May 12, 2021 · Moncton, New Brunswick · Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency (ACOA)
The grand prize winner of the Hull Design Efficiency Challenge is charting a course for a greener, more prosperous inshore fishing industry with the help of a $500,000 contribution from the Government of Canada.
Grand prize winner announced
The Honourable Bernadette Jordan, Minister of Fisheries and Oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard, today announced that St. John's, NL-based TriNav Marine Design Inc. was selected as the grand prize winner of a $500,000 non-repayable contribution through the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency's (ACOA) Regional Economic Growth through Innovation (REGI) program. The funding will enable the company to build and field-test a prototype of its winning design.
Minister Jordan made the announcement on behalf of the Honourable Mélanie Joly, Minister of Economic Development and Official Languages and Minister responsible for ACOA.
The Hull Design Efficiency Challenge - a joint initiative of ACOA and Impact Canada - was launched in July 2019 to encourage Atlantic Canadian boat builders and designers to come up with innovative fishing boat hull designs to reduce fuel use and greenhouse gas emissions.
ACOA also partnered with the National Research Council of Canada's Ocean, Coastal and River Engineering Research Centre in St. John's to provide scientific and technological expertise to test and validate the applicants' proposed solutions.
The Hull Design Efficiency Challenge demonstrates the Government of Canada's commitment to help companies develop innovative, clean energy solutions to support the growth and prosperity of Atlantic Canada's ocean economy.
Quotes
"ACOA's Hull Design Efficiency Challenge is a striking example of how the Government of Canada is working with industry to ignite innovation in a traditional sector. By creating conditions that encourage out-of-the-box thinking, we're creating an environment for building a greener and more prosperous future for Atlantic Canadians."
- The Honourable Mélanie Joly, Minister of Economic Development and Official Languages and Minister responsible for ACOA
"A big congratulations to TriNav Marine Design Inc. the grand prize winner of the Hull Design Efficiency Challenge. Your team excelled in the competition by creating a fishing boat design that will reduce fuel use and greenhouse gas emissions for fishing boat owners, helping Canada on the path to net-zero emissions by 2050. Our government is committed to funding these innovative projects as we fight climate change and work towards a sustainable and prosperous blue economy from coast to coast to coast."
- The Honourable Bernadette Jordan, Minister of Fisheries, Oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard
"Congratulations to TriNav Marine Design on winning the ACOA Hull Design Efficiency Challenge. The goal of Impact Canada is to find creative solutions to issues facing Canadians and their communities. These challenges reward the best and brightest ideas from Canadian innovators and help create real-world change, like reducing operating costs for boat owners and making the environment cleaner for everyone."
- The Honourable Dominic LeBlanc, President of the Queen's Privy Council for Canada and Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs
"The National Research Council of Canada is proud to have contributed to the ACOA Hull Design Efficiency Challenge by sharing our expertise and unique facilities in St. John's to evaluate, build, and test the semi-finalists' hull designs. Supporting innovative research and development focused on sustainability is one of the ways the NRC is working towards a greener future."
- Mitch Davies, President, National Research Council of Canada
"On behalf of all my colleagues on the Selection Jury, I would like to congratulate TriNav Marine Design Inc. for winning this challenge. Their submission combined an energy efficient hull design with a credible go-to-market plan. The inshore sector, with nearly 14,000 registered vessels, is a significant contributor to the economic well being of rural Atlantic Canada. The operation of more efficient vessels will lower Canada's greenhouse gas emissions, lower operating expenses and make the industry's products more attractive to leading customers."
- Henry Demone, Chair of the Hull Challenge Selection Jury
"TriNav Marine Design would like to congratulate all of the participants and finalists in the Hull Design Efficiency Challenge. When our company became aware of this challenge, we knew that with our history and years of experience providing a very diverse list of services to the Eastern Canadian fishing industry, we had to participate. We would like to thank Impact Canada, ACOA, the NRC and the evaluation jury for recognizing the importance of energy efficiency and reducing emissions, as well as their appreciation for the importance of the fishing industry in Atlantic Canada. I would personally like to thank our team of Naval Architects who helped create the E-FINN hull design; their knowledge, as well as their hands-on experience in the fishing industry was very valuable. TriNav Marine Design looks forward to further developing the E-FINN hull and completing our design. Our company has a passion for the fishing industry, and we are proud to be the winners of this very interesting challenge."
- Rick Young, Director, TriNav Marine Design
Quick facts
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ACOA received 19 submissions from across Atlantic Canada to the Hull Design Efficiency Challenge, which narrowed the field to eight semi-finalists and then three finalists through a series of scored evaluations overseen by an impartial selection jury.
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Submissions were evaluated on their merits for presenting a strong business case and demonstrating design innovations aimed at increasing fuel efficiency and reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
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Budget 2021 proposes $700 million over three years (starting in 2021-22), for Regional Development Agencies like ACOA to support business financing to position local economies for long-term growth by transitioning to a green economy, fostering an inclusive recovery, enhancing competitiveness, and creating jobs.
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TriNav Marine Design Inc. is part of the TriNav Group of Companies, an established consulting firm with offices throughout Atlantic Canada and has been providing services to the marine industry for 27 years.
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The fisheries industry in Atlantic Canada is valued at more than $3 billion and sustains thousands of jobs in rural and coastal areas of the region.
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There are nearly 14,000 fishing boats under 45 feet currently licensed in Atlantic Canada.
Canadians can play a role in the development of the Blue Economy Strategy by letting their views be known on discussion questions of topics of interest to them through an online engagement process that will be open until June 15, 2021.
