Inside the National Research Council, Canada (NRC)

Born in Newfoundland and Labrador, Dr. Murrin’s career exhibits a distinct love for ocean engineering. He obtained his ocean and naval architectural engineering undergraduate degree from Memorial University, and work assignments took him to places like Scotland and Germany, after which he entered the oilfield services industry in Texas and New Mexico. That chapter of his life came to an end when he returned to Newfoundland to earn a master’s and Ph.D. in Ocean Engineering, focusing on computational fluid dynamics and vortex-induced vibrations (how structures such as pipelines shake when ocean currents flow around them). Dr. Murrin has now been working for nearly 10 years at the National Research Council Canada (NRC), one of the most important research institutions in all of Canada.

Today, as Director General of the Ocean, Coastal, and River Engineering Research Center at the NRC, Dr. Murrin leads more than 100 researchers in applied research, with the expertise, facilities and experience in developing engineering solutions for harsh marine environments and coastal resilience: it all adds up to make the NRC’s Ocean, Coastal and River Engineering Research Centre (OCRE) uniquely positioned to help Canada mitigate and adapt to the effects of climate change, by helping Canadian companies grow and thrive, and by supporting government to execute its climate mandate.

Unique Facilities

The facilities are indeed one of a kind; as Dr. Murrin explains, “We have comprehensive test facilities in both St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador, and Ottawa, Ontario that address our clients’ needs by providing solutions to complex problems involving marine vessels, structures and environments. In addition, our instrumentation systems deliver precise, accurate results.

For example, we have the world’s largest ice tank in St. John’s. It’s 90m (295 ft.) long. It’s a large facility but also very versatile and an excellent modeling facility. It’s been used to study dozens of challenges, including navigation in Arctic conditions and model tests of ice-structure interactions with temperatures that range to -25°C (-13° F). Essentially, it’s an indoor refrigerated tank facility that helps us simulate realistic Arctic northern conditions. We also have a 200m (656 ft.) towing tank. This tank has a carriage that’s quite fast. It’s fast enough to test high-speed vessels and evaluate the performance of various marine platforms and systems, such as bulk carriers, patrol vessels, icebreakers and submarines.”

Under Dr. Murrin’s leadership, the center focuses its work across four pillars that ensure the focus is on Canadian maritime security, climate change adaptation, and related marine design:

• Resilient shores
• Zero-impact ships
• Safe operations, and
• Secure Canada.

“Given the increasing threat of climate change and the growing need for safe, secure and efficient green transportation in Canada, we continue to focus on protecting Canadian coastal communities and supporting next-generation transportation in Canada,” said Dr. Murrin. “We’ve identified four research pillars. These include Resilient Shores, Zero-Impact Ships, Safe Operations and Secure Canada. For Resilient Shores, this is focused on climate adaptation solutions to mitigate the impacts of weather extremes such as flooding and other environmental factors on shorelines, communities and related infrastructure, including ports and harbors. Our Zero-Impact Ship pillar is focused on helping to achieve the Canadian fleet’s decarbonization and emission reduction targets. With that, we’re collaborating with major Canadian universities and Canadian ferry operators to optimize fuel performance along a given route using machine learning techniques [for example]. Our pillar on Safe Operations is focused on the performance evaluation of ships and platforms and other equipment in harsh environments characterized by ice, wind, rain and fog. A lot of the work under this pillar, which involves physical model testing in our ice tank, towing tank or offshore engineering basin, is done here in St. John’s. Finally, our fourth research pillar, Secure Canada, is focused on supporting the operational readiness needs of the Canadian Armed Forces in the Arctic.”

Partnering with Memorial University

NRC’s collaborative approach is one of its key features. Dr. Murrin underscored the gravity of working with industry, academia and government on maritime research and innovation. An excellent example is NRC’s work with Memorial University and Virtual Marine (VM) on digital twin technology. This partnership is a prime example of leveraging decades worth of data and leading-edge simulation technology to produce high-fidelity models of vessels and their operations. Dr. Murrin holds that the ocean tech sector is poised for substantial expansion. This anticipated growth stems mainly from the ocean’s increasing prominence in global environmental conservation and climate change agendas.

The strategic plan for 2024-2029 issued by the NRC steers the NRC once again toward supporting ocean engineering innovation and toward trying to help make Canada a leader in the blue economy.

“Right now, we’re a supporter of innovation by Canadian companies. We’re uniquely positioned, at the intersection of industry, academia and government. Each year, our scientists, engineers and business experts work closely with thousands of Canadian firms tackling these important problems. We’re helping bring these technologies to market. For decades, we have provided physical testing and numerical analysis for industry and government clients to optimize the design of ships, offshore structures and coastal infrastructure.”

Dr. David Murrin has taken the helm of the NRC, bringing a long and distinguished career in ocean engineering and, most importantly, a set of leadership principles that the marine sector could — and should — look to as a model. When we spoke with Dr. Murrin on MTR’s podcast Deep Dive, we asked him about some challenges he faced during his tenure at NRC. “One of the experiences I’m probably most proud of is the effort we put into building a trusting and collaborative relationship with Memorial University. This relationship is very important to me because of the influence both institutions had on me from my days at the university. I want to ensure that we continue to inspire people to take on the challenge of ocean research and see the value collaboration can bring. One of the strongest collaborations we’ve had over the last little while has been with Memorial University. We collaborate with researchers, hire work-term students, and, in many cases, co-supervise graduates. So, five or six years ago, the NRC launched an initiative to co-locate researchers from both the universities and the NRC to drive research excellence in areas where Canada can excel. These are known as collaboration centers. In June 2019, we successfully opened the Karluk Collaboration Space between OCRE, and Memorial University. The focus here is on increasing our impact in ocean engineering, bringing researchers together, developing highly qualified personnel, and inspiring students to explore the oceans.”

The Karluk Collaboration Space

The Karluk Collaboration Space is named after a brigantine sailing ship christened Karluk, initially used as a whaler. The saga of the Karluk is one of the most ill-fated stories in the record of Arctic exploration. In 1913, the ship was caught in the ice while it was part of a Canadian Arctic expedition. Under the leadership of Newfoundland’s own Captain Bob Bartlett, a well-known explorer of the Canadian Arctic, an ice floe slowly crushed the ship. The crew had no option but to abandon the vessel. After the Karluk sank, the crew established a makeshift camp on the ice. They endured a wait that was hard to fathom, with extreme cold, and scant supplies as they drifted toward the Siberian coastline. The eventual outcome was never in doubt as the ship sank and stranded its crew on the ice. Bartlett and his guide then traveled more than 700 miles to find help for the survivors. The St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador, based Karluk Collaboration Space, is where Memorial University of Newfoundland and the NRC work together in ocean engineering, technology and science. Today, the Karluk remains a symbol of the challenges vessels still face while operating in harsh climates, and of the innovative solutions some of Canada’s top ocean researchers are exploring. The NRC and Memorial University have a long and successful history of working together, and this collaboration is an excellent example of what can happen when leading-edge academic researchers team up with a world-class research and development organization like the NRC.