Marine Institute forms applied research partnership with Rutter Inc.

The Marine Institute's School of Ocean Technology has entered into a research partnership with Rutter Inc. that will see the MV Anne Pierce, MI's research and training vessel, outfitted with two of Rutter's advanced radar processing systems and a voyage data recorder

The Fisheries and Marine Institute (MI) of Memorial University of Newfoundland has entered into a key research partnership with Rutter Inc. Under the partnership agreement - which is between Rutter Inc. and MI’s School of Ocean Technology (SOT) – Rutter Inc. will install two of its advanced radar processing systems and a voyage data recorder onboard the MV Anne Pierce, the Marine Institute’s research vessel.

“Our mandate is all about responding to the needs of key ocean industries and wherever possible and practical, working collaboratively with industry players such as Rutter,” said Randy Gillespie, director of Applied Research at MI’s School of Ocean Technology. “Rutter's technology products for oil spill detection, ice navigation and small target detection have all been developed in the province and we are pleased to be working with Rutter in further developing the capabilities of their technologies by providing a real marine operating environment for testing and development.”

Fraser H. Edison, president and C.E.O. of Rutter Inc., also spoke highly of the partnership between his company and the Marine Institute. “Rutter is delighted to have reached this agreement with the Marine Institute which further strengthens the excellent relationship we've had over the years,” said Edison. “The partnership will allow the crew and students to work with our state of the art equipment and at the same time give our R&D group valuable feedback on the performance of our products.”

MI's School of Ocean Technology aims to undertake pre-commercial, applied research and development in response to the needs of the oceans and marine sector. SOT strives to work collaboratively with the ocean technology community in Newfoundland and Labrador and provide work experience for students and graduates of School of Ocean Technology programs. Activities within the School of Ocean Technology are primarily focused in four key areas: ocean mapping, ocean observing systems, ocean instrumentation and underwater intervention.

The MV Anne Pierce was purchased by the Marine Institute in 2007 and is in the process of being upgraded to a state-of-the-art research and training vessel. Rutter Inc. is an enterprise focused on providing innovative technologies and engineering solutions. Rutter's global network supplies technologies to improve efficiency and safety in the marine, defense, transportation, oil and gas sectors from its headquarters in Newfoundland and Labrador. For more information, visit www.rutter.ca.