De Keukelaere Wins IADC "Young Author Award"
The International Association of Dredging Companies (IADC) bestowed the Young Author Award to Liesbeth De Keukelaere, R&D Professional at VITO in Belgium. IADC’s Young Author Award is given annually to “stimulate the promotion of new ideas and encourage younger men and women in the dredging industry”. The award is granted at industry-leading conferences, with a winning young author selected from the proceedings of the CEDA Dredging Days 2019, held on November 7-8, 2019, in Rotterdam, The Netherlands.Ms De Keukelaere was selected as the Young Author Award winner for the co-authoring
Complete Oil Spill Monitoring Solutions for Vulnerable Areas
Global environmental monitoring experts Ocean Scientific International Ltd (OSIL) produce oil spill monitoring solutions for remote areas for both aquatic and terrestrial applications where there is a concern over the potential for exposure to hydrocarbons.OSIL build and install systems including oil spill monitoring buoys that are capable of detecting and monitoring surface sheens, oil in water monitoring buoys that can identify and quantify crude oil and refined fuels present in the water column using submersible sensors, and land-based non-contact oil spill detection systems. These structures can
New Floating Wind Center Launched
launched a new multimillion dollar national Floating Offshore Wind Center of Excellence to drive forward the development of next generation offshore wind technologies.The initiative is backed by up to £500,000 ($647,000) funding each from the Scottish Government and the Catapult’s Welsh-based Marine Energy Engineering Center of Excellence (MEECE), match funding from industry and active support from Cornwall & Isles of Scilly Local Enterprise Partnership. The aim is to develop an internationally recognized center of excellence that will work to reduce the cost of energy from floating wind
Greensea Expands Workforce
Greensea, creator of OPENSEA, the universal open software architecture for the marine industry, recently added three key personnel to its team to address current and future growth and to support its core business strategies. Positions have been created to support existing needs in business development, finance, and program management. Greg Probst comes to Greensea as Vice President, Sales and Business Development, having worked at Teledyne Marine where he drove sales and business development in the US defense sector. Chris Chase, CPA, joins Greensea as Financial Controller after several years
Zeebrugge Port Deploy 5G Network
Port of Zeebrugge, Belgium, will have its own private 5G network this year, disclosed the container, bulk cargo, new vehicles and passenger ferry terminal port in the municipality of Bruges.The port’s management will collaborate with Citymesh, which is the only operator to have a license for 5G networks in Flanders and Brussels."The private 5G network in the Port of Zeebrugge will be the accelerator for innovation in and around the port," the port said.The network’s brain is located in the port’s datacenter. This keeps all data safe within the port authority’s own
New Decommissioning Cutting Tool Passes Tests
Allspeeds, manufacturer of Webtool hydraulic remotely operated vehicle (ROV) cutters and systems, was awarded a contract by Chevron USA to develop an environmentally friendly, fast intervention tool (FIT) for subsea pipeline decommissioning work.The tool is designed to cut and seal pipework to prevent marine environment contamination removing the need for a containment dome during operations.The concept of the FIT relies on a single system that is capable of multiple actions.The pipeline is initially lifted from the seabed and secured to the tool. It is then crimped in two places either side of the cutting
McDermott to Build SPS for Greater Tortue
McDermott International announced it has been subcontracted to build subsea production system (SPS) for the Greater Tortue Ahmeyim natural gas project offshore Mauritania and Senegal."Fabrication for both the SPS and subsea, umbilicals, risers and flowlines (SURF) scope for the Greater Tortue Ahmeyim project will now be undertaken in McDermott's yard in Batam, [Indonesia], which enables a fast-tracked fabrication schedule to be delivered," said Ian Prescott, Senior Vice President for Asia Pacific.McDermott said the contract is worth between $1 million and $50 million, and will be reflected
TechnipFMC Wins Perdido Phase 2 Scope from Shell
TechnipFMC said it has been awarded an integrated engineering, procurement, construction and installation (EPCI) contract by Shell for the deepwater Perdido Phase 2 development, located in the Gulf of Mexico.Arnaud Piéton, President Subsea at TechnipFMC, said the development incorporates the firm's latest generation of subsea equipment.The contract covers the delivery and installation of subsea equipment, including flexible flowlines, flexible jumpers, steel flying leads, electrical flying leads, and will utilize compact manifold technology, with the Subsea 2.0 In-Line Compact Manifold
Fugro Enters the South Korean Offshore Wind
Fugro said on Tuesday it has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Underwater Survey Technology 21 (UST21) in a move that opens up the South Korean offshore wind farm market.The agreement with UST21 will facilitate collaboration on marine projects in South Korean waters, whereby Fugro will expand UST21’s local hydrography capacity to provide site characterization services, including geotechnical, geophysical and offshore metocean solutions. In return, UST21’s local hydrographic expertise will provide logistical and operational support to Fugro’s offshore metocean projects.
Video: EvoLogics Unveils New Bionic AUV
of the Poggy prototype as part of a workshop on underwater communication and networking for UUVs.The goal of BONUS SEAMOUNT is to develop innovative autonomous vehicles and integrated sensor systems for complex real-time sea surveying, analysis and monitoring, and then to apply these in the study of submarine groundwater discharge (SGD) in the Baltic Sea. SEAMOUNT UUVs would locate and monitor SGD and associated nutrients and/or pollutants in coastal waters.Coordinated by EvoLogics, SEAMOUNT project is funded within the framework of “BONUS - Science for a better future of the Baltic Sea region&rdquo
#Oi2020 History
The ROV market continues to expand and grow rapidly throughout the 2000s, and it doesn’t seem to be slowing its pace. According to Advances in Marine Technology (as published by The Marine Technology Society), this exponential growth is “attributed to advances in technologies related to offshore oil and gas.” In addition, the book states that “As deepwater and ultra deepwater production stepped up, a corresponding complexity in subsea installations has increased the demand for work class ROV systems with an average cost of up to $5 million each.” Markets such as telco and
Balmoral Scoops Three Awards
Aberdeen-based deepwater specialist Balmoral announced it has won three industry awards in recent weeks.Earlier this month, the company picked up two prizes at the Energy Industries Council (EIC) national awards in the ‘Service and Solutions’ and ‘Collaboration’ categories. The week before, it secured the ‘Inspiration from Innovation’ gong at the Northern Star Business Awards.The privately-owned company noted it has won many other accolades since its inception in 1980, including three Queen’s Awards.The buoyancy, protection and insulation products provider
Bibby Marine Appoints Samuels as CEO
Leading marine asset company Bibby Marine Ltd has appointed Helen Samuels as Chief Executive Officer to lead the company into its next phase of development.Helen Samuels will join the Group in January 2020 from Network Rail, where she currently holds the position of Engineering Director for their $6.4bn pa national capital program. Prior to this Samuels worked as Engineering Director for United Utilities, and also held a series of senior positions at Halcrow/CH2MHill (now Jacobs) including Operations Director, Global Director and Managing Director.Bibby Marine Limited is the holding company for Bibby
LLOG Orders 20k Trees for Shenandoah
US-based LLOG has ordered subsea trees designed for pressures up to 20,000 pounds per square inch (psi) for its deepwater Shenandoah development in the US Gulf of Mexico.The subsea trees, ordered from TechnipFMC on Tuesday, mark the first material equipment ordered for the Shenandoah project and are the industry’s first designed for pressures up to 20,000 psi, LLOG said.“LLOG is excited about signing this subsea tree order which is a first in the industry and a significant milestone towards the development of our Shenandoah project,” said LLOG COO, Rick Fowler. “LLOG is pleased
Transmark Subsea Acquires WiSub
Transmark Subsea announced on Tuesday it has acquired fellow Norwegian underwater environment company WiSub.Transmark Subsea manufactures cable systems for distribution of electrical signals, power and fiber optics to the offshore subsea industry, WiSub supplies patented flexible wet-mate pinless underwater connection systems. Both companies have been key equipment and service providers to underwater intervention drone (UID) docking stations since 2018. This convergence of mature cable and connector manufacturing and design with innovative wireless underwater power and data transfer systems
Fugro Completes GoM Surveys for Shell
Fugro said it has completed several deepwater geophysical surveys in the Gulf of Mexico for Shell.The project required data collection over multiple deepwater lease blocks in the greater Perdido and Mars development areas to support clearance of potential environmental, engineering, geological and archaeological hazards ahead of planned drilling activities, the Dutch-based geo-data company said.As the preferred contractor for this project, Fugro deployed a Hugin autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) from its purpose-built survey vessel, the Fugro Brasilis. The Hugin AUV is depth-rated to 3,000 meters
Phoenix International Promotes VanHorn
Phoenix International Holdings, Inc. (Phoenix) has announced that Kent VanHorn has been promoted to Vice President for Global Submarine Rescue. A retired U.S. Navy Submarine Warfare Officer, prior Commanding Officer of the Navy Undersea Rescue Command, and current U.S. Navy Submarine Rescue Operations and Maintenance Contract Program Manager, Kent has extensive worldwide experience coordinating submarine rescue operations and maintaining complex rescue vehicles and equipment to the exacting standards of the United States Navy. In his new position as VP for Global Submarine Rescue, Kent will
Forum’s XLe Spirit ROV Completes Sea Trials
Forum Subsea Technologies’ latest remotely operated vehicle (ROV), the XLe Spirit, has completed sea trials in Norway, the manufacturer announced on Wednesday.The vehicle is the first of a new generation of electric observation class ROVs. It is the smallest in the new range, and powerful enough to perform subsea maintenance and repair work. It is suited to the aquaculture market and capable of tasks such as net and tank inspection.Working with its Norwegian partner, Innova AS, Forum tested the XLe Spirit at a fjord with a 500-meter water depth. The standard equipment function testing was
Unique Group Buys Five USVs
of pipelines, subsea positioning, and remotely operated underwater vehicle (ROV) and autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) tracking.DriX, with its long endurance, increased hydrodynamics and flexible sensor payload, can improve the efficiency of offshore operations and act as a true force multiplier in the marine renewables sector as well as subsea construction, IRM and decommissioning in the oil and gas market, Unique Group said.The acquired units will be placed within Unique Group’s global rental pool and accessible to clients across the Middle East, Europe, South East Asia and the Americas
Subsea 7 Acquires 4Subsea
innovative digital solutions to energy operators, reducing operational risk, cost and providing actionable insights.”An early priority project will be a joint effort between Subsea 7 and 4Subsea toward monitoring of key operational data on Subsea 7 vessels, contributing to the digitalization of its marine operations. With the use of advanced algorithms and artificial intelligence, 4Subsea will deliver key insights and decision support with digital twins, in order to optimize these activities.Jenkins said the integration provides an opportunity for 4Subsea to scale its technology and services to a
Sonardyne Equips Brazilian Research Vessel
Science equipment and underwater vehicles deployed from Brazil’s flagship oceanographic research vessel, Alpha Crucis, are to be tracked using Ultra-Short BaseLine (USBL) positioning technology supplied by Sonardyne Brasil Ltda.The 64-meter-long vessel, which is operated by the University of São Paulo, undertakes research projects spanning global climate change to biodiversity in Brazilian waters. It will be equipped with a Sonardyne Ranger 2 USBL high precision acoustic positioning system to enable the Alpha Crucis’ 21-strong science team to precisely track their instruments and
Benthic Wins Geotechnical Work from TechnipFMC
Geosciences company Benthic announced it has secured an offshore geotechnical and geophysical contract from TechnipFMC for the Golfinho development, a deepwater discovery off the coast of Mozambique that will be developed as a subsea system tied back to an onshore liquefied natural gas (LNG) facility.Benthic said it will utilize two portable remotely operated drill (PROD) units to perform fieldwork, which is scheduled to begin in the third quarter of 2019. The PROD1 unit with tracks (TracPROD) will be used in the shallow-water geotechnical locations from Solstad’s Nor Captain anchor-handling tug
OSIL Releases Box Corer T-Bar System
A sophisticated T-bar mini-penetrometer for exclusive in-field seabed strength profiling of box core samples is now available from globally renowned environmental monitoring experts Ocean Scientific International Ltd (OSIL).The T-bar penetrometer measures the resistance of sediment to continuous penetration at a slow steady rate using a cylindrical rod (T-bar) at the end of a perpendicular push rod or thruster and, uniquely, is small enough to fit on to the top of a box corer sample box immediately on its recovery on-deck to allow for on-site sampling on the back of the vessel.Using axial load, dual
Trimble Marine Construction Software for Positioning
The new Trimble Marine Construction Software for Positioning provides contractors with the ability to perform their own pre-/post-construction hydrographic survey.The system consists of Trimble Marine Construction software and a single beam echo sounder (SBES) for data acquisition, editing, plotting and dredge volume calculations. According to the developer, Contractors can reduce rework, increase productivity and improve site safety with a better understanding of the underwater environment.The accuracy of the waterway bed survey is the combined accuracy of the GNSS position and the echosounder
Oceaneering Wins Umbilicals Job Off India
Subsea engineering company Oceaneering announced that it it was awarded contracts by Baker Hughes (BHGE) to supply subsea umbilical control systems for Oil and Natural Gas Corp. of India's (ONGC) deepwater field development in the Bay of Bengal.Oceaneering's scope comprises the subsea umbilical control systems to allow production of gas from KG‑DWN 98/2 deepwater field.The contract award includes design and manufacture of 44 electro-hydraulic control umbilicals, totaling approximately 118 kilometers in length, delivered on a combination of reels and carousels. Manufacture of the umbilicals
Connector Subsea Solutions Acquires MORGRIP
Connector Subsea Solutions (CSS), headquartered in Bergen, Norway, said it has signed an agreement to acquire Hydratight’s MORGRIP Connector business in Walsall, UK.The MORGRIP Connector business will become an integral part of CSS’ extensive repair and modification services for subsea and deepwater pipeline repair. The consolidated entity will consist of 60 employees dedicated to pipeline repair products and services.Over the last six years, CSS and Hydratight have collaborated to deliver challenging subsea pipeline repair projects.The acquisition of the MORGRIP business completes CSS&rsquo
MOL Tests FOCUS EYE Project
Japanese shipping giant Mitsui O.S.K. Lines announced the joint development, along with SenseTime Japan, of a new vessel image recognition and recording system, and the system’s installation for demonstration testing aboard the cruise ship "Nippon Maru" operated by Mitsui O.S.K. Passenger Line.The system’s graphic recognition engine was developed by incorporating MOL’s knowledge and applying artificial intelligence (AI) deep learning technology, allowing it to recognize surrounding vessels.The system recognizes and automatically records vessels with high accuracy using a
UK Support Low-Carbon Maritime Technology
Britain is set to become a global hub for low-carbon maritime technology, thanks to new government funding.Maritime Minister Nusrat Ghani has committed a further GBP1 million to fund new shipping technology projects through MarRI-UK, a consortium of leading maritime organisations."MarRI-UK has already allocated £1 million to support early stage clean maritime projects. Today government is announcing a further £1 million for technology and innovation projects, boosting the wealth of maritime knowledge that exists in the UK to build an industry fit for the future," said a government
DOF Subsea Upgrades ROV Fleet
Subsea services provider DOF Subsea has equipped a further three of its Brazilian offshore vessel fleet with hybrid acoustic and inertial navigation technology from Sonardyne Brasil Ltda.Sonardyne’s SPRINT-Nav all-in-one subsea navigation instruments are now supporting five Forum Energy Technologies (FET) remotely operated vehicles (ROV) on board the three vessels. This latest order takes the total number of DOF Subsea’s Brazilian vessels equipped with SPRINT-Nav aided ROVs to six.SPRINT-Nav combines Sonardyne’s SPRINT sensor, Syrinx 600 kHz Doppler velocity log (DVL) and a pressure
Subsea 7 CEO Will Retire at Year End
Offshore services company Subsea 7 announced that Jean Cahuzac will retire from his position as CEO at the end of this year, and will be succeeded from January 1, 2020 by John Evans, who is currently COO.Cahuzac has been in the industry for 41 years and CEO for Subsea 7 since 2008, having previously worked for Transocean and Schlumberger. Following his retirement as CEO, he will continue with Subsea 7 as a Non-Executive Director.Evans has been COO of Subsea 7 since he joined the company in 2005 and has over 30 years’ experience in the offshore energy services industry. He previously worked for
Kraken Launches OceanVision Project
and unmanned underwater platforms to conduct ultra-high definition seabed imaging and mapping on the Grand Banks of Newfoundland and other areas of Atlantic Canada, as part of the initial phase of its $20 million OceanVision project.Kraken’s OceanVision is a three-year project to develop new marine technologies and products to enable an underwater data acquisition and analytics as a service business. Through OceanVision, Kraken aims to accelerate its strategy from sensors and system sales to becoming an integrated provider of Robotics as a Service (RaaS) and Data as a Service (DaaS), the company
SMD Introduces New Work Class ROV
A new work class remotely operated underwater vehicle from SMD introduces electric drive technology to the subsea sector in a modular packageThe new Quantum EV ROV prototype, showcased at Offshore Europe in Aberdeen this week, is equipped with a new 25kW high power electric thrust system, a new long-distance DC transmission solution and locally managed DC power system. The new platform also features advanced flight processing for super stability, battery compatibility for tetherless operations and is built to accept AI command technology.SMD has been subjecting the newly developed technologies and the
MTR100: EvoLogics GmbH
EvoLogics GmbHBerlin, GermanyPresident/CEO: Dr. Rudolf Bannasch, Dr. Konstantin KebkalNo. of Employees: 35https://evologics.de/EvoLogics GmbH is a German high-tech enterprise, founded in 2000 by a group of scientists and R&D experts. The company’s mission is to develop innovative technologies for maritime and offshore industries through interdisciplinary cooperation between engineering and life sciences. The company designs and manufactures underwater information and communication systems based on bionic concepts, combining state-of-the-art engineering with the best ideas found in nature.
Boskalis Subsea Services Eyes SURF Opportunities
(IRM) projects, is also turning its attention to securing large scale SURF (subsea, umbilicals riser and flowlines) projects globally.Stuart Cameron, managing director of Boskalis Subsea Services, said, “As part of Boskalis’ offshore energy division, we can leverage a raft of specialist marine services to deliver a fully integrated solution to the most complex offshore projects in oil and gas and renewables. Working flexibly, we continually develop fit-for-purpose, cost-effective and safe ways of tackling underwater construction challenges.“This does however require fresh ways of
MTR100: InterMoor
the context of drilling optimization, allowing for faster rig moves with simplified connect/disconnect operations from pre-laid mooring lines. It was designed using the proven platform of sister company SRP’s Rocksteady mooring connector, with a control system developed in conjunction with Teledyne Marine. The advanced control system uses high-fidelity acoustic modems, and implements domain key authorization, unique addressing, network relay and frequency hopping techniques, ensuring the mooring connectors are not affected by obstructions or noise. These features eliminate the possibility of
EDS Provides Cable Testing to Vattenfall at Horns Rev 1
High voltage engineering specialist EDS HV Group (EDS), part of the UK’s leading marine services company – James Fisher and Sons plc, has carried out an innovative cable testing campaign for Vattenfall at Horns Rev 1 after the windfarm had experienced network issues.In a first for the offshore wind industry, EDS used Damped AC testing (DAC) to collect a wealth of beneficial partial discharge (PD) and tanδ data to interpret the condition of the array cables and subject the entire array system to a high voltage withstand test. Luke Bishop, group engineering director at EDS
MTR100: Sonardyne International Ltd.
underwater acoustic, inertial, sonar and optical technologies that are enabling users to position, monitor, measure, detect, image, log, analyze and communicate data, when and where they want in the ocean space.The company is at the forefront of the drive towards safe, efficient and cost effective marine operations including: the latest in over-the-horizon, unmanned and remote autonomous navigation and data harvesting systems; centimeter-level seabed monitoring for hydrocarbon and geoscience applications; intruder detection systems able to detect and track next generation asymmetric threats in the
MTR100: National Oceanography Centre (UK)
.ac.ukThe National Oceanography Center (NOC) is the UK’s leading institution for integrated coastal and deep ocean research. NOC undertakes and facilitates world-class, agenda-setting scientific research to understand the global ocean by solving challenging multidisciplinary, large scale, long-term marine science problems to underpin international and UK public policy, business and wider societal outcomes. At the Marine Robotics Innovation Center in Southampton, the NOC hosts a community of 28 innovative partner companies, working in collaboration to develop next generation technology for platforms
Swire Seabed Completes Unmanned Pipeline Inspection
Swire Seabed said it has completed a second offshore pipeline campaign for Equinor in the North Sea. The campaign, undertaken in July 2019, is the first fully unmanned offshore pipeline inspection ‘over the horizon’ ever completed, surveying up to 100 kilometers from the shore.The inspections were completed using Kongsberg Maritime’s Hugin autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) with the SeaKit Maxlimer unmanned surface vessel (USV) acting as the host vessel for surface positioning and communications to shore. The complete operation was controlled from an onshore control center
CGG Kicks Off Deepwater Survey in Brazil
Paris-headquartered geosciences company CGG said it has commenced a new, large, long-offset BroadSeis survey located in the Campos and Santos Basins, offshore Brazil.The Nebula 3D survey is supported by industry funding.With an initial focus on Brazil’s 15th License Round blocks, the data is being acquired by the Geo Caribbean and a portion of the survey will provide 3D data coverage where no other 3D data currently exists.CGG Geoscience’s Subsurface Imaging Center in Rio will employ advanced data processing techniques to deliver improved imaging of pre-salt structures in these prolific
Scandinavia's Largest Offshore Wind Farm Opens
European energy giant Vattenfall opened Scandinavia’s largest offshore wind farm, Horns Rev 3.The 49 wind turbines on the Horns Rev 3 also represent Vattenfall’s and Denmark’s largest offshore wind farm, which is located 25-40 kilometers off Denmark’s west coast in the North Sea.Yesterday (22 August 2019), Crown Prince of Denmark accompanied by Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen and the Minister of Climate, Energy and Utilities Dan Jørgensen officially opened Denmark’s, Scandinavia’s and Vattenfall’s largest offshore wind farm.“Horns Rev 3 is
MTR100: Kongsberg Maritime
and cloud-based infrastructure for data storage and analysis. The company’s subsea portfolio includes single and multibeam echo sounders, sonars, underwater vehicles and subsea transponders and positioning systems, in addition to software and solutions for defense customers. In line with other marine sectors, Kongsberg Maritime is also at the forefront of digitalization for subsea applications. Mapping Cloud, which provides easy storage of different types of data within the Cloud, offers an accessible and practical means of uploading and distributing real-time data, which can be subsequently
Saab Seaeye's Falcon for Ocean Research
Scale Nodes (CGSN) which include sensor arrays moored off the coast of Massachusetts, Alaska, and Greenland, operated by the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution,The Endurance Array (EA) off the coast of Oregon and Washington, operated by Oregon State University,The Regional Cabled Array (RCA), a submarine cable network of sensors and instruments, operated and managed by the University of Washington,As well as the Cyber infrastructure, managed by Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey.After deploying a third party ROV for several years it was concluded that a dedicated underwater robotic vehicle
TechnipFMC Tallies Shell PowerNap Award
TechnipFMC has been awarded an engineering, procurement, construction and installation (EPCI) contract by Shell for the deepwater PowerNap project, located in the US Gulf of Mexico, the services company announced on Thursday.The award, an integrated EPCI (iEPCI) contract combining subsea production systems (SPS) and subsea umbilical, risers and flowlines (SURF) scopes, is worth between $75 million and $250 million, TechnipFMC said.TechnipFMC will design, manufacture and install subsea hardware, including subsea tree systems, subsea distribution controls, topside controls, flying leads and connectors
R/V Roger Revelle Gets a Thruster Upgrade
The research vessel Roger Revelle is currently going through an extensive mid-life refit. One of the upgrades to the vessel is the installation of telescoping thruster technology from ZF Marine.The R/V Roger Revelle is a globally capable oceanographic research vessel, designed as a platform to support many different facets of ocean-based scientific research. The vessel is owned by the US Navy and operated by the Scripps Institute of Oceanography under a charter agreement with the Office of Naval Research. In the pursuit of its mission, the crew of the R/V Roger Revelle depends on world-class
Hunting Acquires RTI Energy Systems
London-headquartered energy services group Hunting said it has acquired the business and assets of US-based riser technologies manufacturer RTI Energy Systems (RTIES) for a total cash consideration of $12.5 million, funded from existing cash resources.RTIES manufactures production riser technologies for deepwater applications within the offshore oil and gas industry, and according to Hunting, is unique within the industry as the only supplier of titanium stress joints. An operating subsidiary of lightweight metals engineering and manufacturing company Arconic, RTIES also performs fabrication and
Xodus Group Adds Subsea Staff
Energy consultancy Xodus Group said it has appointed two principal consultants to its subsea integrity management team.Djamel Hamel and Chris Overton combined add more than 60 years’ experience to Xodus’ team which regularly provides integrity management support to UKCS operators.Hamel has been appointed to the role of principal consultant, having previously worked within a senior pipeline position for six years at Spirit Energy, as well as engineering roles at Wood, Subsea 7 and Technip.A chartered engineer, Hamel holds a PhD in Hydrodynamics from the University of Glasgow and has worked
Bluefin-9 Simplifies Underwater Planning & Monitoring
The Bluefin Operator Tool Suite is a comprehensive software package for underwater missions and is included with the purchase of a Bluefin-9 UUV. This Windows-based tool suite provides everything necessary to run and manage the system, including vehicle check-out and testing, mission planning, vehicle communications, mission monitoring and execution, data management, and post-mission analysis.Mission Planning & VerificationThe Bluefin Mission Planner graphical tool provides an intuitive interface to pre-plan your survey mission. Operators can specify safety settings, operational constraints
DOE Introduces Phantom X8 ROV
US-based Deep Ocean Engineering (DOE) has unveiled a new electric, light work-class remotely operated underwater vehicle (ROV), the Phantom X8, designed for deep sea exploration and light intervention work.The vehicle is the largest and most heavy-duty ROV manufactured by DOE and packs a robust design for deep sea maneuverability and power. Configured with six vectored horizontal and two vertical 2.2 kW Tecnadyne brushless thrusters, the Phantom X8 has complete control and authority in any given direction, even in the toughest currents.For clarity underwater, the Phantom X8 boasts high definition
Sonar: Critical to Bridge Demolition, Recovery
What happens when a bridge or other structure is no longer in use and needs to be removed? There are several options, the most exciting of which is demolition.These jobs require caution and careful planning to guarantee safety and ensure that debris does not cause damage to the local waterways or roads. Four of the most common methods are bursting, hydraulic breakers, dismantling, and explosives.The Historic 1936 Highway 47 Bridge over the Missouri River was demolished this past spring. The old bridge was located 12’ from the new bridge that was built over the past several years. Being as close
First Subsea Installations Begin at Duva
The first subsea installation and construction campaign for the Duva field development is now underway with the installation of the Integrated Template Structure (ITS), Neptune Energy said on social media on Tuesday.The ITS is the first large scale piece of fabrication work to be completed for the Neptune Energy-operated Duva oil and gas field in the northern part of the North Sea, Norway. Weather conditions permitting, it is expected to be installed over the course of a five-day campaign, the London-based independent oil company said.According to Neptune Energy Norge’s Managing Director Odin
Lamont Takes Over as ROVOP CEO
Subsea robotics firm ROVOP announced on Monday that its chairman David Lamont will assume the position of CEO with immediate effect, taking over for Steven Gray who is stepping down after eight years in the role.“I have enjoyed working with the ROVOP team over the past months as Chairman and am thrilled to have the opportunity to work more closely with them to deliver on the many opportunities available to the company in the ever-improving and diversifying market,” Lamont said. “ROVOP is in a particularly strong position, having grown its fleet from 15 ROVs 18 months ago to over 50
McDermott Opens Subsea Center in London
McDermott International said it has relocated its Subsea Center of Excellence from Epsom in Surrey to Bedfont Lakes office park near Feltham in London, to strengthen its subsea offering there following BP’s award of the Greater Tortue Ahmeyim natural gas roject.McDermott and BHGE were awarded subsea umbilicals, risers and flowlines (SURF) and subsea production system (SPS) equipment contracts by BP for the project located offshore Mauritania and Senegal. The subsea engineering team as well as other support office areas from McDermott will be located in the new office.“The relocation of our
Atlantic Offshore Wind: Favorable Winds for Maritime
the Production Tax Credit (PTC) that, unless extended by Congress, expires at the end of the year. Ways and Means Chairman Richard Neal (D-MA) recently announced he would support such an extension.The developers also have to face permit and environmental law restrictions, including NEPA and the Marine Mammal Protection Act. In most cases, BOEM is the lead agency for compliance with these environmental laws, but other agencies are consulting in the NEPA process.For example, BOEM and the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) have almost completed an extensive review of the 100-turbine Vineyard
New XF Series Joysticks
controller specifically engineered for vehicles applications. This new joystick series is designed per the ISO 25197 standard, which establishes the requirements for design, construction and testing of electrical/electronic steering, shift and throttle and dynamic position control systems on marine watercraft up to 24m in length. Adhering to this standard, the XF series is rated to withstand 80lbf pull force across the X/Y axis and over 5Nm torque in the Z axis. The XF Series utilizes contactless Hall effect sensing to provide long life proportional control for over five million
Neptune Adopts Sonardyne’s All-in-one Platform
UK-based subsea technology company Sonardyne said Australian headquartered subsea services firm Neptune has become the latest to adopt its new, all-in-one acoustic and inertial positioning technology platform to support offshore survey projects.The order, made through Sonardyne’s Singapore subsidiary, includes the supply of Fusion 2 software, Compatt 6 seabed transponders and ROVNav 6 LBL (Long BaseLine) vehicle-mounted transceivers. The Compatt 6s and ROVNav 6s will be Sonardyne’s latest ‘plus’ hardware platform (6+), engineered to unlock the full capabilities of Fusion 2.
Acteon Acquires Proserv’s Field Technology Services
Subsea services group Acteon announced on Monday it has acquired Proserv’s field technology services (FTS) business unit, including its surveying capability. The exact terms of the transaction were been disclosed.The services and facilities of the FTS business, which offers cutting, friction stud welding and pipeline maintenance services from bases in Stavanger (Norway), Houma (USA), Singapore and Aberdeen (UK), will be integrated into Acteon under the Claxton brand. The survey business unit will join Acteon’s existing UTEC Survey business, an independent global surveying company.Richard
Imenco Buys Proserv's Nautronix Unit
Controls technology company Proserv said it has sold its through-water digital acoustic communications and positioning systems business, Nautronix, to Imenco, a Norwegian supplier of subsea electronic and mechanical products.The divested unit will become a division within Imenco, which will continue to be known as Imenco UK Ltd. The exact terms of the deal were not disclosed.“Nautronix has enjoyed almost four years within the Proserv portfolio but this opportunity to link up with Imenco is an exciting one and we look forward to developing our business within Geir’s wider team,” said
McDermott Wraps Up Reliance Campaign
McDermott International said it was able to mitigate impact of two cyclones en route to completing the first of two offshore campaigns for Reliance Industries Ltd. KG-D6 R-Cluster subsea field development, in the Krishna Godavari Basin, located off the East Coast of India.The recently completed campaign included McDermott’s piggy-back pipelay in S-lay mode (18-inch plus a 4-inch) offshore in India in approximately 1,300 meters water depth and the installation of 6-inch lines, pipeline end terminations (PLETs) and manifolds to water depths of approximately 1,920 meters, McDermott said. The
TechnipFMC Wins MJ1 Subsea Contract
TechnipFMC announced on Monday it has been awarded "significant" subsea contracts from India's Reliance Industries to build and install flexible risers, rigid and flexible flowlines and umbilicals for the the MJ1 field located offshore India in the deepwater Krishna Godavari basin.The contract is worth between $75 million and $250 million, the UK-based contractor said in a press release.Reliance Industries is operator and holds 60% interest in the MJ1 field. Its partners are BP and Niko with 30% and 10% stakes respectively. This high-pressure high-temperature (HPHT) gas field is
