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An anchor for a strong economy in Newfoundland and Labrador
Ocean technology in St. John’s is an industry-led, highly profitable enterprise that accounts for 25 percent of Newfoundland’s GDP. A vibrant and highly innovative cluster, the St. John’s community comprises more than 50 of the province’s many ocean technology companies and has grown by 18 percent every year since 2004.
The cluster has evolved into a focal point for Canada's ocean technologies industry. It contributes established networks and builds new alliances that support the industry's considerable contribution to our national economy.
In Newfoundland, the provincial government has projected that the ocean technology sector may surpass the fishery sector as the largest non-oil industry within 10 years. Today, 90 percent of world trade in goods travels by sea. There is every reason to believe, as fossil fuels become increasingly expensive, that this number will rise.
Commercialization and technology transfer
The St. John’s cluster has prospered in recent years in part because of dynamic and growing young companies such as Virtual Marine Technology (VMT) and Mad Rock Marine Solutions Inc. Both companies are spin-offs of NRC’s Institute for Ocean Technology (NRC-IOT).
VMT is a global provider of small craft training simulators that combine advanced sensory information with specially tailored curriculum to ensure trainees are prepared for all types of situations. The technology reduces risks to trainees during training and in actual emergency situations.
Mad Rock Marine Solutions has won international recognition for its innovative lifeboat release hook system, the RocLoc. In a period of just nine months, Mad Rock has won four major awards for its work.
Partnerships and collaborations
Supported by government at all levels, including NRC-IOT, the cluster collaboratively established in 2005 an organization called Oceans Advance to align the community’s diverse interests. The organization is tasked with positioning St. John’s as an international centre for ocean technology and ensuring that the cluster remains a leader in global markets.
An increasingly important element of the cluster’s research effort relates to emerging needs such as improving navigation in Canada’s Arctic areas. Arctic navigation is closely linked to issues of Canadian sovereignty as well as environmental protection in the area. NRC-IOT and its cluster partners have the expertise to collaboratively drive technology solutions for this challenge.
International networks and linkages
The ocean technology cluster companies are linking with similar organizations in the U.S. and Europe to come up with strategies and innovations for developing ocean observing systems. Such systems are critical to predicting and solving potential problems related to ocean events.
Following an Israel-Newfoundland and Labrador ocean technology initiative in June 2006, the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador, Oceans Advance, NRC and others created a graphical cluster map for the ocean technology sector. The map has been a valuable planning and marketing tool that shows the growth and diversity of the ocean technology sector in Newfoundland and Labrador.
Learn more about St. John's ocean technology cluster
Fact sheet available in HTML or PDF version.
Related Information
NRC Institute for Ocean Technology (NRC-IOT)
