Tasmanian maritime firm Pivot Maritime International has won a major innovation award at Pacific 2015, the conference held in Sydney this month.
Pivot won the $10,000 Maritime Industry Innovation Award Civil Industry SME Innovation Grant.
Pivot’s award was for its low-cost, simulation system that has transformed the training of merchant marine deck officers and can even be used as a virtual design tool for new ships and harbours.
Pivot was one of four Australian innovators from a short list of 10, with a fifth highly commended.
Pacific 2015 CEO Ian Honnery said: “Although the Australian government has encouraged greater industry innovation across all sectors, ours are the first national awards to recognise and reward the efforts and achievements of innovative Australian companies in the naval and maritime industry.
“Our purpose as a foundation is to promote the development of Australia’s industry capacity in the fields of aerospace, defence, maritime and IT so we’re putting our money – literally – where our mouth is. The fact that the awards have been won by such high quality candidates speaks for the quality of the individuals, companies and organisations making up Australia’s naval and maritime industry.”
Also at the conference, it was announced AMC Search and Babcock International Group have signed an agreement to jointly deliver specialist short courses in maritime studies.
Babcock Training Academy (BTA) and AMCS will combine to offer maritime short courses in naval shipbuilding, ship design and complex naval systems. The aim is to help develop the next generation of defence and industry maritime project personnel, naval architects and designers to support Australian and New Zealand shipbuilding and sustainment programs.
Babcock Australia and New Zealand chief executive Craig Lockhart said: “Our agreement with AMCS presents students and industry with a compelling pathway into an exciting career in the maritime sector.
“The timing for these short courses could not be more advantageous for students as the industry is now the focus of enormous investment in Australia and overseas, as governments seek to create a continuous naval shipbuilding capability.”
AMCS chief executive Dean Cook says the alliance is an opportunity to deliver Australia’s largest range of maritime short courses.
AMCS is the commercial arm of the Australian Maritime College and a wholly owned subsidiary of the University of Tasmania.
A. Mark Thomas
M&M Communciations