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We continue to pioneer sustainable solutions.

EMCS Industries Ltd. continues to pioneer solutions that reduce costs, improve performance, and protect the marine environment. We are committed to improving the sustainability of our oceans. As climate change, changing biodiversity, and human impact takes effect over time, we endeavor to research, innovate and contribute knowledge to the Blue Economy.

 

INTEGRITY is one of our core values. We understand integrity to be about accountability and commitment in all we do. In line with Goal 14 (Life Below Water) of the 17 goals for ocean sustainability and development laid out by The United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, we are actively committed to being accountable for respecting and looking after the oceans and seas.   

 

As part of our research and development mandate and our recent partnership with Evac’s, Cathelco, we intend to collaborate and undertake considerable research and development to bring more sustainable solutions in antifouling + anticorrosion to market. Including working with independent scientists to monitor the effectiveness and environmental footprint of our low frequency (which is not the same as ultrasonic frequency) acoustic marine growth protection system (MGPS) and further improve on this system. At the same time, we are innovating other sustainable product offerings in the world of biofouling and corrosion.

 

Research mandate

Over the last several years, we have struck a tremendous working relationship with Dr. Ashley Coutts, Managing Director and Principal Scientist of Biofouling Solutions in Tasmania, Australia’s island state. We look forward to working further with Dr. Coutts and his team as part of our research mandate to create more sustainability in our suite of solutions.

 

Our research to date has led to several answers that allow us to confidently offer MARELCO™ Wave as our current sustainable product for biofouling prevention.

 

Our first port of call was to answer the environmental question that worried our customers and ourselves: Does the system add to the environmental concern of shipping noise? 

 

We asked Dr. Tom Dakin, Chief Scientist, at Sea to Shore Systems Ltd. in Sidney on Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada, to help us answer this question.   

 

Dr. Dakin conducted sound source measurements in May 2021, off Macaulay Point in the Saanich Inlet—known for its deep waters and one of the best-studied marine basins in the world. The encouraging thing during data collection was that sound was only detectable at 1 meter away from the source. In addition, there was no further radiation of sound detectable. An in-depth analysis of the acoustic data showed that loudness (dB) across 20 and 27 Hz ranged between 116 and 132 dB (the lower the Hz, the lower the dB) referenced to 1 micropascal (dB re 1 µPa) at 1 meter. In his report dated August 2, 2021, Tom Dakin wrote that even “at the highest levels measured for this test, MARELCO™‘s low-frequency hydrosonic/acoustic “is well below the typical cargo vessel acoustic source levels seen by the author at all frequencies up to 25 kHz.” 

 

Furthermore, a study conducted for the Port of Vancouver reported sound levels assessed for different vessels visiting the Port of Vancouver between October 2019 and December 2020. The loudest vessels of 18 vessel classes were large (≥ 200 m) container ships measuring up to 205.4 dB re 1 µPa and the quietest naval vessels, measuring up to 156.8 dB re 1 µPa.1  

 

Confident in our sustainability approach

EMCS can now confidently say that sound emitted by our low-frequency hydrosonic/acoustic MGPS appears to be subsumed by the vessel’s sound profile. Therefore, it does not add to the shipping noise problem when fitted vessels are underway. 

 

At this time, very little independent study exists for any frequency-based MGPS, and we have taken the step to change that as our sustainability contribution to improving the marine industry as it relates to its impact on the environment. We continue to invest in our research and development to support our mandate to be accountable and respect and look after the world’s vulnerable ocean ecosystems.    

 

Contact our team today to learn more about the MARELCO™ WAVE.

 

 

Reference

 

1 JASCO Applied Sciences (March 18, 2021). Annual Report of Boundary Pass Acoustic Monitoring, Year October 2 2019, to Dec 2020. https://www.portvancouver.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/2021-06-11-BP-Underwater-acoustic-noise-monitoring-Year-2.pdf

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