2010:
- June 16: Contract announced to install DUKC® management system in Rio Tinto’s Western Australian Cape Lambert port. This new contract also includes an extension of the existing DUKC® contract for Rio Tinto shipping operations at the port of Dampier. This is OMC’s 21st DUKC® installation.
- June 14: Dr Terry O’Brien, OMC’s Founder and Executive Director, is awarded a Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM) in the Queen’s Birthday Honours List for services to the maritime transport industry.
- June 7: Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) sign-off for OMC’s under keel clearance management (UKCM) system to be installed in Torres Strait to enhance shipping safety is announced. This signing also marks the launch of OMC’s web-based product DUKC® Series 5.
- March: OMC opens a new South American office in Bogota, Colombia headed by senior engineer Dr Matthew Turner who speaks fluent Spanish.
2009:
- DUKC® installed for the outer and lower Weser River in Germany
- 50,000 sailings under DUKC® advice
- December 23: The Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) chooses OMC as the preferred supplier for a provisional under keel clearance management (UKCM) system for the Torres Strait.
- November 24: In Sydney, OMC wins the Lloyd's List DCN 2009 Maritime Services Award "for its work in develping under keel clearance systems, which it has taken to international markets".
- November 12: At the Australian Bulk Handling Awards in Sydney, OMC is highly commended in the Innovative Technology category for its DUKC technology.
- June: DUKC® now operational in Victoria. OMC licenses DUKC® to the Port of Melbourne Corporation (PoMC) to help ensure the safety of large vessels entering Port Phillip Heads, one of the most challenging waters for ship navigation to be found anywhere on earth. Having the safety of this system proven in these extreme waters shows that DUKC® technology is suitable for even the most challenging waterways worldwide.
- June: DUKC® In-Transit wins the ‘Marine Civil Engineering and Construction’ category of the international Seawork 2009 Innovation Showcase Awards in the UK. Link: http://www.seawork.com/Innovations_Showcase
- May: OMC’s DUKC® In-Transit is Runner-Up in the international 2009 Seatrade Awards ‘Innovation in Ship Operations’ category in the UK. Link: http://www.seatrade-global.com/awards/History_award_runnersup.html#ru09
2008:
- DUKC® installed in the North Queensland port of Weipa
- DUKC® VTS operational - a World first
- October: New OMC office opens in the UK, reflecting the company’s growing workload in Europe.
- October 16: More than 120 senior European delegates watch a real time demonstration of the Portable Operational and Docking Support System (POADSS) - the next generation Portable Pilot Unit - in the Port of Lisbon where the DUKC® system has been operating since 2007. This POADSS In-Transit system was built from OMC’s DUKC® Portable Pilot Unit (PPU) product. As part of the European Union’s four-year Euro 20million Maritime Navigation and Information Services (MarNIS) research project, OMC is one of the five main partners developing the next generation PPU.
- August: DUKC® emergency response capability with the power to minimise damage and delays is successfully tested for the first time when Port Hedland Port Authority requests OMC’s technical help in refloating a large bulk carrier the ‘Iron King,’ which grounded due to a steering malfunction in Port Hedland, Western Australia. From some 3000km away in Melbourne, OMC helps to quickly unblock Australia’s largest iron ore port.
- June: New OMC office opens in Perth, WA.
- March: OMC re-certified for ISO 9001:2000 Certification based on “the absence of grounding incident and copious positive feedback”
2007:
- 40,000 sailings under DUKC® advice
- First European DUKC® Installation (Lisbon)
- DUKC® PPU (Portable Pilot Unit) operational - a World first
- Development of DUKC® Series IV
- In recognition of his pioneering role and experience in the field of UKCM, PIANC Maritime Committee (MARCOM) personally invites OMC Founder and Executive Director Dr Terry O’Brien to chair Working Group 54, tasked with producing the guidelines on the use of Hydro-Meteo data in real-time to optimise port access.
2006:
- Third R&D grant awarded for development of Ground Warning System, later renamed DUKC® VTS
- OMC invited to join the MarNIS project
- Dr O’Brien invited to join Permanent International Association of Navigation Congress (PIANC) Working Group 49, tasked with producing new guidelines on channel design, as well as joining international body IALA (International Association of Marine Aids to Navigation and Lighthouse Authorities) as a regular contributor.
2005:
- Development of DUKC® Series III
- First DUKC® installation in NSW (Newcastle)
- November: As part of a promotion for its grants scheme, AusIndustry showcases OMC’s second R&D project (Development of DUKC® Series IV and PPU) as an R&D success story.
- March: OMC’s quality management system certified to ISO 9001:2000 Certification issued by Lloyd’s Register Quality Assurance Ltd with reciprocal recognition by JAS-ANZ and UKAS
2004:
- 30,000 sailings under DUKC® advice
- Marsden Point in New Zealand is the first port to have DUKC® installed purely on safety grounds. The previous year, two super tankers were grounded within three months of each other in the channel leading to NZ’s only oil refinery. It was later shown that a DUKC® system would have prevented both these near environmental disasters because the system would have advised that these sailings not take place on those days due to inadequate UKC.
- June: Ports Corporation of Queensland (PCQ) unveils a commemorative plaque at Hay Point, Queensland to celebrate 10 years of safe operation of OMC’s Hay Point DUKC® system - and also to celebrate the hundreds of millions of dollars in revenue this system has delivered to Hay Point port users.
2003:
- Second R&D grant awarded for development of PPU
- June: The Victorian State Government showcases OMC as an innovative Victorian company in a promotional campaign for the State titled ‘Spotlight on Victoria – Think Melbourne, Australia for ICT’
2002:
2001:
- 20,000 sailings under DUKC® advice
- First DUKC® installation in New Zealand (Port Taranaki)
- September: OMC’s Port Hedland DUKC® system features on the ABC’s ‘Catalyst’ television program as an Australian innovation yielding millions of dollars of annual benefits for the port users.
1999:
- Development of DUKC® Series II
1997:
- First R&D grant awarded for a Berth Warning System (BWS) and upgrade of DUKC system to Series II
- 10,000 sailings under DUKC® advice
1994:
- DUKC® now operational in Western Australia (Fremantle)
- OMC joins PIANC and attends International Congress in Seville
1993:
- First DUKC® Series 1 installation (at Hay Point, Queensland following strong support from Ports Corporation of Queensland) - this is the first operational Dynamic UKC System in the World.
1987:
- After a distinguished 22-year academic career, Dr O’Brien leaves Melbourne University to commercialise his ship motion research to solve practical problems in the maritime industry and establishes OMC International.
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