Risks and Opportunities for the Blue Economy Collaborative Project Underway

The Blue Economy CRC has announced the latest collaborative project currently underway on the risks and opportunities for the Blue Economy. The project, led by Dr Beth Fulton, CSIRO, will deliver an integrative characterisation of risk across all parts of the CRC – engineering and technology, production, energy, sustainability and policy. The resulting integrated registry will identify the multidimensional envelopes of risk relevant to the Blue Economy activities in the short to medium term.

Cataloguing hazards and characterising risks is the most challenging step of any risk identification process. Consequently, this project is foundational to many CRC activities, bringing immediate benefit to any industry partners undertaking trials or deployments within the next decade.

The project brings together expertise from a wide variety of project partners including Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO), Griffith University, University of Tasmania, OceanPixel Pte Ltd., The University of Queensland, BMT, Carnegie Clean Energy Limited, Cawthron Institute, DNV GL Australia Pty Limited, Huon Aquaculture Company Pty Ltd, Macquarie University, New Zealand King Salmon, Pacific Engineering Systems International Pty Limited, Petuna, Sabella SA, SAITEC, SA, Tasmanian Department of Primary Industries, Parks, Water and Environment and Tasmanian Oyster Research Council Limited.

“Understanding and addressing risks to operations and infrastructure relating to the blue economy is essential and will help ensure the long-term success in this important area. BMT is pleased to be able to make a contribution to this study and will drive the project’s focus on risks and opportunities relating to climate change.”
Dr David Rissik, BMT

“As a tidal stream turbine developer, SABELLA is glad to participate in this project that will greatly benefit the entire marine renewable industry by helping characterize risks and hazards. Within the scope of emerging technologies and the energy sector, this is one crucial step to thoroughly achieve for a stepwise growth.”
Marlène MOUTEL, Commercial engineer, Sabella

“Economic and environmental uncertainty are at the forefront of many people’s minds right now. This project will show how we can systematically identify the risks facing ocean industries, the environment and society. We will create a comprehensive ‘risk registry’ that will support risk assessments across multiple industry sectors.”
Dr Chris Brown, Griffith University

Over the next 18 months, the project participants will work together to:

  • Review hazard analysis methods in each domain via a high-level literature review.
  • Identify and rank potential hazards to a range of offshore aquaculture and energy production systems and the hazards those production systems pose to the broader socio-ecological systems they sit within.
  • Run expert and industry-driven workshops for each domain to elicit risk profiles/envelopes of identified hazards.
  • Synthesise an integrated hazard analysis and risk registry across the five domains including identifying connections among the areas and flagging knowledge gaps and opportunities.

To find out more about the project visit the Risks and Opportunities for the Blue Economy project page.

Find out more about Research Program #4: Environment and Ecosystems and sign up to the program’s newsletter to keep up-to-date on this project and more from RP4.