& Gillian Mills

Ireland’s maritime sector has received a major confidence boost underpinned by the prospect of a massive jobs spin-off following the announcement that the world’s largest marine renewable energy research centre is to be built here by 2013.

Named in honor of the renowned Irish nineteenth century hydrographer, the National Beaufort Centre will become the flagship of the Maritime and Energy Research Campus and Commercial Cluster (MERC3) on a site close to the National Maritime College of Ireland (NMCI) and the Irish Naval Service (INS) at Ringaskiddy, Co Cork.

World-wide recognition

Increasingly recognised world-wide for the quality of its maritime-related R&D, the MERC partnership includes INS, University College Cork (UCC), the Cork Institute of Technology (CIT) and the NMCI.

News that the Beaufort laboratory will be operational by May 2013 is a clear signal that Ireland is moving centre stage in maritime research, an area that has long been ignored and often starved of investment.

Dr Valerie Cummins, Director of MERC told Inshore Ireland that the Beaufort will have 135 researchers “under the one roof” and when fully developed “there will be nothing equivalent” anywhere else.

“The laboratory presents a major opportunity for Ireland to capitalise on the knowledge within the R&D community. It’s a good indicator that regarding marine research, we’re going in the right direction as a nation.”

Clearly relishing the opportunities that the Beaufort project will bring to Ireland, Dr Cummins is nevertheless keen to avoid hyperbole and measures her words carefully:

“I know these days we all talk about ‘centres of excellence’ and things that are ‘world-class’ so it’s important to realise that with Beaufort on campus we’re not starting from scratch. We’re building on solid foundations in terms of UCC’s fantastic track record in research with its Hydraulics and Maritime Research Centre, and the Coastal and Marine Resource Centre.

“There’s also the maritime college here too and the INS with fifty per-cent of its thousand-plus personnel highly trained in areas such as diving, communications, robotics and logistics,” she explains.

Driving force
According to Dr Cummins, the initial focus and driver of research at Beaufort will be marine renewable energy, and she points to the “huge potential” for Ireland to harness ocean energy, particularly wave and tidal.

“Not only do we have a unique resource on the west coast of Ireland in terms of the wave energy regime but we’re also very well placed by the fact we also have a competitive advantage. A number of the top ocean energy device-development companies already have strong links to Ireland. In fact very many of them are Irish and the IP is held here. That’s why marine renewable energy is very much something that we are honing in on.”

Dr Cummins believes that in order to develop the necessary technologies an holistic view is required:

“It’s not simply just about engineering a device, it’s about all the deployments and the moorings and the cables and the shipping. Therefore, other elements such as maritime security and surveillance; shipping logistics and transport will be the rising tide that lifts all boats.”

All welcome
As to how commercial companies – large and small – can engage with MERC, Cummins operates an ‘open door policy’ and says there are many ways of facilitating this:

“From the physical aspect of the campus, a true cluster is something where there’s an opportunity to co-locate – to a space created where companies, researchers, end- users, practitioners etc can all easily and readily meet to share ideas and work together. We can encourage the private sector to come and co-locate with the maritime college, the Beaufort Laboratory and with INS,” she declares.

Cummins sees the Ringaskiddy wave test tank facilities as “second to none”.

“Our wave test tank facilities will be as good as anything else you are likely to find in Europe. In fact, certain elements will be unrivalled anywhere else in the world”.

Future challenges
Cummins’ enthusiasm and optimism is clear but she is also pragmatic about the challenges ahead. When asked by Inshore Ireland about a recent ESRI paper that effectively dampened expectations for this sector, she responded:

“The figures I usually use are the forecasts by the SEAI which show the potential for the wave energy sector to produce 52,000 jobs by 2030. Whilst Dr John FitzGerald of the ESRI has indeed raised questions on marine renewable, I would point out that he took a very linear view of energy security and didn’t look at the export or enterprise dimensions of ocean energy.

“If you include these then you are not just talking about securing Ireland’s energy needs but also the potential to create a global market by exporting both the expertise as well as the energy overseas. That’s very important too,” she declares.

State support
Cummins warns however that Ireland could lose out to other emerging marine energy nations, such as Scotland, who recently won a major contract ahead of Ireland, if the necessary government support is found wanting.

Nevertheless she is encouraged by the commitment expressed by those who helped smooth the path for the Beaufort project.

“We’re very grateful to the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources, Pat Rabbitte who is part-funding the construction of the Beaufort Laboratory, along with the Higher Education Authority; Bord Gáis; and the Glucksman Foundation.”

She also singles out Justice Minister, Alan Shatter, for his “clear intuition” about MERC :

“Following a visit to the Naval Base some months ago, Minister Shatter delivered a statement to the Dáil in which he praised the navy for supporting companies and helping to innovate within the maritime sector.”

And she praises Environment Minister Phil Hogan and Marine Minister Simon Coveney in whose constituency back yard the development is taking place. Both ministers, she says, have helped the Beaufort Laboratory in different ways “to get off the ground”.

“Minister Coveney has been hugely supportive by helping resolve some technical issues in relation to land and other details that we had. Minister Phil Hogan and his department have been proactive and helpful in working through some key issues regarding foreshore licensing for the Ringaskiddy site.”

Dr Cummins however says that government must now be seen to be openly behind the ocean energy sector:

“We don’t compare to Scotland where First Minister Alex Salmond is very vocal about the potential opportunities from ocean energy. That approach resonates with people. We must keep in mind however that nobody has truly commercialised wave energy devices yet.

“So the race is still on, and Ireland still has the potential to win that race. That’s what the politicians need to understand– and to articulate” she says.