SGRE Bags Largest U.S. OWP Order
The Spanish wind energy giant Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy (SGRE) has received an order for 1,714 MW from Orsted and Eversource.Encompassing three offshore wind power projects, the signed conditional contract is the largest U.S. offshore wind power (OWP) order to date, it said in a press release.According to SGRE, the order encompasses the supply, delivery, and installation of SG 8.0-167 DD wind turbines including service agreements in federal waters off the northeastern coast of the U.S. All deliveries are subject to Ørsted and Eversource’s final investment decision.Siemens Gamesa has
New York Awards Offshore Wind Contracts
New York on Thursday awarded two major offshore wind contracts to Norway's Equinor and a joint venture between Denmark's Orsted and U.S. utility Eversource, procuring more of the renewable power than it had planned as part of Governor Andrew Cuomo's ambitious plan to slash greenhouse gas emissions.Cuomo made the announcement at a New York City news conference just before signing into law a landmark climate bill to reduce the state's greenhouse gas emissions to zero by 2050. The law mandates reducing emissions by 85% from 1990 levels by 2050, and offsetting the remaining 15%, making the
Oil Recovered from WWII Shipwreck
.A unified command consisting of the Coast Guard and New York State Department of Environmental Conservation oversaw the response supported by more than 100 government, industry and environmental specialists.As much as 99 percent of the recoverable oil was removed and secured for disposal by Resolve Marine. “The amount remaining in the vessel is very small and any sheening poses minimal risk to the local environment and no risk to the shoreline.” said Steve Lehmann, senior scientific coordinator at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Any further potential environmental
Expro to Supply IRS Offshore Mauritania
Oilfield services company Expro said it has been awarded a contract by Pacific Drilling subsidiary Pacific Santa Ana for the provision of an Intervention Riser System (IRS) for PETRONAS’s Chinguetti Field Phase II plug and abandonment (P&A) contract, offshore Mauritania.The contract, valued at $20 million, will see Expro provide its IRS system with associated surface support equipment, to be deployed from Pacific Drilling’s drillship, Pacific Santa Ana. The contracted work will take place for an estimated 360 days.Worldwide Oilfield Machine (WOM) will support Expro with the provision
Saipem Testing Hydrone-R Resident Vehicle
Italian services firm Saipem said it has started functional testing on its Hydrone-R underwater resident vehicle at Sonsub facilities in Venice.The advanced underwater intervention drone is being launched in water for a comprehensive qualification campaign that aims to test all components and subsystems, including the subsea docking base in a real subsea scenario, Saipem said.It was announced that endurance and qualification tests will be carried over several months in open sea, offshore Trieste in a "playground" that has been set up to serve the entire Hydrone Program.Hydrone-R, which can
NKT to Link Edvard Grieg to Johan Sverdrup
Power cables manufacturer NKT announced it has been awarded a contract to supply the high-voltage power cable that will connect the Edvard Grieg oil and gas production platform to the Johan Sverdrup field center in the Norwegian sector of the North Sea.NKT said it was selected by Lundin Norway to supply 24 kilometers of 132 kV AC XLPE high-voltage power cable, expected to be commissioned in 2022.The connection of the two installations enables Lundin to benefit from the already planned power link in conjunction with phase 2 of the Johan Sverdrup development. The link connecting Johan Sverdrup phase 2
New Multibeam Sonar Package Unveiled
The new WASSP F3X professional multibeam sonar package developed by ENL Group, majority-owned by Furuno Electric Company, is designed for for fisherman and mariners who need the ability to see deep into the ocean.The WMB4340 and WMB6340, both available from Furuno, provide superior target detection of fish in the water column, track fish targets deeper than ever before, and allow navigators and surveyors to map the seabed and structure below with confidence, the company said.WASSP F3X penetrates the water in a 120˚ swath with 224 individual beams. Its higher output power provides a nearly 50% increase
Asian Ports to Use Handheld XRF Analyzer
of several instruments under one account. The X-MET8000 uses the same technology found in our benchtop XRF instruments that are used globally for fuels/oils testing primarily in onshore labs.With recent examples of fines being handed out for non-compliance against existing regulations, the move towards marine fuels with lower sulfur content creates requirements of fuel oil sulfur content test kits for both ship owners and port authorities.While ship owners need a reliable means of onboard testing to comply and port authorities need to enforce varying fuel suppliers in different locations around the world
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.
MAN in Global Service Deal with Wallem
German solution provider to the marine and energy sectors, MAN Energy Solutions (MES) has signed a Global Key Account Management contract with Hong Kongbased Wallem Group.The contract covers the supply of spares and services to MAN main engines, generators and turbochargers aboard vessels managed by Wallem, the provider of technology-driven maritime solutions.According to a press release from Augsburg-based MES, the global agreement covers all offices of the Wallem Group and provides access to a dedicated global and local key account manager from MAN PrimeServ, MAN Energy Solutions’ after-sales
Blockchain Container Completes Maiden Voyage
The Port of Rotterdam has announced that the first paperless and fully door-to-door tracked container, based on blockchain technology, has arrived at the warehouse of Samsung SDS in Tilburg.Last year Dutch bank ABN AMRO collaborated with the Port of Rotterdam and Samsung SDS on a blockchain trade initiative, DELIVER. The DELIVER concept fuels process automation and provides value for all actors in the supply chain.Yesterday, they have successfully tracked and instantly financed a shipping container and the Proof of Concept (PoC) phase is complete. The entire journey was paperless and automated
Mat Sinking Unit in Modernization Drive
with concrete mats and prevent erosion.The Mat Sinking Unit was built in 1940, widened in 1960 and is being replaced over the next several years with new and improved plant. The new design will double the number of mat squares that can be placed in a season.USACE Vicksburg District (MVK), USACE Marine Design Center (MDC), SIA Solutions LLC (SIA), Bristol Harbor Group, Inc. (BHGI), and the National Robotics and Engineering Center (NREC) are working together to design a new Mat Boat, which will increase production rates and improve the safety of the crew.NREC is designing the new robotic cranes
Shipbuilding: Cable Layer Delivered to Japan
. The vessel has flexible operational capabilities and provides a comfortable platform for the operational personnel and the interior design of the vessel is aesthetically appealing. The vessels material, equipment, construction, quality and performance conform to the highest internationally accepted marine industrial norms and standards. It is built to ClassNK classification society standards and meets the regulatory requirements of the Japanese Government (JG requirements).Colombo Dockyard PLC is a flag ship investment of Japan and operates in joint collaboration with Onomichi Dockyard Company Limited
RBR Order to Support Great Lakes RAEON
Scientists have started a coordinated effort to study and monitor the health of the Great Lakes using a large number of RBR loggers and multiparameter sensors.RBR has recently delivered hundreds of world-class scientific instruments to meet the critical requirements of the Real-time Aquatic Ecosystem Observation Network (RAEON).“RAEON will support comprehensive and multidisciplinary research to understand and manage the Great Lakes and will be a reference for researchers worldwide who are investigating freshwater ecosystems,” Dr. Fisk said.“This collaborative hub will enable researcher
Seaspan Delivers Canada's First OFSV
by hundreds of dedicated Seaspan employees and supply chain partners from across Canada.As the first large vessel to be built and delivered to the Government of Canada under the National Shipbuilding Strategy (NSS), it also marks a significant milestone in the rebirth and revitalization of the Canadian marine industrial sector.Mark Lamarre, Chief Executive Officer, Seaspan Shipyards said: “Seaspan Shipyards is proud to celebrate the delivery and acceptance of the first vessel designed and built under the NSS. This remarkable achievement is the result of the hard work and dedication of hundreds of
Floating Wind: French, Japanese Firms Partner
French floating foundations developer Ideol and Japanese renewable specialist Shizen Energy have signed an agreement to jointly develop a commercial-scale floating offshore wind project (OWF) off the coasts of Kyushu in Japan.The agreement was signed in Tokyo today by Paul de la Guérivière, CEO of Ideol, and Masaya Hasegawa, Representative Director of Shizen Energy, during the state visit of Emmanuel Macron, President of the French Republic. Bruno Le Maire, French Minister of Economy, attended the signing ceremony.The wind farm will use Ideol's damping pool technology by, and Shizen
Colombo Delivers Cable-Laying Vessel
Sri Lanka's Colombo Dockyard PLC (CDPLC) delivered its biggest and most sophisticated vessel, the submarine cable-laying ship KDDI Cable Infinity built for Japan's Kokusai Cable Ship Co.The KDDI Cable Infinity is meant for subsea operation and cable installation and repair works of optical cables as well as power cables. For the handling of power cables, the forward tank has been fitted with a carousel system with a Spooling Arm."This is the biggest ever vessel, price-wise as well as length-wise, to be built by CDPLC in its illustrious journey of shipbuilding excellence and the first ever
Oceaneering Awarded Work in Mozambique
Oceaneering announced on Wednesday it has secured a contract from Anadarko Petroleum Corporation to supply umbilicals, distribution hardware, and aftermarket services for its liquefaction and export terminal project in Mozambique.The multiple lengths of onshore and subsea steel tube control umbilicals total approximately 185 kilometers in length. The distribution hardware to be provided includes umbilical termination assemblies, hydraulic and chemical distribution units, electrical distribution units, flying leads, junction plates, remotely operated underwater vehicle (ROV) flyable large-bore connectors
Seaspace Race Underway at Saab Subsea Docking Demo
A subsea space race is now officially underway in the offshore oil and gas industry following successful trials of docking and inspection operations using a commercially available underwater vehicle and Norwegian energy firm Equinor’s open-standard subsea docking station (SDS).The trials, witnessed by a crowd of leading players in the subsea resident remotely operated vehicle (ROV) or autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) and hybrid space, were carried out in Lake Vattern, at Motala, Sweden on Tuesday.The SDS, the second built for Equinor, was transported to Saab Dynamic’s Sweden facility
Floating Wind: Norway Seeks to Expand
Norway will seek to open two areas for the construction of floating offshore wind parks, which combined could hold a turbine capacity of up to 3.5 gigawatts (GW), the Norwegian oil and energy ministry said.Norway has recently been seeking to develop wind power, both onshore and offshore. The first offshore area, which the ministry will propose before July, is called Utsira North and is situated in the North Sea. The ministry will also seek views about opening a second area, called Southern North Sea II, which is close to the offshore border with Denmark.He said that the year by when the offshore
Mooring Monitor System for Coral Sul FLNG
Mooring solutions supplier SOFEC has selected an innovative mooring monitoring system (MMS) for a major new deepwater development offshore Mozambique.The new system, supplied under a teaming agreement between BMT and Sonardyne, will involve monitoring of the turret mooring system on a new-build floating liquefied natural gas (FLNG) facility being built in South Korea for Eni’s Coral South project, in with water depths ranging from 1,500-2,300 meters.Above the waterline, BMT will supply the station-keeping turret monitoring system and local control panel with touchscreen interface. The control
Offshore Wind – A Brief History
Happy 80th birthday Maritime Reporter & Engineering News! Eighty years is a significant publishing and business accomplishment!Birthdays always cause a look back. An 80-year review starts in 1939, the close of one very challenging decade, the start of events still reverberating today. History’s most important history is contained in the last 80 years.Energy dominated every one of those decades. Consider energy use, say, starting after World War II, from 1950 to 1975. There was power for everything, from seemingly endless sources of oil, gas and coal, and nuclear
Offshore wind: One-stop Power Conversion
or help convert power from wind turbines. In the U.S., they’ve quietly built up a $500 million business in low-voltage and medium-voltage drives, with some sales of solar inverters on the side.Known in the North Sea for permanent magnet generators and frequency converters for wind turbines and marine power and propulsion, The Switch’s specialty is where the generator shaft meets the propeller shaft, with efficient drives for power outputs of from 0.5 kW to 11 MW.Their marine permanent magnet machines can be used as gen sets or motors, and new drives come with configurations that download
Subsea 7 Wins Johan Sverdrup 2 Contract
Subsea 7 announced Thursday it has been awarded a contract for subsea pipelines and associated marine operations in the second phase of the large scale Johan Sverdrup project, in the Norwegian sector of the North Sea.The contract, awarded by operator Equinor on behalf of the the Johan Sverdrup license, includes project management, engineering, procurement, construction and installation of approximately 100 kilometers of rigid infield pipelines, including 40 kilometers of pipe-in-pipe flowlines, 27 kilometers of water injection and 37 kilometers of gas injection pipelines and 25 spools. The marine
Saab Seaeye eRobotics Campaign Wins UTC Award
A project that achieved a world first in subsea vehicle deepwater residency capability, proving the potential for marine autonomous systems to take a greater role in underwater inspection, repair and maintenance methodologies, is the winner of the annual UTC Subsea Award.The UTC Subsea Award, presented by the Underwater Technology Foundation (UTF), is designed to recognize the many outstanding achievements within the subsea industry. The 2019 award was presented to Saab Seaeye’s Jan Siesjö, Chief Engineer, and Peter Erkers, sales director, for the Saab eRobotic Spring Campaign 2019, tonight
Rapid Reaction: Emergency Training Saves Lives
How to get out of an upturned helicopter in the sea – fast!Based in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, RelyOn Nutec Canada supplies a large number of services to the maritime sector ranging from strategic planning to the delivery of effective training programs. The company’s products and services include training delivery and management, competence management and crisis management, providing support not only to individuals in building their career skills but also to national and multinational companies in organizing their training, competence and crisis management procedures.Accident simulationRelyOn
Ideol Unveils Floating Electrical Substation
A new market-ready universal floating offshore electrical substation for offshore wind farms has been unveiled by project partners Ideol, Atlantique Offshore Energy and ABB, at a technical seminar in Paris on Friday.The new substation, a world-first solution developed over a two-year collaborative effort, is based on Ideol’s patented shallow-draft Damping Pool concept and on AOE’s certified electrical offshore substation concept SeeOs. It can be used for both bottom-fixed and floating offshore wind farms starting at depths of 40 meters.The floating offshore substation has been engineered
Boskalis Orders SMD Pre-lay Plough
Soil Machine Dynamics Ltd (SMD) announced it has signed a contract to supply a 200Te Multi-Mode Pre-lay Plough to marine service provider Boskalis N.V.Set for delivery in spring 2020, the Pre Lay Plough comes with SMD’s latest surface control equipment which will be mobilized on the bridge of a Boskalis specialist trenching vessel.The Multi-Mode Pre Lay Plough is an member of SMD's power cable installation and protection product range and is available with configurations for trenching and backfill. The plough will come equipped with a 2.1m share suitable for trenching in sands and hard clays
HMI to Develop AI-powered Subsea Manipulator Hands
US-based subsea robotics firm Houston Mechatronics, Inc. (HMI) said it has set out to develop Artificial Intelligence (AI) powered robotic hands for subsea manipulators, under a recent award from the Office of Naval Research (ONR).As technology matures, subsea systems such as autonomous underwater vehicles (AUV) and remotely operated underwater vehicles (ROV) are increasingly serving in more important roles for applications such as offshore oil and gas and underwater defense.However, despite many technological advances over recent years, robots in the ocean typically do not have the manipulation
JDR Cables Wins SeaMade OWF Contract
JDR Cables reports it has signed a contract with DEME Offshore for the SeaMade offshore wind farm after a competitive tender. JDR, part of the TFKable Group, will design, manufacture and deliver 78.1 kilometers of aluminium core inter-array cables and a range of cable accessories, including repair joints and connectors.The inter-array cables connecting the 58 Siemens 8.4MW turbines, will carry electricity to an offshore substation for transmission to the offshore grid. The offshore wind power generated is transmitted by a 33kV cable system with hang-offs and connector terminations for 128 cable ends.
Environmental Studies Wrap Up for Exxon Off Guyana
x three water depths) with CTD, sediment sampling (box cores) and drop camera photography.The TDI-Brooks vessel earmarked for this project was the R/V Proteus, a multi-use vessel suited for a wide variety of oceanographic research duties. Efforts in Guyanese waters include support from two Guyanese marine mammal observers and a local Guyanese firm who provided stores and supplies for the vessel along with transportation and import/export clearances while working in Guyana.Maxon Consulting provided the regulatory and interpretative reporting components for the studies
Silicon Sensing Expands MEMS Foundry in Japan
Silicon Sensing Systems is to expand its MEMS foundry in Japan, moving into a new purpose-built facility, allowing the company to meet significantly increased demand for its MEMS inertial sensors and sputtered thin film PZT MEMS device wafers.The new facility will increase floorspace to 3,000m2, immediately more than doubling current wafer throughput and delivering scope for a five-fold increase in output over the next five years, in line with current market growth predictions. To keep up with the volume and price pressures in the thin film PZT MEMS sector Silicon Sensing is already expanding
SMD Delivers Cable Burial Tractor to Boskalis
Soil Machine Dynamics Ltd (SMD) said it has delivered an ultra-high powered, compact 2,400 horsepower Cable Burial Tractor (CBT2400) to Boskalis.The CBT2400 and associated deck equipment were mobilized directly onto Boskalis’ specialist cable lay vessel, the Ndeavor from the Swan Hunter quayside access point adjacent to SMD’s production facility. The tractor will be operated by Boskalis and specialist trenching contractor Canyon Offshore.The CBT range is a family of subsea tractor systems capable of trenching power cables in seabed’s ranging from sands and clays to rock in ultra-shallo
Wood Wins Jansz-lo Subsea Compression FEED
Wood announced on Wednesday that it has secured a contract with Chevron Australia to provide subsea integration and flow assurance front-end engineering design (FEED) services for the Jansz-lo compression project offshore Western Australia.The project – the first outside of Norway to use subsea compression technology – will maintain gas supply to the existing onshore Gorgon liquefied natural gas (LNG) facility.Wood said it will lead as system integrator of the technology, providing independent flow assurance, subsea design and construction engineering support during the FEED. Effective
Remote-Controlled Submersible Fish Farm in Arctic Ocean
Digital technology leader ABB has won a contract from Arctic Offshore Farming to power its first-ever remote controlled submersible offshore salmon farm in the Arctic Ocean.ABB will provide a comprehensive package of its leading electrical, automation, instrumentation and telecom technologies that ensure maximum efficiency and minimal environmental impact.With the global market volume of salmon expected to hit 4.5 million tons by 2023, according to a 2018 report by Research and Markets, the Arctic Offshore Farming project is looking for ways to farm fish in a more sustainable manner.The submerged fish
Pharos Adds Jet-Trenching ROV
Pharos Offshore Group said it recently expanded its portfolio of trenching assets with the state-of-the-art Q1000 jet-trenching remotely operated underwater vehicle (ROV) from manufacturer SMD.The latest addition to Pharos Offshore’s rental fleet, the Q1000 features a high-tech control and measurement system, sea-state 6 launch and recovery system (LARS) and a modular design which enables the Q1000 to be rapidly shipped, set-up and ready to operate anywhere in the world.The Q1000 is optimal for pre-lay or post-lay trenching operations of subsea pipelines, cables and umbilicals, with the advantageo
Aquaterra Energy Opens Australia Office
Offshore engineering firm Aquaterra Energy has opened its first engineering office and warehouse facility in Perth, Australia following recent regional contract wins.Located on Murray Street, Perth, Aquaterra Energy’s new office in Australia’s oil and gas hub comes as the company continues to expand its presence in the Australasia region. The office will support regional oil and gas projects to increase efficiencies and reduce costs through its specialist riser analysis and systems, well initiation engineering and full field development solutions. The premises will initially focus on riser
Navy: $2.3B Deal for 12 Mine Hunting Ships
The Belgium Naval & Robotics consortium, composed of Naval Group and ECA Group, won the contract to supply 12 minehunting vessels to the Belgian and Dutch navies. Equipped with around 100 drones, constituting approximately 10 drone systems (toolboxes), six ships are destined for the Belgian Navy, while the other six will be delivered to the Dutch Navy.The 10-year contract is worth nearly $2.3B. After a three-year design phase, Belgium Naval & Robotics will launch the production phase of the ships and drone systems with a first delivery expected in 2024.The Belgium Naval & Robotics consortium
ROVOP Opens Rotterdam Office
Subsea robotics specialist ROVOP announced Tuesday it has opened a new office in Rotterdam to support to mainland Europe based clients and further strengthen the company's position in the market.The newly appointed Business Development Manager in the Rotterdam office, Job Biersteker, has been active in the subsea industry for nearly a decade and has held various positions including remotely operated underwater vehicle (ROV) technician, project engineer and project manager.Biersteker said the new base is located at the quayside and features on-site system storage and maintenance facilities and will
12-meter Ship Aims to Be First to Cross Atlantic Without a Crew
Final preparations are underway for a 12-meter-long ship to set sail from Canada and attempt the world's first transatlantic crossing without a crew.The USV Maxlimer, an unmanned surface vessel, is bound for the south coast of England and will conduct deep sea surveys on the way, guided by a skipper in a control station in Britain.The voyage is expected to take about 35 days.The ship was built by Sea-Kit International, which develops vessels for the maritime and research industries, for the Shell Ocean Discovery XPRIZE, a competition to autonomously survey the sea bed.It can launch and recover
NKT to Supply Shore Power Cables for Equinor
NKT has been awarded the turnkey project from Equinor for the 132 kV high-voltage cable connecting the oil and gas platforms Johan Sverdrup 2 and Gina Krog.Equinor has selected NKT as the turnkey supplier for the high-voltage cable project connecting the Norwegian offshore platforms in the North Sea. The order has a value of approximately €29 million in market prices (approximately €25 million in std. metal prices) and comprises supply and installation of 62 kilometers of a 132 kV AC XLPE high-voltage power cable solution.Connecting the platforms allows Equinor to power Gina Krog from shore
Partners Set Out to Cut Offshore Emissions
operational complexity with objective measurement, ultimately enabling optimal utilization and more sustainable fleet management.The multi-year project is backed with Innovation Norway’s largest funded offshore vessel, environmental technology project in 2018. It aims to be a gamechanger in how marine operational decisions are supported by providing more accurate, timely and easily consumable information to decision makers; from the vessel’s chief engineer to the chief operation officer based shore-side.“The partnership is focused on building a platform for intelligent efficiency,
MarineNav ROVs for Marine Inspections
MarineNav, located in Montague, Prince Edward Island, Canada, has been showcasing its latest technologies and equipment serving defense, aquaculture, law enforcement and first responder needs in marine operations. The company’s offerings include marine-grade navigation components such as computers and displays; advanced vessel monitoring (AVM) and fleet management systems; and customizable industrial underwater remotely operated vehicles (ROVs).Interchangeable ROV componentsFor its ROVs, MarineNav has developed units that are designed to enable quick and easy exchange of interchangeable modular
UMass Dartmouth to Host Renewable Energy Conference
Entrepreneurship to host renewable energy conference on May 23. Massachusetts Clean Energy Center-sponsored event will bring together experts in offshore wind, wave, and tidal energy.On May 23, at 10 a.m., the UMass Dartmouth Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship is hosting the second Annual Marine Renewable Energy Conference entitled Pioneering Ocean Energy Innovation in New England: Wind and Water at 151 Martine Street in Fall River.The event, co-sponsored by the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center, will gather experts in offshore wind, wave, and tidal energy from government, utility, and stakeholde
Tech Talk: GeoSpectrum Acoustic Solutions
tech tour through eastern Canada.Dartmouth, Nova Scotia based acoustics specialist company GeoSpectrum Technologies Inc, a producer of underwater acoustic transducers and systems, has been in operation for more than 20 years, supplying hydrophones and sound projectors to a range of customers in the marine and oceanography sectors, as well as providing consultancy services on acoustic systems integration and test procedures. End-user sectors include defense and homeland security, oil & gas, and environmental services. As well as standard products, GeoSpectrum can also provide customized products
Johan Sverdrup Phase 2 Plan Approved
Norwegian authorities have formally approved the plan for development and operation (PDO) of the second phase of the Johan Sverdrup field, Equinor announced on Wednesday. The Norwegian energy company said the NOK 41 billion ($4.7 billion) project received broad support in Norway’s parliament at the end of April, and today the partnership received the formal approval by the Norwegian Ministry of Petroleum and Energy (MPE).“This is a big day for Equinor and the other Johan Sverdrup partners comprising Lundin Norway, Petoro, Aker BP and Total,” said Anders Opedal, executive vice
Vattenfall Starts Hollandse Kust Zuid
Development of the first unsubsidized offshore wind farm is well underway off the Dutch coast after bouts of bad weather delayed the project earlier this year, said Swedish power company Vattenfall.The European energy company is building the 750-megawatt Hollandse Kust Zuid 1 & 2 wind farm off the coast of The Hague and Noordwijk. Vattenfall said it expects the wind farm will begin generating electricity by the end of 2022, ultimately supplying power to up to 1.5 million households.Dozens of researchers at the North Sea will be working day and night through the summer to learn as much as possible
WFS Launches Subsea Wireless Edge Network
WFS Technologies Limited (WFS) unveiled what it claims is the world’s first subsea wireless edge network for real-time monitoring of subsea assets.ExtremeEdge was developed to process and analyze the raw data at the sensor level, thus reducing information overheads by transmitting only the data needed to downstream solutions in real-time rather than all sensor data collected.In addition, by deploying a number of ExtremeEdge-enabled sensors, WFS has created the first subsea network designed to operate wirelessly. Traditionally, most solutions operate by individual sensor only, and not as a
BHGE Wins Subsea Award from Beach Energy
Beach Energy has awarded Baker Hughes, a GE company, a contract to supply subsea production systems for its Victorian Otway Basin brownfield development project located in offshore Victoria, Australia.The Otway Basin is approximately 500 kilometers long from Cape Jaffa in South Australia to northwest Tasmania, covering both onshore and offshore.BHGE said its contract was awarded in the first quarter of 2019 and includes medium water horizontal Xmas trees and associated subsea control Semstar5 systems, in addition to wellheads.With this project, BHGE aims to demonstrate the benefits of Subsea Connect
Sonardyne Equips Latest Oceaneering Vehicles
Sonardyne announced Tuesday it has received an order from Oceaneering International to provide hybrid navigation systems for its subsea resident vehicles Freedom and E-ROV. The two resident vehicle systems are to be fitted with Sonardyne’s SPRINT-Nav an all-in-one navigational instrument. SPRINT-Nav combines a SPRINT INS sensor, Syrinx 600 kHz DVL (Doppler velocity log) and a high accuracy intelligent pressure sensor in a single unit, Sonardyne said.Oceaneering’s E-ROV has already proven the ability for battery powered remotely operated vehicles (ROVs) working in the oil and gas
Modus Acquires Second Sabertooth HAUV
UK-based underwater vehicle services company Modus Seabed Intervention has agreed with Saab Seaeye to buy its second Sabertooth hybrid autonomous underwater vehicle (HAUV).The 3,000-meter rated Sabertooth will be equipped with extended autonomous endurance and increased thrust for high speed survey and ready for the integration of advanced and high-resolution sensors for different types of applications and operations.Modus has been increasing the capability of its HAUV fleet and, following trials in 2017, its existing HAUV was ready for commercial operations in 2018. Trials included launching the HAUV
UK Govt Backs Aberdeen Subsea Engineering Hub
The UK government said it will back industry plans for a multimillion pound underwater engineering hub in Aberdeen.The planned Global Underwater Engineering Hub will bring together underwater technologies from both industry and academia from up and down the country to build on UK expertise in subsea robotics, remotely-operated underwater vehicles and maritime support vessels.The hub is also intended to help the country’s oil and gas sector diversify and support the UK’s transition away from fossil fuels toward renewables, the government said in an announcement of Friday.Prime Minister
SubConn Expands Its Production Facility
Connectors manufacturer SubConn has grown its production capacity in the US, with first connectors expected to come out of its new facility by October 2019.The company has invested in a 2,300-square-meter new location that combined with its existing 2,500-square-meter space to nearly double its existing production facilities.With new premises and investments in production equipment and staff recruitment, SubConn now has the infrastructure to meet current demand and supply future growth, according to major shareholder the MacArtney Group.MacArtney and SubConn share a long history after a handshake
Efficient Wave-Generated Power … Really!
system and as added power source, energy storage, and wave damping units co-located with existing or future offshore wind farms.Meet the “Old New” CompanyA driving force behind the new performance projections for Wave Energy Converters (WECs) is Martin & Ottaway, a New Jersey-based marine engineering firm that has been in continuous operation since 1875 which incubated SurfWEC LLC in December of 2018. SurfWEC, with university and industry partners -- Stevens Institute of Technology, ABB, Airline Hydraulics, Bosch-Rexroth, Deeptek, HYDAC, ISCO Pipe, Wire Co./Lankhorst Ropes, and others
Aker Solutions Raises 2019 Forecasts
Norway's Aker Solutions ASA raised its 2019 revenue outlook on expected higher spending on the offshore oil services and reported better than expected first-quarter profits, lifting its shares on Tuesday.The upbeat sentiment on oilfield spending is a result of record cashflows accumulated by oil companies on the back of cost-saving measures instigated since the 2014 oil slump and rising crude prices as the market has recovered.Oslo-listed Aker now expects revenue to rise by close to 10 percent in 2019, citing a strong order intake and continued high tendering activity, with its underlying core
OSIL Buoy for Coastal Erosion Project
Ocean Scientific International Ltd (OSIL) have supplied a 1.2m data buoy platform to the “ORION” joint research and development center for use as a real-time monitoring station on an EU-funded project managing coastal erosion.The Harmonized Coastal Corrosion Management Framework for Enhancing the Implementation of the Integrated Coastal Zone Management Protocol (HERMES) project required a platform with the ability to record a full profile of water column currents, tidal variations, wave parameters (significant wave height, wave period & propagation direction) & estimated suspended
Subsea Monitoring Equipment Put to the Test
Equipment that will be used to monitor the interaction between tidal turbines and marine mammals in the Pentland Firth has been put to the test in Aberdeen.The linear actuators that underwent hydrostatic testing at the Balmoral Subsea Test Center form part of a marine mammal monitoring station anchored to the sea floor. Utilizing both passive- and active-acoustic tracking techniques, the station will collect data on the underwater movements of marine mammals around operating tidal turbines.Data will be used by the tidal energy industry and regulatory authorities to make informed decisions about marine
Valeport Launches New Environmental Range
Valeport has launched a new Enviromental range of optical sensors.Hyperion Turbidity – A standalone turbidity sensor with such a small footprint to combine Nephelometer and OBS readings in the same instrument. Created for inshore, coastal and oceanographic monitoring, this new sensor delivers a minimum detection level of just 0.03 NTU (nephelometer) and can measure turbidity up to 6,000 NTU (OBS). The titanium housing, data output up to 16Hz and low power requirements ensures this sensor can be placed in situ for extended periods with easy access to highly accurate data.SWiFTplus
