ANNUAL REPORT 2014-15 The Marine National Facility is owned and operated by CSIRO on behalf of the nation. DECEMBER 2015a
CONTENTS About the Marine National Facility 1 Our Mission 2 Message from the Chairman 2 2014 15 Highlights 3 Commissioning Trials 3 2014 15 Research Schedule 3 Health, Safety and the Environment 4 MNF Financial Performance 5 What is next? 5 b Marine National Facility Annual Report 2014-15
About the Marine National Facility The Marine National Facility (MNF) provides a keystone element of the nation s research infrastructure by providing a bluewater research capability to Australian marine researchers and their international collaborators for work in Australia s vast marine estate. The MNF has been funded by the Australian Government since 1984 and is overseen by an independent Steering Committee. Through merit based grants of sea time (Granted Voyages) with a focus on national benefit, research delivered by the MNF contributes to Australia s wellbeing by providing valuable information to government, industry and other stakeholders to support evidence-based decision-making. Research focuses on addressing challenges in environmental and fisheries management, geological resources, regional and global climate, coastal and offshore developments, defense and marine operations. Complementing this research, applications for User Funded Voyages are assessed and awarded sea time at a financial rate commensurate to the national benefit offered by each proposal. In 2014, the MNF commissioned a new purpose-built 94m multi-purpose research vessel, Investigator, providing a step-change in Australian marine research capability. Investigator has greatly increased capacity over the previous MNF vessel, RV Southern Surveyor, and can spend up to 300 days per year at sea to deliver voyages from the tropics to the Antarctic ice edge for up to 60 days duration with up to 40 scientists on-board. Investigator hosts an extensive suite of state-of-the-art scientific research equipment and is one of a handful of research vessels globally that are designed for very quiet operation which allows it to undertake acoustic mapping and sampling to the deepest parts of our oceans. 1
Our Mission To provide world-leading capability to Australian blue-water marine scientists and their international collaborators for excellent research of national importance in our vast and largely unexplored marine estate. Message from the Chairman After arriving at its home port of Hobart on 9 September 2014, the Marine National Facility officially welcomed Investigator on 12 December 2014. To mark the occasion, welcome to port celebrations took the opportunity to showcase the work of the MNF and the broader marine science community and its activities with a range of displays covering everything from science equipment to the samples and data they collect. The event was a great opportunity to host a range of key stakeholders including Minister for Industry and Science, the Hon. Ian Macfarlane MP, who was invited to officially welcome Investigator into service. The science community was also well represented, along with members of the general public. Kids activities were popular with local families participating in outreach activities delivered by CSIRO, with a great highlight being the opportunity to enter competitions to win tours of the new ship. As well as engaging with stakeholders, the celebrations marked the culmination of a great deal of hard work and dedication, not only from the CSIRO Future Research Vessel (FRV) Project Team who managed the build process, but also that of the broader science community who contributed significantly throughout the planning and execution of the project. On behalf of the MNF Steering Committee, I take the opportunity to thank all who selflessly gave their time to provide input, in particular the members of the Technical Advisory Group (TAG). I feel confident that the new vessel will repay the investment, heralding a new era of marine research for Australia. Looking to the future, the Steering Committee is seeking the support of Government for the full operations of Investigator by increasing the number of granted sea days from the current 180 days to 300 days. IAN POINER Chairman, Marine National Facility Steering Committee 2 Marine National Facility Annual Report 2014-15
2014 15 Highlights Commissioning Trials The majority of the year was set aside for commissioning activities, including setup of laboratory spaces and scientific equipment procured as part of the FRV project. Crew, MNF personnel and ship users were also engaged in commissioning, systems testing, training and familiarisation activities throughout the 2014-15 schedule. Importantly, five equipment trial voyages were delivered to evaluate and fine tune systems associated with benthic and pelagic biology, geoscience and trace metal analysis. 2014-15 Research Schedule 2014-15 saw Investigator deliver its first three Granted Voyages, totaling 38 days at sea. These voyages were delivered off the east coast of Australia and in the Southern Ocean. The voyages included personnel from 13 Australian research organisations and two international collaborating universities. An overview of the MNF schedule for 2014-15, Voyage Plans, Voyage Summaries and Scientific Highlight reports for each voyage can be found at www.mnf.csiro.au MNF VOYAGES DAYS 2014-15 Investigator research voyages 38 Investigator transit voyages 7 Investigator sea trials (1) 90 Research voyages mob/demob 6 Commissioning days in-port 190 GRAND TOTAL (2) 331 (1) Sea trial days for 2014-15 include commissioning year activities (2) 1 July 2014 3 August 2014 the ship was in Singapore and was still in the possession of Teekay (the vessel was officially handed over to CSIRO on 4 August 2014). These 34 days prior to handover takes the 331 total to 365 for the year 3
Health, Safety and Environment Investigator operates in challenging marine environments, employing a range of unique and complex equipment managed by personnel with varying experience. To do this safely requires a Zero Harm mindset and commitment to risk management that aims to mitigate adverse results to the health and safety of personnel or the environment. ANNUAL INVESTIGATOR HSE STATS AS AT 30/06/15 Metric Recorded Total man hours 68400 Days LTI free 333 Date of last recorded LTI N/A In accordance with the contract with CSIRO to provide ship management services for Investigator, the contracted ship manager, ASP Ship Management, is obliged to implement a Safety Management System (SMS) that meets requirements outlined by the Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) in the National Standard for Commercial Vessels (NSCV) and the International Safety Management Code (ISM Code). ASP is required to report on HSE incidents to CSIRO quarterly. A summary of recorded incidents for 2014-15 is provided in the tables below. 2014/15 ANNUAL INCIDENT SNAPSHOT Metric LTI 0 MTC 0 FAC 1 OTH 0 Ship Incidents 8 Illness 0 TOTAL 9 Recorded 4 Marine National Facility Annual Report 2014-15
MNF Financial Performance Total funding for the MNF in 2014-15 was $27.8m. REVENUE 2014 2015 $ 000 External Funding 0 Internal Funding 27,757 Total Revenue 27,757 EXPENDITURE Salaries (including Pan-Deployments) 4,750 Travel 222 Other Operating 9,958 Enterprise costs 5,018 Total Expenditure 19,948 Operating Result (1) 7,809 CAPITAL Capital Purchases (excluding FRV) 520 (1) The year to date operating surplus for MNF is $7.8m. Funding for MNF in 2014-15 was based on a full year of operations, however due to the delayed delivery of Investigator and the FRV Capital project funding the majority of commissioning and sea trial costs, the MNF did not expend it s full funding What is next? Investigator represents not only a step-change in the Marine National Facility s capabilities, but also the complexities of ship management, voyage planning, logistics and execution. With commissioning activities now complete, the MNF is scheduled to deliver a full 180 day science voyage schedule for 2015 16. The schedule provides the first opportunity to test the envelope of the vessel s capabilities and showcase Investigator s capacity to deliver multi-disciplinary science across Australia s vast marine estate and beyond. 5
WE DO THE EXTRAORDINARY EVERY DAY We innovate for tomorrow and help improve today for our customers, all Australians and the world. WE IMAGINE WE COLLABORATE WE INNOVATE FOR FURTHER INFORMATION Marine National Facility t +61 3 6232 5596 e mnf@csiro.au w www.mnf.csiro.au 17-00254