First Deep-Sea Mining Company Asks Trump for International Permit
deep-sea mining uneconomical and a form of "subsidized plunder" of the world's oceans."The industry's financial models are based on wildly optimistic assumptions and fail to reflect the volatility and reality of global mineral markets," said Representative Maxine Dexter, an Oregon Democrat.Privately-held Impossible Metals, which has asked Washington to auction American Samoa's minerals, told the hearing it had no plans to operate without conducting more environmental testing.An engineering expert from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology told the hearing the effects
All American Marine Delivers Cal Poly Humboldt Catamaran
All American Marine (AAM) has delivered a 78’ x 26.7’ semi-displacement aluminum catamaran to Cal Poly Humboldt. The vessel will serve as a scientific exploration platform and support faculty research along the Northern California and Oregon coasts.Designed by Nic de Waal of Teknicraft Design, the RV North Wind builds on the proven success of similar research vessels, including the R/V Shackleford and the University of Hawaii’s R/V Imua.Constructed to US Coast Guard Subchapter T standards, it is optimized for near-coastal and offshore operations, supporting Cal Poly Humboldt&rsqu
SGS Completes In-Water Thruster Install, Rudder Bushing Replacement
a complex in-water thruster installation and rudder bushing replacement, eliminating the need for drydocking.Initially planned for drydock, the repairs were expedited in water when drydocking availability did not align with the vessel’s operational needs. The project was executed in Portland, Oregon, with support from multiple Subsea Global Solutions locations, including Long Beach, Port Angeles, Miami, and Houston. The operation required round-the-clock shifts, with multiple teams working simultaneously on the cofferdam fabrication, thruster installation, and rudder bushing replacement
Drydock Avoided with In-Water Dry Environment Repairs
were expedited in-water when drydocking availability did not align with the vessel’s operational needs. Subsea Global Solutions was selected based on its extensive experience with in-water technical repairs and its history of successful projects for the client.The project was executed in Portland, Oregon, with support from multiple Subsea Global Solutions locations, including Long Beach, Port Angeles, Miami and Houston. The operation required round-the-clock shifts, with multiple teams working simultaneously on the cofferdam fabrication, thruster installation and rudder bushing replacement.A key
There’s Plenty More “Fish” in the Sea
their own record for the fastest swimming soft robot, drawing inspiration from manta rays to improve their ability to control the robot’s movement in the water.But, there’s plenty more “fish” in the sea that have inspired subsea robotics, including:Scientists at the University of Oregon discovered that colonies of salps, gelatinous sea animals, swim through the ocean in giant corkscrew shapes using coordinated jet propulsion, an unusual kind of locomotion that could inspire new designs for efficient underwater vehicles.Experts at the Max-Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems
SLB OneSubsea Eyes C-Power’s Wave Energy Tech for Powering Subsea Assets
by the US Department of Energy.SLB OneSubsea will deliver an integrated subsea solution, including an electric actuation system and a wireless telemetry system, for the 18-month field test of C-Power’s SeaRAY AOPS.Field testing will be conducted at the PacWave South wave energy test site off the Oregon coast to advance the autonomous system’s operating envelope by demonstrating long-term reliability in one of the harshest ocean environments.“Joint industry projects offer collaborative partners the unique opportunity to combine the domain expertise and technical portfolios from our organizati
Maine Wins Federal Floating Wind Research Lease
, too, for companies serving the offshore oil and gas sector, as many of the floater technologies developed for traditional oil and gas are applicable to floating wind, too.Wind turbines that float on the ocean's surface are an emerging technology necessary for projects off the coasts of California, Oregon and Maine, where the depth of the water precludes the use of standard, fixed equipment.(Reuters + Staff
All Set for Cable Installation at US' First Utility-Scale Wave Energy Test Site
The installation of power and data cables at Oregon State University’s PacWave South, the first pre-permitted, utility-scale, grid-connected wave energy test site in the United States, is set to begin later in July.The cable installation marks an essential step to completing construction of a new wave energy testing facility off the Oregon Coast.The work includes installing four power and data cables ranging in length from about 10 to 13 continuous miles from a vault under the parking lot of Driftwood Beach State Park south of Newport out to the test site offshore.Louisiana-based subsea cable
Preparing for Floating Wind – Leveraging the Oil & Gas Supply Chain
, Baltic, Mediterranean and North Sea, with the UK (80-150 meters) and Norwegian (200-400 meters) markets likely to drive activity through this and the first half of the next decade.In the U.S., the first commercial scale projects will be off California (500-1,300 meters). Future activity is planned off Oregon (550-1,500 meters), the Gulf of Maine (190-300 meters) and the Central Atlantic (over 2,000 meters). Canada is also investing floating wind, but this is at the early stages.The oil & gas industry has much experience working in the water depths discussed for floating wind. The bigger challenges
February 2025
