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Environmental technology provider, Pacific Environment (ASX: PEH), has tapped into Australia’s growing resource export market by servicing the environmental concerns of Australia’s ports. This move comes as part of a broader strategy to apply their technology solution to niche markets, exercising the full extent of its functionality.
Pacific Environment has identified ports as an opportunity for environmental monitoring solutions because Australia’s growing resource exports (LNG exports alone are expected to triple by the end of the decade) are placing greater pressure on our ports, which in turn increases the environmental hazards such as concentrated smog and dust and the discharge of sewage, bilge water and oil pollution.
EnviroSuite monitors and analyses environmental data in real time through modules distributed around the ports, measuring contaminants in the water and air including noise pollution. This allows ports to measure their environmental impact to meet compliance standards and prevent environmental hazards instead of reacting to them.
Ports are generally located in highly populated areas and potential environmental hazards are a risk to the community. EnviroSuite provides a preventative approach to sustainability and compliance by producing data that would otherwise be unknown and alerting site managers of impending risks using an automated alert system.
“We’ve started applying the EnviroSuite solution to Australia’s ports for a number of reasons, primarily for compliance and risk mitigation,” said Matt Scholl, General Manager of Technologies at Pacific Environment.
“Ports create a series of environmental risks such as dust during materials handling, emissions from cruise ships, noise pollution and contaminated bilge water that can be monitored using our system.
“EnviroSuite then produces data that assists organisations to meet compliance legislation and forecast hazards to reduce overhead costs.
“The solution introduces risk management information that would otherwise be beyond what a port or shipping company has access to and allows decisions to be made before a hazardous event.
“It’s effective in terms of meeting compliance but also in regard to protecting a brand and social licence to operate from a potential catastrophe. It shows the community that shipping organisations take health and safety seriously,” he said.
The successful application of EnviroSuite by port organisations such as the Gladstone Ports Corporation, the Port Authority of New South Wales and Rio Tinto’s Dampier site has contributed to the acceptance of Pacific Environment into Ports Australia, the peak body representing the interests of port and marine authorities in Australia. This follows the acceptance of Pacific Environment into the Australian Petroleum Production & Exploration Association (APPEA).
“Australia is one of the world’s largest exporters of natural resources and because of this shipping ports are a crucial part to the success of Australia’s export industry. As such we are pleased to become partners with Ports Australia and APPEA, said Scholl.
“The partnership with Ports Australia allows us to reach out to all of Australia’s shipping infrastructure market – a great opportunity. They are a proactive industry body that is involved in many of the issues that affect ports and they take environmental issues seriously.
“Our solution has already added great value to our existing clients in ports, and we expect that aligning ourselves with these industry bodies will generate significant interest among others.”
