Sea Drone Warfare has Arrived, and the US is Floundering
at sea drone manufacturers said the biggest impediment to progress has been a Department of Defense (DoD) budget process that prioritizes big ships and submarines built by legacy defense contractors."At some point, you hit the D.C. problem," said Philipp Stratmann, CEO at Ocean Power Technologies (OPT), a New Jersey-based firm that supplies the U.S. Navy with the WAM-V, an autonomous surface drone."You hit the fact that there is a military industrial complex that has the best lobbyists and knows exactly how the money flows and contracting works in the DOD."A WAM-V unmanned surface
FET to Supply Work-Class ROV to Mexican Subsea Firm
Forum Energy Technologies (FET) has secured a contract from AQUA Exploracion to supply one its ultra compact Perry XLX-C work-class remotely operated vehicles (ROV).The XLX-C will be equipped with a comprehensive spare parts package to optimize performance and reliability.The ROV will complement and increase AQUA Exploracion’s existing capabilities and will be used to enhance subsea exploration, inspection, and intervention operations in challenging environments.The ROV has a 2,000m depth rating and, coupled with compact Dynacon LARS design, and is well suited for inspection, survey repair and
Sea Turtle Hormone Levels Affected by Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill -Study
normal over the course of one to two months. Post-rehabilitation, 99% of the treated turtles were released back into the ocean.The hormone tests used in the study had not yet been validated for sea turtles at the time of the oil spill, highlighting the importance of preserving samples so that future technologies can be used to provide further insight into past events.“This study would not have been possible if the team did not have the foresight in 2010 to archive these samples,” Dr. Innis said.The results of the study support previous research published in 2012 that analyzed blood data and
Unique Group Acquires Subsea Innovation
strengthens the organization’s focus on engineering excellence and technology development.Headquartered in the United Arab Emirates, Unique Group has a global workforce of more than 600 employees across 18 locations. Renowned over three decades for the company’s excellence in subsea technologies including Survey Equipment, Diving & Life Support, Buoyancy & Water Weights, Unmanned Surface Vessels, and Lifting & Mooring solutions. This new acquisition transforms the UK into a major engineering hub for Unique Group, complementing existing manufacturing locations in South Africa
Manta Ray UUV Prototype Completes In-water Testing
The Manta Ray prototype uncrewed underwater vehicle (UUV) built by Northrop Grumman completed full-scale, in-water testing off the coast of Southern California in February and March 2024. Manta Ray was built through a Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) program aimed at advancing key technologies to benefit future UUV designs, including techniques to manage energy, increased payload capacity, low-power propulsion and more.The recent in-water testing demonstrated at-sea hydrodynamic performance, including submerged operations using all the vehicle’s modes of propulsion and steering:
OPT Wins Multi-year NOAA ProTech Oceans IDIQ Contract
Marine power, data, and service solutions provider Ocean Power Technologies, Inc. (OPT)vannounced its selection as part of a team awarded the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's (NOAA) Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services (ProTech) Oceans Domain Indefinite Delivery Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) contract. This award positions OPT within avgroup of service providers supporting NOAA’s mission to understand and predict changes in climate, weather, oceans, and coasts.Under the terms of the contract, OPT will contribute its advanced technologies, including the PowerBuoy
Conroy Joins Connector Subsea Solutions
company said in a statement. "Martyn joins us with a proven track record of building high-performing, sales-driven teams within the subsea oil and gas industry."Conroy has held a number of leadership positions at subsea technology companies and was most recently managing director at Deepsea Technologies.Connector Subsea Solutions supplies products and solutions to deliver offshore connections for the energy industry
Mocean Energy’s Blue X Wave Device and Verlume’s Halo Battery Come Ashore
data and growing confidence in the system's ability to deliver reliable low carbon power and communications to subsea assets and long-term underwater vehicle residency.“We are exploring the next steps both here in the UK and overseas to further demonstrate how this combination of ocean technologies can enable reliable low carbon power and communications to subsea architecture in a live environment,” Mocean Energy said on social media.Wave-Powered Subsea Project Completes 12-Month Offshore Test CampaignThe $2.5 million (£2 million) RSP project connected the Blue X wave energy
Kraken Robotics Sees Strong Momentum Continuing
and infrastructure.“While not always apparent to external parties, these changes are positioning us to capture significant new business and improve our execution in the future.”Reid says the future is bright thanks to the notable acceleration in demand for dual use defense and commercial technologies for subsea security, surveillance, and infrastructure inspection. Kraken provides advanced technology solutions to these markets.In the mine countermeasures (MCM) market, Kraken is one of a small number of companies with proven operational solutions, solid reference customers and has the best
February 2024
