NATO Uses IoT to Study the Oceans
Satellite Services Ltd., a wholly owned subsidiary of Globalstar Inc., said that scientists from the NATO’s Science and Technology Organization (NATO STO) are deploying an IoT solution using SPOT Trace and Globalstar satellite communications to further their understanding of the world’s oceans.Research teams from the NATO STO Center for Maritime Research and Experimentation (CMRE), based in La Spezia, Italy, are embedding SPOT Trace devices in freely drifting buoys and setting them afloat in the Mediterranean and in Arctic waters to monitor surface drift behaviour. SPOT Trace tracks the
ROVs and Surveying Harbor Pollution
Norway’s Agder Dykk, is extending its scope of operations in the region with a new Saab Seaeye Falcon.An early task for Agder Dykk’s Falcon is a survey of Norway’s harbors to provide data for the authorities on the status of sediment built up over decades of environmentally polluting activities.In addition to this task, Agder Dykk will extend itsFalcon’s role across a wide scope of operations in the region to include multibeam survey, construction work support and inspection of cables, pipes and moorings, together with inspection of infrastructure for the Norwegian authorities.
Ocean Power Technologies Pact with NEC Energy Solutions
The provider of ocean energy solutions Ocean Power Technologies (OPT) signed a letter of intent to enter into a long-term supply agreement with NEC Energy Solutions, global leader in utility scale energy storage.Under the terms of the supply agreement, NEC ES will supply lithium ion batteries for OPT's subsea battery solutions.George H. Kirby, President and Chief Executive Officer of OPT, said: "NEC is a supplier of lithium ion batteries for our subsea battery solutions. Their long-standing leadership in the industry, as well as their dedication towards providing versatile, high-quality
Kongsberg Unveils HUGIN SUPERIOR AUV
A new autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) system rolled out today by Norwegian-based Kongsberg Maritime offers significantly enhanced data, positioning and endurance capabilities.The new HUGIN SUPERIOR AUV system builds upon the existing HUGIN technology platform with some of Kongsberg's latest technologies, including the new HISAS 1032 Dual Receiver Synthetic Aperture Sonar (SAS) which generates approximately 1,000 meters swath at 2.5 knots for SAS imagery, and real aperture and SAS bathymetry, with consistent resolution over the entire swath (typically 5x5 cm in mission imagery). The system also
Royal Navy Supports Successful Trial of New Micro-Robots
ecoSUB, has been successfully trialed in the North Sea off Orkney during a marine robot demonstrator mission coordinated by the National Oceanography Center (NOC).ecoSUB is a new type of Autonomous Underwater Vehicle (AUV) developed by Planet Ocean in partnership with the NOC. The vehicles are around 0.5 meters in length and weigh only 4 kg, and are therefore classified as 'micro-AUVs'. Despite their small size, they are capable of diving to 500 m (2500m for ecoSUB-m25) and have sufficient battery power to stay underwater for several hours.Two of the new ecoSUB-µ5-SVP vehicles were
STR Upgrades to Sonardyne's Fusion 2
Subsea Technology and Rentals (STR), a multi-disciplinary technology expert specializing in the design, production, rental and sale of innovative marine survey equipment, has become the first company to invest in Sonardyne International Ltd.’s new Long BaseLine (LBL) and Inertial Navigation System (INS) software, Fusion 2. The announcement was made following Sonardyne’s launch event at OSEA 2018 in Singapore.STR will upgrade its existing 6G hardware to Sonardyne’s new 6 ‘plus’ variants, which, combined with Fusion 2, will make marine survey and offshore construction
Eight OSD Systems to Petrobras
Sea-state monitoring firm Miros Group is set to supply eight Oil Spill Detection (OSD) systems to Brazilian oil major Petrobras in the world’s largest x-band radar-based OSD surveillance and response contract to date.The agreement is in partnership with Ulstein Belga Marine, primary supplier to Petrobras, and includes radars and thermal imaging cameras for Petrobras Mobile Offshore Production Units (MOPUs) in the Campos Basin. Delivery and commissioning are scheduled for 2019.The backdrop for the record delivery is a February 2018 agreement reached between Petrobras and the Brazilian federal
Sonardyne Unveils Fusion 2
Underwater positioning and navigation specialist Sonardyne International Ltd. has launched a new integrated acoustic and inertial positioning platform for marine survey contractors and offshore construction companies.Available from today, Sonardyne’s Fusion 2 Long BaseLine (LBL) and Inertial Navigation System (INS) software has been written from the ground up to offer a single solution aiming to make field development projects faster and easier. With Fusion 2, the separate software applications, vessel-fit hardware and often complex communication interfaces that have been typically required to
Sonardyne Leads AUV Collaboration Project
The UK-based underwater positioning and communications technology company Sonardyne International Ltd has initiated a collaborative project to drive a major step change in ocean system autonomy for long-endurance autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs).The aim of the Innovate UK-supported Precise Positioning for Persistent AUVs (P3AUV) project is to enable AUVs to operate at high levels of navigation performance with less surface support and for longer periods.The provider of underwater acoustic, inertial, optical and sonar technology said in a release that with partners L3 ASV and the National Oceanograp
Tidal Power for Seabed Oil and Gas Installations
There is great potential for large underwater turbines engineered to harness power from tides and ocean currents to produce industrial-scale levels of electricity. At the smaller scale, tidal power can be just as useful and, indeed, can be much easier to deploy to meet commercial needs.A team of subsea engineers from the North Sea oil and gas industry saw one such potential opportunity and decided to set up their own company – EC-OG – to pursue it in 2013. The result of their endeavors is the Subsea Power Hub, a compact tidal- and ocean-current-based electricity generator, suitable for
Hydroid Bags AUV Order from Japan
Autonomous underwater vehicle (AUVs) manufacturer Hydroid, Inc., said on Monday it has received an order for a New Generation REMUS 6000 AUV from the Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science Technology (JAMSTEC).The New Generation REMUS 6000 is based on the legacy vehicle design and features a modular architecture that allows for the addition of multiple payloads including customer sensor packages, forward fins and additional battery sections, the manufacturer said. With new low-power core electronics and a hydrodynamic hull design, it has increased endurance for longer missions.The order is part of the
Sensor Technology Expands
Sensor Technology Ltd. announced it has expanded its manufacturing to Nova Scotia at the Center for Ocean Ventures & Entrepreneurship (COVE), a collaborative facility for applied innovation in the ocean sector.“This opportunity has come at the perfect time for Sensor Technology as we are in a significant growth stage as well as developing a new products and markets for our custom solutions. We are really excited to be a part of the collaborative community at COVE,” said Niru Somayajula, president and CEO of Sensor Technology.Sensor Technology, which provides custom hydrophones and
MacArtney Delivers TRIAXUS ROTV to China
MacArtney Singapore delivered a TRIAXUS ROTV with customized sensor payload to the Chinese Academy of Science for oceanographic research projects in the South China Sea.The Chinese Academy of Science, via MacArtney agent Geo Marine Technology Ltd, has purchased the first TRIAXUS ROTV to be utilized aboard CAS research vessels in the South China Sea.This milestone sale means that the MacArtney TRIAXUS ROTV is the first of its kind to enter the Chinese Ocean Science market and forecasts a future need for ROTV facilitated research in this region.Marine Observation Technology is a developing market as
Subsea Vision & Photogrammetry Lab Formed
Offshore robotics company FORSSEA ROBOTICS chose GMS as main technical partner to certify its real-time visual positioning technologies. A joint laboratory will be created to develop a common offer covering camera calibration, subsea image treatment and innovative photogrammetry solutions.FORSSEA ROBOTICS decided last year to adapt its Atoll ROV embedded visual docking technology into a stand-alone product. The company was already manufacturing and commercializing underwater cameras, mainly for R&D underwater vision applications.The so-called V-LOC (Visual LOCalization) technology has been designed
OPT Rolls Out New Products
Ocean energy solutions developer Ocean Power Technologies, Inc. has expanded its suite of complimentary products that leverage the core technology of the PowerBuoy, which include subsea batteries and a hybrid (liquid-fueled) PowerBuoy.George H. Kirby, President and Chief Executive Officer of OPT, said, “Our team has been working diligently to identify opportunities to leverage our technologies to address the needs of current and potential customers in subsea environments. These new product offerings provide OPT with the means to better serve customers by expanding its product and service offerings
Construction Starts on OSU's Research Ship
Construction of a new Oregon State University (OSU) bound research ship that will advance the science of coastal environments, and support research on topics such as ocean acidification, hypoxia, and sea level rise, officially began today at Gulf Island Shipyards in Louisiana.Officials from OSU the National Science Foundation (NSF) and Gulf Island Shipyards LLC gathered at the shipyard in Houma, La. for the keel-laying ceremony, marking the start of fabrication of the state-of-the art ship. The ship will be the first in a class of Regional Class Research Vessels funded by the NSF.During the ceremony
Ocean Infinity Orders Five HUGIN AUVs
Hydrographic and geophysical survey company Ocean Infinity has placed three separate orders for a total of five Kongsberg Maritime HUGIN autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) Systems, increasing its inventory to 15.Kongsberg Maritime said the AUVs are supplied with its latest generation HISAS 1032 synthetic aperture sonar, giving Ocean Infinity a total of six HUGINs with the ability to deliver high resolution imaging in its fleet.HISAS generates high resolution range independent imagery and full swath bathymetry. Coupled with the other sensors on board, the HUGIN AUVs produce a data set including HISAS
iSURVEY Completes Nord Stream 2 Survey
Survey and positioning services provider iSURVEY said it has completed a 30-day geophysical seabed survey for offshore pipelay and subsea construction company Allseas.The project team set out to identify obstructions and hazardous seabed features over a 40-kilometer section of route survey in the German Baltic prior to forthcoming pipelay anchoring and mooring operations for the Nord Stream 2 pipeline project.Taking on a vessel charter, the iSURVEY team had full contract responsibility for the vessel, marine, survey, processing and reporting elements of the entire scope – a first for the group.
Teledyne CARIS Unveils Bathy DataBASE 5.2
Teledyne CARIS has released Bathy DataBASE 5.2, which introduces enhanced tools for validating and creating chart features from lidar surveys as well as new bathymetry compilation techniques.This latest version includes an updated workflow process found in BASE Editor designed for performing both quality control and feature set building from lidar data. Bring LAS/LAZ data into the BASE Editor environment to assess quality, adjust classification, and compare against other sources. Identify relevant features in the point data and imagery, and easily model as S-57 features directly in the area-based
RBR Opens Office in China
Oceanographic instrumentation manufacturer RBR announced it has opened RBR China in Qingdao. The wholly-owned foreign enterprise under the direction of RBR Ltd. (Canada) will support the growing customer base and collaborative business development activities in China, the company said.“The market in China is huge and the local innovation in ocean science research, operational oceanography, deep sea studies and autonomous vehicle development is tremendous. RBR’s continued investment in China will help enable more innovative projects in China and allow RBR to share these experiences and
Knud E. Hansen, DTU Aqua Pact on Marine Research Vessel
Danish naval architectural firm Knud E. Hansen has signed a contract with the Technical University of Denmark's DTU Aqua (National Institute of Aquatic Resources) on consultancy assistance for a project study and concept design of a 65M multidisciplinary marine research vessel to replace the aging R/V DANA IV from 1981."Knud E. Hansen signed the contract on the basis of our references in designing fishing vessels and in-depth know how in marine research vessels and icebreakers for scientific operations, like the RSV NUYINA for the Australian Antarctic Division," said a press release from
Klein Selects Greensea Inertial Navigation
Klein Marine Systems chose Greensea Systems to provide SWaP-C optimized inertial navigation for its side scan sonar towfish products. The Greensea INSpect GS products use Greensea’s open architecture operating platform, OPENSEA, and a patent-pending heading alignment methodology.“We chose the Greensea INSpect GS product family due to the price/performance alternatives offered as well as the additional sensor options that it supports,” said Dean Fleury, Director of Engineering for Klein. “The interface to the system is straightforward and the integration activities unfolded
Second Harbor Regeneration Deployment for OSIL Buoy
A turbidity monitoring buoy built by OSIL is to be re-deployed by BAM Construction on a further dredging project in Ireland.The buoy was originally purchased as part of a network to monitor the dredging activity for the new Bantry Harbor Marina (Cork, Ireland), part of the €8.5 million ($9.6 mln) Bantry Inner Harbor Redevelopment project, which was completed recently, and the buoy will now be deployed to another BAM project having completed a full system check at OSIL.The 0.7m Small Field Buoy can easily be deployed from a small boat by hand, and will now be monitoring continuous dredging in a
Rovco Buys a Falcon DR ROV
U.K. subsea services company Rovco said it has expanded its remotely operated underwater vehicle (ROV) and hydrographic survey capabilities with the addition of an electric Saab Seaeye Falcon DR ROV to its fleet.The 1,000-meter depth rated, long-range Falcon DR will enhance Rovco’s ability to deliver intricate and demanding missions that require a variety of high bandwidth sensors, either at depth or over long distances, the company said.The Falcon DR marks a £200,000 investment for the firm and is part of its expansion program. As well as its commercial use, it will support Rovco’s
L3 OceanServer Expands
L3 OceanServer, a developer and manufacturer of autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs), has recently added 4,700 square feet of space at its headquarters location in Fall River, Mass. This doubles the operational footprint of the business and will accommodate the company’s rapid growth while continuing to leverage its waterfront location for daily vehicle testing and operations. Additionally, a 46-foot research vessel, R/V Cassiar, has been dedicated to customer training and vehicle testing at L3 OceanServer’s San Diego location.“The decision to expand our physical assets was based on
Drafinsub Chooses Falcon ROV
Italian underwater works company Drafinsub chose the Saab Seaeye Falcon electric remotely operated underwater vehicle (ROV) for the wide ranging and complex tasks undertaken by the company.“We chose the Falcon because it's the industry standard for observation robotic vehicles,” said Andrea Dellacasa from Drafinsub. “It is reliable, scalable and suitable for most kind of works, from observation to non-destructive testing and survey.“Our company has more than 20 years’ experience with ROVs and we felt it was the right time to take a leap in quality, with the completion
Second MacArtney TRIAXUS ROTV for RV Investigator
MacArtney said it has recently supplied a second TRIAXUS ROTV system for use on the RV Investigator. This TRIAXUS E version features an even higher payload capacity and enables the installation of a wide range of sensors targeted to the specific needs of oceanographic research.The scope of supply from MacArtney in this case included:The TRIAXUS extended E versionThe Sea-Bird SBE 911 Conductivity, Temperature and Depth Instrument (CTD)A Transmissometer to determine the excitation of the water medium to gauge clarity at ranging ocean depthsA Fluorometer to measure the parameters of Chlorophyll a to
Subsea State? Steady with Waves of Optimism
among many young people, not helped by the recent downturn, it’s even more imperative that we demonstrate to the next generation that subsea is an industry in its own right; an industry which works across many diverse vertical markets in oil & gas, marine renewables, aquaculture, defence and ocean science.Against this backdrop, Subsea UK provides leadership to help the sector deliver the growth and high value performance that ensures it makes a valuable contribution to the economy. It’s worth reminding ourselves of the vital role subsea plays in helping achieve MER UK (maximizing economic
Collaborators Make ROVs Smaller and More User-friendly
Putting together a highly specified remotely operated underwater vehicle (ROV) is a complex business, often requiring fluid integration of components and software from several different manufacturers. Getting it all to work together takes a high level of collaboration between professionals, located around the world.The Defender models now being produced by Pennsylvania-based VideoRay, a world leader in inspection-class ROVs, are a prime example.For these vehicles, Norwegian Doppler specialist Nortek deployed its DVL1000 Doppler Velocity Log in collaboration with both VideoRay and Vermont’s
Partners Lead New Swarm Technology Research
with Aberdeen’s Robert Gordon University (RGU) to research simultaneous, distributed and scalable localization system for a swarm of autonomous underwater sensor flying nodes.The research will aim to further enhance the capability of the flying node system and further reduce the cost and time for ocean bottom seismic surveys.RGU is a leading Scottish university in Aberdeen, the oil capital of Europe, and its School of Engineering has an outstanding track record of working in collaboration with industry.The Swarm Technology research will be performed by Dr. Wai-keung Fung and Adham Sabra, who are
Sonardyne Acquires Chelsea Technologies Group
Ltd. said it has acquired maritime and marine science technology specialist Chelsea Technologies Group Ltd. as part of a long-term growth strategy that includes market diversification.In acquiring Chelsea (also known as CTG), Sonardyne said it looks to strengthen its presence in the maritime, marine and ocean science sectors and create new opportunities in the water environmental, defense and process control markets. Chelsea will gain access to Sonardyne’s considerable research, production, testing, compliance and global distribution capabilities, allowing the company to access many more international
20’ WAM-V Delivered to XPrize Finalist TeamTao
The first 20’ WAM-V has been delivered to TeamTao, a finalist in the Shell Ocean Discovery XPrize competition.The new WAM-V has a range of over 400 nautical miles, can carry up to 600 lbs of payload, has a top speed of 15+ knots, and has passed rigorous open-ocean testing to ensure it is a stable platform for sensor deployment.“This is an exciting addition to our product lineup,” said Marine Advanced Research President and CEO Mark Gundersen. “With multi-day endurance in blue water, it brings a host of new capabilities to the marketplace.”Nick Ridley, TeamTao’s
Arctic Sea Ice is Youngest and Thinnest Now
The Arctic Ocean's blanket of sea ice has changed since 1958 from predominantly older, thicker ice to mostly younger, thinner ice, according to new research published by NASA scientist Ron Kwok of the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, California.With so little thick, old ice left, the rate of decrease in ice thickness has slowed. New ice grows faster but is more vulnerable to weather and wind, so ice thickness is now more variable, rather than dominated by the effect of global warming, according to NASA's Earth Science News Team.Working from a combination of satellite records and declassified
DOF Subsea Selects Sonardyne Navigation Tech
International subsea services provider DOF Subsea has chosen acoustic and inertial navigation technology from Sonardyne Brasil Ltda. to support its deepwater operations from three vessels offshore Brazil.The three vessels will be equipped with Sonardyne’s SPRINT-Nav all-in-one subsea navigation instrument for underwater vehicles. A remote operated vehicle (ROV) on one of the vessels will also be fitted with a Sonardyne Syrinx Doppler Velocity Log (DVL), in place of its existing system. All three vessels are on long-term contract in Brazilian Waters.SPRINT-Nav combines Sonardyne’s SPRINT
Seismic From Below
Seabed Geosolutions’ Ocean Bottom Seismic & Manta OBNThe acquisition of seismic data using nodes placed on the sea floor, Ocean Bottom Seismic (OBS) and its use in deep water with Ocean Bottom Nodes (OBN) have been growing rapidly in recent years due to considerable cost savings resulting from innovations in technology and operational concepts. Claudio Paschoa, Marine Technology Reporter’s correspondent in Brazil spoke to Stephan Midenet, CEO of Seabed Geosolutions about OBS technology in general and OBN operations in Brazil.Ocean Bottom Seismic (OBS) TechnologyOBS technology has been
'Smart Boulders' Measure Seafloor Avalanches
central part of the submarine canyon. As flows traveled further to deeper water where the canyon was wider, they were also found to slow down. These new findings provide valuable information to identify safe crossing points across other canyons for new seafloor cables and pipelines.According to National Oceanography Center (NOC) scientist Dr. Mike Clare, one of the authors of this paper, “The dense nature of the submarine flows came as a surprise. It means they could cause more damage to communication cables than we thought. It will also make them harder to image.”The 18-month, international
New Water Level Measuring Stations in the Wadden Sea
The Wadden Sea is an intertidal zone that lies between the coast of northwest Europe and the low-lying Frisian Islands. It consists of a shallow body of water with tidal flats and wetlands. Listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site due to its diverse nature, it is an area of strict environmental conservation.MacArtney has delivered six measuring stations to a German energy supplier in May this year including six Tide Masters designed by British manufacturer Valeport, equipped with Data Telemetry Units. The Tide Master device acts as a water level recorder; it can accurately record the height of the water
Teledyne Webb Research Wins $7 Mln NOAA Contract
Teledyne Webb Research, a division of Teledyne Technologies and a provider of neutrally buoyant, autonomous drifters and profilers, autonomous underwater gliding vehicles, and moored underwater sound sources, has received an indefinite delivery/indefinite quantity (IDIQ) contract from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) for the provision of Slocum gliders, sensors and service components. The award has a maximum value of $7 million over five years, with an initial procurement in excess of $600,000.The U.S. Antarctic Marine Living Resources (AMLR) Program of the NOAA Fisheries
Hunting Hydrocarbons
Subsea gliders are taking to the oceans to hunt for an ever wider array of anthropomorphic and chemical signatures to an ever greater accuracy.Ocean glider systems are maturing. Since emerging in the 2000s, they’ve opened up new possibilities for ocean observation and monitoring. But, these possibilities are continuing to expand, including to gas seep surveys, leak detection, mammal monitoring and oil spill monitoring, for the offshore oil and gas industry.The primary attraction of ocean gliders is their ability to stay at sea for months, monitoring wide areas in remote locations down to significa
New Hammerhead Towed Profiling System
Ocean Scientific International Ltd. (OSIL) announced the latest addition to its product range, the Hammerhead deep water towed profiling system.The Hammerhead is designed for rapid surveys from small boats in estuaries, lakes, rivers and inshore coastal areas, and can easily be deployed by one person. The system allows users to obtain a vastly expanded dataset over a wider and more comprehensive survey area than would be obtained from traditional spatial profiling methods and can be programmed to collect data from a single depth/altitude above the seabed, or to follow an undulating pattern.The simple
Canada's Halifax-Class Frigates Get a Sonar Upgrade
Nautel, together with General Dynamics, will upgrade and maintain underwater sensors on the Halifax-class frigates for the Royal Canadian Navy (RCN) as part of the Underwater Warfare Suite Upgrade (UWSU) contract awarded to General Dynamics Mission Systems–Canada.The upgraded sensors will offer the RCN an improved ability to detect and track underwater threats utilizing advanced Sonar amplifiers and transducers designed and manufactured by Nautel.As part of the hull-mounted sonar upgrade program, Nautel will supply NS72-36 sonar amplifiers and Mk II broadband transducers. According to Nautel
USV Accompanies The Ocean Cleanup System 001
An unmanned surface vessel (USV) has been launched alongside the revolutionary at-sea garbage-collection system deployed by nonprofit group The Ocean Cleanup to rid the seas of ocean plastic.The Ocean Cleanup System 001, also known as “Wilson”, is undergoing extensive sea trials approximately 350 nautical miles from San Francisco, to test the behavior of the system. If all goes well, it will relocate to the “Great Pacific Garbage Patch” (GPGP) where it will begin the challenge of removing tons of plastic debris.The USV, manufactured by U.K. based AutoNaut, is accompanying
BMT and Sonardyne Partner on Subsea Monitoring
Engineering consultancy BMT and subsea technology company Sonardyne International Ltd. will together provide advanced integrated marine integrity monitoring solutions to the oil and gas industry under a new agreement announced today at the Rio Oil & Gas exhibition and conference in Brazil.The official Teaming Agreement will allow the two companies to collaboratively provide smarter and more efficient through-life solutions for monitoring and managing critical subsea assets, including drilling and production risers, moorings and wellheads.By jointly offering BMT’s monitoring and analysis
Real-time Sea State Data Made Available in the Cloud
equipment.“Making sea state data available in real time through the cloud was a major step forward, but we believe that offering this as a pure service will be equally as important for our customers,” said Andreas Brekke, CEO of Miros Group, a technology company specializing in measuring the ocean surface.According to Brekke, Miros’ line of IoT based dry sensors, with no equipment exposed to water, is the key to the new service offering: “With a dry system there is virtually no maintenance once the system is in place. That allows us to be secure in providing the service without
Ashtead Delivers Installation Monitoring Services to Subsea 7
Subsea equipment specialist Ashtead Technology said it has completed a subsea installation monitoring project for Subsea 7 in support of Equinor’s Utgard development, located in blocks 15/8 (NCS) and 16/18a (UKCS) of the central North Sea.The contract, which was awarded by i-Tech Services on behalf of Subsea 7, saw Ashtead’s Deflection Monitoring System (DMS) used to capture critical data required to safely deploy a subsea template in water depths of 110m from Subsea 7’s vessel the Seven Arctic.The DMS monitors structure deflection, heading, pitch, roll, depth and suction at differenti
Mapping the Future
Marine Technology Reporter catches up with Dr. Jyotika Virmani, Ph.D, Senior Director, Shell Ocean Discovery XPRIZE and members of the GEBCO-NF Alumni Team as the conclusion to the $7 Million Shell Ocean Discovery XPRIZE fast approaches.The Shell Ocean Discovery XPRIZE is a global competition challenging teams to advance deep-sea technologies for autonomous, fast and high-resolution ocean exploration. The prize will stimulate even greater exploration and mapping of the ocean floor, helping to uncover our planet’s greatest wonders and resources for the benefit of humanity. The winner will be
Kraken, ThayerMahan Demonstrate SeaScout for US Navy
Kraken Robotics Inc. wholly owned subsidiary, Kraken Robotic Systems Inc., in cooperation with ThayerMahan Inc., demonstrated its SeaScout Expeditionary Seabed Mapping and Intelligence System during the U.S. Navy’s Advanced Naval Technology Exercise (ANTX) held last month in Newport, R.I. This was the first at-sea test and evaluation carried out since both companies signed a strategic alliance agreement in February 2018.U.S. Navy Vice Admiral Michael Connor (retired), ThayerMahan’s President and CEO, said, “It’s our fundamental mission to integrate and deploy the latest sensors
Wave and Tidal Challenges and Opportunities
A new report outlines the steps which need to be taken to ensure the U.K. remains at the forefront of wave and tidal energy sectors.The Wave & Tidal Transformation report released today by the National Subsea Research Initiative (NSRI) highlights the opportunities and challenges for technology developers and subsea supply chain companies looking to do business in these sectors. It outlines how and where companies can get involved with the developing sector and the requirements for industry driven research.To date, more than £450 million has been spent across the U.K. wave and tidal supply
L3 Technologies Acquires ASV Global
New York headquartered L3 Technologies said it has acquired unmanned surface vessel (USV) and autonomous vessel control systems company ASV Global, LLC, effective September 20.According to L3, the acquisition enhances its spectrum of unmanned maritime capabilities, including integrated antisubmarine warfare (ASW) solutions, future surface combatant unmanned off-board sensors, and integrated unmanned surface and undersea vessel (USV/UUV) operations. The new company will be known as L3 ASV.“Autonomous capabilities for surface ships and undersea vessels are top priorities for our naval and commercial
Cerberus to Acquire Subsea Communications Business from TE Connectivity
Cerberus Capital Management announced that one of its affiliates has entered into an agreement with TE Connectivity under which Cerberus will acquire TE's Subsea Communications business (SubCom).Headquartered in Eatontown, New Jersey, SubCom is a leading global supplier of subsea communications systems with approximately $700 million in revenue, based on fiscal year 2018 expectations. The business designs, manufactures, deploys, and maintains the subsea fiber optic cable systems that are vital for global communications.To date, SubCom has completed more than 100 cable systems and deployed over 610
Olis Robotics Acquires Machine Learning Startup
Olis Robotics, developer of next-generation remote robotics software, announced it has acquired Seattle-based machine learning startup White Marsh Forests (WMF).Olis, formerly BluHaptics, has created a next-generation software platform built from the ground up that expands the capabilities of pilot-controlled service robots in the energy and space sectors and other harsh operating environments. The firm's technology enables vast improvements in robotic dexterity, precision, efficiency and overall mission success.The addition of machine learning capabilities from WMF allows robots to recognize and
NSF Awards Contract to Continue Ocean Observatories Initiative
A state-of-the-art marine facility delivering data and new insight to the ocean science community, policy-makers and the public worldwide has received additional support from the National Science Foundation (NSF).The NSF awarded a coalition of academic and oceanographic research organizations a five-year, $220 million contract to operate and maintain the Ocean Observatories Initiative (OOI). The coalition, led by the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI), with direction from the NSF and guidance from the OOI Facilities Board, will include the University of Washington (UW), Oregon State University
ISE Sells 6000m-rated AUV to China
Canadian underwater systems and robotics manufacturer International Submarine Engineering Ltd. (ISE) announced it has sold its latest ISE Explorer autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) to China Ocean Mineral Resource R&D Association (COMRA). This ISE Explorer AUV is the first rated for operations at 6,000 m depth.The modular design of the ISE Explorer enables it to carry multiple payloads in its spacious, swappable, and customizable payload section including Multibeam Echosounders, Sidescan Sonars, Sub-bottom Profilers, Synthetic Aperture Sonars, High Definition Cameras and Laser Systems, CTDs and
The Ocean Cleanup Kicks Off
A first-of-its-kind floating ocean cleanup system is undergoing a final round of testing before it begins removing plastic pollution from the Great Pacific Garbage Patch halfway between Hawaii and California.The system developed by the Dutch nonprofit The Ocean Cleanup was launched from San Francisco Bay on September 8 and towed 350 nautical miles by the vessel Maersk Launcher to an offshore test site. System 001 will now undergo two weeks of trials before continuing its journey to start collecting debris at the world’s largest accumulation of ocean plastic some 1,200 nautical miles off the
Aker Bets on Software Engineers for Its Oil Business
When the owners of Norwegian oil firm Aker BP decided to digitise its assets and operations, they searched high and low for the right software company. But they failed to find a suitable one.So instead they set up their own, Cognite, to create digital maps of Aker BP's oil industry assets, integrating data from equipment such as pumps, heat and pressure sensors, maintenance records and even staff rotas to improve efficiency and safety.Less than two years later, Cognite is selling its software to Aker BP's rivals and one competitor, Sweden's Lundin Petroleum, has even agreed to share its
Subsea Defense: Extending Unmanned Capabilities
in ASW development.”Marine autonomous systems (MAS), including AUVs, unmanned underwater vehicles (UUVs) and or “off-board” sensors are part of the solution, to extend the reach of existing systems and, longer term, potentially replace them, alongside better knowledge and use of the oceans (understanding the ocean environment to make strategic use of it) and data.However, MAS can also be a threat, making advances in AUV and UUV technology, in parallel with work to better detect, monitor and potentially counter them, high on the agenda. “Commercial unmanned autonomous vehicles
Sonardyne Aids US Navy Underwater Vehicle Testing
.Located in Maryland, Carderock Division is the U.S. Navy's research, engineering, modelling and test center for surface and undersea technologies. It is the largest, most comprehensive establishment of its kind in the world. Thanks to its proximity to the Gulf Stream, Carderock’s South Florida Ocean Measurement Facility (SFOMF) provides a demanding open ocean test environment for subsea systems and unmanned underwater vehicles (UUVs) in development for both the Navy and wider maritime industry.To support this work, Carderock Division has ordered Sonardyne’s high accuracy Ranger 2 Ultra
Seafloor Crawlers: New Robotic Tools for Challenging Missions
Back to the seaIt is widely said that life started in the ocean, and gradually moved on to land. In the case of tracked robots this trend is reversed. During the early 2000s, driven by significant defense demands, compact ground robots developed rapidly. Products like the PackBot from iRobot and the Talon from Foster-Miller pioneered man-portable high performance ground robots. The demands of operating in harsh environments made these tools robust and inspired fully waterproof variants. Unfortunately at the time limitations in energy storage, autonomy and telemetry made seafloor crawling robots a
Engineering Better Propulsion
“Propeller design has often been considered kind of a black art,” said Donald MacPherson, technical director at HydroComp, Inc. But it’s an art that MacPherson has always had a knack for, and today his company is known as experts in the field of hydrodynamic performance.MacPherson co-founded HydroComp together with managing director Jill Aaron in 1984. The Durham, N.H. based firm’s maritime software and consultancy services have aided a wide range of hull and propeller analysis and design projects – from large commercial ships to unmanned underwater vehicles. For any
Project to Enable Autonomous Navigation in Denied Environments
the Doppler Velocity Log (DVL) and/or other acoustic positioning inputs. Additionally, it takes in position data provided by Guidance Marine’s vessel-mounted CyScan laser instrument, which takes range and bearing measurements from targets mounted on buildings or stationary surface structures in the ocean, to calculate the vessel’s position and maintain positioning between targets.During trials earlier this year, a CyScan was mounted on Sonardyne’s Echo Explorer survey vessel incorporating additional GeoLock functionality. During a transit, between Sonardyne’s Plymouth Sea Trials
