Offshore Energy News

Credit: Miros

Miros Unveils WaveFusion Wave Radar for Offshore Wind

Wave measurement specialist Miros has released a dual sensor for measuring directional wave spectra, developed for the offshore wind industry.The latest addition to the Miros wave radar series, called WaveFusion, according to the company, provides more visibility and insights over the sea state in all-weather critical maritime operations, including shallow waters.The sensor accurately measures data in real-time by utilizing up to 13 sample areas which are at different distances from the turbine, Miros says."Combining the footprints, complemented by smart processing algorithms enables new levels

This photograph was captured by the Autonomous Surveyor USV during harbour trials in the Netherlands in May 2023. Credit: Subsea Europe Services GmbH

Autonomous O&M Pilot Planned at Deutsche Bucht Offshore Wind Farm

Offshore wind farm owner Northland Power has selected Subsea Europe Services as its partner for a pilot project in Summer 2023 at the Deutsche Bucht Offshore Wind Farm that will place autonomous marine survey and underwater inspection at the heart of its Operations & Maintenance (O&M) programs.The greenlight for the project, which starts this July, follows the successful harbor testing of Subsea Europe Services’ Autonomous Surveyor Uncrewed Surface Vessel (USV) and A.IKANBILIS Hovering Autonomous Underwater Vehicle (HAUV), which took place in May on the Albert Betz Service Operation

Image courtesy of Sercel

CGG's Sercel Sells 6000 Seabed Nodes to Sinopec

French seismic data firm CGG said Tuesday that its subsidiary Sercel had made a major sale of its GPR300 seabed nodal solution to Sinopec, the Chinese oil and gas exploration, refining, and distribution company. Over 6,000 nodes will be deployed this month in the Bohai Sea off the east coast of mainland China, CGG said.According to CGG, based on Sercel’s QuietSeis MEMS technology, the GPR300 delivers "unprecedented broadband signal sensing capability and fidelity, and ultra-quiet performance to enable best-in-class subsurface imaging and outperforms conventional OBN equipment. With its

Credit: Fugro

Fugro to Provide Floating Wind Lidar Measurements for Danish Offshore Wind Projects

Danish transmission system operator Energinet has awarded the Dutch offshore services firm Fugro a new contract to provide floating wind lidar measurements for five offshore wind projects in Denmark.Fugro will install and operate ten SEAWATCH Wind Lidar Buoys across three main locations, namely the Kattegat Sea, Baltic Sea, and North Sea. These buoys will provide real-time metocean and environmental monitoring data to support investment decisions for offshore wind farms.Denmark has set a goal of deploying 12.9 GW of offshore wind capacity by 2030.Starting in summer 2023, Fugro's SEAWATCH Wind

Credit: DeepOcean

DeepOcean Bags Post-Lay Trenching Works Offshore Mexico

Offshore services company DeepOcean has won a contract to provide post-lay trenching works on 30 kilometers of pipeline offshore Mexico. DeepOcean will execute the post-lay trenching works from the M/S Volantis subsea construction vessel, which is equipped DeepOcean’s high powered jet trencher UT-1.According to DeepOcean, the jet trencher UT-1 has so far completed over 2,200 km of subsea trenching for cables and pipelines up to 46-inch in diameter. The 2,800hp UT-1 has achieved trench depths across the globe to 3 meters in various soil conditions in excess of 100KPa. The trencher is

©Minesto

Minesto's Dragon 12 Project Powers Forward with Cable Installation Completion

Tidal energy developer Minesto said Wednesday it had successfully completed the first phase of Dragon 12 (1.2 MW) offshore installation in Vestmanna, Faroe Islands. The 3.4 km main subsea cable was laid on the seabed, from the onshore grid connection point to the offshore installation node. After transit across the North Atlantic Ocean to Vestmanna, the cable installation work kicked off and was completed Wednesday. The cable installation was completed in a 22-hour operation. “This cable is the highest valuable component of the infrastructure, and it’s a major milestone to have

©Blue Ocean Seismic Services

Blue Ocean Seismic Services' Robots Pass "Crucial" Tests in Loch Linne

with scope to significantly improve with minor improvements, and reported status in real-time to vessel-based operators.The team also successfully conducted a ‘Proof of Concept’ – testing Starlink  communications as a future pathway for communication and data transfer in remote offshore operations, Blue Ocean Seismic Services said.The extensive dataset acquired during the trials, as well as the data from a series of successful trials held in both Loch Ness late last year and Perth, Australia earlier this year, will allow engineers to further refine the vehicle and control software

Saipem's Castorone vessel - 
 Credit: Saipem

Saipem's Acoustic Subsea Pipeline Monitoring Tech Gets DNV Nod

Italian offshore services firm Saipem said Tuesday that its Integrated Acoustic Unit (I.A.U.) technology for monitoring of subsea pipelines during laying operations had obtained the statement of qualified technology for medium and large pipelines by DNV.Saipem describes its I.A.U. as an innovative digital instrument, developed by Saipem and based on acoustic technology, which enables non-intrusive, remote offshore pipeline integrity monitoring during laying activities.According to Saipem, I.A.I can locate obstructions, pipe deformations and water ingress up to several kilometers away, all in real time.

 (L-R) Sahil Gandhi, CEO and Harry Gandhi, Chairman at Unique Group’s Unmanned Surface Vessel (USV) facility. - Credit: Unique Group

Unique Group Names New CEO

Unique Group, a subsea technology and engineering services firm, has appointed Sahil Gandhi as Chief Executive Officer (CEO), succeeding Himanshu (Harry) Gandhi, who will now assume the position of Chairman of the Group.Acting as Unique Group’s COO since 2017, Sahil Gandh has previously held Executive Director and Group Sales Manager roles. Harry Gandhi, Chairman of Unique Group, founded the company in 1993 with three employees, turning it into a multinational organization with over 500 employees today. On the appointment of Sahil Gandhi as CEO, Harry Gandhi said:“Over the

MTR100: The 2023 Application is Open

The “MTR100” is Marine Technology Reporter’s (MTR) annual ranking and reporting on the 100 most dynamic and interesting companies, people and technologies serving  the global subsea sector. Now in its 18th year, the MTR100 has become the most anticipated edition of Marine Technology Reporter every year, and MTR remains the world’s largest, audited circulation publication serving the sector. To be considered for inclusion, you must apply. Deadline is August 31, 2023.Click Here to Apply

©AUUSanAKUL+/AdobeStock

Floating Solar Market Set to Surpass 6 GW by 2031, Says Wood Mackenzie

The global floating solar market is expected to pass the six-gigawatt (GW) threshold by 2031, as PV developers struggle to meet growing solar demand and look to alternate development technologies, energy intelligence firm Wood Mackenzie said in a report Wednesday.“The global solar industry, including PV developers, continue to battle limited land availability and increasing land costs for ground-mount solar projects, which is driving demand for floating installations,” said Ting Yu, consultant at Wood Mackenzie, at SNEC PV Power Expo in Shanghai Wednesday.According to Wood Mackenzie

Hywind Tampen wind farm, Norway. Karoline Rivero Bernacki/Equinor, CC BY-NC-ND

How to Stop Skyscraper-sized Floating Wind Turbines from Drifting Away

Growing demand for cleaner energy sources means offshore wind farms are being built all over the world. More than 5,000 turbines must be installed each year until 2050 to limit global warming to 1.5℃.But in certain regions, like California, it is difficult to build wind turbines directly on the seafloor due to the steep drop-off of the continental shelf.Even in areas with shallow coastal waters, such as the North Sea, congestion from shipping lanes, fishing activities, marine protected areas, tourism and existing energy infrastructure all impede new turbine construction.So it’s hardly surprising

©2H Offshore

2H Offshore Initiates Second Phase of Wellhead Fatigue JIP

2H Offshore has launched the second phase of its Measurement-based Wellhead Fatigue joint industry project (JIP), which aims to improve riser, wellhead, and conductor fatigue estimates and make drilling operations more reliable and efficient.In the first phase of the project, 2H collaborated with nine major operators to gather and analyze field measurements from ten drilling campaigns in the Gulf of Mexico and the North Sea. The data covered a range of environments, water depths, soil characteristics, riser and wellhead configurations, and vessel types. Findings from the analysis verified that

©ORE Catapult

UK Minister Opens £3m DARE Centre for Offshore Renewable Energy Testing

Graham Stuart, the UK Minister for Energy Security and Net Zero, on Thursday opened the Digital, Autonomous, and Robotics Engineering (DARE) Centre at Offshore Renewable Energy (ORE) Catapult’s testing facility in Blyth.According to ORE Capatult, the £3m DARE Centre is the first of its kind in the UK, and will provide "a unique opportunity for developers, researchers and wider industry to test, demonstrate and commercialize innovative digital and robotic products and services for the offshore renewable energy market.""As offshore wind in the UK gets ready to triple capacity

© Vadim / Adobe Stock

Alliance Says No Link Between Offshore Wind Surveys and Mammal Deaths

Committee on Science, Innovation and Technology in advance of the Assembly’s hearing on marine mammal deaths scheduled for Thursday May 18, 2023.There have been at least 11 whales that have washed up dead along New Jersey's coastline since December 5, prompting concern that they are related to offshore wind development in the region.The Alliance says it aims to address misconceptions that offshore wind geoscience surveys have contributed to marine mammal deaths on New Jersey’s shore and the Atlantic Coast. The letter claims there is no link between seismic and other geoscience surveys for

©TetraSpar Demonstrator

TetraSpar Demonstrator Launches Floating Wind Innovation Challenge

The shareholders of the TetraSpar Demonstrator floating wind project, Shell, TEPCO Renewable Power, RWE and Stiesdal Offshore, have launched an innovation challenge to accelerate the technical advancement of floating offshore wind.To encourage such innovation the partners have launched the global “TetraSpar Innovation Challenge”.The aim of the competition is to identify innovative solutions that help to reduce the cost and technical challenges during the installation, operation, and maintenance of floating wind, or which have a positive impact on the environment. The solutions can be

Credit: Lukasz Z/AdobeStock

Shell to Use New AI Technology in Deepwater Oil Exploration

Shell Plc will use AI-based technology from big-data analytics firm SparkCognition in its deep sea exploration and production to boost offshore oil output, the companies said on Wednesday. SparkCognition's AI algorithms will process and analyze large amounts of seismic data in the hunt for new oil reservoirs by Shell, the largest oil producer in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico. "We are committed to finding new and innovative ways to reinvent our exploration ways of working," Gabriel Guerra, Shell's vice president of innovation and performance, said in a statement. The goal is

©Van Oord

Van Oord Makes History with Record-Breaking Subsea Rock Installation Offshore Senegal

Dutch offshore installation services firm Van Oord has informed that its flexible fallpipe vessel Stornes has set a new world record. The vessel carried out subsea rock installation works what Van Oord says is a record water depth of 1.364 meters, with Van Oord comparing the distance to "almost five times the length of the Eiffel tower!"The Subsea Rock installation works were executed in relation to the development of the Woodside-operated Sangomar field in Senegal. Subsea 7 contracted Van Oord to install 262.000 tonnes of rock in water depths ranging from 800 to the record depth

Canada: Tidal Energy Firm Says Enters Bankruptcy as Regulatory Hurdles Derail Planned Project

Sustainable Marine Energy (Canada) Ltd, which describes itself as Canada’s most successful tidal energy company, has been placed into voluntary bankruptcy and appointed Deloitte Restructuring Inc. as trustee.The company, which proved out its technology and delivered power to Nova Scotia’s grid, said Monday it had not been able to secure the authorizations it had required or agree a viable path forward with Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) that would enable it to deliver its flagship demonstration project at the Fundy Ocean Research Center for Energy (FORCE) tidal energy demonstration site

Bubble Curtain noise mitigation system ©Vineyard Wind

Noise Mitigation: Bubble Curtain to Be Deployed During Construction of U.S. Largest Offshore Wind Project

U.S. offshore wind farm developer Vineyard Wind will deploy and test a secondary bubble curtain noise mitigation system during foundation installation at the Vineyard Wind offshore wind farm, the first commercial-scale wind farm installation project in the U.S.For this, the company is investing in ThayerMahan, a firm that specializes in seabed surveys, acoustic mitigation and monitoring, and other maritime-related services, with facilities in Connecticut and Massachusetts.   The $5 million in funding comes from Vineyard Wind's Industry Accelerator Fund, which is administered by the

Credit: Subsea 7

Subsea 7 Secures Major Contract for Two-Phase Subsea Development Project

Offshore installation services firm Subsea 7 said Friday it had won a major contract for a two-phase subsea development with an unnamed client.The first phase has been recorded in the backlog of the Subsea and Conventional business unit in the second quarter of 2023. The second phase, expected in 2024, remains subject to sanction by the client, Subsea 7 said.The initial scope of work to be executed by Subsea7 comprises the engineering, procurement, construction, and installation of approximately 37 kilometers of infield flowlines, 47 kilometers of control umbilicals and associated subsea equipment in

Image courtesy Argeo

Survey Firm Argeo Sees Q1 Revenue Jump. Order Book Nearly Fully Booked for 2023

Norway-based offshore survey firm Argeo said Thursday its order book was at record high levels, and that its revenue jumped significantly during the first quarter of 2023,"We have put a strong first quarter behind us with a 258% growth in revenues from NOK 6.9 million in Q1 2022 to NOK 24.7 million and a record high order book," says Argeo CEO, Trond Crantz.The company said the revenue growth in Q1 2023 was driven by the successful completion of deep-water project with Argeo Searcher vessel and both SeaRaptor AUVs in the North Atlantic, as well as commercial work done by the Hugin 6000 AUV

The agreement was signed by Captain Abdulkareem Al Masabi, CEO of ADNOC L&S and Xavier Génin, CEO of SeaOwl at the UAE Climate Tech Forum organized by the Ministry of Industry and Advanced Technology. ©ADNOC

ADNOC L&S, SeaOwl Designing Unmanned Supply Vessels for Offshore Operations

ADNOC L&S, the shipping and maritime logistics arm of the Abu Dhabi-based oil firm ADNOC, has signed an agreement with SeaOwl for the design of unmanned remotely operated vessels capable of transporting vehicles, equipment, and supplies to and from offshore sites.ADNOC L&S said these vessels would reduce carbon emissions by up to 30% as the vessel will be lighter and smaller, as facilities for a crew are not required. "In addition, the smart automation systems will optimize routing and propulsion, further decarbonizing ADNOC L&S’ offshore operations in support of the

Interventek's 20K Open-Water Revolution Valve undergoing API qualification testing - Credit: Interventek

Interventek to Supply 20,000 psi Open-Water Well Intervention Valves to Trendsetter Engineering

Aberdeen-based subsea intervention technology company Interventek will supply 20,000 psi open-water well intervention shear and seal valves to Houston-based Trendsetter Engineering, Inc based in Houston.The agreement allows Trendsetter exclusive global rights to deploy the 20K, 5-1/8” open-water valves for the next five years, with the first set to be delivered later this year as part of a mid-seven-figure first order, Interventek.According to Interventek, the 20K Revolution valves are designed as a compact, modular addition for lightweight subsea intervention systems. "They will

Credit: Project Greensand

Innovative Seismic Monitoring Tech Developed for Danish North Sea CO2 Storage Project

again in Project Greensand. Together with our partners, we have shown that three seismic surveys can be carried out every few weeks during the winter season in the North Sea. "The operations were extremely efficient and were completed in a few hours," says Tone HolmTrudeng, NES - Director Offshore Subsurface Solutions at TGS.Conventional seismic measurements offshore are traditionally carried out at intervals of years, but now the measurements can be carried out at intervals of weeks and months, while local marine environment is radically less impacted, the companies involved say."At

©TenneT

TenneT Awards Deals for Installation of 7,000 km HVDC Cable System for 10 Projects

of the contracts for the production and installation of the ten cable systems amounts to approximately € 5.5 billion. "With this agreement, TenneT completes the process of the large-scale tender cable launched in November 2022 for grid connection systems dedicated to a total of fourteen offshore and one onshore corridor project," TenneT said.NKT will realize the connections for Nederwiek 3, landing onshore at either Geertruidenberg or Moerdijk, and the connections for Doordewind 1 and Doordewind 2, landing at Eemshaven, in the Netherlands.Nexans has been awarded a contract for the

©Fugro

BeWild Project to Assess Impact of Offshore Wind Farms on Biodiversity

Dutch offshore survey services provider Fugro, together with other project partners, said Wednesday it would work to develop innovative methodologies and technologies for remotely collecting environmental DNA (eDNA) samples in the North Sea as part of a project called BeWild, aimed at measuring biodiversity at offshore wind farms. The project was recently launched at Fugro's TechCenter in Nootdorp in the Netherlands.The collected data will assess the impact of offshore wind farms on biodiversity and explore ways to adapt existing infrastructure to enhance marine habitats.Developed with the

Japan's MODEC will supply the Uaru project FPSO. This is the first time a FPSO is being supplied to the Stabroek Block by a supplier that is not SBM Offshore / Image Credit: MODEC

ExxonMobil Taps TechnipFMC for Uaru Subsea Production System

TechnipFMC announced Tuesday it has been awarded a contract by ExxonMobil affiliate Esso Exploration and Production Guyana Limited to supply the subsea production system for the Uaru project offshore Guyana.The award covers 44 subsea trees and associated tooling, as well as 12 manifolds and associated controls and tie-in equipment. TechnipFMC said it will provide project management, engineering and manufacturing to deliver the overall subsea production system.TechnipFMC did not give a dollar figure for the contract, but described it as "large", in the range of  $500 million to $1 billion.

Balmoral HexDefence installation (Image: Balmoral)

Balmoral Launches Scour Protection System

Aberdeen-based Balmoral has unveiled a new scour protection system that integrates seabed protection and flow reduction to minimize operational costs and potential cable failure in the offshore wind industry.The new HexDefence structure eliminates the requirement to dump rock, instead providing a non-invasive approach to protecting the monopile and the immediate surrounding area, Balmoral said. The lightweight advanced composites construction and streamlined installation method makes it easy to install without the need for additional vessels resulting in an improved carbon footprint for all operations

Credit: Swift Anchors

Swift Anchors Gets OWGP Grant to Complete Testing of Floating Wind Anchor Technology

Scotland-based Swift Anchors, developing anchoring solutions for the global offshore renewable energy and aquaculture industries, has secured a UK£395,000 grant from the Offshore Wind Growth Partnership (OWGP).Swift Anchors, a subsidiary of AQUOS SCHOTTEL Marine Technologies since October 2022, said Thursday it would use the OWGP grant to complete testing of its anchor technology in diverse and technically challenging rock seabed sites for floating offshore wind (FOW) projects.The company said it would work with several subcontractors such as Morek and Mollart Cox and researchers from the

©Well-Safe Solutions

VIDEO: Well-Safe Solutions Installs Saturation Diving System on Well-Safe Guardian Rig

spread system installed on the Well-Safe Guardian is a cost-effective, flexible alternative to the industry standard, which typically sees a light well intervention vessel (LWIV) used to plug and lubricate the well before completing decommissioning operations with a standard semi-submersible mobile offshore drilling unit (MODU).“Our ‘single asset solution’ offers an alternative to the conventional approach and does not require multiple vessel mobilizations and demobilizations. This results in lower operating costs, minimizes the risk of weather-related disruption, and boosts overall

© PHOTO COURTESY Gazelle Wind Power Ltd.

Gazelle Says Its New Floating Wind Platform Reduces Costs and Environmental Impact

Gazelle Wind Power, a Dublin-based developer of foundations for floating offshore wind farms, is unveiling third-generation technology this week at a wind industry event in Denmark.The company said its enhanced design "further refines Gazelle’s solution to address the primary challenges facing the offshore wind industry—such as cost, supply chain bottlenecks, and sustainability—by providing a lightweight, cheaper design that minimizes the impact on fragile marine environments while using existing port infrastructure."Gazelle said that the new platform delivers enhanced

©Fugro

Fugro's ROV Training Course Gets IMCA Approval

professionals in the ROV industry," Fugro said.Allen Leatt, CEO of International Marine Contractors Association (IMCA) said: "We’re delighted to have worked closely with Fugro to introduce the first IMCA-approved ROV training course. Remote operations are increasingly important to the offshore sector, and our curriculum has been developed to ensure all new technicians are firmly grounded in the basics of the industry, prior to more advanced and practical training. It establishes a verifiable standard which improves safety in our sector, and we hope others around the world will be inspired

©TenneT

LionLink: UK, Netherlands Plan Cross-border Power Link to Boost Energy Security

The Netherlands and Britain plan to build what would be Europe's biggest cross-border electricity link connected to an offshore wind farm, their energy ministers said on Monday, part of efforts to boost energy security. The "LionLink" interconnector will be able to transfer 1.8 gigawatts (GW) of power to Britain from a Dutch wind farm, or the same volume of electricity produced in Britain to the Netherlands, they said in a statement ahead of a leaders summit on energy in Ostend, Belgium.The link, being developed by Britain's National Grid and Dutch electricity network operator

Peter Fisk, Managing Director of Pelagian ©OEG Offshore

OEG Offshore Buys Subsea Cable Industry Specialist Pelagian

OEG Offshore has acquired Pelagian Ltd, a company that provides consultancy, engineering, and installation management services to the subsea cable and offshore renewable energy industries."Pelagian Ltd is an established UK-based company with over 20 years of experience in the subsea cable industry. Their worldwide expertise in the provision of subsea cable construction services makes them a valuable asset for OEG Offshore," OEG Offshore said.OEG said that the acquisition of Pelagian would make it better equipped to support the cable sector across different end markets, including telecommunicat

Credit: EIVA

EIVA's Cloud-Based Thin Client Simplifies Sharing and Viewing of Project Data

Danish maritime and offshore energy industry survey software and equipment manufacturer EIVA has launched a cloud-based thin client, NaviSuite Cloud Viewer, enabling NaviSuite users to share project data with end clients in a web browser. "This provides powerful data visualization for operators and end clients – and eliminates the need to download any third-party programs.With this, operators can give their end clients the ability to easily navigate projects using high-performance data visualization capabilities, such as viewing DTMs, 3D models, and point clouds from any angle, observati

©Eco Wave Power

Eco Wave Power to Set Up U.S. Office

Wave power technology firm Eco Wave Power Global said Tuesday it would launch a U.S. subsidiary under the name Eco Wave Power U.S. The company also plans to establish a corporate office in New York City."Eco Wave Power’s decision reflects its commitment to expanding its footprint and impact in the United States, an increasingly important market for renewable energy. The Company’s cutting-edge wave energy technology has the potential to provide a reliable source of renewable energy to millions of people across the country’s 95,000+ miles of coastline, while also contributing to

©Intermoor

LLOG Taps InterMoor to Fabricate 12 Mooring Piles for Salamanca FPS in the Gulf of Mexico

and adds to our extensive track record, which includes the fabrication of the largest foundation pile in the GOM," InterMoor said.The 12 mooring piles will be fabricated at InterMoor’s Morgan City, Louisiana facility. The financial details of the contract were not disclosed.LLOG Exploration Offshore will use the Salamanca floater to develop the Leon and Castile subsea developments in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico.The oil and gas company in May 2022, announced the planned deployment of the Salamanca floating production facility to develop the two offshore discoveries in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico.It

Origin 600 being deployed over the side during product trials. ©Sonardyne

Sonardyne Launches New Origin Acoustic Doppler Current Profilers

provider Sonardyne has launched its new Origin Acoustic Doppler Current Profilers (ADCPs). The new ADCPs are designed to be simple to operate with class-leading data results, integrated communications, and positioning, making it ideal for a wide range of applications, including marine research, offshore renewable energy, and defense, Sonardyne said Monday.According to the UK-based company, the new Origin ADCPs feature several innovations that make them the most advanced ADCPs available on the market. "These include an integrated modem for communications and positioning, new Edge processing

©BlueFloat Energy

LiDAR Buoys Deployed to Capture Data for Two Scottish Floating Wind Farm Proejcts

Two floating Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) buoys have been deployed at the Scottish floating offshore wind projects proposed by the BlueFloat Energy and Renantis partnership.A couple of days ago, the two EOLOS FLS200 LiDAR buoys were deployed at the partnership’s Broadshore site 50 km north of Fraserburgh and the Bellrock site 130 km east of Aberdeen.Equipped with fully autonomous and remote sensing devices, the buoys will remain onsite for at least 12 months to capture accurate wind, metocean and atmospheric data and obtain insights on the site characteristics, which will help shape and

Colette Cohen (left) and Myrtle Dawes (right) Credit:NZTC

Colette Cohen to Step Down as CEO of Net Zero Technology Centre. Myrtle Dawes to Take Over

to make, on the technology landscape in the North East of Scotland and throughout the UK.“I have built a team focused on delivery and we’ve turned our technology vision into reality, propelling technologies from development to commercialization and making a demonstrable impact in the offshore energy sector. It’s time for me to step back, enjoy some downtime with my family and focus on my work with other Boards, accelerating the energy transition and building the next generation of female leaders.“The energy transition and technology are two constantly moving targets and there

(Photo: BW Ideol)

Floating Offshore Wind: New Seascape, New Challenges

Offshore wind energy planners are giving close review to fixed-tower systems in order to extend lessons learned to floating wind towers, under development now. In the U.S., floating towers have been most closely associated with plans for new wind energy areas (WEA) in the Pacific, off of California and maybe Oregon and Washington. But important research is also taking place in Maine, at the University of Maine, because of deep ocean Atlantic areas there, and floating towers may also be used in the Gulf of Mexico.As most readers likely know, floating wind energy turbines offer the chance to take

UTC 2023: Securing Global Energy

for June 13-15, 2023, Grieghallen in Bergen, Norway.UTC 2023 is estimated to attract 500 to 800 attendees and nearly 40 technical papers. But what the UTC lacks in size it compensates for in stature, as the event regularly attracts a broad array of leading executives from global companies working in the offshore energy and subsea space, including a dozen keynote speakers from key operators like Petrobras, Equinor and Shell, as well as the main suppliers in the subsea space.“Many of us have been around for a lot of conferences over the years, and I would say that UTC is one of the few conferences

Hywind Scotland, the world.s first floating wind farm, operated by Equinor. (Credit: Signal Film / ©Equinor)

Markets: The Challenges of Developing Floating Wind at Scale

– tens of gigawatts of floating wind projects driving demand for suppliers and contractors in this and the next decade. However, many obstacles remain to delivering on these aspirations. This article goes on to discuss some of these challenges that must be addressed:Permitting: A feature of offshore wind is the disconnect between aspirational targets and what is realistically achievable in terms of leasing and permitting. An example is Portugal, which has till now permitted less than 100 MW of offshore wind capacity, yet plans to auction, permit and deploy 10 GW of mostly floating wind by 2030

©Fugro

France's RTE Taps Fugro for Geotechnical Survey for Offshore Wind Substations in Mediterranean Sea

French transmission grid operator Réseau de Transport d’Electricité (RTE) has awarded Fugro a contract to perform a geotechnical investigation for future offshore substations (OSS) at two floating wind farm sites in the Gulf of Lion in the Mediterranean Sea.Offshore Substations collect the electricity produced in wind turbines and convert it to a high voltage before being transferred onshore via export cables. Fugro’s Geo-data will provide insight into seabed conditions, to enable efficient OSS design and help derisk the project’s future developmental phases.Fugro on

©Xodus/OWPL

Navigational Hazard: Wave Buoy Breaks Free from Mooring at West of Orkney Wind Farm Site

A 250kg wave buoy associated with the metocean survey at the West of Orkney Wind Farm site in Scotland has broken free of its mooring, according to a notice to mariners issued Wednesday by Xodus Group, on behalf of the wind farm developer Offshore Wind Power Limited (OWPL) said. "The wave buoy is mobile and has been drifting toward the NNE from its original location. The buoy is currently powered and transmitting position information. The full mooring includes a subsurface flotation and rope to 450kg clump weight anchor. It is not certain where the mooring detached, but the sub-surface

©ROVOP

Cordiant Supports ROVOP's Offshore Service Expansion with $25M Credit Facility

UK-based remotely operated vehicle (ROV) solutions provider, ROVOP, said Thursday it had agreed a $25 million senior secured credit facility with Cordiant Capital (Cordiant), the specialist global infrastructure & real assets manager.Backed by Bluewater, ROVOP provides equipment and services offshore sectors, including the installation of wind farm-related infrastructure, gas pipelines, and subsea internet cables."With a management team well known to Cordiant, the firm is pleased to support ROVOP as it continues to invest in its fleet infrastructure and employees and to allow the business

©SSE Renewables

World's Deepest Offshore Wind Foundation Installed in Scotland

Italian energy services firm Saipem has installed what has been described as the world’s deepest offshore wind turbine foundation at Scotland’s largest offshore wind farm – Seagreen.Last Friday, Seaway 7 transported the jacket foundation on a barge to the offshore site it was met by the semisubmersible crane vessel Saipem 7000 which is used to lift each of the 2,000-tonne turbine foundations into place."The installation of the jacket means Seagreen has now topped its own record from October 2022, when a previous foundation was installed at a depth of 57.4 meters (approximately

Jean-François Bauer (Photo: James Fisher)

James Fisher Appoints Bauer as Group General Counsel

British marine engineering services firm James Fisher and Sons plc announced it has appointed Jean-François Bauer as Group General Counsel.The appointment, which came into effect January 3, 2023, sees Bauer take on responsibility for the company’s legal function, overseeing legal and compliance regulation across all group locations. As part of his role, Bauer will report directly to Chief Executive Officer, Jean Vernet, and will sit on James Fisher’s executive team.Bauer brings with him extensive experience as an international energy lawyer after nearly 30 years at Schlumberger

(Photo: Acteon)

Chevron Awards InterMoor Decommissioning Contract

1 decommissioning work in 2021 in the Gulf of Thailand, CTEP has extended InterMoor’s field decommissioning contract by adding more packages for the disconnection and removal of pipelines.InterMoor’s scope of work after the extension includes project management, engineering, procurement and offshore execution; disconnection and removal of pipelines; disconnection and removal of Single Point Mooring (SPM) and associated subsea infrastructure; and topside modifications work.As in the first phase, InterMoor will use cutting tools provided by its sister company Claxton. Aquatic will provide subsea

 A Benthic portable remotely operated drill (File image. Credit: Benthic)

Acteon's TerraSond and Benthic Win Floating Offshore Wind Survey Work in Scotland

Acteon's Data and Robotic division's geo-services brands TerraSond and Benthic have secured a combined geophysical and geotechnical survey work scope with the BlueFloat Energy and Renantis Partnership for the Bellrock and Broadshore offshore wind farms northeast of Aberdeen, Scotland.BlueFloat Energy and Renantis joined forces to develop floating offshore wind projects in response to last year’s ScotWind licensing round. When operational, the Bellrock and Broadshore floating offshore wind farms will have 1200 and 900 MW capacities, respectively.“We are delighted to be supporting a

©Technip Energies

Floating Offshore Wind: Technip Energies' Semi-Submersible Concept Wins FLOWIN Prize

Technip Energies, with its three partners  Crowley, Anchor QEA, and Offshore Construction Associates, has been awarded the Floating Offshore Wind Readiness (FLOWIN) prize for Phase One by U.S. Department of Energy. The prize was awarded for Technip Energies’ in-house floater solution INO15, a three-column semi-submersible concept designed to support 15 MW wind turbine. Technip Energies was one of nine $100,000 award winners."The overarching goal of the three-phase FLOWIN prize is to establish a pathway to cost-effective domestic manufacture and deployment of commercial utility-scale

©EnBW/BP

EnBW and BP Hire ABPmer for Seabed Mobility Analysis at Morgan and Mona Offshore Wind Farms

EnBW and BP have hired marine consultancy and survey company ABPmer to provide detailed seabed mobility information for the Round 4 Morgan Offshore Wind Ltd and Mona Offshore Wind Ltd farms in the eastern Irish Sea.In addition to delivering metocean design and operating criteria for the wind farms and export cable corridors, ABPmer is now assessing the seabed mobility potential for both projects. The work will be used to help support export cable route selection and inform the ongoing wind turbine foundation and array/export cable design process."To inform understanding of the behavioral

Credit: BOEM (file image)

Trendsetter Engineering to Deliver Subsea Hardware for LLOG's Gulf of Mexico Project

Trendsetter Engineering, a privately owned oil and gas service company based in Houston, said it had won a "significant" contract to provide subsea hardware for LLOG Exploration Offshore's Leon and Castile subsea developments in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico.The fields will be developed using the Salamanca floating production facility.Under the contract with LLOG, Trendsetter will design and manufacture the subsea production manifold featuring Trendsetter’s TCS subsea connectors along with valves sourced from Advanced Technology Valve S.p.A. (ATV) in Colico, Italy. Trendsetter

Image courtesy MPA of Singapore

Tidal Energy to Power Off-Grid Island in SE Asia

A tidal-energy demonstration off the grid of Singapore will start generating power for the first time in South East Asia.NYK is participating in the demonstration project, which is being conducted by Bluenergy Solutions, a marine renewable energy solutionprovider, off Raffles Lighthouse on Satumu Island, about 14 kmfrom the main island of Singapore.Tidal energy uses tidal currents, which are stable in volume and direction throughout the year, making them an extremely efficient renewable energy source, featuring a generated amount of power, that is easy to predict.

Saildrone Expands USV Fleet Range

Saildrone announced a new, mid-size class of uncrewed surface vehicles (USVs). The 33-foot (10 m) Voyager is specifically designed for near-shore ocean and lakebed mapping, and to meet the challenges of IUU (illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing), ISR (intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance), law enforcement and maritime safety, drug interdiction, and border and harbor security.Saildrone’s three USV models—the Voyager along with the 23-foot (7 m) Explorer and 65-foot (20 m) Surveyor—have been developed to balance mission payload flexibility and endurance. The Voyager&rs

©Asso.subsea

Asso.subsea Partners with GAP Consortium for crucial Greece-Egypt Interconnection

The GAP Consortium and Asso.subsea have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for cooperation on the two-gigawatt (2 GW) electrical interconnection between Greece and Egypt (Greece-Africa Power Interconnector – GAP).The GAP, founded by the Eunice Energy Group, is a transnational consortium between Greece and Egypt that aims to contribute to regional energy security and stability by facilitating intercontinental clean energy transfer. As part of the consortium, Asso.subsea, a subsea cable installation, protection, repair and support operations firm, will be providing expertise in design

Decom Engineering's chop saw - ©Decom Engineering

UK Firm's Decommissioning Tech Cuts Through Congo Offshore Project

UK-based Decom Engineering firm said Thursday that its specialist cutting technology had been successfully deployed on a decommissioning project offshore West Africa.Decom, an R&D specialist focusing on the design and fabrication of cutting solutions and innovative decommissioning equipment, deployed its C1-24 chop saw in water depths of up to 1,050 meters as part of an operation to recover a jumper connector on behalf of TotalEnergies in the Gulf of Guinea, offshore the Democratic Republic of Congo.The work scope included the cutting of the insulated 6” Duplex flowline at each end of the

©Utility ROV Services

UTROV System Chosen Boulder & Debris Clearance at Moray West Offshore Wind Farm

Scotland-based Utility ROV Services has won a contract for boulder and debris clearance services on the Moray West offshore wind farm in the UK.The manufacturer/operator of the UTROV system will start offshore operations in Q1 2023. The offshore wind farm located in the Moray Firth, with an installed capacity of 882MW, is currently in the construction phase and requires clearance of any seabed objects along the route to ensure the safe installation of the subsea infrastructure. Developed by Oceanwind

(File photo: GEOxyz)

GEOxyz Opens US Office

Belgium-based offshore survey services provider GEOxyz announced it has opened its first office in the United States, located in New Brunswick, N.J., as it expands to serve the offshore wind energy industry on the U.S. East Coast"The renewable energy industry in the U.S. is an important market in full expansion and we are thrilled to establish a presence here," said Patrick Reyntjens, CEO of GEOxyz. "We have extensive experience in offshore surveying and we are eager to provide our services to support the development of new offshore wind farms on the East Coast."The new office will

(Image: PXGEO)

PXGEO Awarded 3D OBN Project in Brazil

Marine geophysical service provider PXGEO announced it has secured a contract with the Sépia Consortium for a 3D ocean bottom node (OBN) survey in the Santos Basin, Brazil. The survey is to be acquired in water depths to 2,300 meters with a duration of approximately 4 months.PXGEO executive chairman Peter Zickerman said, “This will be our fourth project acquired for Petrobras, since mid-2021, demonstrating our ongoing commitment to deliver safe and efficient deep water OBN acquisition solutions in Brazil.”Located around 250 kilometers off the coast of Rio de Janeiro, the Sépia

©Argeo

Argeo to Use Uncrewed Vessel for Stromar Offshore Wind Farm Survey

Norwegian offshore survey company Argeo has signed a survey contract with Stromar, a consortium of Ørsted, Renantis, and BlueFloat Energy looking to build a floating wind farm offshore Scotland. Stromar has awarded Argeo a contract to conduct a geophysical survey in the project’s development area, located in the Moray Firth off the coast of Scotland.The Stromar offshore wind farm covers an area of 256 km2, and the project aims to reduce greenhouse gas emissions throughout the wind farm's life cycle, including survey activities. Argeo will mobilize its low-emission uncrewed

Credit: IQIP

HAL Buys Offshore Installation Equipment Firm IQIP from Royal IHC

HAL, the Dutch investment subsidiary of HAL Holding, has acquired IQIP, a supplier of foundation and installation equipment to the offshore wind, coastal & civil, and oil & gas markets from Royal IHC for an undisclosed fee.IQIP is active worldwide and both sells and rents out equipment.  According to HAL, IQIP's revenue over the financial year ending December 31, 2022, amounted to € 102 million.  IQIP is based and has approximately 300 employees.The sale involves the transfer of 100% of the shares of IQIP Holding B.V. to HAL. "For Royal IHC, this is an important

The gas leak at Nord Stream 2 seen from the Danish F-16 interceptor on Bornholm in late September 2022. Photo Danish Defence

Nord Stream Owners Looking to Seal and Drain Damaged Gas Pipeline to Halt Corrosion

Shareholders of the Nord Stream 1 pipeline operator are discussing how to seal and empty the damaged gas pipeline to halt corrosion from sea water, said the chief financial officer of E.ON, one of the owners.The chief financial officer of E.ON, one of the stakeholders, told reporters at the group's results news conference that it was unclear whether the pipeline would be repaired but that any forthcoming decisions are likely to be made with the support of all shareholders."We continue to exercise our rights as a minority shareholder in the Nord Stream 1 operating company. And we still see no

(Photo: BSEE)

Katmai Flowline Jumper Failure Caused by Hydrogen Embrittlement

Hydrogen embrittlement was found to have caused a 2020 flowline jumper failure in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico, the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE) said in a recent report.The incident, which occurred on July 24, 2020, in the Fieldwood Energy-operated deepwater Katmai field, resulted in the release of approximately 479 barrels of oil. The affected well, Well #1, is located in about 2,082 feet of water on Green Canyon Area Block 40, approximately 140 miles south of New Orleans. The K1 Jumper is approximately 26 miles from the Tarantula platform host facility in South Timbalier area

©BlueFloat Energy

BlueFloat Energy Deploys LiDAR for 1GW Floating Offshore Wind Project in Taiwan

Floating offshore wind developer BlueFloat Energy said Thursday that its 1GW  ‘Winds of September’ floating wind project had taken a step further by deploying a floating LiDAR in the waters off Hsinchu, Taiwan. The project was named after the strong winds blowing in the Hsinchu region every September, and is BlueFloat Energy’s first project in Taiwan. The planned wind farm is located approximately 25 kilometers offshore from Hsinchu city, with a water depth of 64-96 meters and an area of approximately 125 square kilometers.BlueFloat Energy said Thursday that the floating

Credit:Fugro

Petrobras Partners with Fugro for Pioneering Remote ROV Survey

Dutch offshore survey firm Fugro and Brazil's national oil company Petrobras have completed what they say is Brazil's first-ever remote subsea inspection survey.Fugro said that the technology trial was carried out with the aim of minimizing risk and improving sustainability during inspection, repair and maintenance (IRM) projects.Fugro used a remotely operated vehicle (ROV) deployed from the Fugro Aquarius vessel to conduct the survey.Office-based personnel piloted the ROV from an operations center in Aberdeen, Scotland, instead of from the vessel itself. "The approach was informed

©Eidesvik Offshore (File image)

Reach Subsea to Provide Full Range of Services for Equinor under 3-year Agreement

Norwegian subsea services firm Reach Subsea said Monday it had signed three-year frame agreement with Equinor for work on the Norwegian continental shelf and internationally to 2026. The agreement covers the full spectrum of Reach Subsea services, the company said. Reach Subsea  CEO Jostein Alendal said the frame agreement will be an excellent driver for the growth and utilization of Reach Subsea’s modern and expanded fleet of conventional vessels as well as the unmanned Reach Remote fleet, with the two first vessels expected to be launched in 2023."I would also highlight

Geir Håøy - working in #PartnerShip with Nor-Shipping. Image courtesy Kongsberg

Interview: Geir Håøy, CEO, Kongsberg

Kongsberg CEO Geir Håøy explains how renewable energy will power the group’s ambitious growth plans, with particular focus on consolidating a leading global position in offshore wind. With Nor-Shipping 2023 on the horizon, Håøy says #PartnerShip will help unlock value and drive development throughout the ocean space.Geir Håøy isn’t the kind of CEO that suffers from over-enthusiastic language and grandiose promises. Instead, he speaks with a calm-headed clarity that is, appropriately enough for a man at the helm of a global technology group with 12

In this Oceanographic edition, MTR dives into the Seabed 2030 project with updates on the technology, technique and pace of the collaborative project to map the world’s oceans by 2030.
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