GTI to Supply Low Frequency Sources to Scripps
GeoSpectrum Technologies (GTI) announces it will supply the Scripps Institution of Oceanography (University of California San Diego) with two “C-BASS” low frequency sources.This new technology will allow researchers to conduct low frequency acoustic experiments more efficiently and less expensively than previously possible, GTI said. A successful field trial at Seneca Lake last December caught the attention of Scripps, resulting in the purchase.The fully coherent C-BASS are tuned to operate at 34 Hz and are capable of continuous operation. The energy efficient sources are physically
Ashtead Delivers Installation Monitoring Services to Subsea 7
Subsea equipment specialist Ashtead Technology said it has completed a subsea installation monitoring project for Subsea 7 in support of Equinor’s Utgard development, located in blocks 15/8 (NCS) and 16/18a (UKCS) of the central North Sea.The contract, which was awarded by i-Tech Services on behalf of Subsea 7, saw Ashtead’s Deflection Monitoring System (DMS) used to capture critical data required to safely deploy a subsea template in water depths of 110m from Subsea 7’s vessel the Seven Arctic.The DMS monitors structure deflection, heading, pitch, roll, depth and suction at differenti
Mapping the Future
Marine Technology Reporter catches up with Dr. Jyotika Virmani, Ph.D, Senior Director, Shell Ocean Discovery XPRIZE and members of the GEBCO-NF Alumni Team as the conclusion to the $7 Million Shell Ocean Discovery XPRIZE fast approaches.The Shell Ocean Discovery XPRIZE is a global competition challenging teams to advance deep-sea technologies for autonomous, fast and high-resolution ocean exploration. The prize will stimulate even greater exploration and mapping of the ocean floor, helping to uncover our planet’s greatest wonders and resources for the benefit of humanity. The winner will be
L3 Technologies Acquires ASV Global
New York headquartered L3 Technologies said it has acquired unmanned surface vessel (USV) and autonomous vessel control systems company ASV Global, LLC, effective September 20.According to L3, the acquisition enhances its spectrum of unmanned maritime capabilities, including integrated antisubmarine warfare (ASW) solutions, future surface combatant unmanned off-board sensors, and integrated unmanned surface and undersea vessel (USV/UUV) operations. The new company will be known as L3 ASV.“Autonomous capabilities for surface ships and undersea vessels are top priorities for our naval and
Cerberus to Acquire Subsea Communications Business from TE Connectivity
Cerberus Capital Management announced that one of its affiliates has entered into an agreement with TE Connectivity under which Cerberus will acquire TE's Subsea Communications business (SubCom).Headquartered in Eatontown, New Jersey, SubCom is a leading global supplier of subsea communications systems with approximately $700 million in revenue, based on fiscal year 2018 expectations. The business designs, manufactures, deploys, and maintains the subsea fiber optic cable systems that are vital for global communications.To date, SubCom has completed more than 100 cable systems and deployed over 610
MainOne Cable System to Extend to Francophone Region
Undersea communications technology company TE SubCom has secured a contract from connectivity and data center solutions provider MainOne to extend its active submarine cable system into West Africa’s francophone region with two additional branches connecting Senegal (Dakar) and Cote D’Ivoire (Abidjan). These new branches will connect to MainOne’s 7,000km cable system, which extends from Portugal to Nigeria, and will inject new technology that upgrades the system to a potential capacity of 10TBps by November 2019 when the subsea system becomes operational.With this development
Navy Divers to Have Automated Logging from Worn Dive Computers
at sea into a system known as the Dive/Jump Reporting System (DJRS). Manual entries can be time-consuming and allow human error.Enter the Office of Naval Research (ONR) Global TechSolutions program, a rapid-response science and technology program focused on solutions to problems submitted by Sailors and Marines.ONR TechSolutions and industry partners have created a new tool called the Scuba Binary Dive Application (SBDA) 100 to digitally plan, record and report dive-profile information to DJRS. The application will accelerate the process of logging and uploading dive information, and will help eliminate
Forum Tackles Decom Challenges
At its inaugural Collaboration and Innovation in Decommissioning event earlier this month, Decom North Sea brought together more than 110 delegates – from operator and supply chain companies – to focus upon finding solutions to current and future decommissioning challenges.Working with the Oil and Gas Authority (OGA), Decom North Sea constructed a highly interactive day comprising presentations, open forum sessions, networking and one-to-one sessions to maximize delegate engagement resulting in the generation of over 120 potential solutions.Setting the scene, the Oil & Gas Technology
Competitor Preps for XPRIZE Final with 24-hour Sea Trial
on the collaborative approach, Yulia Zarayskaya, training program alumnus and Project Lead, noted that “the skills acquired by the alumni through the data processing development, as well as working alongside team partners and suppliers, puts them at the forefront of rapidly developing autonomous marine operations and the modern processes of transforming data into useful information.”It is hoped that the team’s technology will find wider applications once the XPRIZE is completed, and discussions are ongoing with The Nippon Foundation-GEBCO Seabed 2030 Project to see how this might be
MultiBeam EchoSounder Enables First-of-its-kind Research
, there is a concern that rising ocean temperatures could lead seafloor methane hydrate deposits to dissociate, which would result in a greater volume of methane released in the ocean, and potentially reaching the atmosphere, and therefore causing a high risk for humanity.Scholars at the MARUM Center for Marine Environmental Sciences, University of Bremen, Germany, and the University of Washington in Seattle are working on a project initiated in 2017 called M3, funded by the German Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) that monitors the natural release of methane at the Southern Hydrate Ridge (SHR)
WHOI Hires Harp in Advancement, Marketing Role
The Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) has hired international brand marketing expert Samuel C. Harp as the Institution’s first Vice President for Advancement and Chief Marketing Officer. Harp has spent much of his career in academic, technology, and research institutions and will begin working at WHOI on October 1.Harp most recently served as the Chief Marketing and Communications Officer for the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, where he has worked for more than eight years. Before working at Harvard, Harp worked in marketing, communications, and business development roles at
DNV GL Recertifies Rutter’s Wave and Current Monitoring system
After extensive testing, the sigma S6 WaMoS II Wave and Surface Current Monitoring System was recertified by DNV GL in May of this year. The system was certified compliant with IEC 60945 Ed. 4 (2002-08) maritime navigation and IEC 62288 Ed. 2.0 (2014-07) radio-communication equipment and systems for Wave Monitoring Systems.The sigma S6 WaMoS II Wave and Surface Current Monitoring System provides real-time wave and surface current measurements using standard navigational radars as a sensor. The operator is able to effectively identify environmental conditions and safe operational windows with the help
iSURVEY Completes Industry First Project for Norske Shell
iSURVEY, a provider of survey and positioning services to the global oil and gas, offshore renewables and telecommunications markets, has completed a pioneering project for A/S Norske Shell. The project, which took place last month as part of the operator’s Scarabeo 8 drilling campaign, utilized iSURVEY’s survey support remotely from its Oslo headquarter. This marks the first time remote positioning has been applied for a regular DP drill rig move operation on the Norwegian Continental Shelf.The survey equipment was initially mobilized on board, and then operated from the iSURVEY
5 Minutes with Mike Read, President, Teledyne Marine
Teledyne Marine Group has been a consolidator in the subsea space for more than a decade, today totaling 23 companies. Teledyne Marine’s MTR100 entry is focused on insights on the moves in the market from Mike Read.As we continue to navigate through a historic downturn in the offshore energy sector, can you give us your view of the market? Where you see opportunity in the coming 12 to 24 months?We are optimistic on the health of the marine market across all market sectors over the next 12 to 24 months. Our interconnect and instruments businesses are beginning to see the effects of stabilization
Fundraising Campaign Launched For 10-Year Dolphin Research Project
Dr. Richard Connor, Professor of Biology at the University of Massachusetts, has embarked on a journey to Shark Bay in the western part of Australia where he has studied a wild population of Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphins since 1982.Dr. Connor is the co-Director of the Dolphin Alliance Project (DAP), and President of the nonprofit Dolphin Alliance Project, Inc., which is aggressively seeking donations to continue funding DAP research.The Dolphin Alliance Project’s mission is to learn everything they can about these unique underwater creatures during the Dolphin Decade, an ambitious ten-year
MTR100: The Ones to Watch
is able to transfer 24v DC 1,000 Watt of power across a 0-10mm seawater gap, alongside 100 Mbps Ethernet and serial data transfer. Developed for the subsea market in general, one of its initial goals, in collaboration with NOV, was to increase connection reliability between a blowout preventer and lower marine riser package during subsea well intervention operations. The firm is also gaining traction for its Maelstrom and Fonn connectors. Maelstrom is suitable for data-only or low-power applications, with 24v DC, 50 Watt power transfer and 100 Mbps Ethernet plus serial data transfer, while Fonn offers
Aker Solutions to Supply Umbilicals for Liuhua FPSO
Aker Solutions said it has been contracted to deliver power umbilical systems to China National Offshore Oil Corporation's (CNOOC) Liuhua oil fields in the South China Sea, off Hong Kong.The order, which is said to be worth more than NOK 350 million ($36.6 million), was booked in the third quarter of 2018. The work scope includes more than 35 kilometers of dynamic and static power umbilicals for the Liuhua 16-2, 20-2 and 21-2 fields, linking the subsea development to a new floating production, storage and offloading (FPSO) unit.Power umbilical systems are bundled cable and fiber optic systems
Scientists Map Fast-moving Fault off Alaska
to study the offshore Queen Charlotte-Fairweather fault system in U.S. territory in more than three decades. A similar effort led by the Geological Survey of Canada has been underway along the portion of the fault located in Canadian territory.The 2018 Fairweather survey built on five previous USGS-led marine geophysical and geological surveys between 2015 and 2017 in southeastern Alaska aboard a number of research vessels, as well as two cruises led by researchers from the Geological Survey of Canada, Sitka Sound Science Center and USGS. During these surveys, researchers used an array of instruments
Students Face Off in Underwater Competition
It was an exciting time in San Diego as nearly 50 high school and university teams from around the world made a splash at the 21st International RoboSub Competition at the Space and Naval Warfare Systems Center Pacific Transducer Evaluation Center, July 30 – August 3.The week-long autonomous submarine competition, co-sponsored by the Office of Naval Research (ONR) and the Association of Unmanned Vehicles International Foundation, tested students’ mechanical, electrical, computer and systems engineering skills—as well as their presentation skills and teamwork while competing for cash
Scientists Complete 1700km Autonomous Acoustics Mission
A state-of-the-art technique for mapping and counting schools of fish has been tested on an autonomous marine platform in the North Sea, offering a new method for collecting data on fish stocks.The U.K.’s Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science (Cefas) and U.S. based Liquid Robotics, A Boeing Company, have deployed, tested and recovered a remotely piloted Wave Glider, which was adapted to allow scientists to collect high quality broadband fisheries acoustics data.As part of a multi-vehicle mission under the U.K. NERC/Defra funded AlterEco project, the Wave Glider called Lyra
Drone Boats to Face-Off in Global RobotX Challenge
.The purpose of the challenge is to foster innovation as students develop their skills in systems engineering and autonomous command and control, while collaborating with the engineers and organizations that develop the required sensors and technologies.The WAM-V USV platform, designed and manufactured by Marine Advanced Research, Inc. in Richmond, Calif., is used by every university participating in the challenge. “Lightweight, maneuverable, and easily customized, the WAM-V is the ideal platform for this competition,” says Mark Gundersen, President and CEO of the company. “We’re
Hunting Pipes and Cables at a Lower Cost
A new way to hunt down and survey buried submarine pipelines, energy cables and communication cables, comes as Innovatum teams up their Smartrak magnetic sensor system to a Saab Seaeye Sabertooth autonomous robotic vehicle.As Innovatum’s Smartrak is the smallest survey system of its type, high quality data is now available at a much lower cost.Skimming just two meters off the seabed in shallow turbulent waters - typical of installation sites - Sabertooth is the only autonomous vehicle able to handle the out-rigged Smartrak, whilst its iCON intelligent control system thinks for itself.“I&rsqu
Remote Monitoring System Delivered for The Ocean Cleanup
Subsea technology company Seatools said it has completed the development, manufacturing and testing of a remote offshore monitoring system on behalf of The Ocean Cleanup, a nonprofit organization dedicated to removing plastic from the world’s oceans.The monitoring system is currently integrated into the first-ever ocean cleanup system at The Ocean Cleanup’s assembly yard in Alameda, Calif.In the third quarter of 2018, The Ocean Cleanup’s system will be deployed into the waters between Hawaii and San Francisco. The primary goal of the Pacific trials is to confirm the performance of
TE SubCom to Design and Deploy Google's New Cable System
Undersea communications technology firmTE SubCom, a TE Connectivity Ltd. company, announced it has been selected by Google as the supplier of its Dunant submarine cable system. The four-fiber pair cable system will span over 6,400km and will connect the East Coast of the United States to Europe, adding dedicated capacity to Google’s global network and will enable interconnection to other subsea infrastructure in the region.Sanjay Chowbey, president of TE SubCom, said the Dunant cable system will be built using SubCom’s A1 cable family, which is optimized for projects compatible with higher
Symbiotic Autonomy for Deep Water Survey
Marine technology partners have developed a new long endurance, multi-vehicle, autonomous survey solution.ASV Global (ASV), in partnership with Sonardyne International Ltd., the National Oceanography Centre (NOC) and SeeByte, have delivered a long endurance, multi-vehicle, autonomous survey solution after a two-week trial in Scotland’s Loch Ness. The tests were the culmination of the three-year ‘Autonomous Surface and Sub-surface Survey System’ collaborative project, part-funded by Innovate UK and Dstl, which set out to produce an integrated system to perform low cost, full water
ABB Wins Order for World's Biggest Offshore Wind Farm
ABB has won orders worth more than $150 million from Danish energy company Ørsted to supply technology to transmit wind energy from the 1,400 megawatt (MW) Hornsea Project Two, slated to be the world's largest offshore wind farm.The orders were booked in the second quarter of 2018 and are the first tranche of a global five year frame agreement for the supply of electrical and automation equipment for offshore and onshore wind power connection and integration to the grid, ABB said.ABB will supply its Static Var Compensation (SVC) Light technology with ABB Ability MACH control systems, High
NOC Predicts Increase in Extreme Sea Levels
A new study has predicted that future global warming will lead to an increase in ‘extreme sea levels’, with consequent flood risks to coastal infrastructure and human populations. Extreme sea levels occur through a combination of high tides and extreme weather events, which can generate storm surges and high wind waves. These incidents are intensified by gradual rises in mean sea level and predicted increases in tropical cyclone activity. Researchers have taken all these factors into account to assess future risks of extreme sea levels up until the year 2100. The National Oceanography
Aquabotix to Support U.S. Navy
UUV Aquabotix, an underwater robotics company with operations in Australia and the U.S., announced its agreement to support the U.S. Navy’s Forward Deployed Energy and Communications Outpost (FDECO) program as a member of the Innovative Undersea Prototype Development Consortium (iUPDC).Historically, unmanned underwater vehicle use has been challenged by limitations in endurance and difficulties in transferring data. FDECO’s publicly-stated mission is to seek to prototype a forward deployed, open, scalable and coordinated undersea energy replenishment, data management, and communications
Meet Kraken’s Tentacle Autonomous LARS
From elephant trunks to octopus legs, nature abounds with tentacles that are adept at precise manipulation.At Kraken Robotics, we wanted to see what nature could teach us about better manipulation methods for launching and recovering marine vehicles and equipment. Inspired by the sophisticated feedback loops and dynamic response times found in creatures such as the elephant, octopus and jellyfish—and even the occasional carnivorous plant—we undertook an 18-month research and development program into biomimetic design.Getting into or out of the water is by far the highest-risk operation for
ION, Greensea Ink Joint Marketing Agreement
ION Geophysical Corporation and Greensea Systems, Inc. will work together to provide underwater navigation solutions for manned and unmanned underwater vehicle operators under a new joint marketing agreement.The partnership will aim to accelerate the adoption of ION’s technologies into larger, less cyclic adjacent markets offshore and in the military while providing Greensea with options to integrate ION sensor technology into a growing number of navigation systems. Greensea and ION have already collaborated to integrate ION’s optical magnetic heading sensor into Greensea’s INSpect
Taking UUVs Faster, Further & Deeper
technology approach has ensured faster delivery of UUVs that can range further, while diving deeper, than ever before possible in compact vehicles. With nearly 100 Riptide vehicles delivered to date, the market has clearly indicated it is moving faster as well.(As published in the June 2018 edition of Marine Technology Reporter
Teledyne Benthos Acoustic Modems Meet NATO’s New JANUS Interoperability Standard
by all the NATO Nations.According to a recent CMRE press release, once adopted globally, JANUS can make military and civilian, NATO and non-NATO devices interoperable, providing them all with a common language with which to communicate and arrange to cooperate. Put simply, JANUS is an interoperable marine radio channel 16 for digital underwater communications devices. Over the past several years, the standard has been extensively tested at sea in exercises involving a number of partners (universities, industries and research institutions) covering a range of application scenarios.Ken Scussel, Acoustic
Unmanned Vehicles May Soon Take Up Residency Subsea
infrastructure for resident vehicles, regulation relating to unmanned vehicles, and skepticism and resistance to change. But, with a string of roadmaps in place, from vendors to operators and service providers, resident subsea vehicles are just a matter of time.(As published in the May 2018 edition of Marine Technology Reporter
Deep Ocean Exploration is the 21st Century ‘Space Race’
A new version of the Space Race is happening, with researchers aiming for the deep ocean.Human history has shown us to be a resourceful species, always using the tools available to us to explore, understand and utilize the bounty of resources around us to create a better life. We have come a long way from the stone tools of our ancestors; the tools of today take the form of technology, computers, artificial intelligence and robots which we use very effectively in a number of areas including healthcare, education, transportation, manufacturing and communication. Many of these advances have been made
Powering the Seafloor: Put a Socket in It
is ready and the applications are ready,” says Bugge. Reliability of this equipment will be key, but it’s coming. “It’s early days, but I think this energy revolution at the seabed is coming and it won’t be just for oil and gas.”(As published in the May 2018 edition of Marine Technology Reporter
F21 Torpedo Launch Test from Nuclear Attack Sub
Naval Group performed a new launch of the F21 torpedo in the frame of the Artémis program led by the French Defence Procurement Agency (Direction Générale de l’Armement -DGA). In the medium term, the DGA aims to equip all the French Navy's submarines with this heavy torpedo. This launch was performed early May from a nuclear-powered attack submarine (SSN). The F21 was launched under the authority of the DGA in a DGA Missiles Testing’s underwater acoustic range off the Hyères coast. "This new successful test from a nuclear submarine is part of the F21
Autonomous Vessels: FAU Gets $1.25m for Research
Florida Atlantic University’s College of Engineering and Computer Science has been awarded a $1.25 million grant by the United States Office of Naval Research (ONR) to undertake research in support of autonomous unmanned marine vehicle platforms for coastal surveillance, coastal surveys, target tracking and protection of at-sea assets. The five-year project will entail developing unmanned surface vehicles that serve as “motherships” for unmanned underwater vehicles and aerial drones, thereby enabling multi-vehicle, multi-domain capability that may serve as a mobile coastal monitoring
Remote Acoustic Metrology Put to the Test
An acoustic jumper metrology was conducted using the Sonardyne Connect software in conjunction with 4D Nav’s remote survey system in a joint program between 4D Nav and i-Tech Services. The metrology took place as part of remote survey trials during a Subsea 7 project earlier this year in the Gulf of Mexico.Acoustic long baseline (LBL) data and pressure sensor data were collected at a network operations center (NOC) onshore in Houston. The direct interface to the Sonardyne 6G transceiver (ROVNAV) enabled by the Connect software allowed full control of LBL data collection as well as logging of
TE SubCom Launches Ocean Control Suite
SubCom APIs to good use. They will provide a seamless integration into our Blue Planet Manage, Control and Plan (MCP) domain controller to enable the automated delivery of services across Ciena packet-optical networks, and more programmable management,” said Ian Clarke, vice president, global submarine systems of Ciena
AUV Tracking System Tested in Loch Ness
A collaborative research project called Autonomous Surface and Sub-surface Survey System (ASSSS) aims to deliver an integrated system to provide a means of conducting low cost, shore based, full water column marine surveys using multiple unmanned systems. The project, part funded by Innovate UK, hopes to encourage wider adoption of unmanned systems.The project is being led by a U.K. based developer of unmanned and autonomous marine systems, ASV Global. It combines the advantages of autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs) and autonomous surface vehicles (ASVs) to further data gathering opportunities.
Submarine Excursions Now Available in the Maldives
Relax by the pool, sip a cocktail on the beach, explore the marine environment in a submarine . . .Guests at the Four Seasons Resort Maldives at Landaa Giraavaru are able to go beyond the typical vacation experience with an underwater flight excursion aboard the three-person DeepFlight Super Falcon 3S, a submarine designed specifically for underwater tourism.For $1,500.00 (+12% GST) per flight, a trained submarine pilot will take up to two guests below the surface to explore the beautiful Maldivian waters in DeepFlight Adventures’ newest 8-meter sub. Over the course of an hourlong dive, passengers
Interview: David Millar, Fugro
we not just support, but also actively engage in Seabed 2030. As a global company operating in and on the oceans, our participation is socially responsible, contributes to ocean stewardship and, quite simply, is the right thing to do.It is our belief that Seabed 2030 will not eliminate the need for our marine site characterization services, but rather increase its demand. Only through a comprehensive mapping of the ocean will areas of interest become known, and we fully expect that within those areas of interest, Fugro’s high resolution mapping services will still be required to support our customers&rsq
Efficient Cable Installation Slashes Emissions at Johan Sverdrup
The laying of the cable supplying Johan Sverdrup with power from shore started last week. This helps make the North Sea giant one of the oil and gas fields with the lowest CO2 emissions worldwide.On Wednesday last week the cable-laying vessel NKT Victoria began laying the cables that will supply the Johan Sverdrup field with power from shore.The starting point was the Johan Sverdrup converter station at Haugsneset near Kårstø, and by the end of May the vessel will have laid nearly 200 kilometers of power cables out to the field in the North Sea.Bundled with the power cables, a fiber-optic
New Recommended Practice for Wellhead Fatigue Analysis
DNV GL releases new recommended practice for wellhead fatigue analysis to improve analysis consistency in the industry.The recommended practice(RP) DNVGL-RP-E104 Wellhead fatigue analysis has now been published. This publication is the result of a phase 2 Joint Industry Project (JIP) involving 16 oil companies and supersedes the April 2015 edition of DNVGL-RP-0142.The content of the updated RP provides specific recommendations on how to perform wellhead fatigue analysis in a consistent manner, and how to solve what have been considered as the main challenges related to wellhead fatigue analysis.
US Navy-owned Research Vessel Back in Action
stem to stern, throughout all five of its decks. It received new cleaner and more efficient diesel engines, the latest navigation and ship-positioning systems, as well as sophisticated sonar, allowing it to map the ocean floor in sharper detail and even differentiate between species of fish and other marine life.The Thompson's laboratories were updated to include advanced IT infrastructure to better support scientific data collection and analysis at sea, while also enabling improved real-time communications with shore. Several critical sensor systems also were replaced, providing upgraded scientific
MacArtney: Custom EMO Multiplexer
Upgrading the subsea survey and camera interfaces of an ROV represents the primary purpose of the MUX having been deployed in Singapore. The requirements for reliable transmission of large amounts of data and video from ROVs, ROTVs, ocean observatories and instrumentation packages are contantly being sharpened. Gathering high-quality data from the deep sea is an im¬mense undertaking, which calls for ensuring that multiple sensor and equipment types work in perfect unison and that all data are efficiently transmitted to the surface for analysis. Custom ROV MUX System A custom
Ocean Autonomy: Norway to the Fore
Marine autonomous systems working independently and in connected systems are fast becoming a growth sector within the ocean industry space, including the oil and gas industry.The emergence of new marine autonomous systems appears to be a weekly occurrence. As costs have reduced in numerous areas, from sensors to satellites, some of these systems are also coming within the grasps of ordinary citizens, as well as ocean scientists, looking to unlock the secrets of the deep.Part of the drive for these systems, in the oil and gas industry at least, is to reduce use of manned surface vessels, which are
Liodden Named OBR's Sustainability Director
Oslo Business Region (OBR) has engaged Birgit M. Liodden as Director for Sustainability, Ocean Industries and Communication, with effect of May 2018. Liodden will be responsible for OBR’s activities linked to Oslo as European Green Capital 2019, and implementation of sustainability focus throughout all activities. She will also be responsible for ocean industries – a new area for Oslo Business Region – representing vast opportunities onwards. As part of Oslo Business Region’s strategy, sustainability is a key priority area moving forward. OBR considers the UN
Vernadsky Medal for Boetius
The AWI director, deep-sea researcher and Max Planck group leader Prof. Dr. med. Antje Boetius receives the Vernadsky Medal for her seminal contributions in the field of biogeosciences and her outstanding research on methane metabolism and the marine carbon cycle. The Vladimir Ivanovich Vernadsky Medal has been awarded by the European Geosciences Union (EGU) since 2003 in recognition of the scientific achievements of Vernadsky in mineralogy and geochemistry. It honors scientists for their exceptional contributions in the field of biogeosciences. Antje Boetius is the first female award winner.
Boaty McBoatface Completes First Antarctic Mission
;deep water’ forms near the ice shelf, which is a key driver of global ocean circulation and therefore impacts upon the climate system everywhere on the planet.The PS111 research team involved many different disciplines including oceanography, meteorology, sea-ice physics, bathymetry, geology, and marine biology. Each share an interest in obtaining data from a region that, due to its permanent ice cover, can only be accessed using icebreakers such as the RV Polarstern and AUVs capable of traveling under the ice.This latest mission builds on what Boaty achieved in 2017 when it returned from its first
Riptide Displays Deep-rated UUV at Sea-Air-Space
During Sea-Air-Space in National Harbor, Md., Riptide Autonomous Solutions displayed a new variant of its unmanned undersea vehicle (UUV) product line. This particular vehicle is a deep-rated version to support acoustic telemetry research programs. The deep UUV is rated for 1,500 meters depth but still only 7.5 inches in diameter. Its payloads include CTD, acoustic modem and a custom towed acoustic receiver array. With industry leading low power hotel load this system can still deliver over 48 hours of endurance for field testing. Dan Lawrence, leading the effort for Riptide, noted, “The
Flynn Signs on to Represent EOM Offshore
its strategic position in the U.S. market with the appointment of John Flynn and Flynn Technical Solutions LLC to serve as its representative in the “Hurricane” states. Flynn’s professional background serving as Technical Sales and VP Global Marketing Communications with various marine-related and technological companies will create synergy and momentum for EOM Offshore, the company said. “EOM Offshore’s innovative technologies bring an exciting new capability for increased reliability for data transmission and health management of moored buoy systems to the market
UW’s New Research Vessel Ready for Work
The University of Washington School of Oceanography took delivery of the former R/V Aora last August in Hartlepool, England after purchasing the vessel from a private party. The vessel, renamed R/V Rachel Carson, underwent a drydock maintenance period at MacDuff Shipyard in Scotland and was transported to the Pacific Northwest via two cargo ships. Since the vessel’s arrival at UW on December 28, 2017, UW has been preparing and transforming the former fisheries research vessel into a capable Local Class oceanographic research vessel. R/V Rachel Carson's first research cruise starts
Expanded Underwater Robotics Ready for Oil Spills
(UPCT), 2University of Porto, Underwater Systems and Technology Laboratory (LSTS), 3University of Zagreb, Laboratory for Underwater Systems and Technologies (LABUST), 4University of Cyprus, Oceanography Centre, 5SASEMAR, Spanish Maritime Safety Agency, 6Irish Coast Guards, 7The Scottish Association for Marine Science - SAMS, 8Tallin University of Thechnology - TUT, 9University of Girona - UG, 10University of the Balearic Islands - UIB, 11Norges Teknisk-Naturvitenskatelige Universitet – NTNU, 12Marine Technology Unit CSIC. Tracking in-water oil spills before reaching the surface
ADCPs: Action in OOI's Cabled Observatory
; Sound waves propagate through the water column so echoes are returned and processed from many depths. The vertical range of this collection of measurements - called a profile of ocean current velocities - is greater for lower frequency sound waves. Introduction Thanks to a spirited cadre of marine scientists and engineers, high-tech ocean observatories are now operational. These sites provide a continuous presence in the ocean for sustained and interactive observing. Many combine innovative infrastructure with multi-discipline marine sensors. Installed at various depths, these observatorie
Next Generation AutoNaut USV Unveiled
ideas to the development.” “The versatility of the 5-meter is key,” said Phil Johnston, Business Development. “With so many options for the sensor payload it’s a game-changer in terms of how we can provide solutions for clients, whether in oil and gas, defense or marine science.” See the new 5-meter AutoNaut USV on stand A251 at Oceanology International, ExCeL London, March 13-15, 2018.
L3 OceanServer Unveils Iver PW AUV
L3 OceanServer announced its new Iver Precision Workhorse (Iver PW) autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV). The new Iver PW is the first in a family of highly capable commercial AUVs to address a wide variety of customer missions, including survey research and mapping, sub-surface security, and environmental monitoring. “Undersea missions are evolving, and L3 is uniquely positioned to develop military and commercial solutions using next-generation processing, autonomy and power technologies to enable new capabilities and missions,” said Daryl Slocum, General Manager of L3 OceanServer.
US Navy Submarines Surface in the Arctic Circle
A pair of U.S. Navy submarines recently surfaced in the Arctic Circle as part of multinational maritime exercise north of Alaska. Los Angeles-class fast attack submarine USS Hartford (SSN 768) and Seawolf-class fast attack submarine, USS Connecticut (SSN 22) surfaced in the Arctic Circle March 10 during the multinational maritime Ice Exercise (ICEX) 2018. Both submarines, as well the UK Royal Navy submarine HMS Trenchant (S91), are participating in the biennial exercise in the Arctic to train and validate the warfighting capabilities of submarines in extreme cold-water conditions
Digital Ocean: Making Subsea Data More Easily Accessible
The digital ocean is a reality and U.K.-based digital communications marine technology firm Sonardyne International Ltd is one of the organizations driving innovation to enable the extension of electronic and communications connectivity into the subsea domain. Based on a presentation given by Tom Rooney, Lead Trainer at Sonardyne, at the Digital Ocean conference held in Galway, Ireland in June 2017, this article describes the current state of play in the subsea acoustics and optical communications technology field, presents examples of the many ways these technologies are being applied and considers
An Industry in Change
press releases announcing the launch of new, innovative products. ‘First time ever’ is an almost daily term I encounter within my inbox. There have been hundreds of companies starting up recently in the unmanned space over the last decade, and Hook believes we will continue to see more in the marine sector in the decade to come. Hook said, “There will be a healthy amount of these innovative ideas that are either ahead of their time or got surpassed by something else, so they will drop off. But there is certainly room for more innovation to enter the industry yet. At the
