The Maritime Innovation Week 2022 Hackathon, brought to you in partnership between the 2050 Maritime Innovation Hub at Port of Tyne and the National Innovation Centre for Data, consists of two x two-day, in-person hackathons (spread over four days) aimed at bringing together the most creative, forward-thinking teams of hackers from across the North East in order to explore innovative solutions to some of the port and maritime industry's most pressing problems.

The hackathon will be divided into two distinct challenges, each lasting two days. These challenges are as follows:

1. Decarbonising the Supply Chain (Monday 13th and Tuesday 14th June)

2. Zero Harm (Wednesday 15th and Tuesday 16th June)

More information about each challenge can be found below.

Each team will have the opportunity to sign up for Challenge #1 or Challenge #2 or, if you like, you can even join us for both. Each challenge will be accompanied by some supporting datasets. Teams will have two days to develop innovative, leading-edge solutions which they will present to a panel of expert judges, who will then decide on a winner.

If this sounds like something you and your team would be interested in, sign up to join us at The Catalyst on Monday 13th and Tuesday 14th June (for Challenge #1), and Wednesday 15th and Thursday 16th June (for Challenge #2). Each team will be in with a chance of winning £2,000 in prize money, as well as the opportunity to present their solution before an audience of experts.

Read on to find out more and be sure to sign up ASAP - places are limited!

Challenge #1 - Decarbonising the Supply Chain

Background

The Port of Tyne is the principal northern gateway to the UK. It is the fastest growing port in the North East region and the North Sea, and it plays a key role in their customers’ supply chain.

The Port has set an objective to achieve net zero by 2030. Many of their customers have also set a net zero objective, and the Port is an active partner in working with them to achieve carbon neutral status within their supply chain.

The Port currently reports their carbon footprint annually, with a few high-level operational metrics. They would love to automate their processes and be able to report monthly, and to develop a CO2 KPI that will be the baseline for measuring the impact of their actions to reduce CO2 on their journey to net zero.

The challenge

There are two parts to this challenge:

1. The Port would like to use data to be able to understand their carbon footprint at a more granular level. Ideally, analysis of the data will help identify opportunities to improve operational efficiencies and reduce CO2. It would also be great if this analysis could be interactive and visual.

2. The Port would also like to automate their current spreadsheets and be able to input information and calculate monthly carbon KPIs by area, activity and item of plant, for example.

Both of the above steps will increase managers' and staff's awareness of energy consumption and CO2 emissions in their respective areas, as well as increasing their insight into how their CO2 reduction activities contribute directly to the Port's overall objective of achieving net zero.

The prize

The winning team will receive £2,000 in prize money and will also be given the opportunity to present their solution at Port of Tyne's Innovation Live event on Tuesday 14th June.

Full description and datasets for this challenge will be sent to team members upon registration.

Challenge #2 - Zero Harm

Background

The Port of Tyne currently has over 600 acres of developed and free land available for a wide variety of uses, providing a dynamic trading hub for the North East. To support its operations, the Port also uses its own in-house team of engineers and specialist contractors for mechanical, electrical, civil and construction works.

The Port employs over 320 staff, operating 24/7, 364 days a year from its two sites at Tyne Dock and North Shields. As the Port is also a landlord, at any given time there is a mixture of employees, contractors, tenants, customers and passengers on its site.

Safety is the Port's number one priority, and they are committed to achieving a Zero Harm culture. Staff are encouraged to report near-misses and everyone should feel empowered to 'stop the job' if they feel that they or others are at risk of harm.

The challenge

The challenge is to explore the application of technology and data science techniques on the datasets that will be provided to enhance the Port's understanding of incidents and support data-led actions to improve health and safety performance within the port and maritime industry, so that everyone can go home safe.

Once again, it would be great if the analysis undertaken could be interactive and visual.

Teams might wish to explore the following:

• Data analysis - are there connections within the data that the Port has not identified?
• Identification of trends in incidents/near misses
• Identification of incident 'hotspots'
• Correlation between incidents and time of year, weather conditions, location, etc.
• Predictors of potential incidents
• Potential areas of focus for improvement actions

The prize

The winning team will receive £2,000 in prize money and will also be given the opportunity to present their solution to members of Ports Skills and Safety, the UK's professional ports health and safety membership organisation.

Full description and datasets for this challenge will be sent to team members upon registration.

Agenda

Below is a rough agenda for the two days of each challenge. A full, final agenda will be sent to all registered attendees via email ahead of the event.

Monday 13th June (Challenge #1) + Wednesday 15th June (Challenge #2)

Welcome + scene setting session 9 a.m. approx.

Hacking begins

Lunch

Hacking resumes

Wrap-up 5. p.m. approx.

Tuesday 14th June (Challenge #1) + Thursday 16th June (Challenge #2)

Welcome back 9 a.m. approx.

Hacking resumes

Lunch

Hacking resumes

Presentations + prize-giving 5. p.m. approx.

About the Organisers

Port of Tyne

The Port of Tyne is one of the UK's major deep-sea ports and is the principal northern gateway to the country, with sites at Tyne Dock in South Shields and another in North Shields. The Port of Tyne is also home to the 2050 Maritime Innovation Hub, around which Maritime Innovation Week 2022 is based.

Maritime Innovation Week 2022, which will run from Monday 13th to Thursday 16th June in London and Newcastle, will bring together the most innovative minds from both in- and outside of the maritime industry to provide insights and collaboration opportunities around some of the industry's most pressing issues.

For more information about Port of Tyne, click here. For more information about Maritime Innovation Week 2022, click here.

FAQ

Can my team join the hackathon remotely?

No. This is an in-person hackathon.

Can my team sign up to participate in just one of the challenges, or do we have to sign up for both?

This is entirely up to you, but we'd be happy to have you for both!

Do teams have to consist of people from the same organisation?

No - we encourage collaboration and are happy to welcome mixed teams. Just be sure to let us know via the registration form who is from where.

What is the minimum number of people required to form a team?

The minimum number of people required to form a team is 2.

What is the maximum number of people allowed to form a team?

The maximum number of people allowed to form a team is 6.

Venue Details

• The Catalyst is centrally located in Newcastle upon Tyne: it is a 9-minute walk from Newcastle Central Station and a 7-minute walk from St. James' Metro Station.

• There is plenty of paid-for car parking available nearby, and plenty of secure bike storage on site.

• For more information about the venue, please click here.