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Meredith Joins BIRNS Sales Team

Marine lighting and connector systems manufacturer BIRNS, Inc. announced that Bruce Meredith has joined its sales team as Technical Sales Manager, responsible for leading the company’s sales team, overseeing its global distributor and dealer networks and managing accounts for advanced deep submergence connectors and cable assemblies and high performance marine and nuclear lighting systems sales.Meredith brings decades of sales and marketing experience to his new role. Prior to his position at BIRNS, he served in a range of sales management leadership roles, including Western Regional Vice

Birns Hires Meredith

has joined its sales team as Technical Sales Manager. In his new role, Meredith will be responsible for leading the company’s sales team, overseeing its global distributor and dealer networks, and managing accounts for advanced deep submergence connectors and cable assemblies and high performance marine and nuclear lighting systems sales.Meredith brings decades of sales and marketing experience to his new role. Prior to joining the team at BIRNS, he served in a range of sales management leadership roles, including Western Regional Vice President for Custom Bilt Metals, General Manager/Vice President

Australia Searching for Lost WWII Destroyer

A joint effort between the Royal Australian Navy and the Sri Lankan Navy will set out to solve one of the remaining maritime mysteries of World War II, after new information has come to light regarding the whereabouts of a sunken warship.Australian destroyer HMAS Vampire sank on April 9, 1942 as the result of an intensive Japanese air attack off the Sri Lankan coast. The destroyer was broken in half by several bombs and went down in less than 10 minutes, killing nine sailors while hundreds more were rescued by the hospital ship Vita and local fishing vessels. A few men were even able to swim ashore.

IDEX: Demo of Aquabotix SwarmDiver EDGE

Aquabotix demonstrated its recently launched SwarmDiver EDGE system at a special event coinciding with the International Defense Exhibition & Conference (IDEX) in Abu Dhabi, UAE last week. This was the first such public demonstration of the EDGE system, and the company showcased the product’s distinguishing features, including its capabilities to be used as a visual boundary and first line deterrent for various waterborne threats.The SwarmDiver EDGE system has been designed to alert for threats of manned and unmanned vehicles, including militarized vehicles and hobby drones with explosive

Subsea 7 Wins BP Work Offshore UK

Subsea 7 S.A. announced Wednesday it has been awarded a contract by BP Exploration for the provision of subsea construction, inspection, repair and maintenance services covering BP’s North Sea region portfolio of assets West of Shetland and Northern North Sea.Under the terms of the five year agreement, i-Tech Services will provide a life of field support vessel complete with work class and observation class remotely operated underwater vehicles (ROV), capable of performing inspection, survey, intervention, light subsea construction and emergency response services.Subsea 7 said the work scope is

Oi: Tracking 50 Years of Ocean Innovation

As Oceanology International celebrates its 50th Anniversary, Marine Technology Reporter explores half a century of subsea technology development and discovery. Oceanology International Americas runs February 25-27, 2019 in San Diego.When Oceanology launched in 1969 in the seaside resort of Brighton the world was a very different place. For a start, Brighton was home to the mods and rockers, who would square off against each other on the town’s elegant seafront. The British currency included shillings and ha’ pennies and man had yet to step foot on the moon.More crucially, to the

N-Sea Scores North Sea Contracts

UK and Netherlands-based subsea provider N-Sea said it has been awarded two multimillion dollar contracts for a pair of unnamed operators in the North Sea.Managed and supported by N-Sea’s Aberdeen base, the first is a three-year contract, awarded by an international operator. According to N-Sea, the workscope will take place across a number of the operator’s UK North Sea assets and includes air diving inspection, repair and maintenance, in addition to light construction requirements from its diving support vessels and dive daughter craft.  Additionally, and following an initial

Oi Americas Set for San Diego

and exhibition in the San Diego Convention Center, 25-27 February 2019, organised in association with The Maritime Alliance and featuring a Welcome Video by filmmaker James Cameron among its many highlights.From its comparatively modest but well-starred debut in Brighton in February 1969, this pivotal marine industry forum has steadily grown in terms of profile, attendance and commensurate influence, carrying with it a snowballing reputation as a must-attend showcase with an established global reach. To this end, the Oi portfolio now includes sister events in China (launched in 2013) and the US (launched

Subsea Electrification: Subsea Power Evolves

packs also function for up to eight times the cycle life of traditional sealed lead acid batteries, which may provide many years of service, and eliminate classic and costly battery failure headaches.Meeting customer needsAn example user of SWE SeaSafe II is SEAmagine, dedicated to the personal submarines industry since 1995. This private submersibles company has demonstrated the safety, utility, and dependability of its submarines. To support this, SWE SeaSafe employs its patented Battery Management System within every SeaSafe II Battery Module to ensure safety and dependability unsurpassed in the

The “Disruption” in AUV Trends

calculations) can measure all the colors of our (electromagnetic) spectrum, so it sees what you can’t see with your eyes. It can see the kind of metal a plate of metal is or it can look at a coral and see color that you can’t see with your eyes.”Martin Ludvigsen, an NTNU professor of marine technology and manager of the AMOS applied underwater laboratory, or AUV Lab, confirms that years of theoretical work creating “data-driven mission plans” for AUVs are now paying off. In September, an AMOS research cruise reached 82.5 degrees North latitude — just short of the North

High-tech Buoy Launched in New York Bight

wind farms offshore the U.S. East Coast.Equinor Wind US said it deployed the cutting-edge buoy as it works to develop its offshore wind lease site in the New York Bight.The Floating LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) device will measure wind speed, wind direction, wave conditions and several other marine characteristics that help inform critical decisions in regard to the resource potential and eventual development of the wind farm. It will be deployed to record this information for two years.The floating system, using solar panels, wind turbines and large batteries in its hull, can operate autonomously

Aker Solutions Revenues Up 8%

Aker Solutions reports Q4 2018 revenue of $813 million, an 8% rise compared to Q4 2017 powered by “significant international awards in a competitive, but improving market.” In total, order intake for the quarter was $615.6 million, leaving the company with an order backlog of more than $4 billion. Better still, looking forward the company sees “continued signs of a recovery in the global market” with approximately $5.2 billion worth of contracts currently in the bid phase.In analyzing the results, executives credit an improving market in step with its own “investments in

OSRL Launches UAV Services for Members

Oil Spill Response Ltd (OSRL) has expanded its member offer with the launch of an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) service. The new service aims to enhance preparedness and response capabilities to better support members’ needs in the event of a spill.To facilitate the service on a global basis, and to ensure the shortest time to mobilization, OSRL has signed ‘call-off agreements’ with a number of third-party UAV providers around the world. Launch partners for the service include Bristow Aerial Solutions, Sky-Futures and Vertical Horizon Media. Each partner has been selected based on

Waters West of Europe Drive Ocean Overturning

and the United Kingdom’s Natural Environment Research Council. Additional funding came from the European Union 7th Framework Program and Horizon 2020.Co-authors hailed from Duke; the U.K.’s National Oceanography Center; Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution; the Scottish Association for Marine Sciences; the Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research and Utrecht University; Memorial University in St. John’s, Canada; GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research in Kiel, Germany; and the Bedford Institute of Oceanography in Dartmouth, Canada

Ivar Aasen Now Operated from Land

Aker BP on Wednesday said it has begun operating the permanently manned North Sea platform Ivar Aasen from an onshore control room in Trondheim, Norway.The Ivar Aasen platform was constructed with two identical control rooms – one on the platform and the other in Trondheim – and the Norwegian company said the plan has always been to move the controls to land. The company received the green light from Norway's Petroleum Safety Authority in November and this week started using its onshore site to monitor facilities, production, equipment and follow up everything that takes place on

Maritime Training: Take the MarTID Global Survey

a broader response, this year the MarTID steering group opted to both shorten the survey and to offer three, targeted versions: one for vessel operators, one for training institutions and one for seafarers.What is MarTID?MarTID is a noncommercial, joint initiative of the World Maritime University, Marine Learning Systems and New Wave Media. Its core principles include ethical integrity, objectivity and confidentiality. It was launched in 2018 with the completion of the inaugural survey and publication of the 2018 Training Practices Report (which can be found at www.MarTID.org).Why is MarTID Important

Arctic Rays Chooses GTS as West Coast Rep

Arctic Rays LLC, an underwater technology specialist in the design and manufacturing of high-performance lights, cameras and sub-sea equipment, has announced GTS Consulting as the company’s west coast representative. The territory for GTS Consulting on behalf of Arctic Rays includes California, Oregon, Washington and British Columbia.

Optime Subsea Bags Long-term Deal with Aker BP

Norwegian based Optime Subsea said it has been selected by Aker BP to provide well access system and services on the Norwegian continental shelf (NCS) for the next two years, with extension options.Aker BP will in the next two years use Optime Subsea’s Subsea Controls and Intervention Light System (SCILS) and related services, for its well access operations on the NCS. The system will be deployed this spring on Aker BP’s Jette as part of their plug and abandoment operations and Skogul for its installation campaign.“Using Optime Subsea’s SCILS ties well into our strategy of

Boskalis Wins Subsea Work in the Middle East

Royal Boskalis Westminster N.V. (Boskalis) announced Tuesday it has signed a multi-year subsea services agreement for an unnamed customer in the Middle East. The base value of the three-year contract amounts to $40 million with an option to extend.Under the terms of the contract commencing, The Dutch company said it will carry out a broad spectrum of subsea inspection, repair and maintenance (IRM) services, including integrity assessments for offshore platforms and tripods, wellhead jacket inspections, integrity assessments and inspections of pipelines and light ad-hoc construction work.Boskalis said

iXblue Partners with Forssea

iXblue, a designer and manufacturer of advanced navigation, imagery and subsea positioning solutions, said it has joined forces with Forssea, a robotics startup that develops autonomous docking underwater technologies, to bring more agile and cost-effective subsea operations.Combining Forssea’s Atoll, an observation-class remotely operated underwater vehicle (ROV) that offers autonomous docking capabilities, with iXblue’s DriX offshore going unmanned surface vessel (USV) and its Gaps ultra-short baseline (USBL) embedded gondola, both companies are now offering a new method of long baseline

Case Study: Floating top marks for piles in flooding rivers

Grupo Lindley was approached by Administração dos Portos do Douro, Leixões e Viana do Castelo in Portugal to improve the reliability of the aids to navigation in the Douro River. Along this stretch of navigable waters there are many piles that when the river floods become totally submerged.In conjunction with Instituto Hidrográfico (Portuguese Navy), Almarin together with sister company Lindley in Portugal has been working on a topmark that performs as a buoy floating off from the pile in high water. The goal was to design a day mark that would function normally during the

UTEC Wins Survey Work Offshore India

Surveying company UTEC, part of subsea services group Acteon, said it has been awarded a subcontract by McDermott International for a series of survey work scopes offshore eastern India.The work, due to commence in December 2018, will see UTEC provide surface and subsea positioning services during the installation of subsea flowlines, pipeline end manifolds and terminations, jumpers, risers and umbilicals that form part of the development of a field in water depths to 2,100 meters.UTEC said it will operate equipment and personnel initially on three vessels: the McDermott operated DLV 2000 pipelay

India Plans Deep Dive for Seabed Minerals

Nemo appeared to get one thing wrong, however, in asserting deep sea minerals "would be quite easy to exploit".Over the next decade, the Indian government plans to pump in more than $1 billion to develop and test deep sea technologies like underwater crawling machines and human-piloted submarines, according to the earth sciences ministry.If it works, the equipment will be able to reach depths of up to 6 kilometers (3.7 miles), where metals can be 15 times more concentrated than in land deposits.The ISA allows India to explore an area in the Indian Ocean of 75,000 square kilometers (about

Fugro Reports IRM Bump

Fugro said it has attracted seven new clients for its inspection, repair and maintenance (IRM) services in the U.K. North Sea.Recent work includes pipeline and structure inspections for Centrica Storage, Chrysaor, Dana, Petrofac, Premier, Repsol and Spirit Energy, the company said Tuesday. Workscopes also include light repair and maintenance and decommissioning, utilizing Fugro’s multi-role vessels and broad in-house environmental, geotechnical and geophysical expertise.Karl Daly, Fugro’s European IRM Service Line Director, commented, “In this competitive market, we are extremely

Performing Coating Systems for Different Applications

Subsea Industries develops durable, non-toxic hard hull coating systems. Ecospeed was the first coating and was launched in 2002, but since then a line of other products has been added.EcoshieldEcoshield is an enhanced version of Ecospeed. Small but significant variations of the Ecospeed formula have been tested on rudders since 2002 with extraordinary results. After years of testing (initially under the name Ecospeed Strong) the product was launched in 2013.Ecoshield is designed to protect rudders and other underwater running gear against the cavitation phenomenon: against pitting, corrosion and

i-Tech Services Wins IMR Contract

i-Tech Services said it has secured its first inspection, repair and maintenance (IRM) contract for the vessel MMA Pinnacle with a Malaysia-based integrated oil and gas services company, following the signing of a long-term vessel charter agreement in the Asia Pacific region earlier this year.The work scope for the 30-day campaign ranges from the provision of general visual inspection (GVI) services through to changing out subsea hardware in water depths of 1,400 meters, using the vessel’s 150-metric-ton crane.Mobilizing in Singapore, the MMA Pinnacle has been fitted with a range of i-Tech

MarTID 2019: The Global Survey of Maritime Training Practices is Open

.  For Operators: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/2019MarTIDOperatorFor Training Institutions: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/2019MarTIDMETIFor Seafarers: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/2019MarTIDSeafarerWhat is MarTID?MarTID is a non-commercial, joint initiative of the World Maritime University, Marine Learning Systems and New Wave Media. Its core principles include ethical integrity, objectivity and confidentiality. It was launched in 2018 with the completion of the inaugural survey and publication of the 2018 Training Practices Report (which can be found at www.MarTID.org).Why is MarTID Important

Teledyne Bowtech: Lamps for the Five Deeps Expedition

Teledyne Bowtech, A Division of Teledyne  Limited, has announced the supply of modified LED-V-Series deep water lamps for installation on board Triton submarines for the Five Deeps Expedition, a collaboration between investor and explorer Victor Vescovo of Caladan Oceanic, Triton Submarines and EYOS Expeditions.After three years of intensive efforts from some of the world’s leading oceanographers, submarine engineers, and scientists, the Five Deeps Expedition is launching as the first global ocean journey to send a manned submersible vessel farther and deeper than any in history. An expeditio

DeepSea Expands SeaCam Product Line

DeepSea Power & Light is expanding its SeaCam family of subsea imaging solutions with the new IP Multi SeaCam and IP Apex SeaCam. These subsea cameras offer efficient and high-quality compression along with support for common real-time IP streaming and camera management protocols, the manufacturer said.The IP Multi SeaCam provides a compact, fixed focus solution for subsea monitoring and tooling applications. Efficient and high-quality compression provides sub-200 ms latency network streaming with full HD resolution in both the 72° HFOV flat port and 105° HFOV dome port options. The 256 GB

IKM Wins ROV Contract from AKOFS

IKM Subsea said it has been selected to provide remotely operated underwater vehicle (ROV) services as part of AKOFS Offshore's five + three year light well intervention (LWI) services contract on the Norwegian continental shelf (NCS) from Equinor.IKM said its 400 Million NOK ($47.2 million) contract with AKOFS includes the construction and mobilization of two Merlin UCVs (ultra-compact vehicles) on board the well intervention vessel AKOFS Seafarer. IKM will also supply ROV services with personnel and onshore support for the duration of the contract. The ROVs will be built by IKM Subsea’s

OPT Rolls Out New Products

Ocean energy solutions developer Ocean Power Technologies, Inc. has expanded its suite of complimentary products that leverage the core technology of the PowerBuoy, which include subsea batteries and a hybrid (liquid-fueled) PowerBuoy.George H. Kirby, President and Chief Executive Officer of OPT, said, “Our team has been working diligently to identify opportunities to leverage our technologies to address the needs of current and potential customers in subsea environments. These new product offerings provide OPT with the means to better serve customers by expanding its product and service offerings

Engie Gets Green Light for Offshore Wind Projects in France

French energy group Engie said on Tuesday it has received clearance for its grounded 500 MW gigawatt capacity offshore Yeu and Noirmoutier wind projects.Engie said the 2 billion euro ($2.27 billion) projects, which it is developing with renewables company EDPR, and a unit of French public sector lender Caisse des Depots, will proceed with the calls to tender after it obtained the final authorization from the government on Monday.A spokesman said the wind farms are expected to be operational by 2021.The farms are in an 83 square kilometers zone, and they will have 62 turbines manufactured by Siemens

Drafinsub Chooses Falcon ROV

Italian underwater works company Drafinsub chose the Saab Seaeye Falcon electric remotely operated underwater vehicle (ROV) for the wide ranging and complex tasks undertaken by the company.“We chose the Falcon because it's the industry standard for observation robotic vehicles,” said Andrea Dellacasa from Drafinsub. “It is reliable, scalable and suitable for most kind of works, from observation to non-destructive testing and survey.“Our company has more than 20 years’ experience with ROVs and we felt it was the right time to take a leap in quality, with the completion

Partners to Produce Innovative Dive Vessel

Veecraft Marine, subsidiary of Paramount Maritime Holdings, and Unique Group announced a strategic Agreement for the continued manufacture of the next-generation HYDRACraft 1400 Diving Daughtercraft. The maritime platform will be deployed by Unique Group customers with the primary purpose of supporting ongoing offshore oil and gas diving operations.The combination of lightweight composites and aluminum ship building technologies, the light weight 14m, MCA certified HYDRACraft 1400 Diving Daughtercraft can be deployed from a single point Mac Gregor 10T Davit while supporting the diving operations of up

Schlumberger, TGS Bags New US Seismic Project

Norwegian seismic specialist TGS-NOPEC Geophysical Company (TGS) and oilfield services providers Schlumberger have announced a new multiclient nodal seismic project in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico.The project, named Amendment, will comprise acquisition of a 2,350-km2 multiclient seismic survey in the Mississippi Canyon and Atwater Valley protraction areas of the U.S. Gulf of Mexico. This prolific area includes open acreage, existing producing assets and new discoveries.Seismic data will be acquired using Fairfield Geotechnologies 4C nodal acquisition technology with operations expected to commence in Q4

Hands-on Robotics Training in Australia

Australia’s Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization (CSIRO) has begun training students to operate their new Saab Seaeye Falcon remotely operated underwater vehicle (ROV).This follows Falcon training for CSIRO staff at the organization’s facility in Hobart, Tasmania, by BlueZone, Saab Seaeye’s distributor in the region.The course was adapted to give hands-on practical training for CSIRO staff in a week-long training program that includes theory and practical sessions, set near dockside facilities in Hobart. The training focuses on real world practicalities.

Hunting Hydrocarbons

acoustic monitoring (PAM) projects to aid environmental and anthropogenic monitoring during seismic surveys and, it hopes soon, also around offshore wind piling operations monitoring. For PAM operations, broad spectrum hydrophones are mounted to the gliders to record low and high frequency acoustics from marine life.Blue Ocean’s first PAM survey was in 2016, offshore Western Australia, during 3D seismic acquisition operations. The glider was deployed in the survey area and traversed four days, covering about 30km/day, depending on the current, before performing simultaneous operations with the seismic

New Research Vessel for Virginia Institute of Marine Science

A new research vessel for the Virginia Institute of Marine Science (VIMS) has completed sea trials and is transiting to its home port in Virginia.The new vessel, the R/V Virginia, will support the institution’s fisheries research projects and greatly expand VIMS’ capability to perform general oceanographic research in the Chesapeake Bay as well as mid-Atlantic coastal waters. Interest in the new research vessel is already growing rapidly as next season is almost fully booked with science cruises.The 93-foot vessel was built by Meridien Maritime Reparation. JMS Naval Architects performed

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

The Ocean Cleanup Kicks Off

primary objective is to prove the technology and start the cleanup, a secondary goal is to collect performance data to improve the design for future deployments. The system is equipped with solar-powered and satellite-connected sensors, cameras and navigation lights to communicate its position to passing marine traffic, and enable extensive monitoring of the system and the environment. The Maersk Launcher will also remain active as an observation platform for several weeks after delivering System 001 to the Great Pacific Garbage Patch.In order to begin tackling the Pacific debris patch covering an area

Subsea Defense: Extending Unmanned Capabilities

The defense sector is looking for ways to extend its reach and capabilities, with underwater robotic and autonomous systems and sensors.Extending the capabilities of submarine warfare systems without the need for humans is a key focus in the marine defense space. Navies feel under threat; they have limited budgets and worries about resurgent maritime forces from Russia and China, while new technologies – robotics, artificial intelligence (AI) and autonomous systems – are increasingly available to an ever-wider range of players, creating what are termed asymmetric threats in an ever-wider

Nemeth Joins BIRNS as Manufacturing Engineer

BIRNS, Inc., an ISO 9001:2015 certified manufacturer of high performance lighting and connector systems, announces the appointment of Abel Nemeth as Manufacturing Engineer at the company’s headquarters. In his new role at BIRNS, Nemeth will be responsible for designing efficiency, cost-effectiveness, environmental and safety controls into each process, and will design, develop and evaluate integrated systems for managing industrial production procedures.Nemeth brings more than 25 years of expertise to the position, having served previously in senior Engineering roles for a range of companies and

Swire Seabed Awarded Wintershall Framework Agreement

Swire Seabed announced it has secured a framework agreement with Wintershall Norge AS for the provision of marine subsea services (MSS) in the North Sea.The agreement will commence this year and has a duration of three years plus four yearly options, the subsea services firm said.The work scope includes the supply of vessel and services which encompasses survey, IMR and light construction.The agreement is call-off based, meaning that during the course of the frame agreement, Wintershall can award MSS contracts on an as-needed basis.

New ASV Delivered for Post-hurricane Surveying

sidescan/bathy multibeam echo-sounder (MBES), R2 Sonic 2022 MBES, Applanix WaveMaster POS MV inertial navigation system (INS), a SeaRobotics’ cast winch and a castable AML BaseX² sound velocity probe (SVP). The two multibeam systems were chosen to provide exceptional data quality in multiple marine environments, aiding in the rapid assessment of navigation hazards. The lightweight SeaRobotics’ cast winch deploys the SVP used to generate corrective sound velocity profiles by the onboard data acquisition computer.“The rapid deployment and ease of assembly of the ASV, as well as the

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

Shearwater to Buy Schlumberger’s Seismic Business

Norwegian marine geophysical services company Shearwater GeoServices Holding AS has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire the marine seismic acquisition assets and operations of Schlumberger’s geophysical services product line, WesternGeco.The transaction, which remains subject to regulatory approvals and other customary closing conditions, is expected to close in the fourth quarter of 2018.Houston based Schlumberger will receive cash consideration based on an enterprise value of $600 million plus a 15 percent post-closing equity interest in Shearwater. For a limited period, Schlumberger

MTR’s “Top 10” Ocean Influencers

Out today is the 13th Annual “MTR100”, Marine Technology Reporter’s profiling of 100 leading companies, people and technologies in the subsea space. This year for the first time the editorial staff, with input from the global industry, delivers a listing of the “Top 10 Ocean Influencers.” Marine Technology Reporter’s Top 10 are profiled in short below; for the full editorial see the July/August 2018 edition at: https://magazines.marinelink.com/nwm/MarineTechnology/201807/No. 1Yohei Sasakawa, Chairman, Nippon FoundationYohei Sasakawa, Chairman, Nippon

US Destroyer Wreckage Discovered off Remote Alaskan Island

For almost 75 years, the stern of the destroyer USS Abner Read lay somewhere below the dark surface of the Bering Sea off the Aleutian island of Kiska, where it sank after being torn off by an explosion while conducting an anti-submarine patrol. Seventy-one U.S. Navy Sailors were lost in the aftermath of the blast, during a brutal and largely overlooked early campaign of World War II.Heroic action by the crew saved the ship, but for the families of the doomed Sailors, the final resting place of loved ones lost in the predawn hours of Aug. 18, 1943 remained unknown.On July 17, a NOAA-funded team of

IMR Contract to IKM Subsea

Aker BP has awarded IKM Subsea an ad-hoc call of agreement for light IMR services on the Norwegian continental shelf. The duration of the contract is 3 years with additional six years of options. IKM Subsea will provide onshore project management, engineering, tooling preparation and offshore operations utilizing its Merlin ROV fleet.

Ocean Networks Canada: 'Wiring the Abyss'

late July. The collection of detailed measurements over two years will assess the deep-sea site, approximately 200 kilometers southeast of Vancouver Island, for future use.“A potential full-scale neutrino observatory at Cascadia Basin would benefit particle physics, astrophysics, ocean science and marine biology by offering reliable long-term detection capabilities,” said Benoit Pirenne, ONC’s executive director of user engagement.The equipment being used to detect neutrinos is also sensitive to bioluminescence, providing scientists with data to study trends in this emission of light

Fugro to Conduct Marine Lidar Bathymetry Survey in Australia

Office of Environment and Heritage (OEH), on behalf of the New South Wales Government, Australia.The project will deliver data as part of OEH’s Seabed NSW program, announced earlier this year, and involves the collection of high resolution, seamless bathymetry across the New South Wales coastal and marine environment. The data will assist in mapping the seafloor and sediment compartments along the NSW coast. This information will enable councils, scientists and government agencies to better understand nearshore processes and allow them to model coastal hazards at a local scale with far greater accuracy

New Site Hosts Corps’ Hydrographic Survey Training

What do hydrographic surveys ― the scientific measurement and description of physical features at the bottom of bodies of water ― have to do with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and marine construction? In a word, plenty.Francis Postiglione, chief of the New York District's Survey Section, Operation's Division, said, "Surveying is at the root of all projects in coastal and inland waterways," adding, "Surveying also plays a large role during the bidding process and awarding of contracts, especially with estimating costs."Importance of SurveysHydrographic surveys are important

New Long-range RTsys Recorder Launched

, flat or geometric) equipped with 16 omnidirectional hydrophones. The system is less than 20m long and can be launched by two people from a light boat. The multiple hydrophones, in combination with digital processing, reduce noise and therefore improve signal quality. The equipment can record below the marine background noise over a frequency range up to 100 kHz.The success of this challenge essentially rests on a modification of the SDA (Synchronous Data Acquisition) circuit board which is at the heart of all RTsys products. While maintaining an identical format and a power consumption that is still

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

Elon Musk Sends Submarine to Aid Thai Cave Rescue

Billionaire inventor Elon Musk has sent a “kid-size submarine” to aid rescuers working to save a Thai soccer team that has been trapped in a flooded cave for more than two weeks.A team of Thai and international divers began rescue attempts this weekend and have so far freed eight boys, while another four and their coach face their 17th night trapped on a ledge more than two miles inside the flooded Tham Luang Nang Non cave complex.“Mini-sub arriving in about 17 hours. Hopefully useful,” Musk said in a tweet Sunday. “If not, perhaps it will be in a future situation.”&l

Another IMR Contract to IKM Subsea

Equinor, Norske Shell and IKM Subsea have agreed to adopt the terms and conditions of the contract originally signed between Norske Shell and IKM Subsea for provision of Light ROV & inspection services for Equinor operations. The services specifically ordered by Equinor will include onshore project management, engineering and offshore operations utilising the Siem Pride which is subject to a vessel share agreement with Norske Shell.  The requested services and equipment will be delivered based on a call off mechanism and contract arrangement is estimated for two years with  options to

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

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

BIRNS Achieves ISO 9001:2015 Certification

BIRNS, Inc., designer and manufacturer of lighting and connector systems, announced that its Quality Management System is now certified to ISO 9001:2015 by DNV GL.The company recently underwent an audit of its business and manufacturing processes, and completed the certification to the new standard as of May of this year.The new ISO 9001:2015 standard has a focus on risk-based thinking and accountability in all organizational processes, an emphasis on leadership involvement and demonstrated commitment to understanding the needs and expectations of interested parties, with the result of continual