CCG's New Offshore Oceanographic Science Vessel Begins Sea Trials

CCGS Naalak Nappaaluk, the Canadian Coast Guard’s (CCG) new Offshore Oceanographic Science Vessel (OOSV), began sea trials this week in North Vancouver, sailing from Seaspan Vancouver Shipyards where final outfitting, installation, and commissioning work has been taking place since the vessel’s launch in August 2024.CCGS Naalak Nappaaluk is a Polar Class 6 vessel, with a displacement of 5,058t, and is 88 meters long…

$100 Million Boost for NOAA’s High-Performance Computing: Introducing Rhea

The Department of Commerce and NOAA have announced a major upgrade to NOAA's computing capabilities with a $100 million grant from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and Inflation Reduction Act. This funding will be used to acquire Rhea, NOAA’s latest high-performance computer (HPC) system, enhancing research across weather, climate, ocean, and ecosystem prediction.What is Rhea?Rhea represents a significant leap in computing power for NOAA.

HUGIN Endurance AUV Smashes Records in Multi-week Fully Autonomous Mission

Kongsberg Discovery is reporting a major achievement in the field of autonomous underwater technology with its latest milestone for the HUGIN Endurance. The company has successfully completed a multi-week autonomous mission, setting new records and showcasing the advanced capabilities of their 8-ton, 40-foot autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV).During the mission, HUGIN Endurance operated without human intervention or external navigation aids for the entire duration.

VLSFO Oil Spill Remnants Haunt Mauritius Mangroves Three Years Later

Three years after bulk carrier MV Wakashio ran aground on a coral reef off Mauritius, spilling 1000 tons of a new type of marine fuel oil, Curtin University-led research has confirmed the oil is still present in an environmentally sensitive mangrove forest close to Ramsar conservation sites.Lead researcher Dr. Alan Scarlett, from Curtin’s WA Organic and Isotope Geochemistry Center in the School of Earth and Planetary Sciences…

Motus Technology to Deliver Cranes for NOAA’s Research Vessels

Norwegian crane specialist Motus Technology has secured a contract to provide its cranes and handling equipment for National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)’s Class B research vessels.Working in collaboration with Kongsberg Maritime, Motus’ new contract follows the equipment supply deal for NOAA’s Class A vessels in 2021.Motus will provide its CTD (Telescopic Deploy and Retrieval Arm)…

URI Research Seeks to Learn About Deep Sea Organisms

Building upon previous research, University of Rhode Island Professor of Ocean Engineering and Oceanography Brennan Phillips and a multidisciplinary team of scientists will use cutting-edge technology to learn new information about fragile deep-sea organisms and possibly discover new species.The team will receive $2.2 million over three years from the Ocean Shot Research Grant Program, an initiative…

HII Launches Virginia-class Submarine Arkansas

HII announced that Virginia-class submarine Arkansas (SSN 800) was recently launched into the James River at the company’s Newport News Shipbuilding (NNS) division.Shipbuilders transferred the submarine from a construction facility to the floating dry dock, where it was launched and moved by tugboats to a submarine pier at the shipyard for final outfitting, testing and crew certification.The ship’s sponsors are the six women of the historic group known as the Little Rock Nine…

Submarine Group Two Commander Visits NUWC Newport

Rear Adm. Melvin R. Smith, commander of Submarine Group Two, visited the Naval Undersea Warfare Center (NUWC) Division Newport on Dec. 11, delivering a message of gratitude to the workforce during the command’s holiday cookie party before receiving a series of briefings on emerging undersea technologies.Smith oversees the U.S. Navy’s Undersea Hybrid Fleet Executive Steering Group — a group focused…

Kraken Robotics Appoints New Executives

Kraken Robotics has appointed Kim Butler, CPA, ICD.D, to its Board of Directors and hired of Bernard Mills as Executive Vice President, Defence.Butler brings more than 35 years of executive experience in financial, operational, and governance roles with Canadian and multinational organizations, both publicly traded and private. She has served as a board member and Chair of Audit and Special Committees for leading companies in technology…

Ocean Infinity Takes Delivery of Final Armada Fleet Vessel

Ocean Infinity has reached a significant milestone with the delivery of the final vessel in its 14-vessel Armada fleet, featuring advanced underwater robotic systems capable of a wide range of data collection tasks.Over the past five years, Ocean Infinity has built and deployed a fleet of cutting-edge lean crewed vessels unlike anything the industry has seen before.This latest delivery completes the 86-meter class of Armada ships…

Saipem Gets DNV Certification for Offshore Asset Lifecycle Management

Saipem has obtained ISO 55001:2024 certification, the international standard for asset lifecycle management, marking a significant milestone in its journey towards operational excellence and offshore sustainability.The certification, issued by DNV, confirms Saipem’s Asset Management system compliance with the most advanced requirements, covering all operational phases - design, procurement, installation…

Satellites Help NOC Track Tidal Change for Safer Port Operations

Scientists at the UK’s National Oceanography Centre (NOC) in Liverpool have used satellite data to create insight into the Mersey River that will help port operators be smarter about managing complex navigation channels. Through a project focused on Liverpool’s famous river and funded by the UK Space Agency, NOC’s scientists showed that changes in areas exposed at low tide can be mapped from space.The project…

Deep Trekker Leads $8M AI ROV Ship Modeling and Detection Project

Deep Trekker announced its participation in the AI ROV Ship Modeling and Detection Project, introduced September 12, 2024 at the ALL IN Conference.This initiative, in collaboration with Canada’s Ocean Supercluster (OSC), Qii.AI, The Department of National Defence, Kongsberg Discovery Canada Limited, and ABS Global Canada, harnesses cutting-edge Remotely Operated Vehicle (ROV) technology integrated…

Saipem’s Castorone Vessel on Its Way to Türkiye’s Largest Gas Field

Saipem’s pipelay vessel Castorone has crossed the Bosphorus Strait in Türkiye, continuing its journey toward the Black Sea for a pipeline installation job as part of the second phase of the Sakarya project for Turkish Petroleum - Offshore Technology Center (TP – OTC).In the early hours of December 26, the vessel crossed the Dardanelles Strait, covering a distance of 36 nautical miles in approximately six hours.In the afternoon, it continued its journey through the Sea of Marmara.

The Impact of Artificial Intelligence on Submarine Networks

Submarine communication cables – almost 560 of them deployed to date – crisscross our oceans, interconnecting continents and carrying over 99% of intercontinental data traffic. This article looks at how the emergence of artificial intelligence (AI) will affect these cables in terms of traffic demand as well as in terms of how we design and operate the key equipment that feeds data into these cables.AI…

Acteon’s Rocksteady Tension Tool Selected by InnovateUK

Acteon’s Rocksteady Tension Tool (RSTT) has been selected by InnovateUK iX, a UK program designed to fast-track knowledge transfer and accelerate innovation. The RSTT is a reusable in-line winch and connection system designed to enable mid-line hookup of mooring lines at final tension to optimize the hook-up and disconnection processes between mooring systems and floating offshore wind turbines.The…

Schlumberger to Acquire Coiled Tubing Drilling Units

Schlumberger has announced  it has entered into an agreement to acquire the coiled tubing drilling and coiled tubing units from Xtreme Drilling and Coil Services Corp. (TSX:XDC), a Calgary-based provider of international land drilling and coiled tubing drilling services. Xtreme currently owns a fleet of 11 coiled tubing units located in Saudi Arabia and the United States. The transaction is subject to customary closing conditions and is expected to close in the third quarter.

Seabed Geosolutions Wins Brazil Survey Work

Fugro said its joint venture with CGG has secured a contract from Petrobras for a 3D ocean bottom node (OBN) survey in the Brazilian Santos Basin. The seven month contract awarded to the survey firms’ joint venture Seabed Geosolutions is valued at around $90 million and is scheduled to commence at the end of the fourth quarter of 2017 or early 2018, Fugro said. According to Seabed Geosolutions CEO…

Spread of GE Tech Ordered for DSV Newbuild

Shanghai Salvage Bureau’s (SSB) new ship is purpose-designed for a range of roles including deep-water salvage operations, deep-water pipelay and construction as well as a saturation diving capability for up to 24 divers in two bells. Recently, GE’s Marine Solutions has been chosen by SSB, one of the largest rescue and salvage companies in the world, to provide a suite of marine technologies including power and propulsion equipment…

Bourque Joins Sea Machines

Following a recent capital investment and the growing global interest from the marine sector, Sea Machines Robotics said it has been expanding its crew and is poised for further growth, expecting to deliver first generation systems to marine customers this summer. Over the past two months, Sea Machines has added multiple new members to its experienced team of engineers, scientists and mariners. Among the new hires is Phil Bourque, the company’s new director of business development.