Program
Sunday, July 13, 2025
19:00 – 21:00
Registration Hotel and Rooms
Icebreaker – Emera Centre – Signal Hill Campus Memorial University
Join us for the POAC 2025 Icebreaker Reception on Sunday, July 13, from 7:00 to 9:00 p.m. at the beautiful Emera Centre in St. John’s. This opening evening event sets the tone for the week ahead, offering a warm Newfoundland welcome with great food, lively entertainment, and plenty of opportunities to connect.
Whether you’re catching up with familiar faces or making new connections, the Icebreaker is the perfect chance to mix, mingle, and network in a relaxed atmosphere. Overlooking the charming cityscape of old St. John’s, the Emera Centre provides a stunning backdrop for an unforgettable start to POAC 2025.
Monday, July 14, 2025
7:00 – 16:00
Registration: Sheraton Pre-Function Salon A&B
7:00 – 8:00
Breakfast Pre-Function Salon A&B
8:30
Welcome and Opening Plenary Salon A&B
10:00 – Refreshments
Pre-Function Area Salon A&B
10:30
Session 1A
Clean Arctic Shipping & Ship Structures
Session 1B
Offshore Wind & Renewable Energy
Session 1C
Remote Sensing
12:00 – 13:00 – Lunch
Salon A&B
13:30
Session 2A
Floating Offshore Structures
Session 2B
From Research to Regulations & Standards
Session 2C
Indigenous Perspectives
15:00 – 15:15 – Refreshments
Pre-Function Salon A&B
15:30
Session 3A
Fixed Offshore Structures
Session 3B
Offshore Wind
Session 3C
Ship Performance in Ice
Boat Ride
Gatherall’s Puffin and Whale Watching
Newfoundland’s more than ice and ideas — it’s whales, puffins, and boatloads of wonder !
You didn’t really come all the way to Newfoundland just for a conference, did ya?
Attending POAC 2025 and want a true Newfoundland experience?
To reserve, simply visit https://bookeo.com/gatheralls/?promotion=POAC2025 and select Marine Wildlife tour option, select the number of persons (respective categories) in the booking and the date & tour time (any public departure from July 12th – 19th). This link will bring you directly to the booking page and make sure you use our exclusive code POAC2025 to make memories on the sea !
Tuesday, July 15, 2025
7:00 – 16:00
Registration: Sheraton Pre-Function Salon A&B
7:00 – 8:00
Breakfast Pre-Function Salon A&B
8:30
Welcome and Opening Plenary Salon A&B
10:00 – Refreshments
Pre-Function Area Salon A&B
10:30
Session 4A
Remote Sensing
Session 4B
Ice Mechanics
Session 4C
Offshore Geotechnical Engineering
12:00 – 13:00 – Lunch
Salon A&B
13:30
Session 5A
Marine Safety
Session 5B
Ice Management
Session 5C
Pipelines & Subsea Infrastructure
15:00 – 15:15 – Refreshments
Pre-Function Salon A&B
15:30
Session 6A
Numerical Modelling of Ice
Session 6B
Ship Navigation in Ice
Session 6C
Environmental Modelling
Gala Banquet @ The Rooms
POAC 2025 Gala – Banquet at The Rooms
We are delighted to invite all POAC 2025 attendees to a special Gala Banquet on Tuesday, July 15 from 6:30 – 9:30 p.m. at The Rooms, a landmark cultural centre overlooking the heart of historic St. John’s. This elegant evening will be a highlight of the conference, offering a perfect blend of exceptional cuisine, lively entertainment, and warm East Coast hospitality.
As you dine, enjoy sweeping panoramic views of St. John’s Harbour, the dramatic cliffs of Signal Hill, and the colourful row houses nestled in The Battery—scenery that’s as iconic as the city itself. The Rooms provides a stunning backdrop for an evening designed to celebrate connections, foster networking, and showcase the vibrant culture of Newfoundland and Labrador.
This is more than just dinner—it’s a chance to relax, recharge, and connect with colleagues and new friends in a truly unforgettable setting. Whether you’re catching up with old collaborators or forging new partnerships, this is an evening you won’t want to miss.
Transportation will be provided from the Sheraton Hotel (our host venue) beginning at 6:15 p.m. for your convenience. Details will be available in the program booklet.
Wednesday, July 16, 2025
7:00 – 16:00
Registration: Sheraton Pre-Function Salon A&B
7:00 – 8:00
Breakfast Pre-Function Salon A&B
8:30
Welcome and Opening Plenary Salon A&B
10:00 – Refreshments
Pre-Function Area Salon A&B
10:30
Session 7A
Offshore Newfoundland and Labrador
Session 7B
Numerical Modelling
Session 7C
Arctic Policies
12:00 – 13:00 – Lunch
Salon A&B
13:30
Session 8A
Offshore Safety
Session 8B
Machine Learning & Artifical Intelligence
Session 8C
UAVs & Underwater Noise
15:00 – 15:15 – Refreshments
Pre-Function Salon A&B
15:30
Session 9A
Climate Change & Environmental Modelling
Session 9B
Icebergs and Ice Islands
Session 9C
Cold Regions Port & Coastal Infrastructure
Thursday, July 17, 2025
POAC’25 Facility Tours
Join us on Thursday, July 17, 2025, for an exciting day of facility tours showcasing world-leading research, innovation, and training facilities right here in St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador. POAC 2025 participants will have the opportunity to visit several premier institutions driving advancements in Arctic, marine, and harsh environment research.
This is a unique chance to experience firsthand why St. John’s is recognized globally as a hub of world-class research and innovation.
Our first stop will be C-CORE, an internationally recognized organization specializing in ice engineering, remote sensing, and harsh environment technologies. C-CORE’s innovative research supports industries and governments around the world in addressing the unique challenges of cold regions.
The tour continues at Memorial University’s Faculty of Engineering and Applied Science, Large Double Pendulum Impact Apparatus (LP)
This LP apparatus is a self-reacting impact apparatus (meaning it doesn’t transfer impact force to the floor or building) used to impact full-scale pieces of ship hull structures with ice or rigid indenters. This apparatus has also been used with NRC-OCRE’s proprietary ice sensing systems to investigate pressures developed during ice impacts. The LP consists of two carriages each weighing approximately 5 tons. Each carriage is raised and held in place by electromagnets, and when released simultaneously, can achieve a closing speed of up to 7.4m/s (26km/h) with an impact energy of up to 65kJ and impact forces exceeding 1MN (112 tons). This apparatus is helping understand the operational capabilities of ships in ice.
Next up it’s the National Research Council’s Ocean, Coastal and River Engineering (NRC OCRE) – St. John’s facility. Here, you’ll experience some of the world’s most advanced ice and wave tank testing environments, supporting cutting-edge research for safe and sustainable operations in ice-covered and challenging marine environments
Our final stop will be the H.E.R.F. facility The Harsh Environment Research Facility is a new research facility at Memorial University of Newfoundland (MUN) in St. John’s, NL. It aims to advance research in harsh environments, particularly in the areas of ocean technology, energy, and shipping. HERF will enable the university to conduct large-scale testing and research, simulating harsh ocean conditions like icebergs, sea ice, waves, and freezing precipitation.
Don’t miss this incredible opportunity to gain firsthand insights into the world-class research and technology leadership that Newfoundland and Labrador offers. The tours will provide unparalleled networking opportunities with researchers, innovators, and industry leaders shaping the future of operations in Arctic and harsh environments.