Kraken Finalizes OceanVision Contract
Kraken Robotics Inc. announced its wholly owned subsidiary, Kraken Robotic Systems Inc., has finalized the contract for the OceanVision project with the Ocean Supercluster and industry partners (Petroleum Research Newfoundland and Labrador, Ocean Choice International and Nunavut Fisheries Association).OceanVision is a three-year, $18.8 million project focused on the development of new marine technologies and products to enable an underwater robotics data acquisition and data analytics as a service business. Under the OceanVision project, Canada's Ocean Supercluster will provide an investment up to
Subsea Robots in the Splash Zone
From their base deep within a former World War II U-boat pen, Norwegian outfit, OceanTech, is developing a set of robot tools that cling to offshore structures in order to effect inspection, maintenance and repair, or IMR. Old submarine anchorages are now subsea testing and training sites, but the North Sea is still the target. Hundreds of aging platforms and subsea structures require IMR that’s too costly, complex or hazardous for divers or remotely operated vehicles, or ROVs.As he walks us through Dora II, the original name of the U-boat pen, OceanTech CEO, Berndt Schjetne, points to
SMTP Helps to Power Future Ocean Tech
On an unseasonably warm October day in San Francisco, hundreds gather in the Dogpatch district to hear about the latest innovations in ocean conservation and science. Bubble barriers to trap plastic in river mouths and portable DNA scanners preventing illegal wildlife trafficking are just a few of the ground-breaking tools and technologies that are transitioning from dream to reality. And the unifying factor amongst these groups is support from Schmidt Marine Technology Partners (SMTP).SMTP is a relatively new program of the Schmidt Family Foundation, established in 2015, that is making significant
US Navy to Test L3Harris UUV
payload sections, including real aperture and synthetic aperture sonars. Additional sensors, swappable battery chemistries, and data solutions are included with the prototype system to provide U.S. military forces with a highly capable UUV that can detect, classify, localize, and identify targets on the ocean floor and in the water column in support of Expeditionary Mine Countermeasures (ExMCM), Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD), and undersea search operations
Kongsberg Maritime Shuts Down KM Contros
Kongsberg Maritime (KM), a Norwegian technology enterprise within the Kongsberg Gruppen, informed that it has suspended the sale of the previously announced German KM Contros GmbH to AML Oceanographic Ltd. (AML).Following a strategic evaluation and prioritization of the KM business in 2019, the company decided to divest Contros, and a Letter of Intent was signed with a future buyer of the business.However, the companies have now agreed not to pursue the previously announced letter of intent, and the sale of Contros will therefore not proceed. Consequently, Kongsberg Maritime has decided to cease the
Drifter Buoys Aid Seaweed Research
the free-floating, kelp-like algae originates and how its environment is changing, so that action can be taken.The research team built 20 buoys equipped with Globalstar's SPOT Trace trackers and placed them across the North Equatorial Recirculation Region (NERR) in the summer of 2019.Most surface ocean research projects use bulky 10-meter-deep drifters but when the Dutch research team heard about how Nico Wienders at the Florida State University used tiny SPOT Trace satellite trackers for oceanographic and oil spill research, they realized this was a more realistic option to mimic the drift of
Shearwater GeoServices Bags Gambia 3D Gig
The provider of 3D marine seismic data, imaging products, and data processing software solutions, Shearwater Geoservices has been awarded a 3D Isometrix seismic acquisition project by FAR Gambia Ltd (FAR).According to a press release from the 50/50 joint venture between GC Rieber Shipping ASA and Rasmussengruppen AS, The one-month survey will cover parts of block A5 offshore Gambia in the rapidly emerging and prolific Mauritania, Senegal, Gambia, Guinea-Bissau, Conakry (MSGBC) Basin.The offshore survey service provider will be acquired by the SW Amundsen and provide new seismic over a shallow-wate
Research Vessel Delivered to Orca Maritime
. 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 in support of Department of Defense initiatives, environmental agencies, energy sectors, and commercial enterprise. Vessel operations will include the launch and recovery of autonomous underwater vehicles (AUV), underwater
Protecting Subsea Cabling
The energy industry is changing. Renewables are on the rise and wind energy is becoming increasingly prevalent. In fact, Britain is set to increase the amount of energy produced from offshore wind farms from 7% to 30% over the next decade.However, offshore wind energy is completely reliant on subsea cabling to deliver power back to land and allow transmission between turbines. If these essential cables become damaged or start to malfunction, it could completely cease production — requiring expensive repair work.Threats to subsea cables are a huge risk to offshore wind farms, one that the renewable
ADCPs & DVLs: Recent Tech Developments
All seagoers know the ocean moves. Some thrive on riding the wind and waves while some hang on and look for a rail downwind with a bit of green in their face. But measuring the movement of the water, or of objects through the water, is a key aspect of many ocean technologies and applications. It is possible to use a principle of sound waves called the Doppler effect to measure motion in water. A sound wave has a higher frequency, or pitch, when it moves to you than when it moves away. You hear the Doppler effect in action when a police car siren speeds past with a characteristic increasing intensity
SeaRaptor AUV Completes Sea Acceptance Test
Teledyne Gavia, a company of Teledyne Marine, announced it has completed the sale and recent sea acceptance testing of the SeaRaptor, 6,000m rated autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV). The client was not disclosed.The SeaRaptor AUV incorporates a broad range of Teledyne content including acoustic modems, ascent and descent weight releases, a black box pinger locator, sub-bottom profiler (Teledyne Benthos), multi-beam echosounders, obstacle avoidance multi-beam sonar (Teledyne RESON), Doppler Velocity Log (DVL), Current, Temperature, and Depth sensor (CTD) (Teledyne RD Instruments), and onboard processing
Semtech, Wilhelmsen, TTI Team-up for Maritime IoT
Semtech, Wilhelmsen and The Things Industries (TTI) have formed a partnership to use Semtech’s LoRa devices to help deliver what they describe as cost-effective, robust and proven IoT solutions to the maritime shipping industry.Wilhelmsen is a global maritime industry group founded in 1861. Semtech Corporation is a supplier of high performance analog and mixed-signal semiconductors and advanced algorithms.Wilhelmsen has selected Semtech’s LoRa devices as the foundation for its new global 2.4GHz maritime IoT network to deliver an ecosystem of cost-effective, robust and proven IoT
Subsea Tech's 'March of Miniaturization'
whole system for the same price as a single sensor. “We’re opening a new market, giving mini-ROVs new tool to do advanced navigation that’s not been done before,” says Skisland.At the Tau event, Water Linked’s positioning system was used as an “underwater GPS” on Oceaneering’s Freedom 60% scale Freedom AUV test vehicle. There, with four what the company calls receivers on the docking station and a “locator” on the vehicle, it provided 1cm-accuracy for the AUV to dock into a subsea docking station. An optimal scenario would see the vehicle and
CCG Adds OFSV to its Fleet
600 Canadian small and medium-size companies and their thousands of employees across the country contributed to this world-class vessel.Measuring 63.4m, the CCGS Capt. Jacques Cartier is one of the most advanced and capable ships of its size and type in the world.Fully equipped to support Fisheries and Ocean scientists in the collection and analysis of data on Canada’s marine ecosystems and the impacts of climate change, the vessel features a full suite of state-of-the-art systems, including high-tech fishing trawls and four science labs — a wet lab, a dry lab, an ocean lab and a control
2G Robotics Unveils Micro Inspection Skid
Canadian marine technology company 2G Robotics said it has launched a new laser survey skid for inspection class remotely operated underwater vehicles (ROV).Developed in partnership with iXblue and Nortek, the all-in-one integrated Micro Inspection Skid delivers high accuracy inspection capabilities with subsea dynamic laser scanning to enable survey and inspection by low cost vehicles.Available for new and existing vehicles including the Saab Seaeye Falcon and the Seatronics VALOR, the skid features a plug-and-play design that comes fully calibrated and only requires mounting and connection to the
10 Tech Trends to Impact Shipping Industry
A new report has identified the ten technology trends, and their associated risks, that will shape industry and society in the coming decade.The rapid advancement of digitalization is behind many of the trends, profoundly challenging our personal and societal assumptions, according to DNV GL, the global risk management and quality assurance company.The report 'Technology Outlook 2030' said that the relationship between humans and technology is switching, with humans increasingly augmenting the decisions of artificial intelligence, rather than the other way around.For example, in the next
Kraken to Equip JetMaster Robots
with MPI, a world leader in net cleaning robots. This is another example of Kraken developing innovative new technology and growing it into new markets and geographies. Besides MPI, Kraken is also engaged with a number of other aquaculture stakeholders, including industry and government agencies, via our OceanVision Ocean Supercluster project. We see significant opportunities for our thruster and battery technology and our AquaPix sonar sensors, SeaVision laser scanners, and SmartCam products within the global aquaculture industry."Thore Standal, MPI’s Chief Operating and Chief Commercial Officer
Inmarsat, ABB Pact on IoT Platform
British satellite telecommunications company Inmarsat plc and the provider of electric, digital and connected solutions for the marine industry ABB Marine & Ports have signed a master supply agreement aimed at tackling an obstacle identified by ship owners which has stopped them using IoT (Internet of Things) technology.A recent 2018 Inmarsat survey of 125 owners found 51% identifying an inability to get data off ships in real-time as their obstacle to IoT adoption.The agreement recognises ABB as a certified application provider to work with Fleet Data, the IoT platform developed by Inmarsat and
Dualog, NYK Sign Cyber-Risk Contract
Japanese shipping company NYK has signed a long-term industrial research and development project agreement with Tromsø-based Dualog which aims to result in a cutting-edge Cyberrisk Management System for vessels.The project announced today at the Norwegian Embassy in Tokyo will receive two years of funding from the Norwegian government fund Innovation Norway.The agreement will see the development of digitized products and services across a test-bed of 50 vessels with a view to eventually being rolled out across NYKs self-operated fleet of 250 ships.The accord follows hot on the heels of a
CargoSmart Intros Connected Reefer Solution
CargoSmart, the provider of global shipment management software solutions, announced its brand-new CargoSmart Connected Reefer Solution, a one-stop reefer cargo management solution for ocean carriers and shippers.The AI and IoT-enabled solution features end-to-end information transparency, including enhanced reefer container Pre-Trip Inspection (PTI) support, real-time container status monitoring updates, and predictive cargo arrival status. It allows carriers to offer best-in-class performance to shippers with lowered operating costs. COSCO SHIPPING recorded substantial in reefer container PTI
Vaisala Launches New Smart Probes
Vaisala launched six new smart probes for its Indigo product family, optimized for demanding industrial applications. New options for dew point and moisture in oil measurements bring more possibilities for industries to save energy, optimize processes, and improve product quality.The new probes will improve customers’ process efficiencies by providing accurate and reliable measurement data for their industrial processes. The capabilities of the new probes are based on next-generation sensor technologies.The new Vaisala DRYCAP Dew Point and Temperature Probes DMP5, DMP6, DMP7, and DMP8 are
New Tech: Automatic Calibration of Sea State Data
Availability of reliable, real-time ocean surface data can improve the safety, efficiency and performance of offshore and marine operations, as well as coastal monitoring, but the quality of the data is dependent on accurate calibration.Calibration of wave spectra and integrated wave parameters from radar-based measurement systems has historically depended upon external reference sensors, such as wave buoys, which can present a number of challenges.Miros’ ocean surface monitoring systems support fully automatic calibration, providing the user with high-quality wave and current parameters for a
MacArtney Supplies Time Saving Solution to MMT
MacArtney has recently supplied the latest in a series of seven customized NEXUS MK C ‘Super MUX’ multiplexers to MMT, providers of customized marine surveys for the offshore energy industry.Multiplexers, designed to simultaneously transmit data along a single channel of communication, provide operators with the opportunity to gather numerous types of data at once. The Swedish based, MMT working in close collaboration with Reach Subsea, ordered the customized NEXUS MK C connectivity solution (named the Super MUX by MMT) from MacArtney Underwater Technology earlier this year.MMT assists
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
Complete Oil Spill Monitoring Solutions for Vulnerable Areas
Global environmental monitoring experts Ocean Scientific International Ltd (OSIL) produce oil spill monitoring solutions for remote areas for both aquatic and terrestrial applications where there is a concern over the potential for exposure to hydrocarbons.OSIL build and install systems including oil spill monitoring buoys that are capable of detecting and monitoring surface sheens, oil in water monitoring buoys that can identify and quantify crude oil and refined fuels present in the water column using submersible sensors, and land-based non-contact oil spill detection systems. These structures can
Kongsberg’s Seaglider Division Transferred to Hydroid
Marine robotic systems manufacturer Hydroid., a subsidiary of Kongsberg Maritime, announced its integration of the Seaglider Autonomous Underwater Vehicle (AUV) Division into its organization.The transfer of Seaglider from Kongsberg Underwater Technology, Inc. (KUTI) allows Hydroid to leverage complementary technologies and markets across the REMUS and Seaglider product lines, the company said. Integrating Seaglider into Hydroid also increases the range of technical solutions and program management support that can be offered to customers.KUTI’s current office in Lynnwood, Wash. has been remodeled
OceanGate to Build Two New Submersibles
OceanGate said it plans to build two additional manned submersibles for deep ocean exploration and commercial operations to the Titanic wreck site and beyond.The Everett, Wash.-based company, which already owns and operates a fleet of three manned submersibles rated between 305 meters to 4,000 meters, said it has begun the construction planning for two subs rated for even greater depths in response to increasing demand for commercial and private access to manned submersibles.“Increasing demand for Titanic missions, deep-sea research and environmental supervision of deep-sea mining have further
Zeebrugge Port Deploy 5G Network
Port of Zeebrugge, Belgium, will have its own private 5G network this year, disclosed the container, bulk cargo, new vehicles and passenger ferry terminal port in the municipality of Bruges.The port’s management will collaborate with Citymesh, which is the only operator to have a license for 5G networks in Flanders and Brussels."The private 5G network in the Port of Zeebrugge will be the accelerator for innovation in and around the port," the port said.The network’s brain is located in the port’s datacenter. This keeps all data safe within the port authority’s own
Change of Management for Nortek
After over two decades at the helm of Nortek, a specialist in oceanographic instrumentation, Atle Lohrmann is taking on new challenges at newly started Hefring Engineering in Boston. Nortek’s new CEO, Finn Ivar Marum, has been entrusted with the task of ensuring Nortek’s continued growth.Nortek was established in 1996, when Atle Lohrmann set up offices outside Oslo, Norway, and started building up production capacity for Doppler instrumentation.Since then, Nortek has grown rapidly, with its revenues increasing from $985,000 in 1996 to $24.6 million in 2018. Many factors lie behind the
On-Demand, Continuous Eelgrass Monitoring
The ChallengeEelgrass (Zostera marina) is a valuable coastal habitat in Massachusetts, forming a complex underwater landscape that stabilizes seafloor and adjacent shoreline, filters 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
Mayflower Wind Survey Wraps Up
Marine surveyor TerraSond said it has completed a high-resolution geophysical survey for Mayflower Wind, 20 miles south of Martha’s Vineyard, Mass.Over the two-month campaign, which began in July 2019, TerraSond, an Acteon company, acquired high-resolution geophysical data using a complete suite of equipment in water depths from 35 to 65 meters. A sub-bottom profiler, a medium-penetration seismic system, a side-scan sonar, a multibeam echosounder, a magnetometer and passive acoustic monitoring sensor were deployed from the Geosea DP2 multipurpose support vessel. The acquired data are now being
Video: EvoLogics Unveils New Bionic AUV
German-based EvoLogics has introduced a new autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) with one of a kind, novel bionic design featuring two propulsion thrusters and two independent flexible “tails” that give the robot unique mobility features.Nicknamed Poggy, the AUV is being developed as part of BONUS SEAMOUNT collaborative R&D project and made its first dives at Breaking The Surface 2019 workshop in early October 2019.Its dual-tail construction is an original idea that stemmed from previous work on EvoLogics’ Manta Ray AUV and its lifelike “flapping wing” propulsion system.
Higher Learning & SINTEF’s Existential Rise
;s premier research body, the breadth and number of research undertakings are mostly targeted for industrial and national clients, but the results speak of wide-ranging societal impact.Over our decades of SINTEF coverage, the SINTEF Group — now six business units, including dedicated “ocean”, “energy” and information technology divisions — has tripled its revenues to about $356 million. The multidisciplinary research community “delivers innovation”, it says, and 4,000 customers worldwide attest to that by buying over $50 million worth of SINTEF R&
ORCA Hub Readies Drones for Offshore Energy
A consortium of five universities, including Heriot-Watt University, working with 35 industrial and innovation partners, has unveiled the latest results from its research collaboration.The largest academic center in the world for research into robotics technology for offshore energy infrastructure, the ORCA Hub’s aim is to advance robotics and Artificial Intelligence technologies for the inspection, repair, maintenance and certification of offshore energy platforms and assets.Creating solutions to some of the most challenging, hard to reach and hazardous real-world problems in the energy sector
Saildrone Hires New Chief Scientist
Saildrone announced the addition of Dr. Eric Lindstrom as Chief Scientist. Dr. Lindstrom has served as the Physical Oceanography Program Scientist in the Science Mission Directorate at NASA Headquarters in Washington, D.C for the past 22 years, working with the QuikSCAT, Jason-2, Jason-3, SWOT, and Aquarius satellite missions, and as well as leading the Earth Science Division Climate Focus Area. Dr. Lindstrom is set to retire from NASA at the end of November 2019 and will join the Saildrone team on December 2, 2019.“Dr. Lindstrom has spent his entire career developing and quantifying ocean
OceanObs’19: Innovation Expanding Ocean Observations
Some people spend years following their favorite bands, others attend conventions for science fiction shows. But once a decade those dedicated to sustained ocean observing gather. The OceanObs conferences are held once every ten years to focus the attention of those planning, implementing, and applying ocean observing systems. Each conference allows this diverse group to review the state of science and operations, and to define goals for the next decade. The decadal conferences are an occasion to celebrate the accomplishments and vision of global ocean observers.300 attendees gathered for The First
IBM Joins Mayflower Autonomous Ship Project
2020.A new Mayflower will set sail 400 years after the historic voyage, this time using AI and other advanced technologies, the American IT major said.The Mayflower Autonomous Ship (MAS) will use IBM’s AI, advanced servers, cloud and edge computing technologies to navigate autonomously and avoid ocean hazards as it makes its way from Plymouth, England to Plymouth, Massachusetts. During the 12-day voyage, the ship will be powered mainly by wind and solar energy."Putting a research ship to sea can cost tens of thousands of dollars or pounds a day and is limited by how much time people can spend
Turner Designs Introduces New Turbidity Sensor
Turbidity measurements at very low levels of detection can be of great importance to those interested in harbor dredging, underground pipeline installation, and riverine applications in general. With these applications in mind, Turner Designs is excited to introduce a new turbidity sensor with a minimum detection limit of 0.05NTU and a maximum range of 500NTU. Keeping the instrument optical face clean is particularly important in these applications so Turbidity Plus includes an integrated wiper which is triggered by the user. Turbidity Plus is designed for integration with multiparamet
Video: Robotic Surf Crawler
sensors.The vehicle can be used in autonomous mode using inertial systems or GPS, and can be driven using RF antenna, RF buoy or using a tether. Trialed this summer at ANTX, the inertial system achieved a misclosure of 3.38m after a 2,813m mission with 44 turns.C-2 Innovations said Scripps Institution of Oceanography has had one of its vehicles in use for four years, and USACE North Carolina FRF has a contract to purchase one.Nick Townley, business development, C-2 Innovations, with the Sea Ox (Photo: Rob Howard
Damen Shipyards Selects TCS for IoT platform
Damen Shipyards, an international shipyard group, has partnered with the global IT services giant Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) in the development of an integrated IoT platform, with its eyes firmly on the future."With this, Damen vessels become increasingly connected and Damen is able to gather and analyze data from the 10-15,000 sensors on board its vessels," the Dutch shipbuilding conglomerate said in a press release.The results of this are significant, offering predictive maintenance, remote services access and savings in fuel consumption.Furthermore, this is a
The Importance of FAIR Data in Earth Science
Data’s valuation as an enterprise asset is most acutely realized over time. When properly managed, the same dataset supports a plurality of use cases, becomes almost instantly available upon request, and is exchangeable between departments or organizations to systematically increase its yield with each deployment.These boons of leveraging data as an enterprise asset are the foundation of GO FAIR’s Findable Accessible Interoperable Reusable (FAIR) principles profoundly impacting the data management rigors of geological science. Numerous organizations in this space have embraced these tenets
Interview: Dr. Catherine Warner, Director, NATO CMRE
–MARCOM. For instance, we’ve been able to make available our expertise in anti-submarine warfare (ASW), mine countermeasures (MCM), and environmental knowledge /operational effectiveness (EKOE), which could be battlespace characterization, or an environmental assessment of military oceanography. Environmental knowledge is basically characterizing the state of the sea and atmosphere, in real-time, on how it will affect an operation. We’ve had some really good recent successes participating in NATO exercises like Dynamic Mongoose, which are annual ASW trials in the GI-UK
Japan, Scotland Invest in Subsea Technology
floating structures including offshore wind, shipping, platforms etcSustainable Marine Energy with IHI (£1 million)Developing a template anchoring system and robotic installation tooling for deep water floating offshore wind market in Japan. IHI are also developing a turbine system for use in ocean current renewable power.ECOG / SME / Precision Impulse / Texo / Tritech / Sensor Works and Yokogawa (£8.3 million)Developing an offshore and subsea Internet Of Things infrastructure with autonomous vehicles, sensors, communications and power systems for offshore and subsea infrastructure including
Seaspan-Built CCG Ship Heads for Sea Trials
The future Capt. Jacques Cartier, the second of three Offshore Fisheries Science Vessels (OFSV) to be designed and built by Seaspan at its Vancouver Shipyards (VSY), began sea trials on October 10, 2019 from Seaspan’s Vancouver Drydock where final outfitting, set to work and commissioning has taken place since its launch in June.“With the future Capt. Jacques Cartier headed out to sea today, excitement in our NSS program is growing,” said Mark Lamarre, CEO, Seaspan Shipyards. I” want to thank all our employees, partners and most especially our Coast Guard community for your
Fugro Completes GoM Surveys for Shell
Fugro said it has completed several deepwater geophysical surveys in the Gulf of Mexico for Shell.The project required data collection over multiple deepwater lease blocks in the greater Perdido and Mars development areas to support clearance of potential environmental, engineering, geological and archaeological hazards ahead of planned drilling activities, the Dutch-based geo-data company said.As the preferred contractor for this project, Fugro deployed a Hugin autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) from its purpose-built survey vessel, the Fugro Brasilis. The Hugin AUV is depth-rated to 3,000 meters
Blue Ocean Monitoring Orders AUV
Blue Ocean Monitoring Ltd. has recently purchased a new L3Harris Technologies Iver3 Autonomous Underwater Vehicle (AUV) to support their global survey operations.This innovative technology directly challenges traditional vessel-based, ROV and larger AUV survey techniques, delivering highly accurate survey data with significant reductions in project cost, time and risk. The AUV has been robustly engineered, is capable of operations to 200m, and is one of the smallest and lightest on the market, allowing for single-user deployment from small work vessels or directly from shore.Keith Wallace
Forum’s XLe Spirit ROV Completes Sea Trials
Forum Subsea Technologies’ latest remotely operated vehicle (ROV), the XLe Spirit, has completed sea trials in Norway, the manufacturer announced on Wednesday.The vehicle is the first of a new generation of electric observation class ROVs. It is the smallest in the new range, and powerful enough to perform subsea maintenance and repair work. It is suited to the aquaculture market and capable of tasks such as net and tank inspection.Working with its Norwegian partner, Innova AS, Forum tested the XLe Spirit at a fjord with a 500-meter water depth. The standard equipment function testing was
Unique Group Buys Five USVs
Subsea and offshore solutions provider Unique Group has sad it has signed an agreement to acquire five unmanned surface vessels (USV) DriX units from French technology company iXblue.The autonomous offshore survey vehicles are designed for a range of tasks such as geophysical and hydrographic surveys, touchdown monitoring of pipelines, subsea positioning, and remotely operated underwater vehicle (ROV) and autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) tracking.DriX, with its long endurance, increased hydrodynamics and flexible sensor payload, can improve the efficiency of offshore operations and act as a true
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
Bureau Veritas Aproves IoT Platform Fleet Data
Fleet Data from Inmarsat has received Approval in Principle (AiP) from leading classification society Bureau Veritas.This is a major milestone for the maritime industry’s leading secure sensor data and Internet of Things (IoT) platform. Conditions of approval by Bureau Veritas verify that Fleet Data can be installed safely on board without its operation affecting existing navigation, safety and radio communication systems.The bandwidth-inclusive platform allows ship owners and managers to take control of sensor data collected on board, pre-process, extract and aggregate it in cloud-based storage
Sonardyne Equips Brazilian Research Vessel
Science equipment and underwater vehicles deployed from Brazil’s flagship oceanographic research vessel, Alpha Crucis, are to be tracked using Ultra-Short BaseLine (USBL) positioning technology supplied by Sonardyne Brasil Ltda.The 64-meter-long vessel, which is operated by the University of São Paulo, undertakes research projects spanning global climate change to biodiversity in Brazilian waters. It will be equipped with a Sonardyne Ranger 2 USBL high precision acoustic positioning system to enable the Alpha Crucis’ 21-strong science team to precisely track their instruments and
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
VLIZ Takes Delivery of a Gavia AUV
for highly accurate navigation and current profiling, Klein 3500 side scan with bathymetry, camera system, Gavia Science Bay module housing an iXblue GAPS transponder for use with an existing VLIZ owned USBL system, Aandera dissolved oxygen, Wetlabs ECO puck, and RBR CTD. A SUNA nitrate sensor and Pro-Oceanus Mini CO2 are mounted externally as required. A Gavia Portable Launch and Recovery cage was also supplied for safer LARS procedures with a nose recovery system. Wieter Boone, Head of the VLIZ Marine Robotics Center said, “We were looking for a versatile system, to operate both
Trimble Marine Construction Software for Positioning
The new Trimble Marine Construction Software for Positioning provides contractors with the ability to perform their own pre-/post-construction hydrographic survey.The system consists of Trimble Marine Construction software and a single beam echo sounder (SBES) for data acquisition, editing, plotting and dredge volume calculations. According to the developer, Contractors can reduce rework, increase productivity and improve site safety with a better understanding of the underwater environment.The accuracy of the waterway bed survey is the combined accuracy of the GNSS position and the echosounder
Shell Chooses Sonardyne for Monitoring Campaign
Subsea monitoring specialist Sonardyne International said its long-endurance sensors will be used by Shell during a 10-year seabed subsidence monitoring campaign at Norway’s second largest gas field. the Ormen Lange .Setting out to continuously monitor any movement of the seafloor at Ormen Lange field in the Norwegian Sea, Norske Shell will use the data to help detect changes that might be caused by ongoing gas extraction and inform its reservoir management strategy, as it continues to produce from the field over coming decades.By monitoring vertical displacement of the seabed, operators can
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
New Acoustic Test Facility at COVE in Nova Scotia
the primary test facility for prototype acoustic evaluation of underwater devices. The facility will be located at our hydrophone and transducer manufacturing facility at COVE, in Nova Scotia.Earlier this year SensorTech created the Atlantic Acoustics Collective (AAC) that brought together members of the ocean tech community to identify common obstacles in testing and calibrating our collective products.The SensorTech testing facility will be open to the Ocean Tech community year-round, to fill a gap that we identified through our creation of the Acoustics Collective and will include a fully automated
General Dynamics Launches New Bluefin-12
General Dynamics Mission Systems released the new Bluefin-12 autonomous unmanned underwater vehicle at Defense and Security Equipment International (DSEI) 2019.This new vehicle builds upon the proven Bluefin autonomy and uses shared Bluefin Robotics’ core capabilities, increased mission modularity and embedded intelligence to complete users’ long endurance, high-consequence and changing missions.The base Bluefin-12’s extended modularity supports the integration of user-designated sensors and payloads to deliver new mission-critical capabilities.The Bluefin Robotics core autonomy with
MacArtney to Supply Swedish Research Vessel
vessel, constructed for a wide range of maritime research and environmental monitoring, will be used by SLU and SMHI to collect scientific data for environmental monitoring, climate research and fishing quotas. The MacArtney package will be utilized to assist in this mission.Known for its high-speed oceanographic data acquisition work and designed to undulate between 1 and 350 meters the aft installed TRIAXUS ROTV with lateral offset will enable vertical profiling to be carried out by the R/V Svea in an undisturbed water column. While the bow installed FOCUS 2, acknowledged for its stability in the
OPT Announces PB3 PowerBuoy Contracts
Ocean Power Technologies, Inc. (NASDAQ: OPTT), a leader in innovative ocean energy solutions, has announced the signing of two new contracts with Enel Green Power Chile (EGP), a subsidiary of Enel Chile, part of the Enel Group, a multinational energy company and a leading global integrated electricity and gas operator. The combined value of the contracts exceeds US$1.9 million and includes the sale of a PB3 PowerBuoy and the development and supply of a state-of-the-art, turn-key integrated Open Sea Lab that will be OPT’s first deployment off the coast of Chile.The first contract with Enel
