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.

European Commission Okays French Backing of Tidal Energy Test Site

The European Commission has found a French project promoting electricity generation from tidal energy to be in line with EU State aid rules. The measure will contribute to the EU's energy and climate goals without unduly distorting market competition, the Commission said.The Normandie Hydro plant is a demonstration plant for producing electricity from tidal energy. It will be developed by OpenHydro and operated by EDF EN and will be located at Raz Blanchard…

CGG Readies Offshore Mozambique Seismic Survey

French seismic player CGG has completed the final 3D PSDM seismic dataset from its recent 15,400-sq km (5,946-sq mi) multi-client survey of the outer Zambezi Delta in the Mozambique basin.The ultramodern data was acquired over blocks Z5-C and Z5-D and surrounding open acreage as part of a multi-client program agreed between CGG and Mozambique’s Instituto Nacional de Petroleo (INP).The final PSDM data identifies key stratigraphic intervals for a better understanding of the petroleum system and…

Sunken Submarine USS Stickleback Found

A World War II era submarine sunk during a Cold War training exercise off the shores of Hawaii more than six decades ago has been discovered by a team of ocean explorers utilizing pioneering robotics and methods at the forefront of today's underwater technology.USS Stickleback (SS 415), lost in nearly 11,000 feet of water 62 years ago, was discovered by veteran ocean explorer and Tiburon Subsea CEO…

Hugin AUV Scores 2020 AUVSI ECELLENCE Awards

Kongsberg Maritime's  HUGIN AUV scored a top-three prize in the 2020 AUVSI XCELLENCE awards.The AUVSI (Association for Unmanned Vehicles Systems International) XCELLENCE awards recognize “…innovators committed to advancing autonomy, leading and promoting safe adoption of unmanned systems, and developing programs [using] these technologies to save lives and improve the human condition.” KM’s HUGIN AUV scored third in the Hardware – Platform group award in the Technology & Innovation category.

NOAA Teams Up with Industry to Explore Ocean Depths

NOAA intends to collaborate with a private company led by Victor Vescovo, the first person to reach the deepest point in all five of the world's named oceans, in an effort to explore, characterize, and map unknown areas of the deep ocean.Caladan Oceanic's Deep Submersible Support Vessel Pressure Drop launching the full ocean depth submersible called Limiting Factor, from Triton Submarines.Vescovo’s company…

Partnering on the Digital Ship: Inside Denmark’s ShippingLab

When will the first fully digitized, autonomous and environmentally friendly ship be ready to sail? The answer is uncertain but the Danish Maritime Authority’s ShippingLab project aims to have most of the technical and managerial challenges solved in as little as two years from now. Tom Mulligan reports.Denmark’s ShippingLab project is a three-year initiative that commenced its work in March 2019 with the aim of developing the first fully commercially operational…

Copenhagen Subsea Debuts the Gorilla ROV

Copenhagen Subsea launched a new powerful Remotely Operated Vehicle (ROV), specifically developed for the offshore industry. The ROV is based on Copenhagen Subsea’s rim-driven thruster technology and is designed to be robust and reliable in challenging environments – qualities which inspired us to name it the Gorilla.In fact, reliability has been first and foremost throughout the design and development of the Gorilla.

MacArtney LARS for Fifth Asia Pacific Research Vessel

MacArtney completed its order of a launch and recovery (LARS) system for Taiwan National University, the fifth Ocean Research Vessel (ORV) in the Asia Pacific region to date. MacArtney Asia Pacific provided the full launch and recovery system solution for the new vessel R/V New Ocean Researcher 1 (ORV 1), including slip rings, cables and docking heads. The 1,000 GT RV was completed on July 21, 2020.Behind ORV 1 is the CSBC Corporation…

Fugro Wins Metocean Survey Deal at 100MW Floating Wind Farm Site in Scotland

Salamander, a joint venture between Ørsted, Simply Blue Group, and Subsea 7, developing the Salamander floating wind farm in Scotland, has appointed Fugro to conduct a metocean survey for the proposed 100 MW project, located 35 km off the coast of Peterhead, Scotland.Scheduled to begin in September, the survey will run for approximately twelve months and gather essential meteorological, oceanographic, and environmental data.

Hydrographic Survey Vessel to be Converted for Unmanned Operations

A hydrographic survey vessel will operate in multiple areas of the Wadden Sea, commanded from shore by personnel in an office in Amersterdam.U.S.-based Sea Machines Robotics, a developer of autonomous command and advanced perception systems, said Thursday that Dutch company Deep BV will equip one of its vessels with a Sea Machines SM300 autonomous control system to enable remote command of the vessel…

SUBSEA TECHNOLOGY: Underwater Acoustics Pick up the Tempo

Humans have always been intrigued by what we do not know, especially that which we can’t see. At the time of writing, NASA’s Perseverance rover, fondly nicknamed Percy, has safely landed on Mars and sent over its first images of its Jezero Crater landing site. Percy, among many other technological creations, demonstrates the curiosity and capacity of our exploratory efforts. While our achievements in outer space exploration pile up…

Norway: IMR to Use Kongsberg USVs, AUVs for Marine Ecosystem Monitoring

Norwegian maritime technology and equipment specialist Kongsberg Maritime will supply Norway’s Institute of Marine Research (IMR) with four autonomous vessels. The scope of supply includes two Kongsberg Maritime Sounder USVs (Unmanned Surface Vehicles) and two KONGSBERG AUVs (Autonomous Underwater Vehicles), which will form the practical basis of the institute’s long-term strategy to develop the monitoring and management of marine environments and resources.According to Kongsberg Maritime…

MacGregor's Gangways and Cranes for Edda Wind SOVs

Cargotec's MacGregor has secured orders to equip Edda Wind's new offshore wind service vessels, ordered from Spanish shipyards.Two of the equipment packages were awarded by the shipbuilder Astilleros Gondán in Asturias for Edda Wind's Commissioning Service Operation Vessels (CSOV), the first of which will enter into a firm charter period of 11 years starting Q1 2022.Each of these vessels will be equipped with a Horizon all-electric walk-to-work gangway…

TGS Getting Ready for Multi-Client 3D Survey Offshore Brazil

Energy data and intelligence firm TGS has outlined plans for the start of Pelotas Norte Phase I multi-client 3D survey in the Pelotas Basin, offshore southern Brazil.Phase I will encompass approximately 14,800 square kilometers across 21 exploration blocks, the majority of which lie in un-held acreage expected to be included in upcoming bid rounds. A Ramform Titan-class vessel is scheduled to mobilize for the survey later in 2025, with project duration running into the third quarter of 2026.

Trelleborg Launches Advanced Sealing System for Offshore Wind Foundations

Trelleborg Marine and Infrastructure has launched advanced sealing system, IRIS, for Airtight Platforms (ATP), which has the potential to improve offshore wind foundation designs.The new seal eliminates the need for welded steel landing rings traditionally used in monopiles (MPs) and transition pieces (TPs), providing an effective solution to lower Levelized Cost of Energy (LCOE) for offshore wind projects…

Japan’s First Megawatt-Scale Tidal Energy Turbine Hits Water

Proteus Marine Renewables has deployed the AR1100 tidal turbine in Japan, which became the country's first ever megawatt-scale grid connected tidal energy system.Installed in the Naru Strait, the turbine will generate 1.1 MW of clean energy, accelerating the decarbonization of the Goto Islands' electricity supply and advancing Japan’s renewable energy transition.Building on the success of the AR500 pilot project in 2021…

New Nav Buoys for Port of Setúbal

Portuguese Port Authority of Setúbal and Sesimbra (APSS) have recently improved the marking of the central area in the North Channel in Setúbal with five navigation buoys and a marine sector light for Bela Vista windmill sightseeing point.

SRO Updates Stena Drilling's Rigs with IBM’s Maximo System

Offshore drilling contractor Stena Drilling has had its asset management software system on six offshore rigs replaced.The company hired UK-based tech firm SRO Solutions which, over the course of 14 months replaced its existing asset management system with IBM’s Maximo software. Six engineers from SRO carried out the work, and also delivered training on the rig fleet in the Canary Islands, Israel, Guyana…

Ace Oil Tools Introduces Ace Splice Clamp

The oil and gas technology company Ace Oil Tools has launched its new Ace Splice Clamp to the completions market.Allowing multiple lines to be spliced with a single clamp, the ASC is a ‘sub-less’ downhole product that protects the control lines during completion, the company said."Combining the functionality of a shrouded crimp clamp, for locking flatpacks, with a splice sub into one single product…