Kraken, Fraunhofer Ink Tech Licensing Deal

Kraken Sonar Inc. said it has signed an exclusive licensing agreement for underwater robotics technology with Germany’s Fraunhofer Institute for Optronics, System Technologies and Image Exploitation (IOSB) in a strategic move to further strengthen its IP portfolio. Fraunhofer is the largest organization for applied research in Europe with 69 institutes, over 24,500 employees and a €2.1 billion annual budget.

Typhoon Appoints Willis as UK Sales Manager

Typhoon International, a manufacturer of drysuits, and a major player in the diving and watersports markets, has appointed Ben Willis as UK Commercial Sales Manager. Willis joins the company at an exciting time as Typhoon aligns its activities with those of its sister companies Ocean Safety and ISP, each providing a wide range of safety products. In his role Willis will focus on the Emergency sector…

Mapping the Abyss with AUV Photography

Despite being one of the largest habitats on Earth occupying around 60% of the surface, the deep-sea environment remains largely enigmatic. It was only in the late 1960’s that the abyssal plains were recognized to contain rich, complex habitats and play an important role in global carbon cycling. The technological and operational challenges that come with studying deep-sea environments have previously restricted research into the inhabiting species and ecosystem structure.

Insights: NOAA's Dr. Holly A. Bamford

Last month Marine Technology Reporter had the opportunity to meet with Dr. Holly A. Bamford, acting Assistant Secretary for Conservation and Management for the US Department of Commerce, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), in her office to discuss a wide range of topics covering all that is subsea, with a focus on government and industry working in stride to mutual benefit. To start, can you share with the readers of MTR how you became involved in your chosen field?

Kongsberg Position Refrence System Integrates GNSS Services

Kongsberg Maritime has expanded its established satellite position reference system portfolio with the introduction of a new system that integrates all available Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS) and all possible correction services. The new DPS 432 combines full decimetre accuracy with high integrity and availability of GNSS data, supporting the safety and efficiency of offshore operations that rely on advanced Dynamic Positioning (DP) systems.

New SubConn 13 Pin Low Profile Power and Ethernet Connector

The MacArtney Group introduced its new 13 Pin SubConn Low Profile Power and Ethernet Connector. Building on the SubConn Ethernet Connector program, the new SubConn Low Profile 13 Pin Power and Ethernet Connector offers a unique set of benefits for operators of underwater systems and equipment. In a world where underwater industry operators and developers are continuously pushing the boundaries of what…

SoCal Tech Focus: BIRNS

Oxnard, Calif. based BIRNS, Inc. opened in 1954, and has been serving the global marine industry ever since with high performance lighting and connector products.The technological advancements in the field of cable assembly development have been rapid and exciting in the last decade in particular. BIRNS has been creating new connectivity solutions that provide immense performance characteristics in relatively small packages.

iXBlue Launches the Fifth-Generation OCTANS

iXBlue is unveiling the fifth-generation OCTANS, the trusted reference in survey-grade navigation. The new OCTANS is an all-in-one gyrocompass and motion sensor (attitude and heading reference system, AHRS) and brings in new and enhanced features, including IMO/ IMO-HSC certification and inertial navigation system (INS) product upgrade-path. The fifth-generation OCTANS gives marine customers more product variant choices…

China Reef Work Could Lead to New Exclusion Zone

China could eventually deploy radar and missile systems on outposts it is building in the South China Sea that could be used to enforce an exclusion zone over the disputed territory, the U.S. military commander for Asia said on Wednesday. Admiral Samuel Locklear, speaking at a congressional hearing in Washington, described as "aggressive" the land reclamation and construction projects China has been conducting at eight military outposts in the South China Sea.

Energy Industry Funds Tropical Cyclone Research

Global energy companies have joined forces to fund new research aimed at advancing tropical cyclone forecasting in Northern Australia to further improve offshore safety and mitigate costly disruptions to operations. Results from the industry-driven research are expected to enhance tropical cyclone response planning and public weather forecasting services for the wider community. The Industry Technology…

NATO Science Mission Employs ‘Double Muscle’

Commencing on her first NATO sea trial of the year, the NATO research vessel (NRV) Alliance has sailed out with new assets on board that aim to enhance collaborative robotics for MCM applications, including a new vehicle, which only apparently duplicates the CMRE MUSCLE prototype. On the aft deck of the NRV Alliance, sailing for the first CMRE (Centre for Maritime Research and Experimentation) scientific campaign of 2017, there are two very similar robots.

Maersk Triple-E Ships Upgrade with Hull Performance Solutions

Jotun, the global leader in marine antifouling coatings, has signed a landmark agreement with Maersk Line to supply Hull Performance Solutions with SeaQuantumX200 for the Triple-E new build project. The Triple-Es are the world’s largest ships - renowned as much for their energy efficiency as their size. By upgrading to HPS with Jotun’s top-of-the-line SeaQuantum X200 antifouling coating, the Triple-E ships are expected to reinforce their energy efficiency advantage.

Vard Holdings acquires STX Canada Marine Inc

Vard Holdings Limited (“VARD”), one of the major global designers and shipbuilders of offshore and specialized vessels, has acquired STX Canada Marine Inc., a leading marine engineering and design company with more than 30 years history in North America, for approx. NOK 65 million. Headquartered in Vancouver, Canada, with branch offices in Ottawa and Houston and a workforce of over 75 employees, the new acquisition will be fully integrated with Vard Marine Inc.

SeeByte Target Tracking for Tritech

SeeByteand Tritech International Limited [Tritech], a Moog Inc. Company, have integrated SeeByte’s target tracking capabilities into Tritech’s Gemini 720is multibeam imaging sonar software. This agreement sees the integration of Tritech’s Gemini 720is sonar with SeeByte’s advanced tracking analytics; providing users with enhanced target tracking capabilities. In realtime, users are able to track and follow objects within a wide 120deg view.

ECA, Ifremer Present H-ROV ARIANE at Oceanology

As a result of their long-term partnership and successful collaboration, ECA Group and Ifremer will be presenting at Oceanology International exhibition (March 15-17, London) the hybrid underwater robotic system HROV ARIANE. Designed by Ifremer, the hybrid vehicle also integrates technologies developed by many French companies. ECA Group contributed to the integrative architecture and the electric remote manipulation system of this innovative technology dedicated to underwater missions.

GE Oil & Gas Sign GofM Deepwater Contracts

GE Oil & Gas has signed an $84-million agreement with PEMEX Exploration and Production to supply and install subsea wellheads for PEMEX’s deepwater and ultra-deepwater drilling projects in the Gulf of Mexico. The Gulf of Mexico is a strategic zone for the hydrocarbon industry, since it is estimated to hold more than 50 percent of Mexico’s potential or prospective resources. However, such reserves are located in deepwater and ultra-deepwater sites…

Mine Hunting Sonar Deployed in the Mediterranean

Klein Marine Systems, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Mitcham Industries, Inc. teamed with Elbit Systems, Ltd. to conduct structured mine countermeasure exercises in the Mediterranean Sea. Klein’s 5900 mine hunting side scan sonar, integrated onboard Elbit’s Seagull Unmanned Surface Vessel (USV) detected and classified all detectable moored and bottom Mine Like Objects (MLO) in one-third the allotted time period for each exercise.

FarSounder Updates Navigation Sonars

The release of SonaSoft 3.0 represents an upgrade to its real-time forward-looking sonar capabilities. New in SonaSoft 3.0, FarSounder has improved its 3D sonar display, the developer said. According to FarSounder, improvements include target persistence via new image stabilization techniques, updated color mapping fusing depth and signal level information, improved Auto Squelch mode, expanded chart overlay including full 3D image and one-to-one scaling of 3D images.

Ocean Science and Exploration Focus on Capitol Hill

Explorer and director James Cameron will be on Capitol Hill on Tuesday, June 11, with Dr. Susan Avery, president and director of Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution for a series of public events and a Senate hearing. Central to their visit is the display of the Deepsea Challenger, the only human-occupied vehicle currently able to access the deepest parts the ocean. Cameron developed the vehicle over seven years and used it in March 2012 to dive to the deepest spot in the ocean…

History Meets Technology in Shipwreck Alley

The vast stretches of cold, fresh water in the Great Lakes hide the stories of thousands of ships that wrecked in our nation’s inland seas. Historical records indicate more than a hundred shipwrecks have yet to be discovered in Lake Huron’s Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary, and research teams hope to discover more this summer. From April through August, Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary will…