Applied Acoustics Deploys Pyxis INS + USBL System for SEP Hydrographic

applied acoustics, a manufacturer of specialist subsea positioning and marine seismic survey equipment, announced the successful deployment of its factory-calibrated Pyxis INS + USBL system by UK-based survey company, SEP Hydrographic. The implementation has immediately delivered an average saving of one full day per vessel mobilization by eliminating the need for traditional, seabed-beacon calibrations.Based on the Wirral…

NOAA and Partners Deploy C-Star USVs to Collect Hurricane Data

NOAA, in partnership with The University of Southern Mississippi and with the robotics company Oshen, launched five small uncrewed surface vehicles (USVs) called C-Stars in the waters off the U.S. Virgin Islands on August 31st to collect critical data to better understand hurricane development and activity. The deployment is the latest effort by NOAA to advance data collection to improve hurricane research and forecasting.Two additional C-Stars will be stored in Gulfport…

Balmoral's Large-scale Composite Manufacturing Plant in Montrose Port Now Operational

Aberdeen-based Balmoral Comtec has completed the installation of its manufacturing plant at its new advanced composites facility at Montrose Port.The company said it had invested a "seven-figure sum" in the 18,299 sq.ft (1700 sq.m) quayside facility where large scale composite components such as subsea and wellhead protection, wave energy structures, and manifold covers for the offshore energy sector…

Construction Begins on UK’s Next Submarines

BAE Systems welcomed the Right Honorable Sir Michael Fallon MP, Secretary of State for Defense to Barrow-in-Furness shipyard to press a button, commencing the first metal-cut for the Successor program. The secretary of State's visit follows a recent U.K. Government commitment of £1.3 billion funding for the Successor Submarine program on October 1. This program will deliver four new submarines for the Royal Navy and will replace the current Vanguard class…

Saipem to Establish US Spool-base

Saipem announced on Monday it will establish a "highly specialized" spool-base on Greenwood Island, Pascagoula, Miss. designed to provide support for vessels performing pipelay activities for offshore oil and gas development projects in the Gulf of Mexico.The new spool-base will support the Saipem Constellation, the latest addition to the Saipem fleet, suitable for the installation of rigid and flexible pipes in ultra deep waters as well as for heavy lifts of up to 3…

Self-driving 'Roboats' Ready for Testing on Amsterdam's Canals

Visitors to Amsterdam may soon spot a self-driving watercraft the size of a small car cruising silently through its ancient canals, ferrying passengers or transporting goods or trash.It will be the electric-powered "Roboat", a catchier name than "autonomous floating vehicle" for a project shortly due to start test journeys aimed at improving the crowded city's transport options."We have a lot of road traffic and congestion…

SUPR-REMUS: The Next Generation of Plankton Sampling

A vast number of marine animals live a sedentary existence or with limited mobility as adults. For these individuals, it is the dispersal of larvae that determines the settlement of future populations and the structure of ecological communities. Plankton research is hindered by observational difficulties, as traditional sampling methods fail to identify fine-scale distributions while accounting for changes in environmental gradients.

Saab’s All-Electric Work Class Seaeye SR20 ROV Aces Water Trials

Saab UK has completed inshore water testing of the Seaeye SR20 eWROV, its most advanced fully-electric work-class remotely operated vehicle.The SR20 completed a dedicated period of water trials in October 2024, marking a significant milestone for the robotic vehicle’s development.The testing was a key part of the verification and validation work package, testing against the specification, measuring performance…

IHC Merwede to Deliver New AHC System

IHC Merwede has announced that it has signed a new contract for the EPC (engineering, procurement and construction) delivery of an Active Heave Compensation (AHC) system. This equipment will be designed, built and supplied as a reliable solution for the deepwater subsea installation of heavy modules in dynamic sea states. The integration of the active heave compensator and winch system means that this system is unique.

Satellites Help Gauge Speed of Subsurface Waves

The speed of a wave located 80 meters below the ocean’s surface has been measured directly from a single satellite image. The new technique developed by researchers from the University of Miami (UM) Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science advances the study of these skyscraper-high internal waves that rarely break the ocean surface. “This is the first time internal wave velocities could be calculated from data acquired during a single overpass of a satellite…

Robosys to Supply AI-driven Autonomous Control System for Legacy Marine USV

AI-driven maritime autonomy and smart-shipping specialist Robosys Automation has secured a contract from Legacy Marine of South Africa, for the supply and integration of AI systems for a fully autonomous USV.The bespoke fully autonomous AI-driven uncrewed surface vessel (USV) has been designed by Icarus Marine and will be constructed by Legacy Marine, which is headquartered in Port Elizabeth (Gqeberha)…

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…

NORBIT Wins Orders from Jan De Nul

NORBIT informs it has secured orders from Jan De Nul Group, through its Benelux dealer Seabed BV, for several tightly integrated all-in-one turnkey multibeam sonar systems. These compact survey systems allow for fast set-to-work on any sized survey platform while allowing for highest quality broadband FM data from a forgiving curved receiver array. The systems each include a full Inertial Navigation…

Antarctic ROV to Help Researchers Prepare for Space Missions

The search for life on other planets starts on Earth, of course. In the summer of 2014 a team of scientists from the Georgia Institute of Technology headed to Antarctica to deploy Icefin - a 10-foot long, 12-inch diameter, 220 pound, first of its kind ROV - deep beneath the ice shelf. This mission, funded by NASA and supported by the National Science Foundation, was intended to prepare for potential future missions on Jupiter’s moon, Europa.

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…

HII Debuts REMUS 620 Unmanned Underwater Vehicle (UUV)

HII’s Mission Technologies division debuted a new medium-class unmanned underwater vehicle (UUV): REMUS 620.Building on the design philosophy of the REMUS 300 — recently selected by the U.S. Navy as the program of record for the Lionfish Small UUV — the REMUS 620 has a battery life of up to 110 hours and a range of 275 nautical miles.“Retaining a forward strategic advantage requires the ability to deliver a multitude of effects from under the sea…

Rovco, HOM Partner Up for Offshore Wind Work in Japan

UK-based subsea robotic services firm Rovco, has signed an agreement with Japan's Horizon Ocean Management (HOM) for through-life subsea asset integrity and balance of plant survey solutions for the Japanese offshore wind market.HOM is a subsidiary joint venture between Japanese conglomerate Mitsui and Hokutaku, a Japan-based wind turbine maintenance company.HOM and Rovco will work together to study the Japanese offshore wind market and learn more about demand in the country.

Forum Delivers Three Work-class ROVs to Brazil's OceanPact

Forum Energy Technologies (FET), a company that supplies remotely operated vehicles to offshore energy industry firms, has delivered three of its 200HP Perry XLX-C work-class ROVs to Brazil-based OceanPact.The ROVs built at FET’s UK facility at Kirkbymoorside, North Yorkshire, will be deployed across two of OceanPact’s vessels to support inspection, repair, and maintenance services for the state-owned oil company’s oilfields (Petrobras)."The 3…

Subsea Robotics: Aquanauts, Hydronauts, Roll Out

Houston-based Nauticus Robotics’ first production Aquanauts and Hydronauts will head into the wild and closer to full commercialization this year, with testing planned in Norway and in the Gulf of Mexico. Founder and CEO Nicolaus Radford discusses the past few busy years for the tech start-up.It’s been a relatively fast journey for Nauticus. Set up in 2014 (as Houston Mechatronics Inc), the company has been a bit of an outsider in the offshore industry…

No Need for Mothership: Kongsberg Launches HUGIN Endurance AUV

Norway's Kongsberg Maritime has announced the next generation of its HUGIN Autonomous Underwater Vehicle (AUV) that can carry out long missions without a mothership.Named HUGIN Endurance, Kongsberg Maritime says its new AUV boosts operational duration to approximately 15 days, enabling extended survey and inspection missions far from shore."This longevity allows HUGIN Endurance to undertake extensive missions without the support of a mothership.