Shrinking Sea Meadows Store More Carbon Than Forests. Scientists Race to Track What’s Left

Hundreds of miles from the nearest shore, ribbon-like fronds flutter in the ocean currents sweeping across an underwater mountain plateau the size of Switzerland.A remote-powered camera glides through the sunlit, turquoise waters of this corner of the western Indian Ocean, capturing rare footage of what scientists believe is the world’s largest seagrass meadow.Human activity is helping destroy the equivalent of a soccer field of these seagrasses every 30 minutes around the world…

The Deepwater Sector's Perfect Storm

The drop in oil/gas prices and ongoing implosion in Petrobras have combined to create a perfect storm in the deepwater sector. More than 170 projects involving oil production floaters and 35 floating liquefaction projects are in the planning stage. But oil company capital budgets are being trimmed to offset the downturn in revenue and investment decisions are being deferred until oil pricing rebounds…

3D at Depth Expands

Subsea laser LiDAR (SL) technology and 3D data visualization solutions specialist 3D at Depth said it has expanded several global office locations and launched a new portfolio of services designed to support cohesive workflow efficiencies for offshore oil field design through decommissioning. The new line includes: terrestrial dimensional control to support subsea data collection workflows; subsea tooling design solutions; remote sensing, and real-time LiDAR data collection.

O&G JIPs Target Seismic Imaging, Cyclone Forecasting

Global oil and gas companies have funded two joint industry projects (JIP) through the Industry Technology Facilitator (ITF), the details of which will be announced at the Technology Showcase conference and exhibition in Aberdeen Wednesday. The Fullwave Game Changer research project has been extended for a further phase with a consortium of 15 oil and gas operator and service companies working in collaboration with Imperial College London.

Inside the Subsea Cable Firm Secretly Helping America Take on China

On Feb. 10 last year, the cable ship CS Dependable appeared off the coast of the island of Diego Garcia, an Indian Ocean atoll that’s home to a discreet U.S. naval base.Over the next month, the ship’s crew covertly laid an underwater fiber-optic cable to the military base, an operation code-named “Big Wave,” according to four people with direct knowledge of the mission, as well as a Reuters analysis of satellite imagery and ship tracking data.The new super-fast internet link to Diego Garcia…

SRI Underwater Mass Spectrometer Integrated with Bluefin AUV

SRI International has successfully demonstrated unprecedented capabilities for conducting underwater chemical surveys with its in situ membrane introduction mass spectrometry (MIMS) device integrated into a Bluefin-12 autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) developed and manufactured by Bluefin Robotics. Advanced underwater surveys are in demand by researchers and companies involved in monitoring and protecting ocean resources and oil and gas infrastructure…

Modus unveils Saab Sabretooth for cost effective survey, inspection

Modus Seabed Intervention has successfully completed trialling one of the subsea industry’s first commercially available hybrid unmanned underwater vehicles. It will be one of the first autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs) to feature the capabilities and characteristics of a remotely operated vehicle (ROV). In partnership with Saab Dynamics, Modus has developed the Saab Sabretooth to offer greater endurance and speed…

What Falls Down Must Come Up Again: DARPA Place Contract

Sparton Corporation has been awarded a Phase 1 contract for the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) Upward Falling Payload (UFP) program. Sparton, under the UFP program, will design a system intended to live on the sea floor and release payloads. This enablement is thought to represent a game changing capability for mission commanders. The company say it is energized by the opportunity and eager for the collaboration to execute on the delivery system module…

UK Royal Navy Orders Crewless Submarine from MSubs

The UK Royal Navy has awarded a £15.4 million (currently around $18,8 million) contract for a crewless submarine to the Plymouth-based company MSubs. The submarine is expected to be delivered to the Navy in two years. The Navy expects the submarine to further advance the UK’s ability to protect our critical national infrastructure and monitor sub-sea activity."Project Cetus – named after a mythological sea monster – enhances the Royal Navy’s experimentation with autonomous underwater systems.

Subsea Infrastructure Power Looks at Renewables

Using renewable energy to power critical subsea infrastructure needs power management. It’s a capability Verlume will soon be proving off the Orkney Islands – and Hawaii.Integrating offshore renewables into offshore operations has become a major goal for oil and gas companies. A remote power supply could improve project economics for long step-outs, where they replace long power cables. Powering facilities…

How Will the Fukushima Water Release Impact the Pacific Ocean?

Japanese authorities are preparing to release treated radioactive wastewater into the Pacific Ocean, nearly 12 years after the Fukushima nuclear disaster. This will relieve pressure on more than 1,000 storage tanks, creating much-needed space for other vital remediation works. But the plan has attracted controversy.At first glance, releasing radioactive water into the ocean does sound like a terrible idea.

Scientists Find Rare Window Where Carbon Sinks Quickly Into the Deep Ocean

Looking out across the Southern Ocean near Antarctica, I can see whales and seabirds diving in and out of the water as they feed on sea life in the lower levels of the food web. At the base of this food web are tiny phytoplankton – algae that grow at the ocean surface, taking up carbon from the atmosphere through photosynthesis, just as plants on land do.Because of their small size, phytoplankton are at the mercy of the ocean’s swirling motions.

SHI, SKT Trial Autonomous Ship Using 5G

South Korean shipbuilder Samsung Heavy Industries (SHI) and compatriot telecommunications operator SK Telecom (SKT) have developed a 5G-based autonomous navigation platform that will allow ships to move to set destinations on their own.The trial was conducted using a 3.3m craft developed by SHI and equipped with 5G-based LiDAR, cloud-based IoT platform and T Live Caster, SK Telecom’s real-time video…

EdgeTech Announces Major Order from ECHO81

EdgeTech said it received a 'significant' order from ECHO81 for its 6205s2 Bathymetry Systems, 4205 & 4125 Side Scan Sonar Systems, 3400-OTS Sub-Bottom Profilers, and 2050-DSS combined Side Scan & Sub-Bottom deep tow systems. The order, valued at more than $2 million, will be available for direct purchases from ECHO81.CHO81 is EdgeTech's exclusive partner and distributor in the U.S. and Latin America for the 6205s2 and 3400 product lines.

Saab Receives Order for Life Extension of Swedish Mine Countermeasures Ships

Saab has signed an agreement with FMV on the life extension of two Koster-class mine countermeasures ships. The order value is SEK 350 million. The contract also includes options for FMV to order measures regarding the remaining three ships in the Koster-class. The total value of the options are SEK 270 million.The contract with FMV means that Saab will carry out life extensions of two Koster-class mine countermeasures ships.

MATS, A New Uncrewed Platform for Offshore Wind

Survey, positioning and data management firm UTEC, part of the Acteon Group, is targeting the offshore wind survey and inspection market with a new uncrewed surface vessel (USV).Torsten Marten, lead surveyor, UTEC, outlined the new design at the Marine Autonomous Technology Showcase (MATS), at the National Oceanography Center (NOC) in Southampton, UK, early November.It’s a 12m-long, “DP equivalent” catamaran design…

MTR 100: Hypack

HYPACK reportedly was the first  hydrographic surveying software in windows environment. It has become the standard package in the industry, and has all the tools needed to complete any job, with more than 8,000 users worldwide, and more than 25 years of experience. HYPACK, Inc. developed a Windows based software for the Hydrographic and Dredging Industry. Founded in 1984, HYPACK, Inc.(formerly Coastal Oceanographics…

Aker Wins Statoil Subsea Trees Contract

Aker Solutions to supply Statoil with subsea trees & control modules for the Visund Field on the Norwegian continental shelf. The contract is for the supply of five subsea trees and eleven control modules, and is valued at aproximately NOK 300-million. Visund is an oil and gas field located 22 kilometres north-east of the Gullfaks field in the Tampen area of the Norwegian North Sea. The field came on stream in the spring of 1999.

2025 Janus Review: USV Industry Trends

The 2025 Janus Review, which will be launched at the Sea, Air and Space Exhibition at National Harbor Maryland April 6-9, highlights key trends, addresses critical challenges, and showcases new applications and technologies that are shaping the USV sector. Significant technological gaps are limiting the widespread adoption and full autonomy of USVs, the report reveals.Published annually by Janus Marine and Defense…

Kawasaki Picks Sonardyne Tech for Its SPICE AUV

Japan's Kawasaki Heavy Industries has ordered from Sonardyne a suite of subsea navigation, positioning, and communications technologies to navigate, track and control its first commercial SPICE autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs).The SPICE  AUV, short for Subsea Precise Inspector with Close Eyes, features a submerged docking system and a unique robotic arm for non-destructive testing.It has been…