Marine: Inaugural Site Investigation Award Tops Off Conference

The Society for Underwater Technology’s (SUT) 9^th International Offshore Site Investigation (OSIG) Conference “Innovation Geotechnologies for Energy Transition” held last week (12-14 September) at Imperial College London, saw the award of the inaugural Mick Cook Award for Significant Contribution to Marine Site Investigation and Characterisation to Tor Inge Tjelta, who received a prize of £1000, a trophy and a certificate. The conference attracted over 600 delegates from 35 countries and featured 250 papers presented over the three days with Tor Inge Tjelta speaking at the packed Conference Dinner at the Natural History Museum.

Tor Inge Tjelta’s response several days after accepting the Award still demonstrated his surprise: “Thank you all for this nomination and award. It will, perhaps more than anything, continue to inspire me for the future. It came as an utter surprise and I’m completely stunned, and speechless. Thank you!”

Tor Inge Tjelta’s Mick Cook Award recognises his many creative contributions to offshore site investigations and geotechnical engineering. The SUT’s Award panel appreciated first his integrated geological, geophysical and geotechnical approach for complex settings ranging from hazardous Caspian Sea conditions to the Dogger Bank glaciotectonic sequences.

The panel noted additionally his pioneering role in advancing sampling, in-situ and laboratory testing techniques, his fundamental role in developing deep skirted Gravity Base solutions and his effective championing of suction caisson pile technology. The Panel also applauded his exemplary role in proving these novel developments through instrumented field testing and monitoring, and advanced analysis.

The Award will be run annually and is open to all working in the field of marine site investigations and characterisations globally. The call for nominations for the 2024 award will open in June 2024. The 10^th OSIG Conference will be held in 2027 – in years without an OSIG Conference the Mick Cook Award will be made at the SUT’s AGM in early December.