US Navy Exercises Option for Shallow Water Combat Submersibles
contract option with Teledyne Brown Engineering for the production of MK11 shallow water combat submersibles.Work will be performed in Huntsville, Ala., and is expected to be completed by September 2024.The Shallow Water Combat Submersible (SWCS) is a manned submersible and a type of swimmer delivery vehicle to be used to deliver U.S. Navy SEALs and their equipment for special operations missions.In September 2019, Teledyne Brown Engineering was awarded a $41,446,604 firm-fixed price, cost and cost-plus-fixed-fee contract to produce MK11 Shallow Water Combat Submersibles and provide related engineering
Oceaneering Donates ROVs to Global Ocean
US-based ocean science nonprofit Global Oceans, has acquired, via a donation from Oceaneering, three deep-sea exploration vehicles rated to6000 meters of operational depth.The donation includes the Magellan 725 ROV, the Ocean Discovery ROV, and the Ocean Explorer 6000 Towed Sonar System, together with the infrastructure needed to deploy the vehicles including winches, cranes, power systems, operational modules, workshops, and supplies."These vehicles contributed to several historic projects, including the successful recovery of the lost Apollo “Liberty Bell 7” space capsule from the
Converted Patrol Boat Becomes a Research Vessel for USM
Ships in 2008 for the State of Mississippi Department of Marine Resources (DMR), returned to the Theodore, Ala. shipyard for the transformation. The vessel is now capable of supporting the USM School of Ocean Science and Engineering’s deep ocean underwater surveys using various uncrewed underwater vehicle systems. The new and improved vessel will conduct testing, maritime research and underwater surveys in the Gulf of Mexico for various private and governmental partners.Shawn Lobree, Silver Ships project manager for the modification, said the conversion “breathes new life into an in-service
Subsea Europe, Cyprus Subsea Partner Up
Germany-based marine data and equipment firm Subsea Europe Services and marine robotics and autonomous systems Cyprus Subsea Consulting and Services, based in Cyprus, have entered strategic cooperation.The cooperation will see the two companies share knowledge and services that will simplify the acquisition of high-quality marine data for clients across Europe."The is the foundation for matching the extensive autonomous and long-term water column survey experience of Cyprus Subsea and Subsea Europe Service’s seafloor surveying expertise to provide a harmonized Hydrography and Oceanography
Sonardyne Suite for Dive Technologies’ AUV
Dive Technologies of Quincy, Mass., selected a suite of Sonardyne technologies for navigation, tracking and control of its large displacement DIVE-LD autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) program.Founded in 2018, Dive Technologies’ rapid development program has included support from the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) and technology partnerships with organizations including the Center for Marine Autonomy and Robotics at Virginia Tech. A key part of the development has been to opt for high-performance, off-the-shelf systems for its DIVE-LD AUV, a 19-ft. long, 48-in. diameter
Indonesia Using ROV in Search for Sriwijaya Air Plane Crash Victims
Indonesia has deployed a remotely operated underwater vehicle to help divers search for the remains of victims and recover the flight recorders from a Sriwijaya Air jet that crashed into the sea three days ago soon after takeoff.The Boeing 737-500 plane with 62 people on board plunged into the Java Sea Saturday afternoon, four minutes after taking off from Jakarta’s main airport.Indonesian police made the first identification of a victim from the crash on Monday. Flight attendant Okky Bisma was identified by his fingerprints, said a police official.“My super kind husband... Heaven is your
Saildrone Launches 72-foot Surveyor
Saildrone has launched the Saildrone Surveyor, a new 72-foot uncrewed surface vehicle (USV) equipped for high-resolution mapping of the ocean seafloor.The Surveyor carries a sophisticated array of acoustic instruments for both shallow and deep-water ocean mapping; the Kongsberg EM 304 multibeam echo sounder is capable of mapping the seafloor down to 7,000 meters below the surface. The Surveyor also carries two state-of-the-art Acoustic Doppler Current Profilers (ADCPs), the Teledyne Pinnacle 45 kHz ADCP and the Simrad EC150-3C ADCP, to measure ocean currents and understand what is in the water column.
Preston Joins Global Diving & Salvage as Director of Marine Technology
Inc. has appointed Alisa Preston, P. Eng., as Director of Marine Technology to lead the growth of the marine services company’s underwater technology resources.Preston will be responsible for advancing the development of sustainable and innovative marine technology and remotely operated underwater vehicle (ROV) services as part of the overall business strategies for both Seattle-based Global and sister company MER Diving.Preston brings to the role a background in mechanical engineering, nuclear physics, project management and entrepreneurship. She holds a BME from University of Victoria and a commercial
First Building Complete at HII's New Unmanned Systems Campus
it has completed the first phase of its Unmanned Systems Center of Excellence with the construction of a 22,000-square-foot facility.The first of two planned buildings on the 20-acre campus in Hampton, Va. will be used to assemble hull structures for Boeing’s Orca Extra Large Unmanned Undersea Vehicle (XLUUV) program for the U.S. Navy.“We are thrilled to reach this critical milestone with the development of our Center of Excellence campus,” said Andy Green, executive vice president of HII and president of HII’s Technical Solutions division. “Opening this initial facility
Teledyne Marine Introduces New Ultra Compact Acoustic Modem
55 grams, the OEM version of the UCM is the smallest acoustic modem ever designed by Teledyne Benthos.The UCM is based on Teledyne Benthos’ signal processing technology to address the need for reliable wireless underwater acoustic communications onboard the growing number of autonomous micro vehicles and other subsea instruments. As the size of these micro vehicles continues to decrease, Teledyne Marine has responded with lightweight, low power, proven sensors and systems to expand the usefulness of these platforms, increasing the number of tasks they can perform, the manufacturer said.The
HII Acquires Autonomy Business from Spatial Integrated Systems
In a move that further expands its unmanned systems capabilities, Huntington Ingalls Industries acquired the autonomy business of Spatial Integrated Systems Inc. (SIS) which has proven unmanned surface vessel (USV) solutions.SIS’s unmanned systems solutions — including multi-vehicle collaborative autonomy, sensor fusion and perception — have been fielded for more than 6,000 hours on 23 vessel types. They have supported multiple development projects and demonstrations advancing autonomy in unmanned systems in the maritime, ground and air domains.“SIS is a leader in autonomous
Thoma-Sea Marine Wins Deal to Build Pair of NOAA Oceanographic Ships
NOAA’s effort to recapitalize its aging fleet of research ships took a major step forward today with the U.S. Navy’s award of a $178,082,877 contract to Thoma-Sea Marine Constructors LLC, Houma, La., for the detailed design and construction of two new oceanographic ships.NOAA is acquiring the vessels through an agreement with the Naval Sea Systems Command, a leader in building, providing and procuring large research ships for the nation's research fleet.The first ship, to be named Oceanographer, will be homeported in Honolulu. The second ship, to be named Discoverer, will be assigned a
Putting Power on the Seabed: Edging towards a Subsea Powerhouse
Ten years ago, a future where subsea fields and their power-hungry process equipment could be fully electrified, enabling long step-outs to tap remote reserves with lean new infrastructure architectures, lit the fuse for a spate of investment in subsea power distribution.The result, following at least two major joint industry projects (JIP) and tens of millions of dollars of investment, is that subsea power distribution is now a ready technology, waiting for its first application.GE Oil & Gas (as was) qualified a subsea power distribution system back in 2016, including variable speed drives (VSDs)
VIDEO Interview: Subsea Europe Services: Driving the ‘Survey System-as-a-Service’ Business Model
Born during a pandemic, Subsea Europe Services founder and CEO Soren Themann, is gearing up for a brisk business premised on true autonomy, AI and neural systems in 2021 and beyond.Soren, to start, can you give an overview, a ‘by the numbers’ account if you like of Subsea Europe Services today?Subsea Europe Services is a young company, founded in January 2020, which was only a few weeks before COVID-19 started dominating our lives. The goal of Subsea Europe is to make it possible for every organization to collect and evaluate marine data professionally. During our first year in business we
HII Delivers REMUS 100 to the German Navy
Huntington Ingalls Industries (NYSE: HII) delivereda new REMUS 100 Unmanned Underwater Vehicles (UUVs) to the German Navy. The vehicles will be used to expand the German Navy’s current fleet of REMUS 100 UUVs used for mine countermeasure (MCM) operations.The new REMUS 100 UUVs have advanced core electronics and endurance of up to 12 hours. Built on the REMUS Technology Platform, the vehicles are open architecture and have enhanced modularity.“We value our ongoing partnership with the German Navy and are proud to help enhance their national security capabilities,” said Duane Fotheringha
Meet VICTA, an Innovative Diver Delivery Unit for Subsea Defense
; where the carbon fiber hull is completed prior to receiving a synthetic, colored outer ‘wrap’. This step provides VICTA’s streamlined shape, reduces the acoustic signature and assures watertight integrity. Current activites are aimed to prepare VICTA for trials and testing in 2021.The vehicle is primarily aimed at the defense market
What's In Store for 2021? More Remote, More Data, More Autonomy
says Hydrone-R can spend up to 12 months underwater, without being brought back to surface.Hydrone-W, it’s work class cousin, is due to go through testing in 2021. Eelume, the snake robot, is also due to be trialed at Åsgard, also in the Norwegian sector, while Oceaneering’s Freedom vehicle is also set to be let loose in the wild, likely on pipeline inspection operations.“Whether the systems are hosted subsea or on the surface, having ‘eyes, ‘ears’ and even ‘hands’ on site remotely will help to increase asset uptime and potentially reduce the number
Chile's Underdeep Solutions Adds Another Falcon ROV
, a Kongsberg HDTV camera, B&W reverse camera, a BlueView multi-beam sonar and an Applied Acoustic high-end USBL — that is now fitted to all Underdeep’s Falcons.According to the ROV developer Saab Seeye, a Seaeye Cougar XTi ROV is also being considered as an addition to Underdeep’s vehicle fleet. "The 3000m rated Cougar has six SM7 thrusters and Seaeye’s iCON™ control system, making it ideal for handling robust equipment in strong currents whilst manoeuvring around complex structures," Saab Seaeye said.Apart from aquaculture support operations, Underdeep
Sonardyne's Sensors for Ocean Infinity's Armada USV Fleet
the world's largest fleet of unmanned surface vessels - Armada - has ordered Sonardyne sensors for its robotic vessels.As reported previously, Ocean Infinity in February launched Armada, a marine technology and data company boasting the industry's largest fleet of unmanned surface vehicles (USV).Sonardyne said Wednesday it would provide the first wave of Ocean Infinity’s new Armada fleet with key sensor technologies for underwater platform navigation, tracking, control, and communications, as well as ensuring uninterrupted surface navigation, even when global navigation satellite
Offshore Charging Station for Electrified Offshore Vessels Being Developed in UK
A project has been launched in the UK to explore the viability of developing an offshore charging facility for vessels as part of the industry’s efforts to decarbonize its vessel operations. Funded by the first phase of the UK Government’s Sustainable Innovation Fund, the project - led by Turbulent Simulations, alongside Aluminium Marine Consultants, the Offshore Renewable Energy (ORE) Catapult, MJR Power & Automation, Tidal Transit and Bibby Marine Services - will look into the design of a permanently stationed Offshore Charging Vessel. The technology would allow electrified
