Kongsberg Develops New LARS for HUGIN AUVs
a new LARS (Launch and Recovery System) solution for its HUGIN range of Autonomous Underwater Vehicles (AUVs), which it says will bring "a series of far-reaching operational improvements."Kongsberg has decided to have the new LARS operating from midships, with the release and capture of HUGIN marine robots occurring beneath the sea surface."Launching and recovering AUVs underwater, away from the splash zone, lessens the possibility of their being damaged, while midships deployment averts any likelihood of AUVs being run over by the launch vessel," the company has explained.Further
US Supreme Court Maroons Filmmaker in Blackbeard Video Piracy Fight
The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday delivered a legal broadside to a filmmaker who documented the recovery of notorious English pirate Blackbeard’s wrecked ship, refusing to revive his video piracy lawsuit that sought monetary damages from North Carolina.The justices upheld a lower court’s 2018 ruling that the state was protected by a legal doctrine called sovereign immunity and could not be sued for copyright infringement for using filmmaker Frederick Allen’s images online.Allen sued in 2015 in federal court, accusing the state of infringing his copyrights on five videos and a photograph
Copenhagen Subsea Debuts the Gorilla ROV
for any task in short, the Gorilla is tough and strong, works reliably in challenging conditions, is simple to maintain with easy access spare parts and is easily controlled thanks to Copenhagen Subsea’s thruster technology.www.copenhagensubsea.comRead the Full Story in the March 2020 edition of Marine Tchnology Reporter: https://magazines.marinelink.com/nwm/MarineTechnology/202003/#page/52Allan Nygaard Bertelsen, CEO in Copenhagen Subse
Kraken Reports Contracts Worth $2.8 Million
Kraken Robotics Inc. announced in a business activity update on Monday that it has recently received orders from four U.S. companies and one Canadian company totalling $2.8 million. The company expects to fulfill these contracts in the first half of 2020.A new customer primarily targeting the defense industry will be using Kraken SeaPower batteries in its autonomous underwater vehicles (AUV). Kraken currently expects another battery order from this customer in the third quarter of this year.An existing defense industry customer is acquiring additional SeaPower This is the customer’s third order
Ecosse IP Launches New Renewable Energy Tech
megawatts.There are many applications for MOWT including powering subsea assets, as an alternative to tidal barrages and supplying energy to communities by harnessing kinetic energy from slow-moving water. The MOWT technology can be applied to offshore energy, renewables, utilities, aquaculture, marine and defense sectors
Ocean Aero to Supply Vehicles for Homeland Security
is a simple, safe, and time-saving solution and can be operated from ramp, dockside or at sea. Supported by U.S. patents, Ocean Aero’s intelligent autonomous technology is ideally suited to fit the program’s various strategic maritime missions, ranging from intelligence and surveillance to marine mammal tracking, to Met-Ocean data gathering to persistent situational awareness
OSIL: Surge in Snow Catcher Demand
Global interest in Marine Snow Catchers for carbon and nutrient cycle studies has been steadily increasing in recent years, but Ocean Scientific International Ltd are reporting that the level of sales has seen a sharp increase over the past few months.The Marine Snow Catchers are large volume water samplers which possess separable top and bottom sections. These modular sections allow researchers to collect and characterize suspended and sinking particles in the water column, as the samplers are allowed sufficient time on deck following recovery to permit sinking particles and aggregates to collect in
Teledyne Marine: Something for Everyone at OI London
Teledyne Marine will once again be out in full force at Oceanology International (OI) London 2020. With 23 brands and more than 400 products, Teledyne truly delivers something for everyone.To help customers navigate its many solutions, the company has designated one booth as a Discovery Zone, which will detail how and where Teledyne Marine products are being used alone, and in combination, to solve the difficult challenges our customers face in our key markets, including oceanographic, energy, infrastructure and civil engineering, defense and security, and marine life.A second booth will serve
SGS Acquires TTSA's Diving Division
Commercial diving company Subsea Global Solutions (SGS) said it has acquired the commercial diving division of T&T Salvage Asia, Pte Ltd. (TTSA), enhancing SGS’ capabilities in Singapore and strengthening its position in the Asia-Pacific region.Paul Peters, CEO of SGS said, “This is a strategic addition to our recent acquisition of Underwater Contractors Pte. Ltd. Singapore (UWC). Creating a single platform under the SGS umbrella with the most advanced technologies, special repair equipment, and more than 40 skilled diver/technicians will give us the optimum operational efficiency as
Exploring Under The ice (& Keeping your AUV in one piece)
of factors led to these successful operations, and in this article we’ll discuss some of the inherent dangers of working under polar ice and how they were mitigated.Why are under AUV missions challenging?Every time an AUV descends to explore unknown regions, there is aPhoto: International Submarine Engineering Ltd. chance it can be lost. Even for AUVs the ocean is not a friendly place. The terrain it navigates is only partially mapped at high resolution; we know more about the surface of Mars than we do about our ocean floors.This said, there are ways to minimise the risks. There is always
Pearson to Lead National Subsea Center
Robert Gordon University (RGU) has appointed Chris Pearson as Director for the National Subsea Center (NSC), tasked with leading the center’s research and development to tackle subsea engineering challenges.Pearson will take up the new post immediately and will be responsible for the leadership and development of the multimillion-pound partnership between RGU and The Oil & Gas Technology Center (OGTC), which is part of the Aberdeen City Region Deal. The partnership aims to deliver cost effective, faster, smarter and cleaner technology which will be developed with, and deployed across, the
Phoenix Bags $97m SUPSALV Contract
Phoenix International Holdings Inc. (Phoenix) won a $97 million (maximum value) contract to provide diving and diving related services to the United States Navy. The primary purpose of this contract is to deliver operational, engineering and technical support to the Navy's air, mixed gas and saturation diving services program overseen by the Naval Sea Systems Command’s Office of Director of Ocean Engineering, Supervisor of Salvage and Diving (SUPSALV).The Naval Sea Systems Command, Washington, District of Columbia, is the contracting activity.
Byron E. Vernicos Appointed as Ardent Rep
Byron E. Vernicos has been appointed exclusive Agent for Ardent for the Greek and Cypriot market.Ardent is a global specialist in emergency preparedness, emergency response, waste management, wreck removal, subsea services and decommissioning, servicing the marine and oil and gas industry. Byron E. Vernicos is a shipbroker who specializes in the offshore and maritime market since its establishment in 1978. Main focus areas are salvage, offshore vessels employment including deep sea towage and period charter, sale and purchase and other related activities.
Next Gen LARS for Fugro's New L3-ASV
arms are installed to provide a wider point of entry when in an open position and an additional lock when closed.The complete LAR system uses high pressure air instead of hydraulic fluids to guarantee zero oil spill in the event of system leakage or damages.The LARS is manufactured from light weight marine grade aluminum according DNV regulations for offshore use. With a length of 10 meters and only 800 KG in weight each LAR construction is load tested at 13 Tons.Floatation and fender modules are of a closed cell high density foam, with a special spray-on coating which allows the LARS to absorb and
Conservation for Endangered Reef Fish Yields Results
Nassau Grouper populations increased threefold in response to dynamic fishing management actions in the Cayman IslandsA new study from researchers at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography at the University of California San Diego has documented a successful recovery effort among Nassau Grouper populations in the Cayman Islands thanks to an approach involving government agencies, academic researchers, and nonprofit organizations.The study, published January 6, 2020 in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, used a two-pronged approach including tagging and video census data for monitoring
Research Vessel Delivered to Orca Maritime
Washington-based boat builder Armstrong Marine said it has delivered a new 42’ x 16’ catamaran research vessel, Benthic Cat, to Orca Maritime, Inc. following launch and sea trials in Port Angeles Harbor. The vessel will enter service immediately, beginning with a week-long operation around San Clemente Island.The second IPS-drive catamaran delivered by Armstrong, the 4216-CTC model was selected by Orca Maritime after the builder delivered the same design to UC San Diego’s Scripps Institution of Oceanography (R/V Bob and Betty Beyster) in 2019.Orca Maritime will utilize the workboat
Safeguarding the Titanic Resting Place
Last month the US and the UK finalized an agreement first signed in 2003 that aims to help protect to the integrity of the RMS Titanic wreck site and its remaining artifacts.Recognizing the importance of the wreck and the need to ensure the vessel would not be subject to looting and unregulated salvage operations, the US Congress adopted the RMS Titanic Maritime Memorial Act. That legislation also provided for NOAA and the U.S. Department of State to negotiate an international agreement with interested nations to protect the site. As a result of that legislation, the US, the UK, France, and Canada
OSIL Giant Piston Corer for CSIRO
of over 95% in soft sediments and provides a more complete, longer and less disturbed sample than traditional gravity coring systems owing to the unique integral piston, which reduces internal friction and prevents plugging.Piston Corers are one of the most important basic tools used in the study of marine sediments, and OSIL offers customisable systems (including Launch and Recovery Systems and Winches) from 4m to 60m in length. Ocean Scientific International Ltd. have a vast wealth of knowledge and experience in designing, planning and installing customized coring systems, and can pair the system
First Subsea Lifting Tools for Allseas
First Subsea said it has been awarded a contract to supply three Ballgrab Internal Lifting Tools (ILT) to pipelay, heavy lift and subsea construction company Allseas. The tools are designed for lifting loads up to 900mT and will be used by Allseas for offshore decommissioning projects.The First Subsea ILT tools are designed to be inserted into a tubular receptacle attached to the structure to be lifted. The ILT tools for Allseas will cover an internal receptacle diameter range from 660mm (26 inch) to 1524mm (60 inch).The first planned offshore operation will be the Tyra Redevelopment Project, when the
CGG Announces Largest Ever Seabed Survey
French geoscience company CGG said it will perform its largest seabed survey to date in the UK Central North Sea.Prefunded in part by BP, the multi-client ocean-bottom node (OBN) seismic survey has already received significant industry interest, CGG said. Operations are scheduled to begin in early 2020, with first results targeted for the first quarter of 2021. CGG said it aims to acquire over 2,000 square kilometers of OBN data in the first phase of this multi-year program."In the Central North Sea, where complex salt diapirism has created significant challenges to imaging deeper reservoir
Kraken Gives Ocean Infinity AUVs an Energy Boost
Ocean Infinity's Kongsberg Hugin autonomous underwater vehicles (AUV) have achieved significant endurance milestones during testing thanks to new pressure tolerant batteries from Kraken Robotics. The vehicles performed several missions to greater than 5,000 meters and an unprecedented mission of over 100 hours without recharging, while running a full survey payload. As a result, using Kraken batteries, Ocean Infinity can operate increased survey ranges to nearly 700 line-kilometers per deployment.Using batteries from Kraken subsidiary, Kraken Power GmbH, Ocean Infinity is seeing an increase
Partners Target Subsea Gas Seperation
Aker Solutions said it is working with a group of leading oil and gas operators in a joint industry project that aims to make subsea gas separation a reality.Using CO2 injection to increase recovery rates in offshore oil and gas fields can improve the economics of a field significantly, but so far, the separation of ‘back-produced’ CO2 from the well-stream has been considered carried out on an existing platform, adding cost and making the concept economically unattractive, Aker Solutions said.Now the Norwegian-based firm is working with energy companies Total, Pertamina, Equinor and
Ocean Infinity Mobilizes Normand Frontier
Subsea technology and data company Ocean Infinity announced the launch of its third vessel, Normand Frontier. The vessel has now been mobilized, having been signed on a three-year year charter with the Norwegian ship owner Solstad Offshore, in December 2018.The Normand Frontier is a modern, fuel-efficient, multipurpose vessel capable of both supporting autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) and unmanned surface vehicle (USV) operations, as well as deepwater search and recovery services. The mobilization of this third vessel adds to Ocean Infinity’s current fleet consisting of the Seabed Constructor
Subsea Digital Alliance Launched
Showcasing Norwegian digital solutions, the Subsea Digital Alliance has been launched to bring smart cloud collaboration to the energy industry.As digital strategists in the oil and gas sector see the opportunity to leverage new projects to introduce new, more transparent digital workflow processes into their operations, digital solutions firm FutureOn has launched the Subsea Digital Alliance to bring together the best subsea solutions emerging from Norway to showcase how smart collaborative digital technology is meant to work.“Forward-thinking companies understand the tremendous opportunity of
Maersk Tests Containerized Battery System
Danish shipping giant Maersk will install a containerized 600 kWh marine battery system on board the 4,500 TEU Maersk Cape Town in December 2019 to improve vessel performance and reliability while reducing CO2 emissions.“This trial will provide a greater understanding of energy storage that will support Maersk in moving towards further electrification of its fleet and port terminals. Maersk will continue to facilitate, test, and develop low-carbon solutions on our journey to become carbon neutral by 2050,” explains Søren Toft, Maersk COO.Propelling marine vessels with battery power
Cougar XT Chosen for Africa Subsea Ops
In a bid to boost its offshore deep water operations, RusselSmith, a Nigeria-based oilfield services provider, has chosen Saab Seaeye’s Cougar XT electric underwater robotic vehicle to boost its ROV fleet.“The Cougar is an ideal choice,” says RusselSmith CEO, Kayode Adeleke. “It is a powerful, highly maneuverable and capable ROV and we believe it will add a lot of value to our subsea operations.”RusselSmith sees the Cougar meeting its current and projected subsea undertakings which include inspection, repairs, maintenance, light construction work and drill support.For them
OneSubsea, Subsea 7 Win Ormen Lange Contracts
Schlumberger said its subsea technologies division OneSubsea has secured a frame agreement with A/S Norske Shell for an engineering, procurement, construction and installation (EPCI) contract for the supply of a subsea multiphase compression system for the Ormen Lange field in the Norwegian Sea.Through the EPCI contract, OneSubsea and its Subsea Integration Alliance partner Subsea7 will supply and install a subsea multiphase compression system that uses the industry’s only subsea multiphase compression technology. OneSubsea will, in the first phase of the project, do the engineering and design
DNV GL RP for Subsea Pumping Systems
A new DNV GL recommended practice (RP) aims to help the oil and gas sector to deliver more cost-efficient and environmentally friendly subsea processing for improved hydrocarbons recovery. DNVGL-RP-F303 Subsea pumping systems provides a comprehensive specification for subsea pumping systems and complements existing industry standards.DNVGL-RP-F303 has been published following a joint industry project including participants from subsea operators Equinor, Petrobras, Shell and Woodside in addition to four major systems suppliers; Aker Solutions, Baker Hughes, OneSubsea, and TechnipFMC. The project sought
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
On-Demand, Continuous Eelgrass Monitoring
the water of sediments and nutrients, and provides important habitat for shallow water species.South of Boston, the bays of Duxbury, Kingston and Plymouth (DKP) form a large embayment whose eelgrass population, once thriving, is now severely diminished. A 2016 report from the Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries (DMF) summarizes these data: the overall loss in DKP from 1951 to 2012 is 44.4%, with a concerning additional loss from 2012 to 2014 of 48%.The OpportunityResearchers believe that the decline in eelgrass has been caused by changes to the water quality in the embayment. Traditional methods
#Oi2020 History
and 16 scientists and engineers from the Navy's Coastal Systems Station accompanying and operating the equipment when it arrives in Canada. The system consists of more than 54,000 lbs. of gear and requires two U.S. Air Force C-17s to carry it and its accompanying personnel to Halifax. Marine Technology Reporter has been commissioned to publish the Official “Oceanology International 50th Anniversary Edition” which will distribute with the MARCH 2020 edition of MTR. For information on advertising in this edition, contact Rob Howard @ howard@marinelink.com, t: +1 561-732-4368
Phoenix & Supsalv Salvage USN Aircraft
the depth of 18,809 feet using the deep ocean remotely operated vehicle CURV 21.The aircraft, which was lost in November 2017, was recovered at the request of Commander Pacific Fleet in order to facilitate the mishap investigation.Phoenix is an employee-owned, ISO 9001-2015 Management System certified marine services contractor providing manned and unmanned underwater solutions, design engineering, and project management services to a diverse set of clients worldwide. Expertise is available from seven regional offices in the areas of wet and dry hyperbaric welding, Nondestructive Testing, (NDT), subsea
WASSP Launches New Rapid Deployment Multibeam Sounder
WASSP Multibeam has launched its new rapid deployment multibeam sounder – the W3 Rapid Deployment System (RDS).Revealed at Pacific Expo 2019 in Sydney this week, W3 RDS has been designed for Navy’s, Maritime Police and Search & Rescue organisations for use where depths are unknown and to find safe navigation routes for larger vessels.When a fixed transducer installation in a small vessel such as a tender isn’t always practical, the W3 RDS has been designed around a portable Carbon fiber Mast that includes a transducer, motion sensor and satellite compass. This lets operators
Kraken Bids on International Mine Hunting Upgrade Program
agency. In addition, the contract signing is subject to political approval, including approval by the Finance Committee of the customer’s Parliament. Kraken expects to provide additional customer and contract detail in the coming weeks.The Kraken KATFISH graced the cover of the June 2019 edition of Marine Technology Reporter, the world's largest circulation b2b publication serving the subsea industry. To read the full story visit: https://www.marinetechnologynews.com/magazine/archive/201
ROV Helps Recovery Dive Teams Locate Dumped Car
experiments, unexploded ordinance, location of drowning victims, and missing evidence recovery. The tools we provide to the operators undertaking these tasks vary from metal detectors and sonar systems to Remote Operated Vehicles (ROVs).According to The Remotely Operated Vehicle Committee of the Marine Technology Society, “exactly who to credit with developing the first ROV will probably remain clouded, however, there are two who deserve credit. The PUV (Programmed Underwater Vehicle) was a torpedo developed by Luppis-Whitehead Automobile in Austria in 1864, however, the first tethered ROV
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
Huge Opportunities in Norwegian Shelf
Even after more than 50 years, the Norwegian shelf still holds vast opportunities, says Norwegian Petroleum Directorate (NPD).According to NPD's 2019 resource report on fields and discoveries, more than half of the estimated remaining resources on the Norwegian shelf have already been discovered. 85 per cent are located in the fields and 15 per cent are located in discoveries that are being considered for development.There is also a potential that even more proven oil and gas could become profitable to produce by applying new technology and knowledge, it said.When Johan Sverdrup and
VLIZ Takes Delivery of a Gavia AUV
Teledyne Gavia announced that after an international tender it has completed the sale and recent sea acceptance testing of an autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) to the Flanders Marine Institute (VLIZ) in Oostende, Belgium.The VLIZ Gavia is rated to 1,000m depth in a low logistics form factor and includes an array of scientific instruments to meet current and future VLIZ research requirements. The modular nature of the GAVIA AUV allows sensors to be added as mission requirements dictate. The VLIZ Gavia is configured for diverse research applications and includes an iXblue INS coupled with a Teledyne
TSR Obtains Magnetometer to Aid in Treasure Hunting
Treasure & Shipwreck Recovery, Inc. (“TSR”), currently trading on the OTC market under the ticker symbol BLIS, announced that its brand-new cesium magnetometer was delivered. The following is an explanation of what this means by TSR chief operating officer and internationally known shipwreck expert Dr. E. Lee Spence:“This isn’t an off-the-shelf item that you can buy at your local dive shop or treasure hunting store. It’s a state-of-the-art piece of scientific equipment, costing almost $40,000.“Our new magnetometer is a model G882AR/4, made to special order
#Oi2020 History
, specifically a higher level of appreciation of technologies such as acoustics and sensors. This also included manned submersibles, which at the time, “were believed to be the answer to deep underwater exploration, taking humans beyond safe diver depth,” according to the book Advances in Marine Technology, as published by the Marine Technology Society. In fact, as this technology was developing, it was also concurrently “pushed to the sidelines by the development of ROVs, which proved the safest way to work at deep depths, marking the transition from human intervention to robotics
USN: Knifefish UUV Program Achieves Milestone
The Program Executive Officer for Unmanned and Small Combatants (PEO USC) granted Milestone C approval to the Knifefish Surface Mine Countermeasure Unmanned Undersea Vehicle Program. The decision clears the way for low-rate initial production (LRIP) of the system, PEO USC announced Aug. 23.The Navy is expected to award a LRIP contract to Knifefish prime contractor General Dynamics Mission Systems.The Knifefish system is designed for deployment from the littoral combat ship (LCS), vessels of opportunity or from shore to detect and classify buried, bottom and volume mines in high-clutter environments.
MTR100: General Dynamics Mission Systems
General Dynamics Mission SystemsQuincy, Mass., President CEO: Chris BradyNo. of Employees: 13,400https://gdmissionsystems.com/en/underwater-vehicles/bluefin-roboticsGeneral Dynamics Mission Systems is an innovator of open architecture and mission integration to meet the most demanding operational requirements on any platform in the multi-domain operational arenas – from the outer reaches of space to the sea floor. In 2016 General Dynamics acquired the unmanned underwater vehicle (UUV) provider, Bluefin Robotics, to extend the integration of high consequence solutions to the unmanned undersea
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
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
MTR100: Teledyne Marine
With 23 brands, and more than 400 marine products in its portfolio, Teledyne Marine collectively offers the largest breadth of technology in the industry. From tiny connectors to 6000m rated AUVs – and virtually everything in between – Teledyne is well positioned to solve subsea’s biggest challenges. Whether customers seek a single product, or a complex turnkey solution, Teledyne Marine has the vision and capability to deliver leading-edge technology to commercial, academic, and defense customers around the globe.As the organization continues to grow and mature, and
Premier Oil Testing PB3 PowerBuoy in the North Sea
US-based ocean energy solutions company Ocean Power Technologies (OPT) said it has deployed a PB3 PowerBuoy to serve as an autonomous intelligent platform to provide communications and remote monitoring services for its customer Premier Oil at the Huntington field in the UK sector of the central North Sea.During the deployment, Premier will demonstrate the PB3 PowerBuoy capabilities, its ability to monitor the local environment and alert ships of the field’s safety zone as a potential solution to help with their future decommissioning related operations, OPT said.This deployment begins a nine
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
MacArtney Sponsors UK MATE ROV Team
ROV competition in the United States.MacArtney UK Ltd. has provided a range of underwater connectors to an inspiring student-led team from the University of Sheffield. Avalon Underwater Robotics is the first entry from England to qualify for the prestigious MATE ROV competition.Established in 2001 the Marine Advanced Technology Education (MATE) Center, working in partnership with the Marine Technology Society’s ROV Committee, created the MATE ROV competition. Seventeen years later, the competition is stronger than ever, and the student-led teams, faced with real-world problems to solve, must hone
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
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
TSR to Purchase New SAR Vessel
Treasure & Shipwreck Recovery announced that it has entered into an agreement for the purchase of a research and recovery vessel for its operations. The company expects to take delivery by August 15 and to begin operations shortly thereafter. The vessel is a significant addition to the company because it is already well outfitted with the necessary base equipment, has a range of 1,500 miles, and the ability to carry out the company’s operations, as planned by its COO, underwater archaeologist Dr. E. Lee Spence. For its overall size, range, and liveaboard capability, the vessel has a
Sea Machines to Demo Autonomy for MarAd
Sea Machines Robotics has been a progressive leader in advancing autonomy in the maritime space, and today it announced a deal with the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Maritime Administration (MarAd) to demonstrate the value of Sea Machines’ autonomous technology in marine oil-spill response ops. The scope of the deal has Sea Machines installing its SM300 autonomous-command system aboard a Marine Spill Response Corp. (MSRC)-owned MARCO skimming vessel and will train MSRC personnel to operate the system. Then, on August 21, Sea Machines and MSRC will execute simulated oil-spill
TechnipFMC Bags Seagull iEPCI Award
TechnipFMC announced on Monday it has been awarded an integrated engineering, procurement, construction and installation (iEPCI) contract from Neptune Energy for the Seagull project, located in the UK North Sea.The contract, which is said to be worth $75 million-$250 million, is the second call-off under the recently announced five-year strategic global alliance agreement between the two companies.Under the latest deal, TechnipFMC will manufacture, deliver and install subsea equipment including production and water wash pipelines, umbilicals, subsea structures and control systems, it said. The offshore
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
RTSYS Debuts Micro-AUV NemoSens
French acoustics specialist RTSYS has launched its latest versatile micro autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) NemoSens, designed to perform numerous civil applications such as seabed imagery, environmental monitoring or wreckage localization.Unveiled after years of development, the flexible new AUV is small (less than 1 meter long) and is easy to carry and launch (less than 20 pounds including payload). Micro-AUV NemoSens can host any kind of payload, be it a CTD probe, sidescan sonar or any other sensors. Thanks to an open LINUX architecture it can be programmed from a ROS or MOOS interface to
Buoy Data Helps Mariners to Weather Storms
on the NDBC website at https://www.ndbc.noaa.gov/.The buoys provide critical data to many stakeholders, including the National Centers for Environmental Prediction, emergency managers, public health officials, port and harbor authorities, commercial weather providers, and commercial and recreational mariners.In addition to Pool, the NDBC Coast Guard Liaison Office includes Chief Warrant Officer Kevin Kleisath, Chief Warrant Officer Anthony Cassisa, Chief Warrant Officer Dan Delaet and Chief Warrant Officer Eric Hopperdietzel. Retired Coast Guard Chief Warrant Officer Tim Martin is an honorary member
PGS Calls off Debt Refinancing, Shares Fall
PGS, the world's largest seismic surveyor, called off a planned debt refinancing on Wednesday, citing worsening investor sentiment towards the oilfield services sector over the past weeks, sending the Norwegian company's shares down 24%.Oslo-listed PGS, which owns a fleet of seismic vessels that scan the seabed for buried hydrocarbons and sells the data to oil and gas explorers, had announced plans on May 27 to raise debt of $675 million as part of a refinancing.Brent crude oil prices have fallen by more than 10% since the company announced its refinancing plans."We see that the investor
Flowline Specialists Names Whittingham CEO
Scotland-based energy equipment manufacturer and service provider Flowline Specialists announced changes to its senior management team, including the appointments of Ross Whittingham as CEO and Graeme Chalmers as COO.Whittingham, who was previously the firm’s engineering manager, has been with Flowline Specialists for 10 years. The new CEO will lead Flowline Specialists alongside the firm’s existing senior management team, which includes group operations manager and now COO Chalmers – who is based in Dubai and leads the firm’s Middle East division Flowline Specialists DMCC
Robotics: The Next Gen in Subsea Vehicles
find their way to pre-programmed locations.At energy:connected, as the Oslo-based Subsea Valley cluster and annual conference is now called, some of these concepts were outlined, including those from two Norwegian technology firms and Germany’s Thyssenkrupp, a firm more used to designing naval submarine systems. uSEA unveils uLARSOne, Norwegian technology start-up uSEA, is proposing a hybrid system to disrupt existing manned vessel supported subsea operations via a subsea and surface drone combination.uSEA was founded in 2017 and since then it has been developing a surface drone, or unmanned
CGG Wins Johan Sverdrup Contract
Subsurface Imaging, part of CGG’s Geoscience division, has been awarded a contract by Equinor for the processing of seismic data from the Johan Sverdrup Permanent Reservoir Monitoring (PRM) system in the North Sea, CGG announced on Tuesday.Managed out of CGG’s Oslo office and located inside Equinor’s offices in Stavanger, a dedicated team of CGG processing experts, working together with Equinor, will deliver time-lapse 4D images to the Johan Sverdrup asset team within days of acquisition. By analyzing these ‘snapshots’ of the reservoir during production, Equinor geoscientis
