At the Helm of the UKHO
greener operations."The UKHO is currently testing S-100 data in sea trials to better understand its benefits, as well as contributing to the conversation through panel discussions and education resources.Mapping, particularly on the seafloor, also plays a crucial role in maritime defense and subsea infrastructure. "As part of the Ministry of Defence, the UKHO plays an important role in supplying the Royal Navy and all UK defense vessels with the information needed to support its operations and navigate safely."To provide the most comprehensive picture of UK waters, the UKHO works closely
Seatools to Equip Jan De Nul’s New Subsea Vessel with Fall Pipe ROV
by Jan De Nul for the design and delivery of a Fall Pipe ROV (FP-ROV) that will form a key system of the Belgian contractor’s recently ordered subsea rock installation vessel, the George W. Goethals.The ROV will play an essential role in the vessel’s mission to protect critical subsea infrastructure by enabling highly accurate and controlled rock placement around cables and foundations, safeguarding assets that underpin global energy transmission.The Fall Pipe ROV will be installed at the lower end of the vessel’s vertical fall pipe and is responsible for the accurate horizontal
Terradepth Achieves IHO Special Order Standard for Seabed Mapping Accuracy
survey with an autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV). This achievement meets one of the most stringent international standards for hydrographic accuracy. The survey took place in approximately 80 meters of water, 60 miles offshore in the Gulf of America, a region affected by hurricanes and subsea infrastructure development. Despite the absence of local tide stations or buoys, European Remote Sensing (ERS) satellite radar was used to correct for tidal variations, demonstrating a fully autonomous and low-logistics survey approach.The IHO S-44 Special Order standard relates to areas where underkeel
Fincantieri’s Ramazel to Supply Rock Laying System for Jan de Nul’s Vessel
, will be the company’s largest rock installation ship to date, with a carrying capacity of 37,000 tonnes. It will be equipped with ultra-low emission technology and engines capable of running on biofuel and green methanol.Jan De Nul Orders Largest Rock Installation Vessel to Protect Subsea Infrastructure“The agreement with Jan De Nul demonstrates how the maritime world is changing and confirms the central role of operations on the seabed. Our rock-laying solution represents a frontier area in the protection of underwater infrastructure, which will be crucial for future defense and security
Ocean Geophysics Teams Up for EdgeTech on Seabed Data Processing
years of development at Edgetech.Designed to penetrate the seabed and deliver reliable results, it provides users with the ability to detect, locate, classify and identify both buried and partially proud objects. This functionality is increasingly critical to offshore renewable energy developers, subsea infrastructure operators and survey contractors tasked with ensuring seabed integrity and safe project delivery.“Our partnership with EdgeTech reflects our shared vision for advancing subsea survey capabilities. By developing software specifically tailored to the eBOSS, we’re enabling operators
Accelerator Targets Subsea AI Development
place in October 2025, with applications opening at that time. Selected startups will enter the programme by the end of the year and work through development and testing phases until mid-2026, followed by evaluation and commercial integration.Aker BP is already using AI to shape the future of its subsea infrastructure integrity management under its “Subsea Transformation Program” blueprint. The company plans to more than double its subsea infrastructure by 2027 and is moving toward a new operational paradigm.“Our vision is to deliver world-class operational performance with high production
Thales, HII Partner to Develop Autonomous Undersea Mine Countermeasure Capabilities
aperture SAMDIS 600 sonar with HII’s modular, long-endurance REMUS 620 UUV. Together, the systems deliver advanced autonomous mine detection, classification, and imaging, offering naval forces and partners around the world enhanced capability for undersea security, mine countermeasures, and subsea infrastructure monitoring.The exercise, completed at the end of August at the HII Pocasset facility (Massachusetts, USA), marks a milestone in advancing autonomous undersea mine countermeasure capabilities
Red Sea Cable Cuts Emphasize Infrastructure Resilience
outages affecting major international cable systems.The cause of the incident remains unclear. Experts note that ship anchors, natural hazards, or deliberate attacks can sever subsea cables. The Red Sea disruption comes amid heightened regional tensions and follows warnings from governments that subsea infrastructure could be targeted.“The Red Sea cable cuts show that subsea infrastructure is no longer a background issue, it is frontline critical," said Iain Grainger, Chief Executive of the International Marine Contractors Association (IMCA). "When cables fail, nations lose connectivity
UK-Brazil Team Unveils Tentacle-Like Robot for Offshore Inspections
;What makes this particularly exciting is that we've created a solution that doesn't just incrementally improve existing technology - it fundamentally changes how we can approach underwater inspection tasks, opening up new possibilities for safer, more precise interaction with critical subsea infrastructure and potentially transforming how we maintain and protect our offshore assets for decades to come,” said Rowanne Miller, Project Manager at the National Robotarium.“We worked together with the National Robotarium to conceive an innovative take on underwater manipulation, opening
August 2025
