Sensors News

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

Tappan Zee Constructors ‘See’ Below the Hudson

With Trimble Marine Construction Systems and Teledyne Marine Imaging, bridge deconstruction projects can now have pinpoint accuracy.The Project @ a GlanceCustomer Profile: Tappan Zee Constructors, LLC is a consortium – including Fluor Enterprises, Inc., American Bridge Company, Granite Construction Northeast, Inc., and Traylor Bros., Inc. – that was hired to design and build the new Governor Mario M. Cuomo Bridge, one of the largest single design-build contracts for a bridge project in the United States. The project was started in January of 2013 and, after a phased opening that

Export Licensing: Tips U.S. Exporters Shouldn’t Overlook

Each year, the U.S. Department of Commerce receives thousands of inquiries from businesses looking to export, many of which involve licensing questions. The Commerce Department’s Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS), together with other USG agencies, is responsible for export licensing and controls. BIS export licenses may be required for items (commodities, software, or technology) with proliferation, military, or terrorist uses, or which warrant control for other reasons. Export licensing requirements can apply to a wide array of products, including marine technologies. A license may

Flying new Routes Subsea

North East England-based Modus Seabed Intervention Limited is a relatively small business but its goals are ambitious and focused. Elaine Maslin reports.After four years spent developing a hybrid AUV/ROV (HAUV) based on a modified Saab Sabertooth AUV system, Modus Seabed Intervention has now bought its second, deep water rated Sabertooth, which will be delivered this summer.The acquisition of its latest 3,000m-rated Sabertooth, will enable the company to continue to build on its track record and to offer vehicles with enhanced artificial intelligence and autonomy capabilities.The company’s

SEAMOR: ROV to Last Ice Project in Canada

SEAMOR Marine will provide a Remotely Operated Vehicle (ROV) to the department of Fisheries and Oceans Canada in Manitoba. The vehicle will be deployed to the High Arctic to inspect the area which remains frozen year-round and take part in research and evaluating ways to protect this special ecological region.The High Arctic is an important area encompassing the northern regions of Canada (Arctic Basin, Baffin Bay and the Pikialasorsuaq, or North Water Polynya) and reaches to western Greenland. This area remains frozen throughout the year, for multiple years, acting as an important refuge for ice-depend

Subsea Mining: The Next Big Thing for UUVs

operating in AUV mode or in ROV mode”.The 60-strong community of researchers appears to lead the drones-for-mining pack when it comes to vehicle “awareness”, autonomy, control and commercialization. INESC TEC’s researchers have developed a disproportionate number of robots for ocean industries. These include the DART deep sea survey AUV and the autonomous deep-sea robotic lander dubbed, TURTLE.“The (TURTLE) has clear applications in subsea mining as it is a special AUV that can stay on the bottom for extended periods of time and is capable of moving itself to another location

Falcon Helps Endangered Rockfish

Delicious to eat, the rockfish in Washington’s Puget Sound were being fished to levels that threatened extinction.Now scientists at the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife are undertaking an important conservation study into the threatened rockfish species using a Saab Seaeye Falcon underwater robotic vehicle.Senior Marine Fish Research Scientist, Dr. Dayv Lowry, explains that managing the conservation and recovery of rockfish populations in Washington’s Puget Sound, depends on the accurate monitoring of rockfish populations, depleted through overfishing and ecological degradation.

Sonardyne’s SPRINT-Nav 700 selected for new under-ice AUV

The UK’s center of excellence for oceanographic sciences, the National Oceanography Center (NOC), has selected high-performance hybrid navigation technology from Sonardyne International Ltd. for the next generation of its Autosub autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV), targeted for under-ice operations.The NOC, based in Southampton, will incorporate Sonardyne’s highest performing SPRINT-Nav inertial navigation system (INS) into the new 2,000 meter depth-rated Autosub, which is being specifically developed for carrying high-performance sensors on the most demanding research missions under

Forum Unveils eROV Simulator Training

The latest version of Forum Subsea Technologies’ VMAX simulator launched this week is designed to integrate with its next generation of electric remotely operated vehicles (eROV).The XLe Spirit was the first vehicle to be launched from the new range last year, and Forum announced on Wednesday that it has now added the eROV to its choice of vehicles within the simulator. The new lightweight and ergonomically designed eROV Hand Controller console can also be interfaced to VMAX to allow pilots to be trained in the use of the new console.The VMAX software is a 3D ROV simulation system which is

Unique Group Debuts New Survey USV

conventional survey methods are not feasible," the release said.The Uni-Cat USV is purpose built with a long-lasting battery and the endurance of the boat can be customised to client requirements by mounting different sonars & ancillary sensors suitable for hydrographic, search and recovery, oceanography and monitoring as well as inspection surveys.Sahil Gandhi, Chief Operating Officer at Unique Group congratulated the team on the successful sea trials of Uni-Cat and further commented “Our extensive experience over the past 25 years, has uniquely positioned us to understand client requirement

EIVA Launches ROV Steering Software

NaviSuite Mobula is a new software product from EIVA offering advanced steering capabilities to remotely operated vehicle (ROV) owners.The market for the micro- and mini-ROV is under drastic change, with more suppliers entering the market, and prices for the ROVs dropping significantly. The performance of the entry-level ROVs makes them useful for professional use – provided you have the right software capabilities.This is now possible through a NaviSuite product dedicated to ROV steering, NaviSuite Mobula. It includes high-end features from NaviSuite Nardoa, EIVA’s package for high-end

Moog Focal Releases New Expansion Card

Moog Focal has launched its latest 914-X series expansion card: the 914-DX.This expansion for the 914-X series system features six isolated and software configurable serial channels for RS-232, RS-485, RS422, or TTL. Up to four of these cards may be stacked with any 914-HDE motherboard giving each system up to 24 extra isolated serial channels. The 914-DX offers a significant reduction in size for isolated serial channels, and features a software configurable TTL option for the first time from a Focal multiplexer.The suite of 914-X series cards offers multiple data formats including HD Video, Ethernet

Kongsberg to Equip Belgian Research Vessel

Kongsberg Maritime will deliver an integrated suite of subsea technology to a new Belgian research vessel. Already under construction at Freire Shipyard in Vigo, Spain, the advanced new replacement for the Belgian research vessel RV Belgica is due to be handed over to the Belgian Federal Science Policy Office (BELSPO) in October 2020.Launched in 1984, RV Belgica carried out many years of service, however, emerging mechanical issues in 2013 catalyzed plans to build her replacement. Kongsberg Maritime’s delivery for the new vessel is based on a substantial integrated subsea package, comprising

Miros Measuring Mini-Tsunami Phenomenon

real-time wave data and water level, but also provides wind speed, wind direction, temperature and more. Dry mounting ensures that equipment is not impacted by the corrosive saltwater environment, the force of waves, floating objects or biofouling.The “Mini-Tsunami” PhenomenonUnlike normal ocean waves which are generated by wind or tides, tsunamis occur when large volumes of water are displaced. This type of wave is typically generated by earthquakes or rock slides. At Flaskebekk, however, the “mini-tsunamis” seem to be caused by large ships passing areas of the fjord where there

One-on-One with Martin McDonald, SVP, ROV Division, Oceaneering

Martin McDonald, an industry veteran with more than 35 years under his belt, is responsible for Oceaneering’s global ROV business. With a broad based of ROV experience – from operation to repair to maintenance to management – McDonald shares with MTR his insights on the historical development and future prospects of this high-profile subsea sector.How and when did you know that your career would be in the maritime/subsea industry?I grew up in Fraserburgh, Scotland, a small town 40 miles north of the oilfield city of Aberdeen. Fraserburgh is best known for commercial fishing. My

Researchers to Monitor Disruptive US Gulf Current

A major $2 million scientific study led by the University of Rhode Island (URI)’s Graduate School of Oceanography will monitor disruptive ocean currents in the US Gulf of Mexico, with a long term goal to improve forecasts for safer offshore operations in the region.The Loop Current System (LCS) is the dominant ocean circulation feature in the Gulf of Mexico, influencing all ocean processes in the Gulf with implications for a wide range of human and natural activities, from oil exploration to coastal eco-systems. To date, knowledge of its underlying dynamics is limited.URI’s initial study

Autonomy Advances: New Vessel Range

with up to 10 AUVs at the same time.“Combining these capabilities means customers have access to vessels that can perform more remote and autonomous marine operations; including tracking multiple AUVs and real-time data harvesting in hard to access environments across defense, offshore and ocean science sectors,” said Ioseba Tena, Global Business Manager – Marine Robotic Systems, Sonardyne

MacArtney Equips North Sea Cable Layer

A specialized winch system aboard the ASN Ile de Class cable laying vessel will facilitate the laying of seismic cables on the seabed of the Johan Castberg oilfield in the Barents Sea for Equinor’s new permanent reservoir monitoring system.MacArtney’s MERMAC R40 active heave compensated (AHC) winch purchased by Alcatel Submarine Networks (ASN), part of the Nokia Corporation, will be utilized aboard the vessel in the laying of seismic cabling and sensors that will be permanently deployed on the Barents’ seabed to enable more frequent and improved 4D seismic interpretation of the

4Subsea Acquires Astori

Engineering firm 4Subsea said it has acquired Astori, a Norwegian provider of subsea control systems for well intervention operations.Astori delivers subsea control systems for simplified XT installations that can operate all types of XTs from all main vendors, simplifying and reducing costs of subsea well intervention. 4Subsea said the firm's automation and control technology will tie into its own portfolio of decision support solutions for operators.“With this acquisition we are building upon our strategy of delivering leading-edge monitoring and maintenance services that provide significant

Drones for Coastal Enviro Management

have been making increasing impacts in the maritime domain. As the capabilities of these platforms have increased, so have their contributions to maritime science, defense, and industry. Recognizing this, the Alliance for Coastal Technologies (ACT) and the Northeastern Regional Association of Coastal and Ocean Observing Systems (NERACOOS), with support from the U.S. Integrated Ocean Observing System (IOOS), convened a workshop on Practical Uses for Drones to Address Management Problems in Coastal Zones at the Wells National Estuarine Research Reserve (WNERR) in Wells, Maine, in late 2018. The workshop

One-on-One: Chris Gibson, VideoRay

(22 lb.). The three-thruster system has forward speed of over 4.4 knots and is designed to handle missions with size, space, weight, and deployment speed constraints are key.  We are selling the Pro 5 for infrastructure inspections beyond the reach of divers, search & recovery, and exploring the ocean floor up to 305m.The Pro 5 builds on the strengths of the Pro 4, with more thrust, longer tether lengths, higher resolution video, and the advantages of the MSS modular systems. We anticipate releasing new tooling, sensors for the Mission Specialist Defender and Pro 5 systems. Additionally, we are

SBG Systems Unveils New IMU

Inertial motion sensing solutions provider SBG Systems has released the Horizon IMU, a FOG-based high performance inertial measurement unit (IMU) designed for large hydrographic vessels surveying harsh environments.Navsight Marine Solution consists in a powerful and ready-to-use inertial navigation solution dedicated to hydrographers. It is available at different levels of accuracy to meet the various application requirements and can be connected to various external equipment such as Echo-sounders, LiDAR, etc.Navsight Marine Solution already offered two levels of performance with the Ekinox and Apogee

Seatec Wins Subsea Pumps Order

Dutch supplier Seatec said it has been awarded a contract for the design and delivery of four subsea pump systems.The comany said all four systems will be fitted with special hydraulic motor, remotely operated underwater vehicle (ROV) release and various electrical sensors plus valves.Required hydraulic powerpacks (topside) are included in the scope of supply and will be Seatec design as well.Delivery is scheduled for April 2019.

Kraken Debuts New Synthetic Aperture Sonar

A new synthetic aperture sonar (SAS) unveiled this week by Kraken Robotics Inc. is designed to provide ultra high definition seabed mapping with superior area coverage rates, according to the developer."Kraken’s latest development, the AquaPix MINSAS-240 sensor, has been designed to advance the state-of-the-art in seabed mapping for both high-speed towed systems and large diameter unmanned underwater vehicles (LDUUVs)," explained Kraken's President & CEO, Karl Kenny.The 6,000-meter-rated MINSAS-240 SAS is available now and ready for integration on a variety of unmanned underwater

Kraken Receives $2.3 Mln from Ocean Infinity

Kraken Robotics Inc. announced Tuesday it has received $2.3 million from Ocean Infinity from the exercise of 5,760,000 warrants that had been issued in connection with the company’s private placement of units to Ocean Infinity in June 2018. The warrants expire in June 2021 and had an exercise price of $0.40.Karl Kenny, Kraken's President & CEO said, "We are pleased with the exercise of these warrants by Ocean Infinity and the confidence they are showing in our strategic direction. We recently completed factory acceptance tests (FAT) at our German facility on the first battery units

Planet Ocean, EOM Offshore Sign Agreement

Planet Ocean Ltd signed an exclusive distribution agreement with EOM Offshore LLC of Pocasset, MA for the UK and Ireland.Planet Ocean represents a broad range of oceanographic instruments in the industry and the addition of EOM Offshore’s specialized mooring equipment to its portfolio will strengthen the company’s capabilities.EOM Offshore is a Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) spin-off that was established to commercialize its patented Stretch EM Cable, along with its Electromechanical Chain and its Marine Recovery Systems.   The Stretch EM Cable solves many problems

Naviera Tramarsa Adds Another ROV

Offshore operator Naviera Tramarsa has extended its subsea vehicle fleet with a new Cougar XT remotely operated underwater vehicle (ROV) from manufacturer Saab Seaeye.The 2,000m rated Cougar XT will enter operations in May 2019, joining the company’s Saab Seaeye Falcon ROV, which it has operated for 10 years.Naviera Tramarsa’s main activity is the inspection of oil platforms in the north of Peru for the hydrocarbon exploration and production company Savia Oeru, where the Falcon has undertaken visual inspections and CP measurements.Naviera Tramarsa said the Cougar XT will expand and improve

WAM-V 8 Unveiled

Marine Advanced Robotics, Inc. (MAR) has launched a new autonomous surface vessel (ASV), the 8’ Wave Adaptive Modular Vessel (WAM-V), offering new capabilities.MAR is scheduled to deliver the next generation MARV II (Multifunctional Assessment Reconnaissance Vessel) to the U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center, Coastal and Hydraulics Laboratory (ERDC-CHL) for Pier Reconnaissance under the PIER JCTD, sponsored by the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Emerging Capability and Prototyping.The system will be comprised of an 8’ WAM-V autonomous surface vessel (ASV), as well

Oi: Tracking 50 Years of Ocean Innovation

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

Subsea: The Future of Unmanned Vehicles

vehicle control technology and is the creator of OPENSEA, an open architecture software framework for marine robotics across various vehicle sectors.  “We develop software and hardware that revolutionizes the working relationship between people and machines both on and under the surface of the ocean,” said Kinnaman, who, like many in the sector “started working with vehicles as an ROV pilot after leaving a diving career. Now I am focused on what vehicles could be for the next generation of the subsea industry.”Kinnaman has been a leading voice in aiming to change what he perceives

Subsea Electrification: Subsea Power Evolves

heavy.Six years ago, Southwest Electronic Energy Corp’s SeaSafe battery brought revolutionary changes to the market. The first commercial pressure-tolerant lithium-ion polymer subsea battery pack known as SeaSafe became available in 2013 after SWE worked on the design in conjunction with Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution. The radically lighter and smaller battery delivered efficiency gains in installation times in addition to vastly improved performance.About four years later, SWE made available the next generation of the battery pack. The SeaSafe II, available since 2017, incorporated lessons

The “Disruption” in AUV Trends

off into the darkness and submerges, a tube rights itself and launches a rocket packing a satellite the size of a softball.No, it’s not General Dynamics’s large, drone-launching Marlin AUV just released. It’s a writer’s impression of the missions now being planned by AUV-equipped oceanographic researchers at Norway-based research community, AMOS. The real mission is about to begin. AMOS will shortly be test-firing tiny, disposable satellites bearing spectral cameras that will also gather and beam back the data gathered by the spectral cameras and sensors of their REMUS-dominated

Unmanned Vehicles: 25 Years of Milestones

As 2019 begins, the ocean tech community celebrates 50 years of Oceanology International, a global gathering and showcase of the tools and technologies used by maritime industry, science, and defense. In that retrospective spirit it is informative to look to the history of the unmanned maritime vehicle (UMV) community. While there are records of developments in the field as far back as 1957, the modern era traces its roots to the early 1990s. One key source of technology developments was the MIT Sea Grant Autonomous Underwater Vehicle (AUV) Lab which spawned numerous vehicles, launched an industry

3D Mobile Laser Scanner for ABP Humber

ABP Humber continues to increase their technology for Hydrographic surveying in their ports and harbors with the purchase of a new Carlson Merlin Lidar Scanner supplied by Swathe Services.The Merlin is a vessel-based 3D mobile laser scanner system developed specifically for coastal, offshore and inland waterway surveying. ABP Humber intends to use the system for quay wall inspections and surveying offshore structures.The Merlin is designed to integrate with existing hydrographic systems to simultaneously produce an accurate dataset of the environment above the waterline while a Multi-Beam Echo-Sounder

Partners Designing Autonomous Seismic Nodes

company Sonardyne International said it is partnering with Shell Brasil and Brazilian research institute Senai-Cimatec to develop autonomous technology to make the monitoring of Brazil’s deepwater pre-salt oil fields more efficient.The new 4D seismic monitoring system, based on so-called On Demand Ocean Bottom Nodes, is being developed under a National Agency of Petroleum, Natural Gas and Biofuels (ANP) promoted program.According to Sonardyne, the goal is to increase the autonomy of ocean bottom nodes and enable them to be deployed and remain on the seafloor for up to five years. During that

Ocean Infinity Searches for Lost S.Korean Ship

The seabed survey and ocean exploration company Ocean Infinity announced that its vessel, Seabed Constructor, sets sail from Cape Town to begin the search for the lost South Korean ship, Stellar Daisy.Stellar Daisy sank on 31 March 2017, with the tragic loss of 22 of its 24 crew.  The ship, which was transporting iron ore from Brazil to China, is believed to have gone down in the South Atlantic Ocean approximately 1800 nautical miles due west of Cape Town.The Ocean Infinity team is expected to be on site and commencing search operations by mid-February 2019.  Ocean Infinity will use its

Ashtead Invests in Teledyne's Survey Sensors

Teledyne Marine has announced a significant investment by Ashtead Technology in the newest subsea multibeam imaging, survey and pipe tracking technology. Key items include RESON SeaBat T50-S IDH multibeam systems (successor to the 7125 ROV2), BlueView M900-2250 dual frequency imagingsonars and HydroPACT 660E pipe and cable trackers among other items purchase from Teledyne Marine.“As owners of the largest fleet of TSS pipe and cable trackers in the rental market, Ashtead are impressed with the new miniaturized single pod '660E' version with its reduced weight, size and power,"

OceanWise, Valeport Supply Monitoring System for HHA

Harwich Haven Authority (HHA) has chosen OceanWise to supply, install and maintain new tide and weather systems at the 900-year old east coast of England port. British marine instrument specialist, Valeport, has partnered with OceanWise to deliver the environmental monitoring systems and continue its long-standing relationship with HHA.HHA, a trust port, is responsible for 150 square miles of the Haven and attracts trade from all over the world seeing 40% of the UK’s container traffic travel through its area.The bespoke system for HHA uses the latest technology to measure tide, weather and wave

C-Enduro Delivered to Royal Navy

capability to be delivered by the MHC program,” said Alex du Pre, MHC Team Lead at Defense Equipment and Support.This project marks the fourth delivery of a C-Enduro vessel, and previous successful missions include an 11-day over-the-horizon marine science mission north of Scotland for the National Oceanography Center

Teledyne Gavia: New SeaRaptor 6000m AUV

Teledyne Gavia will introduce its new 6000 meter rated AUV --  SeaRaptor --  at Ocean Business 2019 in Southampton in April.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 software (Teledyne Caris). In addition, the first vehicle delivered also

C-Kore Debuts Subsea Testing Tool

UK-based subsea technology company C-Kore Systems has announced a new subsea testing tool, the C-Kore Sensor Monitor, which can be used in decommissioning, fault-finding and construction campaigns to provide feedback from subsea sensors, such as wellhead pressures and temperatures, even when a subsea datalink is not available.According to the testing techniques provider to the offshore industry, during decommissioning or construction, the C-Kore Sensor Monitor can be used to ensure well head pressures are within safe limits for divers and prevent unintended release of hydrocarbons into the environment.

Meet PoBo: Floating Platform for Disaster Relief

GD European Land Systems develops floating platform for civil protection and disaster reliefGeneral Dynamics European Land Systems-Bridge Systems won a contract to develop a multi-functional, modular floating platform known as Pontoon Boat (PoBo). The project was awarded under the Innovation Program for the Support of Diversification Strategies of Defense Companies in Civil Security Technologies, or DIVERS. DIVERS is a program launched by Germany’s Federal Ministry of Economics and Energy (BMWI), with VDI Technologiezentrum GmbH as the responsible project executing agency."The PoBo is a

USVs Secure Offshore Oil and Gas Infrastructure

While much of the “buzz” regarding America’s increased energy production has focused on onshore fracking, which has opened up billions of barrels of oil and trillions of cubic feet of natural gas to production, the offshore oil and gas industry continued to provide a huge amount of the U.S. energy production. According to Forbes Magazine, offshore energy production has been increasing this decade and now stands at over two-and-one-half million barrels of oil, and almost three trillion cubic feet of gas a day.This massive production effort is sustained by offshore drilling rigs

Ashtead Partners with 4Subsea

Subsea equipment rental, sales and services provider Ashtead Technology announced it has entered into a global strategic partnership with 4Subsea.Under the deal, Ashtead said it will add 4Subsea’s sensors to its portfolio for inspection, maintenance and repair (IMR) services and gain access to 4Subsea’s domain experts within subsea production, well intervention and drilling. 4Subsea hardware and digital services delivery through Ashtead’s sales and distribution network including facilities in Aberdeen, Abu Dhabi, Halifax, Houston and Singapore.Allan Pirie, CEO of Ashtead, said

Swire Seabed Orders a HUGIN AUV

Equinor for provision of offshore survey services.Now, the firm will have a HUGIN AUV of its own. Due for delivery in 2020, the vehicle will be rated to 4,500 meters and equipped with Kongsberg Maritime’s HISAS 1032 synthetic aperture sonar (SAS) and EM2040 multibeam echosounder, as well as a CathX Ocean 48.5-degree field of view still image color camera and laser profiler, a sub-bottom profiler, magnetometer and turbidity sensor.The vehicle will also make use of Kongsberg’s automatic pipeline tracking solution, which utilizes the SAS or multibeam echo sounder to track alongside or above a

IUEM Chooses iXblue Equipment

Navigation, positioning and underwater imaging solutions provider iXblue said it has been chosen by the European Institute for Marine Studies (IUEM) to provide 8 Canopus long baseline (LBL) transponders for a geodetic mission off the coast of Sicily. Deployed on the seabed, 2,500 meters below the surface, the Canopus transponders will measure the crustal deformation along the North-South Alfeo faults with a millimeter-scale resolution over the course of four years.Hubert Pelletier, Head of iXblue Acoustic division, said, “Because the Canopus transponders precisely meet the exacting requirements

More Tenants Move into COVE Facility

The Center for Ocean Ventures and Entrepreneurship (COVE) reports it continues to onboard tenants in 2019.“We’re pleased to announce RBR, Precise Design and Nova Scotia Boatbuilders Association (NSBA) have moved into COVE,” said Jim Hanlon, CEO of COVE, a collaborative facility for applied innovation in the ocean sector located in Halifax Harbor, in Nova Scotia, Canada.COVE's mission is to propel the ocean economy by providing high quality marine infrastructure and a collaborative space in which a community of ocean enterprises can start, grow and prosper. Its primary goal is to

Ocean Infinity to Conduct AUV Surveys for Petrobras

U.S. based seabed survey and ocean exploration company Ocean Infinity announced Wednesday that its Brazilian partner has been awarded a contract to provide high-resolution hydrographic mapping services to Brazilian national oil company Petrobras.Working under contract to Brazilian offshore consulting company Cepemais, Ocean Infinity will go to work in the the Campos, Espirito Santo and Santos basins offshore Brazil, mapping an area of 5,000km2 and inspecting 12,000km of pipelines. Work will commence in mid-2019, and the contract duration is for three years.Ocean Infinity will operate a fleet of

Underwater Custom Cable for Cinque Terre Marine

NOVACAVI provided a tailor-made underwater hybrid cable solution to meet the Ligurian Cluster for Marine Technologies (DLTM) needs in enhancing marine and coastal environmental monitoring system in the Cinque Terre Marine Protected Area.12XM473 underwater cable is a hybrid power and multi-protocol transmission cable specifically engineered to handle its tough subsea application and to withstand long-term deployment in saltwater while connecting sea bottom, subsea sensors and buoy.NOVACAVI is honored to play a part in developing technological solutions to support research on marine ecosystems and to

Sensor and AI System for Plymouth Sound

of Thales and a global and corporate partner leading in the field of machine learning and artificial intelligence.  The results of this work will finalize development of the computing system at the heart of the maritime AI system to navigate the Mayflower Autonomous Ship across the Atlantic Ocean in celebration of the 400th anniversary of the original Mayflower sailing in 1620.In October 2018, Thales announced it was opening a new maritime autonomy center at Plymouth, with an aim to build relationships with industry and academia to operate unmanned vessels out of the Sound.M Subs is working

Saipem to Advance Shell's FlatFish Technology

Italian oil and gas contractor Saipem said it will work with Shell to further enhance key features of the oil major’s proprietary subsea autonomous vehicle, FlatFish.Since March 2018, Saipem has been the sole developer of FlatFish technology for Shell. FlatFish is a resident subsea autonomous vehicle able to perform complex inspection tasks, particularly suited to Brazil’s pre-salt offshore fields. It was previously developed by Brazilian research institution SENAI CIMATEC in partnership with DFKI over a four-year project funded by the Brazilian oil and gas regulator ANP's research and

New Robot Can Sense Plankton Optically and Acoustically

A team of biological and physical oceanographers and engineers have modified a common physical oceanography instrument to be able to image zooplankton as it glides through the ocean.The robot, a first-of-its-kind sensing instrument dubbed Zooglider by Mark Ohman, a biological oceanographer at Scripps Institution of Oceanography at the University of California San Diego, uses as its platform a Scripps-developed glider known as Spray. Ohman and Scripps instrument developers outfitted the torpedo-shaped Spray gliders with a camera (called Zoocam) and a device researchers call Zonar that gathers acoustic

Forum Unveils New eROV

Forum Subsea Technologies' recently launched XLe Spirit is the first observation-class electric remotely operated vehicle (ROV) to utilize Forum’s Integrated Control Engine (ICE) to bring greater functionality commonly only found in larger work-class vehicles.According to the manufacturer, the advanced control electronics pod fitted to all Forum XLe observation class vehicles enables superior connectivity and expansion capabilities. Ethernet interfacing allows for seamless integration with other industry sensors using common IP architecture and ease of remote data transfer.Kevin Taylor

EIVA Named Distributor for Sea-Bird Scientific Solutions

serve as official distributor of all salt water Sea-Bird Scientific products in Denmark, Sweden, Norway and Finland.Sea-Bird Scientific, which is headquartered in Seattle, Washington, United States, developer and manufacturer of solutions for the measurement of salinity, temperature, pressure and related oceanographic parameters in marine environments.With customers involved in every sector of maritime industries, Sea-Bird Scientific sensors and systems are deployed around the world by ocean researchers, resource managers and key stakeholders engaged in offshore exploration and ocean resource utilization

Ocean Cleanup Device Malfunctions

A first-of-its-kind floating ocean cleanup system deployed to collect plastic pollution from the Great Pacific Garbage Patch has been taken out of service early after it broke apart while operating halfway between Hawaii and California.The wind- and wave-propelled cleanup system, launched from San Francisco in September by Dutch nonprofit The Ocean Cleanup, consists of a 600-meter-long U-shaped floating barrier with a three-meter skirt below that glides at the ocean surface to collect plastic and funnel all debris at its center.Operations have been put on hold after an 18-meter section separated from

Ocean Infinity Joins Search for Lost Bulker

U.S. based Ocean Infinity said it has been awarded a contract from the Government of South Korea to search for the wreckage of lost bulk carrier Stellar Daisy, which sank on on March 31, 2017, with 24 people on board.The Stellar Daisy was transporting iron ore from Brazil to China when it was lost in the South Atlantic Ocean, approximately 2,500 nautical miles due east of Uruguay.Ocean Infinity said it expects to commence search operations in January 2019 using its high-tech fleet of autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs). The company's CEO, Oliver Plunkett, said, “For the sake of all

Equinor and Vissim Partner

Vissim said it has reached a global frame agreement with Norwegian energy giant Equinor to deploy its solution for surveillance of the ocean space surrounding all Equinor- and several third-party-operated assets on the U.K. and Norwegian Continental Shelves. The new system will incorporate machine learning and enable surveillance of vessel traffic (VTMS), air traffic, subsea structures, environment and real time weather situation and forecasts.Conceived to incorporate both traditional oil and gas and offshore wind assets, the resulting system is one of the largest of its kind in the world, Vissim said.

New Research on Gulf of Mexico Loop Current

More than $10 million in grant funding has been awarded for a group of new projects that aim to fill research gaps in order to help improve understanding and prediction of the Gulf of Mexico Loop Current System (LCS).As the Gulf of Mexico's dominant ocean circulation feature, the LCS has far-reaching implications for a wide range of human and natural systems, including oil and gas operations, yet knowledge about the underlying dynamics that control its behavior is limited.Following recommendations from a National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM) report released earlier this

Kraken Completes Sea Tests of KATFISH with Elbit Systems

;. Seagull is a multi-mission USV platform boasting high autonomy levels and modular features, allowing it to be rapidly reconfigured for a wide array of missions – including anti-submarine warfare and mine countermeasures.“Elbit Systems’ Seagull USV is one of the most advanced ocean drones in the world,” said Karl Kenny, Kraken’s President and CEO. “With KATFISH integrated on Elbit’s Seagull USV, the system can provide remotely operated, unmanned, end-to-end mine hunting operations. With KATFISH, these ocean drones can detect very small objects hidden

Ushant Tidal Energy Project Gets a Data Boost

Sabella, a French tidal and ocean stream turbine developer, partnered with QOS Energy to improve the performance monitoring of its Ushant tidal energy project. The first 1MW tidal turbine is immersed 55 meters underwater off the west coast of France, and it is equipped with more than 100 sensors gathering data every five minutes using QOS Energy’s data intelligence platform to identify, assess and anticipate potential failures.Sabella’s 1MW D10 turbine was initially commissioned in 2015 in the Fromveur Passage, a strait that lies between Ushant Island and the Molène archipelago