Page 23: of Marine Technology Magazine (November 2011)

last 10 years. In 2011, PAL continued this service for Cairn?s ongoing drilling program as well as the opera- tions of Shell Norway, also off the coast of western Greenland. ?We have to know where the ice is at all times,? said Scott. ?These are floating chunks of concrete the size of this room that can do serious damage to a platform offshore if they go undetected.? PAL?s ice and weather observers and weather forecaster work together to identify iceberg threats and, when deemed necessary, the berg?s trajecto- ry is redirected by means of towing, prop washing, or the use of a water cannon. The company is currently in discussions to provide ice manage- ment services for the Shtokman proj- ect in the Russian Arctic. ?Over the next 20 years, there are many oppor- tunities when we look North,? Scott noted. PAL?s third growth center has been in the area of training, having added 20 employees in this new business unit over the last two and a half years. Most are former military personnel who specialized in training in their careers. In 2006, the company became the first to launch a commercial flight of an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) in Canadian airspace. Looking ahead,Scott sees PAL utilizing UAVs to con- duct surveillance in the vast reaches of Canada?s North. ?There is a need to express Canadian sovereignty over that territory,? he said. ?Canada needs to increase its awareness of who is out there, where they?re coming from, if they are a threat to the envi- ronment, and if they are breaking the law.? For the past four years, the com- pany has been engaged in theRAVEN AUV research and develop- ment project in conjunction with Memorial University. ?I see all kinds of benefits coming out of that forPAL,? Scott observed. Referring to PAL?s $750 million in booked business over the next five years, Scott is looking to maintain the current level of employment in 2012 and is anticipating a further expan- sion in 2013 and 2014. www.seadiscovery.com Marine Technology Reporter 23`çåí~Åí=ìë=~íWmÜWTTUJUVRJOOMNïïïKíÜáåâëÉåëçêKÅçã== bã~áäWáåÑç]íÜáåâëÉåëçêKÅçã We aim to revolutionize the way data is collected in marine and aerospace applications by providing state-of-the-art sensor products, highly individualized assistance and on-going support. Think SensorResearch Scanning SonarMotion Reference Unitand Navigation SystemIce TrackerIntroducing Sensors for the marine industry MTR#9 (18-33):MTR Layouts 11/28/2011 4:09 PM Page 23