
First Nippon Foundation-GEBCO Seabed 2030 Project Meeting
Foundation/GEBCO Indian Ocean Bathymetric Compilation, the Global Multi-Resolution Topography (GMRT) Synthesis, EMODnet Bathymetry, AusSeabed, University of Tasmania, Israel Oceanographic and Limnological Research, GEOMAR Helmholtz Center for Ocean Research in Germany, the Republic of Mauritius Ministry of Defence and Rodrigues, the Marine Institute Ireland, the Geological Survey of Canada, and offshore survey company Fugro.Further presentations focused on tools and technologies, and included a presentation from the IHO Data Center for Digital Bathymetry, an overview of recent and ongoing gap analysis

Britain Awards $3.3 Bln in Submarine Work to BAE Systems
Britain on Monday awarded defence firm BAE Systems 2.4 billion pounds ($3.26 billion) to work on two submarine programmes, the company said in a statement.The Ministry of Defence gave BAE a 1.5 billion pound contract for delivery of the seventh Astute class submarine, and a further 900 million pounds for the next phase of the Dreadnought submarine program, the company said.($1 = 0.7364 pounds)(Reporting by Alistair Smout; editing by Kate Holton)

Chinese Sub near Disputed Islands Stokes Tension with Japan
and China, saying the action had stoked tension. The submarine, which Japan detected in the East China Sea, was a 110 meter-long Shang-class vessel, which is able to dive deeper and for longer than older boats and is armed with torpedoes and anti-ship missiles, according to Japan’s Ministry of Defence. “Operating a submerged submarine close to another country’s territory goes against the norms of international rules,” Minister of Defence Itsunori Onodera told reporters. While Chinese surface vessels often operate near Japanese islands on the edge of the

MOD, ASV Global Ink USV Software Deal
The Ministry of Defence has signed a licence agreement with ASV Global allowing for the use of its Advanced Unmanned Surface Vehicle (USV) Capability technology. The contract has been signed through Ploughshare Innovations, the technology transfer arm of the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (Dstl). The licence is centred on Dstl’s Advanced USV Capability Project, due for completion in late 2017, which has developed an autonomous navigation system that enables USVs to operate safely at both high and low speeds. With funding from Dstl, ASV Global has developed

Salvage & Wreck Removal Conference Presents an Upbeat Mood
to Cmde Retd Ranjit B Rai, Ex VP Indian Maritime Foundation. He said, “ Navy and Coast Guards have both developed skills in underwater repairs, welding, riveting and how to avoid nuclear atomic fallouts and also seal a ship into a citadel and recycle air.” He informed that the Ministry of Defence and the Indian Navy has ordered two James Fisher International DSRVS FOR * 292 MILL. Bas Wiebe of Resolve Marine Group gave in-depth account of some of their salvage operations handled in India and abroad. He highlighted the “out-of-the-box” thinking that helped to bring about

SeeByte, OceanServer Partner to Offer Iver3 EOD-XO Neptune
for unmanned systems, and OceanServer, a leading manufacturer of Autonomous Underwater Vehicles (AUVs), are pleased to announce a new commercial partnership. The companies recently successfully delivered three Iver3 systems with SeeByte’s software to the United Kingdom’s (UK) Ministry Of Defence (MOD) Defence Equipment and Support (DE&S). Following that success SeeByte and OceanServer are now offering the Iver3 EOD-XO Neptune Edition. This package offers OceanServer’s Iver3 AUV equipped with SeeByte Neptune, an open architecture enabling autonomous multivehicle collaboration

BAE Systems Awarded £201m to Advance Successor Sub Design
The U.K. Ministry of Defence (MoD) has awarded BAE Systems £201 million to further the design of a successor to the Royal Navy's Vanguard class submarines. The funding will allow the business to mature the design of the new class of submarines, which will carry the U.K.'s independent nuclear deterrent, including the layout of equipment and systems, and to develop manufacturing processes, BAE Systems announced today. BAE Systems is the industrial lead on the program with more than 1,600 employees working on it, alongside colleagues from the MoD, Rolls Royce and Babcock, many of

Boskalis Wins Portsmouth Channel Expansion Order
Royal Boskalis Westminster N.V. (Boskalis) has been awarded a contract from the Defence Infrastructure Organisation of the Ministry of Defence for the capital dredging of the approach channel to the port of Portsmouth in the United Kingdom. The contract has a value of approximately EUR 35 million and the activities are due to commence in the second half of 2015. The dredging activities are related to the deepening and widening of the 7 kilometer long approach channel. A total volume of approximately 3 million cubic meters of hard clay, sand and gravel will be removed over an 8 month period.

BMT Isis to Support NATO Submarine Rescue System
BMT Isis (BMT), a subsidiary of BMT Group Ltd, has announced that it will provide safety and environmental support for JFD’s five-year contract with the UK Ministry of Defence for the provision of the NATO Submarine Rescue System (NSRS). JFD, which was formed by the merger of James Fisher Defence and Divex in 2014, has been awarded the five-year contract which includes options through to 2023 and encompasses all aspects of operation and through-life-support. The service will be managed by JFD’s Submarine Escape and Rescue team in parallel with existing similar services for
Admiral Vladimirsky on Round-the-world Voyage
oceanographic research ship of the Baltic Fleet will leave St. Petersburg and then set sail on an unprecedented round-the-world voyage. "The Russian Navy, after more than 30 years, is returning to round-the-world voyages," said the head of navigation and oceanography of the Russian Ministry of Defence, captain of 1st rank, Sergey Travin. According to him, preparation of the training vessel is fully complete. The route of the ship will include the Baltic, North and Barents Seas, the waters of the Northern Sea Route, the Bering Sea, and northern part of the Pacific Ocean. The ship will

New UK Hydrographic Office Chair Appointed
the BBC and is a former Chairman and CEO of Flextech plc. He was also Chief Operating Officer of TCI international a company with worldwide cable and programming investments. He was CEO of the Performing Rights Society and Deputy Chair of the Ofcom Content Board. As an Executive Agency of the Ministry of Defence, the UKHO provides navigational services for the Royal Navy and merchant mariners to save and protect lives at sea. It produces a worldwide series of nautical charts and publications under the Admiralty brand, sold globally and used by nearly 70 percent of international shipping. Commenting
Thales Secures Contract from UK Navy
Thales has signed a five-year contract with the U.K.’s Ministry of Defence to provide support for the Sonar 2050 antisubmarine sensor used on the Royal Navy’s Type 23 frigate fleet. Sonar 2050 is a medium-range bow sonar currently fitted to 13 Type 23 frigates and is the Royal Navy’s primary hull-mounted antisubmarine warfare sensor. It also provides the ship with passive detection capabilities at lower frequencies. Under the contract, Thales will provide physical support of Sonar 2050 for operational defect rectifications, a worldwide 24/7 helpdesk support service, drydock and
MARINS Chosen for U.K.’s New Aircraft Carriers
anti-aircraft frigates Cassard and Jean Bart. The Queen Elizabeth class aircraft carriers - HMS Queen Elizabeth and HMS Prince of Wales - are the largest ships ever built for the Royal Navy. The carriers are being built by the Aircraft Carrier Alliance (BAE Systems, Thales, Babcock and the UK Ministry of Defence) at various yards around the U.K. and assembled at Rosyth, Scotland. ixblue.com  
Ashtead Technology Announces New Appointment
International equipment solutions specialist Ashtead Technology has added to its team with the appointment of Neil Harrap as NDT Market Manager. Neil is a highly experienced nondestructive testing (NDT) specialist having spent 31 years in aerospace engineering with the Ministry of Defence, much of which was spent with the RAF. During this time, Neil’s roles included NDT Equipment Subject Matter Specialist, NDT Field Team Manager, Military Tri-Service NDT School Instructor and Aerospace Engineering Technician. More recently, he has been a lecturer at TWI and provided technical support for one

Rolls-Royce Installs 36MW Gas Turbine
of this first complete MT30 gas turbine alternator, which along with its twin will deliver around two thirds of the electrical power generated onboard HMS Queen Elizabeth. Congratulations to all involved, this is British engineering at its best!" Tony Graham, Head of Capital Ships at the Ministry of Defence, said: “The successful achievement of this major milestone has brought the biggest grin to my face since Christmas Day. To have successfully lifted the most powerful engine in the Royal Navy onto the biggest ship ever built for the Royal Navy using the biggest capacity gantry crane in

Warship Design Unveiled for UK's Next Generation GCS
The latest design of the Royal Navy's Type 26 Global Combat Ship (T26 GCS), the next generation of warships, has been unveiled. The Ministry of Defence has released images showing the basic specification of the T26 GCS, which is a significant milestone in the development of this programme. The creation of the vessel will sustain thousands of jobs in the shipbuilding industry. The multi-mission warship, which is due to come into service after 2020, will be used by the Royal Navy in combat and counter-piracy operations, and to support humanitarian and disaster relief work around the world. Since