Four HUGIN AUVs for the Indian Navy
Kongsberg Maritime sold four HUGIN AUV systems to the Indian Defense Public Sector shipyard Garden Reach Shipbuilders & Engineers Limited (GRSE), located in Kolkata, India. This sale was conducted in collaboration with Kongsberg Maritime India, a subsidiary of Kongsberg Maritime.The purchase, which also includes HiPAP 502 high-accuracy acoustic positioning and communication systems to support AUV operations, will be installed on the four Large Survey vessels currently in build for the Indian Navy. GRSE Chairman and Managing Director Rear Admiral (Ret’d) Vipin Saxena said: “We are
Subsea Technology and the New Routes to Residency
Efforts to increase remote capability often go hand in hand with increasing ROV residency. But exactly what form residency takes is diverging. Elaine Maslin takes a look.Dial back the clock five years and there was a movement towards an idea dubbed subsea resident remotely operated vehicles (ROVs). The idea, in simple terms, is that you increase ROV availability and reduce cost and carbon emissions by having the vehicle permanently based subsea in underwater garages. A number of vehicles could even cover a cluster of fields, potentially with different owners who can dial up, on demand, a vehicle when
Vehicle Launch: Riptide UUV-12 takes BAE Systems into Medium UUV Sector
BAE Systems unveiled the newest addition to its unmanned undersea vehicle (UUV) portfolio, the RiptideTM UUV-12, a 12-inch diameter vehicle is the company’s entry into the medium UUV market.“The Riptide UUV-12 system significantly extends the Riptide family of UUVs by taking us into the medium UUV market,” said Jeff Smith, chief scientist at BAE Systems’ FAST Labs research and development organization. “With this medium-size platform, we are strategically aligning our modular, open architecture-based UUV platform to meet rapidly expanding applications and requirements.
Charting Terradepth's Big Ambitions in the Unmanned Vehicle Space
Kauffman, with a mission to increase seafloor mapping rates economically and to create a business based on the data it gathers.Terradepth CEO Joe Wolfel.An ocean data challengeTheir focus came from personal experience, specifically the collision of the USS San Francisco – a nuclear powered submarine – with a seamount at flank speed in 2005. While they were deployed in Iraq at the time, it was big new. “How does the US navy not know there's a mountain underwater? That idea stuck in our heads,” explains Wolfel. They did a little digging and discovered that 70% of the earth
Inspired by Adélie penguins, EvoLogics Presents its new PingGuin AUV
EvoLogics recently introduced PingGuin, an autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) with low-drag bionic design. The vehicle was developed as part of the MUM (Modifiable Underwater Mothership) collaborative R&D project and was first demonstrated in Kiel, Germany, in June 2020.Outstanding hydrodynamic properties of a penguin’s body became the starting point for the AUV design within the NaviMUM subproject, assigned to EvoLogics. One of the EvoLogics co-founders, Dr. Rudolph Bannasch studied Adélie penguins and the effectiveness of their locomotion since the 80s, undertaking several field
Ocean Startup Challenge Shortlists 31 Companies for Prize
the shortlisted companies having ocean technologies in the earliest stages of development,” said Don Grant, Executive Director, Ocean Startup Project. “Another 19 shortlisted companies applied with working prototypes.”The shortlisted solutions involve environmental monitoring, reducing marine mammal entanglement in fishing gear, artificial intelligence, autonomous vehicles, technologies to reduce corrosion and biofouling, networks of sensors and analysis tools, sustainable bait alternatives, vision systems, underwater communications and IoT networks, value-added by-products, fish health
Teledyne CARIS AI Software Used in Uncrewed Offshore Survey
Teledyne CARIS, a Teledyne Technologies company, said it was an integral part of the team involved in a recent uncrewed offshore survey mission in the Atlantic Ocean. Teledyne CARIS’ Mira AI and CARIS Onboard software were present on the vessel to enable autonomous survey and real-time processing operations.The mission’s uncrewed surface vehicle (USV) built by SEA-KIT mapped over 1,000 square kilometers of the ocean floor in 22 days, while being continuously monitored via satellite communications at its Remote Operations Center in Essex, U.K. A specialized team comprised of the GEBCO-Nippon
Blue Logic Wins ONS Award for Subsea Docking Station for ROVs
Underwater technology company Blue Logic has won the Innovation Award 2020 from Norway's ONS, for the development of an open-standard subsea docking station for underwater vehicles.The award, given in the small and medium-sized enterprises category, was awarded on September 1, during ONS 2020 Digital, this year's variant of ONS, as the main event had to be canceled due to COVID-19.According to Blue Logic, its seabed installed docking station enables underwater vehicles or drones to be permanently deployed subsea by providing access to power for charging and communications, for upload/download
R&D: Robotics Advances Inside the ORCA Hub
Many of the more advanced mechanics of robotic systems are being developed as part of the Offshore Robotics for Certification of Assets (ORCA) Hub in Edinburgh. It’s a publicly funded project led by the Edinburgh Centre for Robotics (Heriot-Watt University and the University of Edinburgh), in collaboration with Imperial College London and the Universities of Oxford and Liverpool. We spoke with some of their specialists.First of all, what is robotics? Does that include remotely operated vehicles and autonomous underwater vehicles, for example?David Lane, Professor of Autonomous Systems Engineering
Robotics: Autobots Transform in the Offshore Energy Sector
Robots and robotics have slowly been entering our lives, in various shapes and forms (and fictional characters), from self-driving household vacuum cleaners to highly automated manufacturing systems. Now they’re heading for the offshore world – in just as many shapes and forms.There could be a lot to gain from robotics, but platforms and offshore wind turbine structures are also very challenging places to put them on. For oil and gas, key drivers are around safety and cost . For the offshore wind sector, the sheer volume of structures being installed is driving a push for robotic systems
The Troubled History of Protecting Marine Assets
The history of protecting marine assets is a tale of endless perseverance. From the moment humans have put infrastructure in the water, it has been damaged by other humans. Despite incredible advances in technology and installations, incidents still occur at an unacceptable rate. The types and volume of marine assets have exploded since the 1850s when the first submarine telegraph cables were laid. Today oceans, seas and lakes are the home of thousands of cables, tens of thousands of miles of subsea pipes, and countless underwater storage tanks. Above surface, assets are also still at a surprising
Arctic Rays Debuts New Submersible Monitoring System
Arctic Rays, LLC has launched a compact submersible monitoring system for use in 1 atmosphere pressure housings.Designed specifically for manned submersible battery pods and electronics housings where immediate detection of leaks is critical, the monitoring system is suited for other applications as well.The 90.5mm x 51mm x 19mm single-board system monitors for ground faults, leaks and includes on-board barometric pressure, temperature and humidity sensors. The ground fault system monitors both poles of two independent DC busses up to 350V. The leak detection system can monitor up to eight
Sea-Kit's Uncrewed Surface Vessel Ends 22-Day Offshore Mission
on the successful completion of the USV's remote survey operations campaign, Ivar de Josselin de Jong, Director Remote Inspection at Fugro said: "This proof of concept is exciting and confirms Fugro made the right choice to partner with SEA-KIT to develop a range of USVs that will transform the marine industry.” Fugro Orders Two SEA-KIT USVsPeter Walker, Director of Technology at SEA-KIT, said:"We are on track with our strategy of leading the development of remote and autonomous solutions. It has been a tense but exciting few weeks. The project’s overall aim was to demonstrate
GeoSpectrum Unveils New Long-range Acoustic Underwater Transducers
of legacy systems.Robust, affordable, easy to operate with, ranges exceeding 2,500 kilometers and capable to effectively operate under ice, the C-BASS family of transducers is suitable for a wide range of subsea applications, including communication/transmission from shore or surface units to submarines; divers’ alert and communications; communication with Unmanned Underwater Vehicle (UUV) for control/positioning; mine sweeping, as well as augmentation of submarine signatures when transiting in or out of ports or narrow passages.C-BASS transducers are available in a variety of sizes and configurat
INTERVIEW: Kris Kydd, Head of Robotics, at Total E&P UK; Total’s “Stevie the Robot”
Total has been working on robotics for some years now, having launched the Argos challenge in 2013 and now getting ready to put the Taurob designed Stevie robot through its paces in a trial at Shetland Gas Plant. We spoke with Kris Kydd, Head of Robotics, at Total E&P UK.What have been the main lessons learned to date around enabling these systems to operate in an offshore environment?Total believes that robots have a huge amount to offer to our industry. We are pioneering their use on oil and gas sites, and the last seven years have seen progress, and lots of lessons learned! Robots offer
Florida Current is the Weakest Its Been in a Century
The Florida Current, which forms the start of the Gulf Stream, has slowed over the past century and is the slowest it has been at any point in the past 110 years, a new study reveals.Researchers have developed a method of tracking the strength of near-shore ocean currents using measurements made at the coast, offering the potential to reduce one of the biggest uncertainties related to observations of climate change over the past century.“In the ocean, almost everything is connected,” said Christopher Piecuch, an assistant scientist in the Physical Oceanography Department at the Woods Hole
Fugro Conducts 'First Fully Remote Inspection' of Offshore Platform in UK
Dutch offshore services provider Fugro said Tuesday it had delivered "the first fully remote inspection of an oil and gas platform in UK waters."The operation took place 250 km east of Scotland, using a remotely operated vehicle (ROV) and Fugro’s remote operations center (ROC) in Aberdeen. "In a first for the UK sector, the platform’s entire jacket structure was inspected remotely, demonstrating Fugro’s proficiency in remote operations capabilities," Fugro said.Fugro said it had originally intended to trial the remote inspection provision during the campaign.
Enhancing Understanding of Gulf Sediments
gaps that we can work together to close. Each agency on this MOU has a significant role to play as we prepare for future large-scale restoration projects. Understanding the nature of coastal materials is critical to the success of those projects”As the federal agency with jurisdiction over marine minerals on the Outer Continental Shelf, BOEM manages the use of non-energy marine minerals, including sediments, through environmentally responsible stewardship, prudent exploration and leasing activities, coordination with governmental partners and stakeholders, and mission-focused research to
TDI-Brooks' New Vessel Completes Its First Projects
TDI-Brooks’ newest vessel R/V Miss Emma McCall has recently completed its first projects for the U.S.-based marine data acquisition services company on behalf of Total and Cairn Energy offshore Mexico. TDI-Brooks has the vessel on a long-term bare-boat charter from Cameron Offshore Boats.The 2003-built Miss Emma is a multi-use oceanographic research vessel outfitted for a wide variety of oceanographic research duties for operations in the Northern/Southern Gulf of Mexico (GOM), U.S. East Coast and elsewhere in the Americas. The vessel is equipped to acquire geophysical surveys for offshore
Teledyne Benthos Acoustic Modems Aid in Innovasea Fish Tracking
telemetry to aid researchers worldwide in their quest to understand aquatic animal behavior. The vastness and complexity of the ocean, combined with the nearly constant motion of many species, make this an incredibly challenging task. However, Innovasea is providing critical tools to monitor fish and marine mammal behavior, movements and habitat to enable better decisions surrounding management and conservation.One of the pillars of this technology is Innovasea’s VR4 UWM (Underwater Modem), which is used for tracking and recording tagged fish populations. The VR4 is a submersible receiver capable
Fugro Inspecting Cygnus Subsea Structures
Dutch offshore geo-data specialist Fugro will deploy remote monitoring technology to survey subsea structures at the Cygnus gas field in the UK’s southern North Sea.Under the contract awarded by oil and gas company Neptune Energy, Fugro will inspect subsea infrastructure including pipelines and umbilicals, spools and communication cables, and carry out standard structural surveys of the Neptune-operated Cygnus gas platform jackets.The giant gas development was brought online in late 2016 and consists of four platforms. Neptune operates Cygnus with 38.75% stake, with Spirit Energy owning 61.25%.
Poland's Ministry of Defense Orders Gavia AUVs
Teledyne Marine – Vehicles announced the Ministry of Defense of Poland has procured, through Remontowa Shipbuilding two additional Gavia autonomous underwater vehicles (AUV) for its second and third Kormoran Class new MCMV. The anticipated delivery of two systems will be added to the current Gavia AUV fleet, which has been operated by the Polish Navy for Naval Mine CounterMeasures (NMCM).To complement the Gavia AUVs previously procured, the acquisition will include all required topside equipment, as well as the AUV operation and maintenance training.In 2014, Teledyne Gavia completed a competitive
Scripps Institution of Oceanography: 3D-printed Coral Are Natural Producers of Biofuels
Researchers at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography and the Jacobs School of Engineering at UC San Diego, alongside the University of Cambridge, UK, have 3D printed coral-like structures capable of growing dense microscopic algae populations. The work is aimed at the development of compact, efficient bioreactors for producing algae-based biofuels and could lead to a better understanding of the coral-algae relationship, with the hopes of establishing techniques to repair and restore reefs.Author Daniel Wangpraseurt, whose work was published April 9, 2020 in Nature Communications, explained, “Cor
Ocean Power Technologies Launches Hybrid PowerBuoy
environments, including near-shore and inland bodies of water."The hybrid PowerBuoy can be utilized across many industries and applications, including emergency and short-term power and communications support for maintenance, testing and repair services. It can be configured with OPT’s marine surveillance solution for security monitoring of offshore areas. Customized solutions are also available, including the addition of subsea sensors to monitor for acoustic signatures, tsunami, and other environmental conditions," OPT said.Data from the hybrid PowerBuoy is transmitted to
Fast-moving Waterfalls in the Deep Sea
New research led by the National Oceanography Center (NOC) has discovered how fast-moving waterfalls under the sea control the shape and behavior of submarine channels. These underwater channels are the offshore equivalents of rivers, but can be much larger. Submarine channels can extend for tens to thousands of kilometers offshore, providing an important conduit for the transfer of sediment, nutrients and pollutants, such as microplastics, to the deep-sea. Avalanches of sediment that flow down these channels also pose a hazard to networks of seafloor cables that underpin global communications,
Scripps Institution of Oceanography: 3D-printed Coral Are Natural Producers of Biofuels
Researchers at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography and the Jacobs School of Engineering at UC San Diego, alongside the University of Cambridge, UK, have 3D printed coral-like structures capable of growing dense microscopic algae populations. The work is aimed at the development of compact, efficient bioreactors for producing algae-based biofuels and could lead to a better understanding of the coral-algae relationship, with the hopes of establishing techniques to repair and restore reefs.Author Daniel Wangpraseurt, whose work was published April 9, 2020 in Nature Communications, explained, “Cor
Autonomous ANTX: Seismic Survey Tech and Port Security
Geophysical seismic surveys and port security may appear to have little in-common. However, it turns out that managing complex marine seismic operations, where 10km-long seismic streamers have to be deployed harmoniously alongside other offshore marine assets, isn’t that dissimilar to managing – and protecting – port facilities.It's an area that ION Geophysical, more known for seismic data acquisition technology, has recently been proving its expertise in, using its Marlin system for marine operations management. Dave Gentle, Vice President of Business Development, spoke about
Iver3 AUV Upgrades Ordered for the Royal Navy
L3Harris Technologies (NYSE:LHX) received an order to upgrade three Iver3 Autonomous Underwater Vehicles (AUV) to be used in support of the Royal Navy’s Project Wilton. L3Harris will upgrade the Iver3 vehicles with the capability to integrate high accuracy navigation sensors and advanced communications for surface tracking, with collaborative autonomy architecture and automatic target recognition. The Royal Navy will use the upgraded Iver vehicles during unmanned mine hunting and other missions.The Project Wilton program will provide a portable route survey capability using a suite of
Austrlia DST Chooses Sonardyne's BlueComm
Australia’s Defense Science and Technology Group (DST) has acquired a BlueComm undersea communications system from Sonardyne International Ltd. as part of its ongoing program in maritime autonomous systems (MAS).BlueComm is the only commercial-off-the-shelf (COTS) technology that enables wireless transmission of high bandwidth tactical data, including video, over ranges of a few tens or even hundreds of meters, at rates of up to 10 megabits per second.With it, forces can vastly increase the communications capability of their underwater systems to drive faster, safer and better-informed decision
Kongsberg's LARS for Ocean Infinity's Armada Robotic Ships
designed to handle remotely operated vehicles (ROVs) from unmanned vessels.The contract has been signed with Ocean Infinity, who will install the system on their Armada fleet of robotic ships.To remind, US-based seabed survey and ocean exploration company Ocean Infinity in February launched Armada, a new marine technology and data company boasting the industry's largest fleet of unmanned surface vehicles (USV).Armada, with a focus on combining technology and environmental sustainability, will initially add 15 bespoke designed marine robots to Ocean Infinity’s current fleet of autonomous underwater
GeoSpectrum wins deal for Underwater Acoustic Comms System
following the recent delivery of LRAM equipment to the Canadian Government. The LRAM system is a through-water acoustic communications system optimized for robust operation over long range. It is designed to send acoustically encoded tactical messages from a user-controlled station to a submerged submarine or other underwater asset. Two-way communication can also be provided. The LRAM system provides the capability to covertly communicate with a submarine on an as-needed basis without requiring the submarine to be at periscopic depth. Such communication can be vital for tactical comms with the
Tech Talk: Algorithm Aims to Assist Ocean Search and Rescue
Search & Rescue algorithm identify hidden “traps” in ocean waters, helping to more quickly identify regions where objects — and missing people — may have converged.The ocean is a messy and turbulent space, where winds and weather kick up waves in all directions. When an object or person goes missing at sea, the complex, constantly changing conditions of the ocean can confound and delay critical search-and-rescue operations.Now researchers at MIT, the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH), the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI), and Virginia Tech have developed
Sonardyne Tests Autonomous Vehicles Navigation for UK MOD
Marine robotics company Sonardyne International Ltd. demonstrated technologies that will aid autonomous vehicle operations in challenging environments under a project funded by the UK’s national Defense and Security Accelerator (DASA).Working with a 12-meter-long SEA-KIT X class unmanned surface vehicle (USV), Sonardyne tested and validated sensors already used by unmanned underwater vehicles for use on USVs in support of missions in coastal watersSpecifically, Sonardyne’s SPRINT-Nav hybrid inertial navigation instrument was integrated into a SEA-KIT X and tested against local real-time
One-on-One with Duane Fotheringham, President, Unmanned Systems, HII
to Boeing on the Orca program, which broadens our portfolio and allows us to offer the full range of UUVs, from small class to extra large class.”HII is not simply a larger corporate entity, but one with a treasure trove of experience serving the U.S. Navy with both surface craft and nuclear submarines. “We are also able to leverage HII’s expertise in submarine and ship design to provide increased capability in platform integration,” said Fotheringham.With the move under the HII banner the Hydroid brand is transitioning into Huntington Ingalls Industries. According to Fotheringham
BAE Reflects One Year after Takeover of Riptide
One year ago, the FAST Labs R&D arm of BAE Systems announced the acquisition of Riptide Autonomous Solutions, with the goal to pair Riptide’s unmanned underwater vehicles (UUV) with BAE's mission system capabilities in autonomy, navigation, communications, sensor processing and electronic warfare, among others. The Riptide family of UUVs includes three offerings: the 4.875” diameter (25 lbs.) micro, the 7.5" diameter (65 to 120 lbs.) 1MP (man-portable) unit and the 9" (9.375”) diameter (120 to 240 lbs.) 2MP. The family of unmanned vehicles are designed to
HydroWing, Tocardo Working on Tidal-Energy-to-Hydrogen Project
, Managing Director, HydroWing Limited: "This project has shifted our focus to a broader and exciting market where we can make use of our tides to provide a more versatile energy mix into the local communities and beyond. I sincerely hope that we can inspire greater use of green hydrogen in the marine sector as a result of this project."Andries van Unen, CEO, Tocardo B.V.:"This project provides a new perspective and versatile use for tidal turbines. The project is well suited to the range of Tocardo turbines allowing us to effectively scale up as demand for green hydrogen increases into
ASL Environmental Sciences Aids Sea Ice Study
In a collaborative effort with the Nunatsiavut Government and Dalhousie University to measure ice, water current and other physical and biological properties of the marine environment, ASL Environmental Sciences Inc. contributed a prototype Log Ice Profiling Sonar (LogIPS), and on February 15, 2020, the sonar was deployed on a taut-line mooring in the waters off Nain, Nunatsiavut, Labrador. The mooring also contained an acoustic doppler current profiler (ADCP) as well as data loggers for chlorophyll, turbidity, temperature-salinity and dissolved oxygen. The mooring was deployed through a hole
EvoLogics Modems Authorized for US Navy Use
ANU listing granted after favorable USBL accuracy testsEvoLogics underwater acoustic modems were recently listed as Authorized for Navy Use (ANU), following a lengthy period of testing and technical evaluation by Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA) and The Emergency Ship Salvage Material (ESSM) System. The ANU Program provides a list of selected diving equipment, tools and accessories which have undergone design safety reviews, testing and evaluation to ensure diver safety and acceptability.Engineers at ESSM who conducted the testing of the EvoLogics 18/34 kHz USBL modem system concluded “the
Challenges of Underwater Structure Monitoring for Offshore Operations
As the global energy industry enters a period of increased offshore deepwater exploration driven by economic viability, the demand for international underwater monitoring services looks set to strengthen into the new decade. According to a report from TechSci Research1, the value of global underwater monitoring services for the oil and gas sector is projected to grow from around $1billion in 2018 to $1.8billion by 2024.With an increasing focus on improving efficiencies throughout the global energy sector, the installation of subsea structures on the seabed can pose complex and costly challenges if
Drill Rig Noise: Entering the Exclusion Zone, Quietly
Unmanned surface vessels continue to make in-roads into new applications and industries. An ability to gather data in otherwise inaccessible locations is both increasing knowledge about marine noise and confidence in marine autonomous systems in the oil and gas industry. Elaine Maslin reports.Offshore oil and gas exploration and production activities have been going on since the mid-20th century. But the noise that drilling or production facilities emit into the marine environment and the impact they have on marine life isn’t perhaps as well quantified as it could be. That could be changing
Nigeria Pledges Improved Information Sharing
The Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) and the Nigeria Navy are set for a regime of improved information sharing as arrangements to integrate the Command, Control, Computer Communication and Information (C4i) Cente of the Deep Blue Project along with the Falcon Eye of the Nigerian Navy.The Director General of NIMASA Dr. Bashir Jamoh said, “Just like we did by ensuring that our Special Mission Vessels are manned by men of the Nigerian Navy, we are also looking at the possibility of effectively linking the C4i center at kikiriki with the Falcon Eye of the Nigerian Navy.
FarSounder Enters Brazilian Market
FarSounder announced Ulstein Belga Marine headquartered in Centro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil is its newest dealer and their first in Brazil. Ulstein Belga Marine will integrate FarSounder’s Argos series of 3D forward-looking sonars into its product offering.“Our strategy has been moving towards digitalization and sensor related solutions for communication, navigation, sea-state monitoring and optimization of performance,” said Jan Lomholdt, Managing Director of Ulstein Belga Marine.The Argos system’s technology provides vessels with real-time 3D imagery of the waters ahead
DISCOVER Ocean Observing Prizes Awarded
, DOE’s Water Power Technologies Office partnered with the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, and the NOAA-led U.S. Integrated Ocean Observing System.Part of the American-Made Challenges series, the Ocean Observing Prize inspires innovators to integrate marine renewable energy with ocean observation platforms, ultimately revolutionizing our capability to collect the data needed to understand, map, and monitor the world’s oceans
MBARI Works at Unlocking Ocean Biology
of MBARI’s SURF center, says it started with a group interest in microbial oceanography – the study of the smallest organisms in the ocean, including understanding how and why harmful algae blooms form. Dr Birch spoke about the work and its results at the National Oceanography Centre’s Marine Autonomy and Technology Showcase (MATS) event in Southampton, late last year. The result is an Environmental Sample Processor (ESP), a compact robotic system that filters a water sample and then processes the biomass to create analysable samples.A long-range autonomous underwater vehicle carrying
Amman Mineral Orders Forum ROV for Subsea Mining Support
, with a Super Mohawk previously.Amman Mineral successfully completed the purchase of Newmont Mining Corporation’s ownership stake of PT Newmont Nusa Tenggara in 2016."The Super Mohawk II ROV will be used to perform regular deep-sea tailing placement monitoring programs to ensure that the marine environment is highly preserved. The use of hi-tech and implementation of mining best practices demonstrate our commitments in environmental stewardship,” said Kartika Octaviana, Head of Corporate Communications Manager Amman Mineral.The ROV system will be manufactured at Forum’s UK facility
Tidal Power Firm gets Funding from Scottish Gov't
path that tidal power is currently on and also has exciting application in the floating offshore wind market. The subsea hub we have designed and developed is a key part of our overall cost reduction strategy for tidal power generation. This hub will also have direct application for other forms of marine energy such as floating offshore wind and wave energy. We are very proud to be taking the lead in realizing the full potential of our oceans' energy, delivering a cleaner energy future.I would also like to personally thank our dedicated marine energy team for their hard work bringing this project
Ransomware: The IT Danger on the Horizon
Guidelines for Cyber Security Onboard Ships, now the de-facto cybersecurity standard for vessel operators, and he continues to advise on the development of these guidelines. He also serves on the Board of Directors for CIRM (Comité International Radio-Maritime) -- the international association for marine electronics companies -- and Chair of the CIRM Cyber Risk Working Group, which fosters relations between all organizations concerned with electronic aids to marine navigation, communications and information systems. Outside of work, Saunders serves as an Officer in the Royal Naval Reserve where he
New Subsea Resident Vehicle Solution Taking Shape
Ocean energy solutions innovator Ocean Power Technologies (OPT) said it it is working with joint development partners Modus Seabed Intervention and Saab Seaeye to develop a new solution for carbon-free subsea autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) residency that would provide long-term, persistent deployment without support from manned vessels.“We believe a self-contained system powered by an OPT PowerBuoy and exempt from existing ocean infrastructure has the potential to revolutionize the industrial use of AUVs and make long-term residency a cost-effective reality,” said George Kirby, OPT
SBG Systems' INS Chosen for Shom Fleet
Shom, the French national hydrographic and oceanographic office selected SBG Systems’ inertial navigation sytems to renew their whole fleet of INS. They chose Navsight Apogee INS for their speedboats and survey vessels for both shallow and deep-water real-time bathymetric surveys and Qinertia PPK software for post-processing tasks.Shom has 3 major objectives: national hydrography and cartography, defense support in hydro-oceanographic fields, and support in maritime geospatial products and services for public policies on the sea and the coast. The fleet used by Shom is based in Brest and is
Fleet Xpress Chosen for Nekton Project
long voyage starting in mid-March exploring biodiversity around the Maldives, Seychelles and the High Seas. Video, audio and - for the first time - data will be transmitted from the deepest parts of the High Seas in the Indian Ocean to the research vessel Pressure Drop, then relayed via Fleet Xpress to marine science projects focusing on sustainable oceans. “The ocean is a key part of each Maldivian,” said President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih of Maldives. “71% rely on the ocean for their primary source of income. We have committed to a 5-year initiative to advance ocean protection and
Eni Taps OPT PowerBuoy for New Mission
US-based Ocean Power Technologies said Italian energy company Eni has extended its lease of a PB3 PowerBuoy for an additional 18 months. OPT has also been contracted for an additional scope of work to provide a power and communications solution for an entirely new application in the Adriatic Sea.Following more than one year of continuous maintenance-free operation as part of an underwater autonomous vehicle charging pilot project off the coast of Italy in the Adriatic Sea, OPT will redeploy the leased PB3 PowerBuoy to provide power to systems on an unmanned, decommissioned gas production platform.
Ocean Aero to Supply Vehicles for Homeland Security
is a simple, safe, and time-saving solution and can be operated from ramp, dockside or at sea. Supported by U.S. patents, Ocean Aero’s intelligent autonomous technology is ideally suited to fit the program’s various strategic maritime missions, ranging from intelligence and surveillance to marine mammal tracking, to Met-Ocean data gathering to persistent situational awareness
Schmidt Appoints Virmani as Executive Director
.Virmani previously worked as associate director of the Florida Institute of Oceanography and as a senior scientist at the Met Office, the United Kingdom’s national weather service.She has a bachelor’s degree in physics from Imperial College London, a master’s degree in atmospheric and marine environmental science from the State University of New York (SUNY) at Stony Brook and a doctorate in physical oceanography from the University of South Florida.Virmani will join the institute at the end of February and will be based in Los Angeles. “I am delighted and honored to be joining
UUV Manipulators: Get a Grip
While much focus on resident subsea vehicles has been about the vehicles, there’s also been a lot of focus behind the scenes on creating electric tooling. The industry has relied on hydraulic tooling since tooling has been used, with the benefits and drawbacks that come with it. Leading the field has been Schilling Robotics, now a part of the TechnipFMC group. But, for electric vehicles to really make to most of being all-electric, they really need to be free of the burdens of hydraulic systems. Suppliers are coming up with solutions.Electric manipulationSaab Seaeye is already well versed with
Ocean Energy: A Surge Coming in 2020
supported by the European Commission.These developments are documented in the OES 2019 Annual Report, which also reveals significant public and private sector investment earmarked for 2020. Marquee projects include $25m pledged by the US Department of Energy to support 12 ‘next-generation’ marine energy pilots and Wave Energy Scotland committing £7.7 million to two wave energy machines using the Stage Gate selection process. The European Commission is further investing in a broad set of initiatives and deployments.OES is expecting to see many more positive advances in 2020 as governments
Exploring Under The ice (& Keeping your AUV in one piece)
of factors led to these successful operations, and in this article we’ll discuss some of the inherent dangers of working under polar ice and how they were mitigated.Why are under AUV missions challenging?Every time an AUV descends to explore unknown regions, there is aPhoto: International Submarine Engineering Ltd. chance it can be lost. Even for AUVs the ocean is not a friendly place. The terrain it navigates is only partially mapped at high resolution; we know more about the surface of Mars than we do about our ocean floors.This said, there are ways to minimise the risks. There is always
Pearson to Lead National Subsea Center
Robert Gordon University (RGU) has appointed Chris Pearson as Director for the National Subsea Center (NSC), tasked with leading the center’s research and development to tackle subsea engineering challenges.Pearson will take up the new post immediately and will be responsible for the leadership and development of the multimillion-pound partnership between RGU and The Oil & Gas Technology Center (OGTC), which is part of the Aberdeen City Region Deal. The partnership aims to deliver cost effective, faster, smarter and cleaner technology which will be developed with, and deployed across, the
Marine Autonomy Above & Below the Water
Marine autonomous systems and combinations of such systems are being increasingly put to the test in the offshore space. Elaine Maslin looks at how hybrid remote and autonomous systems are now being tested.Concepts like resident subsea vehicles, for inspection, repair and maintenance, are attractive options, but not the only ones being tried. Deploying remotely operated vehicles (ROVs) from unmanned surface vessels (USVs) are also being tested and put to use. It’s another way to take operators out of harm’s way, centralize operations and cut costs and environmental footprints. But, there&rsq
Ocean Infinity Launches Armada
US-based seabed survey and ocean exploration company Ocean Infinity said it has launched a new marine technology and data company boasting the industry's largest fleet of unmanned surface vehicles (USV).Armada, with a focus on combining technology and environmental sustainability, will initially add 15 bespoke designed marine robots to Ocean Infinity’s current fleet of autonomous underwater vehicles (AUV).Armada’s fleet is currently under construction and is expected to be deployable by the end of 2020.Each unmanned surface robot will serve a wide range of industries by being fully
Trieste: 60th Anniversary of Deepest Dive
said Jan. 23 “was a lucky day.” Ambition, a sense of adventure and good fortune placed him on the path to historic destiny.Growing up near the San Francisco Bay, Walsh was captivated by the ships entering and exiting the harbor. Inspired, he attended the U.S. Naval Academy and became a submariner.Not long into his naval career, Walsh heard about an unusual opportunity. The Navy recently acquired Trieste and needed volunteer pilots to test it. However, since bathyscaphes didn’t operate like traditional ships, volunteers were scarce.Trieste had to be towed to an area for exploration&mdash
