is focused on the design and development of underwater robotics and has engaged in numerous offshore maritime operations and survey missions both here in Ireland and on the continent. Some of his recent research topics include environmental monitoring, subsea event triggered sensing platforms, miniature daughter-ROV’s, anti-mine countermeasure ops and remote vehicles for incident response. Read More

George Kallimasiotis,
Commercial Manager at Resolve Marine Group

Resolve Marine is a maritime solutions provider that has served and supported clients and projects for nearly 40 years. From emergency response, salvage, recovery, marine services, and maritime training, we bring a global presence and local response to every project.
George,  a university graduate with MSc in Maritime Studies,  deals with the commercial & legal aspects of salvage, in particular with the logistics of salvage operations, contract management, project management and claims handling. George also has vast experience in London arbitration of which he has attended many. George has also accumulated significant on-site experience having attended numerous large scale salvage operations throughout the years.