AUV Project Boosts Endurance, Navigation Capabilities

A two-year project has delivered a step-change in unmanned platform endurance and navigational precision.The £1.4 million ($1.8 million) Precise Positioning for Persistent Autonomous Underwater Vehicles (P3AUV) project, led by subsea technology specialist Sonardyne International Ltd., with partners the National Oceanography Center (NOC) and L3Harris, and part funded by Innovate UK, has set new standards…

Digital Generation to Enhance O&G Production, Safety

BP poll shows delegates at SPE Intelligent Energy International 2013 believe the digital generation will enable emerging technologies to optimize production and enhance safety management. Oil and gas industry professionals believe that the digital generation will enable emerging technologies to optimize production and enhance safety management, according to a poll conducted today at the SPE Intelligent Energy International 2013 exhibition in Dubai.

Kongsberg Awarded Several New Asian Projects

Kongsberg Maritime was recently awarded separate contracts with three major shipyards in Asia for major technology deliveries to specialist offshore vessels. Samsung Heavy Industries (SHI) and Hyundai Heavy Industries (HHI) in Korea, and Cosco Shipyard in China have each selected Kongsberg “Full Picture” solutions for, in total, nine advanced Offshore Drilling Units, an Accommodation Unit, a Multipurpose Construction Vessel and four LNG vessels with Integrated Automation Systems.

Kraken Debuts AquaPix MINSAS

Kraken Sonar Systems Inc. announced the development of AquaPix MINSAS, a next generation Miniature Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Sonar designed for operation to depths of 3,000m. The system integrates the latest electronics, transducer arrays and signal processing software and is optimized for the demanding size, weight, power and cost constraints of Autonomous Underwater Vehicles (AUV), Unmanned Surface Vehicles (USV) and high speed towfish platforms.

US Navy Opens Warfighting Development Center

Naval officers and midshipmen gathered at Naval Base San Diego (NBSD) to celebrate the establishment of the Naval Surface and Mine Warfighting Development Center (SMWDC) June 9. The pep rally style ceremony, led by Vice Adm. Thomas Rowden, commander, Naval Surface Forces, introduced the new advanced tactics and training command to those gathered on the waterfront at Pier 2. "I've been waiting 33 years for this day; what a great day this is for our surface warfare community," said Rowden.

Schlumberger Launches Industry-first GoM Survey

Schlumberger expanded its Gulf of Mexico multiclient wide-azimuth seismic data portfolio by launching a new survey in the Campeche Basin. The acquisition of the industry’s first multiclient wide-azimuth survey offshore Mexico will cover 80,000 sq km using two fleets of WesternGeco vessels, including Amazon Class, the world’s first purpose-designed 3D seismic vessels. “Building on our experience in the U.S.

Teledyne RD Instruments Extends DVL Line

Teledyne RD Instruments, a manufacturer of acoustic doppler products, announced the launch of two new doppler velocity Log (DVL) product lines to round-out the company’s expanding underwater navigation capabilities. Building on the company’s industry standard Workhorse Navigator and Explorer line of DVLs, the Pathfinder and Pioneer products represent the latest in its next generation technology. The Pathfinder DVL utilizes a piston head transducer…

TGS Signs LOI for Seabird Exploration Seismic Vessel Charters

Norway-based TGS informs that it has signed a Letter of Intent with Seabird Exploration to charter up to four 2D seismic vessels to be used over the next 36 months. The Letter of Intent gives TGS priority rights to the vessels subject to the issuance of seismic acquisition permits for the offshore waters of Mexico. In December 2013, Mexico's Congress gave final approval to a historic energy reform…

OiA '19 & GEBCO Seabed 2030

Seabed 2030 quickfire presentation and panel discussion to feature among highlights as Oceanology International conference and exhibition celebrates its half-century in San DiegoOcean scientists engaged in the field of bathymetry might feel it is incumbent upon them to issue a dutiful smile when someone asks if they’ve managed to ‘get to the bottom’ of their current project. Nevertheless, this trite utterance contains an unwittingly painful and pertinent observation.

Farsounder Recommends Propspeed FoulFree for Sonar Transducers

Propspeed, an innovator of underwater foul-release coatings, received an endorsement from FarSounder, a pioneer in navigation and obstacle avoidance systems, which has tested the Propspeed Foulfree foul-release coating and recommends it for application by their customers, dealers and partner shipyards.“Our unique, patented technology is designed to paint a clear picture of what lies ahead underwater and along the bottom,” said Cheryl Zimmerman, CEO, FarSounder.

Prysmian Group Wins MidEast Submarine Cable Contract

Prysmian Group entered into a Limited Notice to Proceed (LNTP) for the supply of power cables in the context of a landmark  HVDC submarine cable project in the Middle East, worth around $252m. The LNTP was awarded to Prysmian by Samsung C&T as part of its EPC consortium with Jan De Nul Group. The new link, part of the strategic HVDC transmission system for the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC) Abu Dhabi National Energy Company PJSC (TAQA) Lightning Project…

FUSION-LINK™ Implementation On Humminbird Ion And ONIX Series

FUSION®, a worldwide leader in marine entertainment, announced today its FUSION-Link™ entertainment protocol is now supported by the Humminbird ION and ONIX series. Providing the ability to control audio capabilities and functions of the FUSION 700 and 205 Series Marine Entertainment System directly from ION and ONIX multifunction displays, FUSION-Link™ makes it easy for Humminbird owners to enjoy their onboard audio and video entertainment.

ASL Builds Custom Instrument for Hydrothermal Vent Flow

ASL Environmental Sciences Inc. has been awarded a $500,000 contract by the University of Georgia to build a reciprocal transmission acoustic scintillation instrument to measure the flow dynamics of a hydrothermal vent plume for a research project led by Dr. Daniela Di Iorio of the Department of Marine Sciences. The instrument will be installed at the Ocean Networks Canada NEPTUNE cabled observatory at the Endeavour hydrothermal vent site…

Bogazici Of Turkey Deliver Amapola 1

BOGAZICI A.S. of Turkey have recently delivered Amapola 1, the first Robert Allan Ltd. designed RAstar 3000 tug, to International Offshore Engineering and Development Company, Panama for PDVSA of Venezuela. This new design rounds out the RAstar family of Terminal / Escort tugs, which to date encompasses lengths from 27m to 39m and bollard pulls of up 120 tonnes. The RAstar Class are a series of well-proven…

Ingalls Authenticates Keel of Amphibious Assault Ship

Huntington Ingalls Industries authenticated the keel today for the future multipurpose amphibious assault ship USS Tripoli (LHA 7). The warship is under construction at the company's Ingalls Shipbuilding division and was officially authenticated by its sponsor, Lynne Mabus, wife of U.S. Navy Secretary Ray Mabus, and Steve Senk, an HII employee who was awarded the Silver Star for his actions to save the second USS Tripoli (LPH 10) after the ship struck a mine during Operation Desert Storm.

Leidos Constructing AUV Anti-Submarine Warfare Tracker

National security, health & engineering solutions company, Leidos, says it has under construction an autonomous unmanned vessel designed to track quiet diesel-electric submarines spanning miles of ocean depths for months at a time with minimal human input, and due for testing at sea in 2015. Construction on the ACTUV (Autonomous Continuous Trail Unmanned Vessel) is under a Defense Advanced Research Project Agency (DARPA) program for the design…

Island Performer Equipped for Deep-Sea Subsea Work

The Ulstein Verft subsea newbuild, Island Performer, was delivered today to shipowner Island Offshore. The flexible, state-of-the-art RLWI/IMR vessel will serve her first five years for FTO in the Gulf of Mexico. “The vessel is customized to suit the scope of work in the FTO contract, in which RLWI (Riser-less Light Well Intervention) and IMR (Inspection/Maintenance/Repair) are the main tasks. She is able to perform operations at depths down to 3…

CGG Kicks off OBN Survey in US Gulf

CGG announced Tuesday it has commenced its first multi-client ocean bottom node (OBN) survey.Located in the north-central region of the Gulf of Mexico, this dense OBN survey will provide well-sampled, full azimuthal coverage with long offsets, to deliver exceptional data for imaging the geologically complex structures in Mississippi Canyon, the company said.According to Seabed Geosolutions, a joint venture between CGG and Fugro…

Mocean Energy Starts Tank Testing Models for 250kW Wave Energy Machine

Mocean Energy has started tank testing models of its 250kW Blue Horizon wave energy machine as part of the EU-funded EuropeWave program.The Edinburgh-based wave power company is of seven technology developers awarded contracts for phase 1 of the €20 million R&D scheme, which will ultimately see three prototype technologies tested at the European Marine Energy Centre (EMEC) in Orkney and the Biscay…

US Kicks Off Unmanned & AI Systems Integration Event in Bahrain

U.S. 5th Fleet began a three-week unmanned and artificial intelligence integration event in Bahrain, Nov. 23, that will involve employing new platforms in the region for the first time.The event, called Digital Horizon, will advance the command’s efforts to integrate new unmanned technologies while establishing the world’s first unmanned surface vessel fleet by end of next summer. U.S. 5th Fleet’s efforts are focused on improving what U.S.