TMC Appoints Exxon Veteran Liam Mallon to Board Ahead of Deepsea Mining Push
The Metals Company said on Tuesday it has appointed former ExxonMobil upstream chief Liam Mallon to its board as the company advances plans to begin commercial recovery of polymetallic nodules in international waters under a U.S. seabed mining framework.Here are a few detailsThe move comes as the Trump administration signaled it is nearing approval for permits to mine the deep sea, part of a broader push to boost U.S. access to the critical minerals used across much of the country's economy.The miner in 2025 had asked the Trump administration to approve its plans to mine the internati
ACUA, Forssea Complete Remote ROV-USV Trials
ACUA Ocean and Forssea Robotics have completed trials combining an uncrewed surface vessel (USV) with a remotely operated vehicle (ROV) for fully remote subsea inspection and light intervention operations off Plymouth in the UK.The three-week campaign paired Forssea's 170-kg ARGOS ROV with ACUA's USV Pioneer, completing more than 40 deployments with launches, dives and recoveries commanded remotely from shore.The integration, carried out under a contract with the European Space Agency, included operations in two-meter waves south of the Plymouth breakwater, with no impact on the ROV, according
Fugro Completes Ultra-Deepwater Survey for Petronas
Fugro has completed an ultra-deepwater geohazard site survey for Petronas Carigali's Megah and Limbayong fields off Sabah, East Malaysia, using autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) technology.The offshore campaign ran from June to August 2026 and collected seabed and shallow subsurface data to identify geohazards and support engineering design and field development planning.Fugro deployed its Echo Surveyor 8 AUV from the Fugro Equator, with the AUV operating close to the seabed to acquire high-resolution bathymetric, geophysical and shallow subsurface data.The project marked the application of AUV
Stillstrom Picks Semco for Offshore Charging Equipment
into manufacturing following completion of its design phase.Semco Maritime will manufacture the local equipment room, or local equipment room (LER), which controls power, communications and safety functions across Stillstrom's offshore charging infrastructure.The containerized unit houses the transformer and medium-voltage switchgear used to transfer offshore-generated electricity from a wind farm to a vessel, alongside communications equipment, ventilation and fire safety systems. It is designed to be installed on a monopile or hang-off structure at each charging location.Manufacturing is planned
Walter Dinicola Named WEDA President
Anchor QEA Principal Walter Dinicola, PE, F.ASCE, was named president of the Western Dredging Association (WEDA) at the organization’s 2026 Dredging Summit & Expo in Montreal.Anchor QEA’s national leader for Ports and Waterfront, Dinicola brings more than three decades of experience in dredging, ports and harbors, waterfront infrastructure, dredged material management and beneficial use to the role. He has been on WEDA’s executive board for 10 years and was most recently the organization’s vice president.“I am honored to serve as president of the Western Dredging
SUBCO Announces Three New Subsea Cables
SUBCO announced three new hypercables; APX North, APX East-2 and APX West, cementing demand for new subsea capacity to support AI-driven growth in the region. APX North, a 9,500 km, 24 fiber pair system, will connect Sydney to Japan via Guam. This will be the first hypercable from Australia directly to the interconnection hub of Guam, and the first system to offer direct connectivity between Japan and Australia. Like SMAP, APX North will include switched branching units that allow selected fibre pairs to bypass landing in Guam and operate direct between Australia and Japan.APX East-2 is a 10
Saudi Defense Fund Steps Up Maritime Investment After Houthi Advance
or investors, citing regulations."This is a bet on Saudi sovereignty, and we want Saudis who believe in the sector sharing in the wins," he said.The firm is speeding up collaboration with so-called Prime Original Equipment Manufacturers and startup unicorns "whose connected, autonomous platforms were designed for exactly what is happening in the Gulf and the Red Sea," Zeigler said.He declined to name the companies, citing non-disclosure agreements. The Prime manufacturers term refers to major defence firms such as Lockheed Martin and Boeing.'Maritime is a Priority'MASNA'
Njord Survey Gets Multi-Year RWE’s Offshore Wind Services Deal
;s leading renewable energy companies.“Over the past years our teams have surveyed more than 23 full offshore wind farm areas on behalf of the wider industry, and we believe this latest framework agreement is a clear recognition of that experience. It confirms our position as a trusted partner for the offshore wind industry and lets us keep delivering high-resolution data with precision, safety, and low-emission vessel operations,” said Philip Ljungström, Project Director at Njord Survey.Njord Survey operates a fleet of survey vessels and provides offshore survey services across
Antarctic Krill Discovered Living in Deepsea Hydrothermal Vents
A new paper published in Communications Biology reveals that Antarctic krill, a crucial species that underpins the Southern Ocean food web, use deep-sea hydrothermal vents as a habitat, challenging long-held assumptions about where they live and thrive.For the first time in scientific history, researchers have observed Antarctic krill — all reproductive females — gathering near and feeding at hydrothermal vents, which act as hot springs on the ocean floor, more than 3,000 feet below the ocean’s surface. These findings have significant implications for Southern Ocean marine policy.
August 2026
