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Bluefin Robotics on the Hunt for MH370
When Malaysian Airlines flight 370 disappeared on March 8, 2014 with 239 souls aboard, so began an aviation disaster and mystery. While a collaborative effort continues to hunt for clues in some of the world’s most remote, hostile and uncharted ocean environments, the subsea industry – and more specifically the AUV sector – has garnered international headlines, as Phoenix International, under contract to the U.S. Navy, has deployed its Bluefin 21 Artemis AUV in the search.
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MTR April 2014: Editor's Note
While the Offshore Oil & Gas markets continue to push further from shore in ever-deeper waters, the need for proven technology to work more efficiently in increasingly hostile and unfamiliar environments grows in tandem. And while growth in the energy sector continues to energize multiple markets, it is worthy to note that there are a few looming clouds on the horizon of this traditionally cyclical market.
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The Crowley Way
Walk in the front door at Crowley Maritime Corporation HQ in Jacksonville, Fla., and you learn nearly everything you need to know about the company. With your visitor’s badge, you are handed a “Safety and Evacuation” brochure, and the person you are there to meet – in our case Tom Crowley, Jr. – walks down to greet you personally. Safety and People; The Crowley Way. The rest is just details. Crowley Maritime was founded in 1892 by Thomas Crowley in San Francisco.
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Five Minutes with Hydroid President Duane Fotheringham
Earlier this year Duane Fotheringham took over as the president of Hydroid, replacing industry icon Chris von Alt. MTR caught up with Fotheringham recently for his insights on the direction of the company on his watch. Please provide a brief personal and professional background. My background is in engineering, graduating with a degree from Washington State University in electrical engineering. After graduation…
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Contribute Now to MTR's "OI '14" Edition
The March 2014 edition of Marine Technology Reporter will distribute at Oceanology International 2014 in London, the world's largest and most influential exhibition for the subsea space. If you have a new product you plan to debut at OI '14 ... or you simply want to share details of your exhibition with our readers ... the editorial staff is currently collecting information for this edition. Participation is easy…
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UTV1200 Operationally Ready in New Year
Pharos Offshore acquired an SMD built 1200HP cable burial tool in July 2013, since then the vehicle has undergone extensive modifications that have enhanced the configuration to provide a more effective post lay/ installation burial vehicle. Modifications to the vehicle have been made at the Tees Offshore Base, in Middlesbrough. The UTV1200 has a combination of jetting tool packages to meet client requirements where the jetting assembly has been relocated within the core vehicle frame…
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Shell Stops Work on GOM Gas Project
Royal Dutch Shell plc announced that the company will not move forward with the proposed 140,000 bpd Gulf Coast gas-to-liquids (GTL) project in Louisiana. Shell is a leader in GTL technology, and the company said it has evaluated a number of development options for GTL on the US Gulf Coast, using natural gas feedstocks. Despite the ample supplies of natural gas in the area, the company has taken the decision that GTL is not a viable option for Shell in North America…
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EOD Orders $8m in Seabotix ROVs
Bolt Technology Corporation (Nasdaq:BOLT) announced that SeaBotix Inc., its San Diego based underwater robotics vehicle systems unit, received orders totaling in excess of $8,000,000 from the Explosive Ordinance Disposal (EOD) groups of the United States Navy. The robotic vehicles are scheduled to be shipped prior to March 31, 2014.
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One-on-One with SMAST’s Steven E. Lohrenz
MTR had the opportunity to visit with many colleagues at the recent Oceans2013 MTS/IEEE San Diego conference. Among them was Steve Lohrenz, Dean of the School for Marine Science and Technology at the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth. Steve was there to chair the session on Marine Education and Outreach and to promote the new Professional Science Master’s in Coastal and Ocean Administration, Science and Technology. Steve explained the program in more detail to MTR.
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Baltic Wind Success Paves Way for Ecosse
Ecosse Subsea Systems (ESS) has completed a $7.5m boulder clearing and pre-lay trenching project which it claims has been one of the most successful ever conducted for the wind energy sector. As subcontractor to Siem Offshore Contractors (SOC), the Banchory-based subsea specialist completed 86 boulder clearing passes followed by 172 first and multi-passes over a 90km route during a 13-week boulder clearing and trenching campaign on the EnBW Baltic 2 offshore wind farm project.
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SOFEC Completes at Texas Shipyard CALM Buoys
Gulf Copper’s Port Arthur facility earlier this year completed a unique 10-month project to build the three massive buoys for SOFEC, buoys which will be used to offload liquid product such as diesel or gasoline in places lacking deepwater ports. In total Gulf Copper received two separate contracts to build a total of five CALM buoys (3 and 2), for SOFEC. The order is of particular interest from the yard’s view as they are a new line of business for the company.
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Meet The "Teledyne Twelve”
Teledyne Marine has steadily built an armada of technologies and brands serving nearly every facet of the subsea sector through systematic acquisition, investment and organic growth. Recently MTR solicited the insights of a quartet of executives representing the various brands to discuss the evolution and future direction of the Teledyne Marine brand. Executives offering insights included Bill Kikendall…
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Editor's Note
Brazil takes center stage of this edition of Marine Technology Reporter, our Annual Offshore edition.While many of you are already active or actively pursuing opportunities in Brazil’s subsea business, the country remains a conundrum for many, as the process to establish a business there is often long, arduous and expensive. Here and around the world, the offshore energy business has been a major driver of the world economic recovery.
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Ready for Launch: MTN Nexus Targets high-volume Cruise Market
MTN Satellite Communications launched MTN Nexus, a next-generation comms network billed as a hybrid that integrates it with new terrestrial wireless technologies as well as sophisticated computing, powerful processing and specialized optimization. Targeting the high volume cruise sector, MR thought an apt time to sit down with CEO Errol Olivier to discuss Nexus and its relevance to communications at sea. We understand you are a maritime satcom industry veteran.
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A USV Franchise Grows Strong in Abu Dhabi
As the evolution and integration of robotics in maritime vehicles continues to reshape missions and capabilities inland, near-shore and at sea, Maritime Reporter & Engineering News last month was on hand in Abu Dhabi for the unveiling of a new Unmanned Surface Vessel family. If it delivers as designed, it will revolutionize marine robotic vehicle applications for both military and commercial purposes. Robert J.
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New "Robot Boat" Family Debuts in Abu Dhabi
Today Al Seer Marine and 5G International announced the introduction of a new family of unmanned surface vessels, a family ranging from the 3m Sea Serpent to the 11m monohull Eclipse. The USV family is designed to rapidly penetrate a vibrant Middle East defense market and to offer affordable, dependable USV options for commercial operations. Eclipse, the top-of-class 11-m monohull. While USV technology is surely not in its infancy…
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Five Minutes with Kevin Lord, Chet Morrison Contractors
In conjunction with the Underwater Intervention exhibition MTR set forth to find an excellent source to speak in the first person on the diving industry, and more specifically the balance today between deploying man and machine. Kevin Lord is the Subsea Operations Manager within the Marine Construction Division of Chet Morrison Contractors. He began his commercial diving career in the Gulf of Mexico after serving four years in the United States Navy.