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Innovative Technology<br />
Innovation is crucial for the oil and gas industry as the new<br />
finds of oil and gas are often at difficult locations such as deep<br />
offshore and arctic areas. Bringing down the ever growing<br />
costs of exploration and production is also an important issue<br />
together with improving and increasing the production from<br />
existing fields.<br />
Minimizing the carbon footprint for environmental considerations is crucial. Good reason<br />
for <strong>IRO</strong> to stress the importance of innovation and for <strong>IRO</strong> to promote a number of<br />
innovation programmes offered by the Dutch government.<br />
Maritime Innovation Programme<br />
Within the frame work of the ‘Maritime Innovation Programme’ the Dutch offshore<br />
supply industry has been working to develop new innovations to secure the future oil<br />
and gas demand. The programme started mid 2007 with a budget of 39.5 million Euro<br />
allocated by the Ministry of Economic affairs. As the programme is in its final stage, a<br />
new innovation agenda for the maritime industry was presented in November <strong>2010</strong> to<br />
the Dutch political world. Copies of the agenda are available at <strong>IRO</strong>. One of the activities<br />
of the MIP that was supported by <strong>IRO</strong> was a workshop on composite materials.<br />
<strong>IRO</strong> SME innovation consultant<br />
Due to lack of results, <strong>IRO</strong> decided mid <strong>2010</strong> to end the cooperation with the <strong>IRO</strong><br />
SME innovation consultant who was allocated to <strong>IRO</strong> under the Maritime Innovation<br />
Programme (MIP). Though <strong>IRO</strong> recognized that the activities of the <strong>IRO</strong> SME innovation<br />
consultant contributed to the promotion of the Maritime Innovation Programme to<br />
<strong>IRO</strong> members, the main reason for cancelling the cooperation was that the SME<br />
consultant did not succeed in realizing concrete projects. The limited scope of the MIP<br />
(deep offshore and the LNG supply chain) and other conditions to qualify for support<br />
under the programme were seen as the main reasons for the failure.<br />
Maritime Innovation Forum<br />
In <strong>2010</strong> <strong>IRO</strong> regularly attended the Dutch Maritime Board (NML) Maritime<br />
Innovation Forum (MIF) meetings. <strong>IRO</strong> was granted a support by MIF for organizing<br />
a decommissioning seminar with ITF and Decom North Sea. However, as it proved not<br />
possible to agree on a date the seminar was postponed to 2011.<br />
Underwater noise study<br />
On 23 April <strong>2010</strong> <strong>IRO</strong> organized a meeting on the need for financing a study on the<br />
effects of offshore underwater noise on marine life. This study is important as new<br />
legislation, that intends to forbid offshore piling because of the negative effect on marine<br />
life, is in preparation. However, in reality the effects of offshore piling on marine life are<br />
not determined and there is no standard for underwater noise. The outcome of the study<br />
might be an important lobby argument to prevent the introduction of the legislation<br />
that forbids offshore piling. At the meeting the researchers who will carry out the study<br />
explained the scope of the project. Total cost of the study is € 845.000 of which the<br />
government and NOGEPA are willing to finance € 645.000. The supply industry has been<br />
requested to finance € 200.000 of this study to be divided over four years. The outcome<br />
of the meeting was that four <strong>IRO</strong> members that have interest in offshore pile driving<br />
have agreed to contribute a total amount of € 120.000 which proved to be enough to<br />
give the study a go ahead.<br />
4 <strong>IRO</strong> <strong>Annual</strong> <strong>Report</strong> <strong>2010</strong>