Regulatory Crewing Challenges for Offshore Wind Vessels
Every day we see more and more news about how the planning for new offshore wind projects continues to expand with the increasing investment from both domestic and foreign interests in these projects. This is resulting in both developers and contractors making logistics plans to secure vessels and crew for the purposes of meeting the demands necessary to crew and operate vessels in support of future wind farm operations. Unfortunately, there are challenges associated with the evolving federal regulatory regime that are developing with this nascent industry facing both U.S.- and foreign-flag
MassTech Grant Will Connect Ocean Entrepreneurs with WHOI
Massachusetts Technology Collaborative Executive Director Carolyn Kirk has announced a $200,000 grant from the Innovation Institute at MassTech that will enable marine technology start-ups, technologists and innovators enhanced access to the world-class facilities at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI). The announcement was made during the keynote panel at the “5th Annual Entrepreneur Showcase and Leadership Forum” hosted by WHOI’s Center for Marine Robotics. For small Massachusetts companies developing marine robotics and other innovative technologies, access to
Oil Recovered from WWII Shipwreck
Operations to recover oil from a World War II-era shipwreck are nearing completion after commencing on May 11, 2019 off the coast of Long Island, N.Y., the U.S. Coast Guard said on Thursday.The sunken vessel, Coimbra, was a supply ship owned by Great Britain that was torpedoed by a German U-boat off the coast of Long Island during World War II. Initial dive operations in May 2019 confirmed the tanker was leaking small amounts of oil, the Coast Guard discovered.A unified command consisting of the Coast Guard and New York State Department of Environmental Conservation oversaw the response supported by
Aker Solutions Beats Forecasts
Aker Solutions beat second-quarter earnings on Wednesday citing demand from the offshore oil sector despite price pressure from ongoing high capacity.Service providers are slowly recovering from a 2014 slump in oil prices that prompted companies to curb offshore projects.Earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortization (EBITDA), excluding one-offs, rose to 629 million crowns ($73 million) from 441 million crowns a year earlier.That beat the 585 million crowns expected by four analysts in a Refinitiv poll."There is still a lot of capacity available in some areas, not all," Chief
#Oi2020 History: ROV D2
Originally created for industrial use--such as internal and external underwater pipeline inspections--ROVs have become a mainstay within underwater exploration, as well as many other scientific applications. To continue the research and technology within this area of subsea development, NOAA’s Office of Ocean Exploration and Research (OER) in 2013 introduced a new ROV, the Deep Discoverer, or “D2.” The ROV, (also known as D2) which operates from NOAA Ship Okeanos Explorer, is unique in that it is one of the few ROVs capable of diving to 3.7 miles (6,000 meters). Measuring 10 x 6.
Expro to Supply IRS Offshore Mauritania
Oilfield services company Expro said it has been awarded a contract by Pacific Drilling subsidiary Pacific Santa Ana for the provision of an Intervention Riser System (IRS) for PETRONAS’s Chinguetti Field Phase II plug and abandonment (P&A) contract, offshore Mauritania.The contract, valued at $20 million, will see Expro provide its IRS system with associated surface support equipment, to be deployed from Pacific Drilling’s drillship, Pacific Santa Ana. The contracted work will take place for an estimated 360 days.Worldwide Oilfield Machine (WOM) will support Expro with the provision
Sailing Drone Inspects Ships at Locks
The Port of Amsterdam announced a pilot project deploying a sailing drone that inspects the depth of marginal ships at the locks of IJmuiden, in a bid to gain experience in new technologies in nautical processes.The pilot has been set up with a view to gaining more information and experience regarding sailing drone technology. This development together with autonomously sailing vessels will have a great impact on future nautical processes.The experiment last week (8 to 13 July) took the first steps in examining the impact, the potential of the technology for Port of Amsterdam and the steps Port of
Fugro, AGI Sell Seep Data off Canada
Fugro and partner Amplified Geochemical Imaging (AGI) are reporting recent success selling multiple licences for data from frontier regions offshore east coast Canada.The data were acquired during two separate hydrocarbon seep surveys in the Orphan Basin (2017) and Carson Basin (2018), both situated on the continental margin of Newfoundland.The data packages are being licensed by Fugro and include multibeam echo sounder data (bathymetry, backscatter intensity and water column), sub-bottom profiler data, heat flow measurements and shipboard geochemical screening analyses, Fugro said, adding that
New UK Center for Maritime Innovation
a new national center for maritime innovation and technology (MarRI-UK). The center, offering development opportunities for the UK’s $45B maritime sector, is based at the University of Strathclyde, with hubs to be announced across the UK. The center will provide a collaborative innovation vehicle to jointly tackle innovation and technology challenges.The first area of collaborative focus is Clean Maritime.MarRI-UK will focus on research and innovation within mid TRL (3 – 7) levels to address the opportunities between “discovery and research” and “commercialization&rdquo
New Multibeam Sonar Package Unveiled
The new WASSP F3X professional multibeam sonar package developed by ENL Group, majority-owned by Furuno Electric Company, is designed for for fisherman and mariners who need the ability to see deep into the ocean.The WMB4340 and WMB6340, both available from Furuno, provide superior target detection of fish in the water column, track fish targets deeper than ever before, and allow navigators and surveyors to map the seabed and structure below with confidence, the company said.WASSP F3X penetrates the water in a 120˚ swath with 224 individual beams. Its higher output power provides a nearly 50% increase
Neptune Adopts Sonardyne’s All-in-one Platform
the latest to adopt its new, all-in-one acoustic and inertial positioning technology platform to support offshore survey projects.The order, made through Sonardyne’s Singapore subsidiary, includes the supply of Fusion 2 software, Compatt 6 seabed transponders and ROVNav 6 LBL (Long BaseLine) vehicle-mounted transceivers. The Compatt 6s and ROVNav 6s will be Sonardyne’s latest ‘plus’ hardware platform (6+), engineered to unlock the full capabilities of Fusion 2.Built from the ground up, with ease of use and operational efficiency in mind, Fusion 2 software offers a seamless
Acteon Acquires Proserv’s Field Technology Services
Subsea services group Acteon announced on Monday it has acquired Proserv’s field technology services (FTS) business unit, including its surveying capability. The exact terms of the transaction were been disclosed.The services and facilities of the FTS business, which offers cutting, friction stud welding and pipeline maintenance services from bases in Stavanger (Norway), Houma (USA), Singapore and Aberdeen (UK), will be integrated into Acteon under the Claxton brand. The survey business unit will join Acteon’s existing UTEC Survey business, an independent global surveying company.Richard
Lukoil Scans for Treasures Ahead of Oil Exploration
areas. JFMS said its deep-towed solution reduced the operation time to within five days.The company procured the multipurpose support vessel Ievoli Cobalt, mobilized out of the port of Constanta with a towed side-scan sonar and sub-bottom profiler solution, together with a work-class remotely operated vehicle, Triton XLX WROV, for visual inspection of targets identified in the sonar data.The survey required JFMS to identify any anomalies with dimensions exceeding one meter in all axes – using the side-scan sonar to search for surface targets and the sub-bottom profiler to detect sub-surface targets
Searching for Shipwrecks
Marine Sanctuary. If all went well, they would discover new shipwrecks and natural features such as sinkholes, fish habitats, and interesting geological formations.During the two-week expedition, researchers mapped areas within the sanctuary with a multibeam sonar system aboard autonomous surface vehicle ASV BEN (Bathymetric Explorer and Navigator) from University of New Hampshire’s Center for Coastal and Ocean Mapping. BEN is a state-of-the-art robotic vehicle that looks like a small yellow boat. Unlike most boats, though, it doesn’t carry people; instead, it is piloted by crew members
RTSYS Debuts Micro-AUV NemoSens
French acoustics specialist RTSYS has launched its latest versatile micro autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) NemoSens, designed to perform numerous civil applications such as seabed imagery, environmental monitoring or wreckage localization.Unveiled after years of development, the flexible new AUV is small (less than 1 meter long) and is easy to carry and launch (less than 20 pounds including payload). Micro-AUV NemoSens can host any kind of payload, be it a CTD probe, sidescan sonar or any other sensors. Thanks to an open LINUX architecture it can be programmed from a ROS or MOOS interface to
Kraken's OceanVision Moving Ahead
;t seen before now, and it demonstrates that if we work together to leverage our collective expertise, we can transform Canada into a global hub for collaborative cross-sectoral ocean innovation.”The OceanVision project is based on several enabling technologies, including unmanned maritime vehicles, advanced sensors, robotics, autonomous systems, big data machine learning and predictive analytics. Its target end result is an end-to-end digitalization solution offering advanced sensors, robots and data analytics as a turnkey service solution for seafloor imaging and mapping. Rapid high-throughput
US Navy Sub Discovery Validated
to create imaging that allows them to research the site long after they have returned to the dock. The data produced by their expedition was key in helping to confirm that we were looking at the S-28 and not the S-35.The Lost 52 Expedition 2017 deploys state of the art deep-water autonomous underwater vehicles (AUV) as well as remotely operated vehicles (ROV).Taylor, CEO of Tiburon Subsea Services, Inc., and director of non-profit Ocean Outreach, Inc. has a reputation for working with the latest in undersea technology and with the top specialists in underwater exploration. This is Taylor's fourth
Mat Sinking Unit in Modernization Drive
Millions of dollars of goods are transported up and down the Mississippi every year. This transportation is made possible, in part, by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) Mat Sinking Unit and its crew, who work tirelessly each season to protect the riverbanks with concrete mats and prevent erosion.The Mat Sinking Unit was built in 1940, widened in 1960 and is being replaced over the next several years with new and improved plant. The new design will double the number of mat squares that can be placed in a season.USACE Vicksburg District (MVK), USACE Marine Design Center (MDC), SIA Solutions LLC
EMGS Wins BP Survey Off Senegal
Norwegian geophysical services company Electromagnetic Geoservices ASA (EMGS) has been awarded a contract by UK oil and gas major BP for work off the coast of Senegal and Mauritania.EMGS said in a in Oslo Exchange filing that the contract is worth around $6 million. The survey work is expected to start in the first quarter of 2020.CEO of EMGS, Bjørn Petter Lindhom, said, “EMGS is delighted to return to Africa and for the opportunity to work for BP and partners on their high-profile acreage in Mauritania and Senegal.""This contract extends our already healthy backlog and puts us
RBR Order to Support Great Lakes RAEON
Scientists have started a coordinated effort to study and monitor the health of the Great Lakes using a large number of RBR loggers and multiparameter sensors.RBR has recently delivered hundreds of world-class scientific instruments to meet the critical requirements of the Real-time Aquatic Ecosystem Observation Network (RAEON).“RAEON will support comprehensive and multidisciplinary research to understand and manage the Great Lakes and will be a reference for researchers worldwide who are investigating freshwater ecosystems,” Dr. Fisk said.“This collaborative hub will enable researcher
New Tech for Wind Blade Inspections
Drones and crawling robots outfitted with special scanning technology could help wind blades stay in service longer, which may help lower the cost of wind energy at a time when blades are getting bigger, pricier and harder to transport, Sandia National Laboratories researchers say.As part of the Department of Energy’s Blade Reliability Collaborative work, funded by the Wind Energy Technologies Office, Sandia researchers partnered with energy businesses to develop machines that noninvasively inspect wind blades for hidden damage while being faster and more detailed than traditional inspections
Offshore Survey Vessels: Ready for Faster Sensors
existing UxVs, scaling to larger, faster platforms. The second would see high-speed, medium-to-large vessels being designed with autonomous technology as a fundamental operating system. In my mind, the ultimate solution is quite evident and based on the physics of the ocean. Added mass of water requires vehicle mass in order to counteract momentum; hence, I side with the concept of starting with substance and building from there.From our perspective, all efforts to improve efficiency on the ocean are important. Eliminating people at sea, using smaller, more efficient platforms with longer endurance, better
French Frigate Sonars Get an Upgrade
Since summer 2017, four vessels equipped with analog sonars have been upgraded using RTsys AS3i technology (Analog Surface Ship Sonar Improvement), which digitalized and improved the processing of signals rendered by sensors.Brittany-based company RTSYS does not only deals with AUV, subsea recorders and buoys, but can also display a full range of sonar systems such as handheld devices for divers or sonar retrofit. The latter of which led the French SME to lately offer in summer 2017 its services to the French Navy by upgrading analogue sonars on four frigates.In accordance with the ACORES public
AIS Data: History & Future
The Automatic Identification System (AIS) was developed with the sole goal of improving maritime safety by allowing ships in proximity to one another to automatically exchange information regarding their name, course, speed, type, cargo, etc. The exchange of this information would allow conning officers on each ship to make better decisions regarding the possibility of close encounters and the need to change course and/or speed. It would also make it easier for one ship to contact the other by radio-telephone to hopefully remove any doubt. To that extent, AIS has largely worked as
Survey Vessel Joins Hunt for Lost F-35
Japan expanded its search for a missing F-35 stealth fighter on with a maritime survey vessel joining a navy ship and a U.S. Navy salvage team is expected in the area in coming days, a Japanese air force spokesman said.Only small pieces of the Japanese Air Self Defense Force aircraft's tail have been found since the advanced jet disappeared from radar screens during an exercise with three other F-35s over the Pacific, near northwest Japan, on April 9."The plane and the pilot are still missing," the air force spokesman said. Investigators have been unable to unravel the fate of the
