Australian Maritime College Marks 10 Years of Innovative Research

The Australian Maritime College is celebrating 10 years of cutting-edge hydrodynamic research at the Model Test Basin, and a function was held on Tuesday, 23 August to mark the occasion.

Past and present AMC staff members involved with the creation and ongoing development of the facility attended, alongside guest speaker Minister for Education and Skills, Nick McKim.

The Model Test Basin is a state-of-the-art facility used by engineering students and national research organisations to conduct hydrodynamic experiments that simulate maritime operations within shallow water environments such as ports, harbours, rivers and coastal regions.

It was built in 2001 at a cost of $800,000, half of which was provided by the Tasmanian Government. The Premier at the time, Jim Bacon, officially opened the facility.

Model Test Basin Manager, Gregor Macfarlane, said the facility had exceeded all expectations regarding the quantity and variety of projects undertaken and the level of research and commercial income generated over the past decade.

“There has been a significant increase in the amount of activity within the Model Test Basin since it opened, to the point where the facility is now booked 90 per cent of the time,” Mr Macfarlane said.

“Total income generation through commercial and research consultancies has exceeded $2.8 million over the first 10 years of operation, surpassing initial estimates and cementing the Australian Maritime College’s reputation as the national centre for maritime education, research and training.”

The Model Test Basin has been used for several major research projects, including partnerships with government agencies and private corporations such as the Defence Science and Technology Organisation (DSTO), Oceanlinx, Incat, Rio Tinto, Austal Ships and Newcastle Port Corporation.

These collaborations also help to establish invaluable networks between AMC students and the industries in which they will work upon graduation.

Mr Macfarlane said that a significant percentage of the income generated by the Model Test Basin is reinvested back into the facility by developing new capabilities and purchasing new equipment and instrumentation.

“Over the past two years we have invested considerable effort and funds into developing a capability to undertake damage stability experiments to determine the transient effects during flooding of vessels with complex internal compartments,” he said.

“This has led to several international journal and conference papers in this field being published.

“We would like to take this opportunity to thank the Tasmanian Government for its initial investment and celebrate this milestone with a sense of great pride. We look forward to continuing to be at the forefront of maritime research for the next 10 years and beyond.”

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Source: AMC, August 30, 2011;