2025: Fascinated with Subsea Discovery
the world’s waters is a challenge in and of itself, a challenge exacerbated if an operator does not have a clear picture of the make-up of the seabed with insights on the potential traps that might await. Grove discussed the value of finding out for a broad swath of subsea industries, from offshore oil and gas to offshore renewables; dredging to subsea cabling; with emerging opportunities including carbon capture and storage.The catastrophic implosion of the Titan submersible that killed five people in 2023 maintained reader attention in 2025. The Titan vanished during a descent to the Titanic wreck
A Project Called Azorian: Doing the Impossible
. The engineers did calculations on slide rules, plans were drafted using pencils, erasers, T-squares, triangles, and drafting paper to produce blueprints. Specifications were handwritten in cursive and typed on manual typewriters.At first glance the Explorer appeared to be similar to a supersized offshore oil and gas drilling vessel with a derrick to lower and raise the pipe string, a moon pool under the derrick for the pipe to pass through, a pipe handing system and thrusters to keep the ship on station over a specific location on the seabed. The Explorer displaced over fifty thousand tons, weighed more
MODEC Forms Dedicated Mooring Solutions Unit
technologies, will continue to supply SOFEC-branded mooring systems to clients across the offshore industry.The company has provided mooring systems for 49 FPSOs and FSOs built by MODEC, including four currently under construction.MODEC has delivered more than 50 floating production solutions for offshore oil and gas developments worldwide over the past five decades. The merger formalizes a longstanding collaboration between the companies, which have worked together since 1988.The integration is intended to strengthen MODEC’s position as a global provider of offshore production facilities and mooring
Viridien to Shed More Light on Malaysia’s Offshore Oil and Gas Potential
Viridien, in partnership with Malaysia Petroleum Management (MPM), a unit of Petronas, is finalizing an integrated geological study aimed at uncovering new exploration opportunities in the underexplored Langkasuka Basin in the Malacca Strait, off the west coast of Malaysia.The insights generated will provide explorers with a competitive advantage by better informing their licensing and investment decisions, according to Viridien.The 38,000 sq km study is scheduled for delivery in November 2025.Multi-disciplinary technical experts from Viridien’s Earth Data team have leveraged the company’s
Baker Hughes to Supply Up to 50 Subsea Trees for Petrobras' Brazil Fields
Baker Hughes, an energy technology company, has secured a contract from Petrobras to supply up to 50 subsea tree systems and associated services to support offshore oil and gas production across multiple fields in Brazil.The modern subsea systems will enhance recovery in established fields including Albacora, Jubarte and Barracuda-Caratinga. They will also be deployed in more recent pre-salt developments, including the Mero and Buzios fields, to optimize production in new wells.Under the agreement, Baker Hughes will manufacture Petrobras’ pre-salt standard subsea trees, as well as subsea distribut
Western Australia Can’t Wait [for a Decommissioning Hub]
the value of the product within Western Australia to create a resilient supply of domestic steel needed for the transition.”A levy has already been established to recover the public costs of decommissioning infrastructure abandoned by industry. With up to $1 billion to be collected from offshore oil and gas operators, there are calls to direct some of the money to building a decommissioning hub.Meanwhile, countries like Brunei are doing what Australia has failed to, says the Maritime Union of Australia: building capacity through public investment and collaboration with industry. Brunei now hosts
Oceaneering Awarded Funding for Rosyth Cable Manufacturing Facility
, and Oceaneering is a prime example of the kind of company that encapsulates this ambition.”Oceaneering’s Rosyth manufacturing facility has been operating at the Port of Rosyth since 1999, providing subsea communication, power and hydraulic umbilicals to fixed and floating offshore oil and gas facilities
Upscaling Power Subsea: Cables and Connectors
. Most of these cables are tailor made for an application, says Radue, so there’s not a lot of repeatability.Optical fibers are often used in systems that require greater bandwidth over longer distances, with a smaller footprint—smaller hull penetrations— for applications such as offshore oil and gas, towed arrays, side scan sonar systems, and oceanographic instrumentation. Image courtesy of BIRNS. Image courtesy BirnsTidal energy systems face similar challenges to offshore wind, with the harsh constant motion of tidal areas a key challenge. SMI recently took part in the upscaling of a
Verlume Bolsters US Sales Plans with C.A. Richards & Associates as Partner Appointment
management systems, has appointed C.A. Richards & Associates, Inc as its latest business development partner in the United States of America.Houston-based C.A. Richards will represent Verlume, spearheading business development efforts to build relationships and generate qualified leads in the offshore oil and gas sector, as well as ocean science markets.With increasing demand for reliable subsea power solutions, Verlume’s Charge rechargeable subsea battery and power management system is uniquely positioned to address power remediation challenges within brownfield sites. This includes where subsea
December 2025
