Echo Voyager: New Frontiers in Unmanned Technology

Subsea technology has begun to change the way we explore, manage and defend the marine environment. Fleets of unmanned vehicles will create sensor networks above and below the ocean’s surface and the ever-involving capabilities of these systems promise a future of robotic workforces completing dozens of complex tasks in challenging and dynamic marine environments. This will be especially vital in undersea…

California Task Force Will Examine Offshore Renewables

Planning is underway for establishing an Intergovernmental Renewable Energy Task Force between the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) and the State of California to examine development opportunities for offshore renewable energy along the Golden State. California Governor Jerry Brown requested formation of the task force in a May 12 letter to Interior Secretary Sally Jewell. The announcement…

Aker Solutions Wins Order at Zohr Offshore Gas Field

Aker Solutions won a contract to deliver its longest-ever umbilicals system at the Zohr offshore gas field in the Egyptian part of the Mediterranean Sea. The agreement with Petrobel in Egypt is worth more than NOK 1 billion and will be booked in the second quarter. It stipulates the delivery of 180 kilometers of steel tube umbilicals that will connect the Zohr subsea development to an offshore control platform.

Underwater Laser Scanner Aids 3D Mobile Mapping

Subsea technology company Sonardyne International Ltd. recently mapped the seabed in Monterey Bay, Calif. using 2G Robotics’ underwater laser scanning equipment. This high-resolution deepwater dynamic mapping of Sur Ridge was performed using 2G Robotics’ ULS-500 underwater laser scanner mounted to a remotely operated underwater vehicle (ROV). For the survey, the ROV was equipped and navigated using Sonardyne’s inertial navigation sensor SPRINT interfaced with a Syrinx 600 kHz DVL…

Gavia Delivers AUVs to the Turkish Air Force

Provider of low logistic Autonomous Underwater Vehicles (AUVs) Teledyne Gavia has recently delivered two Gavia AUVs to the Turkish Air Force through a contract with the Turkish government support and procurement company Savunma Teknolojileri Muhendislik Ve Ticaret A.Ş (STM). The 1,000m rated Gavia AUVs will be utilized for search and recovery applications and will provide the Turkish Air Force with deep water, rapid response capability from a man portable AUV system.

Noble Energy Contract for Schlumberger

Schlumberger today announced the award by Noble Energy of an engineering and supply contract for a two-thousand-ton single-lift process module to be installed on the Leviathan Platform in the Eastern Mediterranean. The scope of the contract includes pretreatment, salt removal and regeneration of monoethylene glycol (MEG) for reinjection in the subsea flowlines for hydrate inhibition. The Schlumberger…

Atlantic Canada Profiles: Rutter

The world of onboard navigation systems is always changing, and as such, existence of convenient user-interfaces and powerful navigation capabilities are in constant evolution. Contributing to this evolution is Rutter Inc., which in the first quarter of 2017 is releasing an update to its flagship radar system, the sigma S6 Ice Navigator, adding Advanced Ice Analysis to the system. In addition, Rutter will release the new sigma S6 Ice Defense system…

Innova Selects Sonardyne INS, DVL for Resident ROVs

Norwegian subsea engineering and technology company Innova AS has selected acoustic and inertial navigation technology from Sonardyne International Ltd. for two new in-field resident remotely operated vehicles (ROV) being built in the country. Each ROV will be installed with a co-housed Sonardyne SPRINT Inertial Navigation System (INS) and Syrinx Doppler Velocity Log (DVL) to provide tightly coupled…

ECA Group Introduces New Inspection-Class ROV

ECA Group’s new remotely operated vehicle (ROV) H300-V launched in February 2017 is dedicated to observation and inspection missions in harsh environments. A new release of the ECA Group H300 ROV series, the H300-V is positioned between the H300 MK2 and H800 vehicles to meet the demands associated with operating in harsh environments, the manufacturer said. According to Philippe Roumegue, ECA Group Sales Director – Robotics Department – ROVs…

Sonar Systems Help Search Teams, Scientists and Salvors

A variety of sonar systems are now being used by law enforcement and public safety dive teams, universities and salvage companies for recovery operations, subsea surveys and marine research. Sonars produce almost photographic images of the underwater environment regardless of water clarity. Side scan sonar can sweep several hundred feet of ocean, lake, or river bottom in one pass of the boat allowing large areas to be searched or surveyed quickly.

Facebook, Google among Builders of New Transpacific Cable

Undersea communications technology company TE SubCom has partnered up with Facebook, Google and Pacific Light Data Communication Co. Ltd. (PLDC) to co-build a 12,800 km transpacific submarine cable system that will provide the first direct undersea route between Hong Kong and Los Angeles with ultra-high capacity transmission. Scheduled for commercial launch in summer of 2018, the Pacific Light Cable…

Makai Offers Advanced Course for Cable Lay Operators

Makai Ocean Engineering is now offering an advanced cable laying course for operators who have managed real cable installations at-sea using MakaiLay. In addition to filling any knowledge gaps that operators might have in basic lay operations, this MakaiLay Level-II training course focuses on more advanced scenarios that might arise at-sea. This course produces graduates who are better equipped to install subsea cable accurately…

Proserv and SapuraKencana Join Forces in Asia Pacific

Proserv and SapuraKencana Petroleum Berhad’s wholly-owned subsidiary, SapuraKencana Technology Sdn Bhd (SK Technology) are joining forces to provide enhanced technology services to clients in Asia Pacific. The companies will jointly provide a range of services across the drilling, production and decommissioning market sectors with a strong focus on subsea production and subsea maintenance services.

Preview: OI North America 2017 San Diego

The first edition of Oceanology International North America (OINA), established from the well-known OI event in London, will make an impact within the ocean science and technology industries in San Diego, Calif. in February 2017. OINA is set to capture the full extent of the marine and ocean technology industries in North America. The event is the newest addition to the Oceanology International portfolio…

AquaPix MINSAS integrated onboard ATLAS SeaCat AUV

Kraken Sonar Inc. wholly-owned subsidiary, Kraken Sonar Systems Inc., has been awarded a contract valued at over C$425,000 ($336,600) by ATLAS ELEKTRONIK Canada to supply and integrate its AquaPix Miniature Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Sonar and Real-Time SAS Signal Processor on the Atlas SeaCat autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV). Delivery is expected in September 2017. AquaPix is designed for operation on AUVs and towed platforms.

BMT Debuts VENARI-85 MCM Concept Design

BMT has launched VENARI-85, a new mine countermeasure (MCM) concept design said it be capable of clearing mines faster over a greater area and with less risk to the crew, while simultaneously providing broader utility to navies around the world. According to BMT, VENARI-85 offers a flexible platform that is capable of a spectrum of roles which is future-proofed and able to evolve as technology advances in the unmanned and offboard systems markets take shape.

Curtiss-Wright Winch Systems for US Navy Sonar

Curtiss-Wright’s Defense Solutions division has been selected by Raytheon Integrated Defense Systems to provide its winch system technology for use in a new Variable Depth Sonar (VDS) for the U.S. Navy Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) class. Raytheon recently announced that it had been awarded a contract by the U.S. Navy to develop the VDS, a mission-critical anti-submarine warfare asset that will be deployed from the LCS to locate and track submarines.

Seaweed: Fuel of the Future?

Scientists envision a future where fuel made from seaweed grown at large-scale offshore farms will be used to provide green power for homes and vehicles. Now with help from U.S. Department of Energy’s Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E) funding, researchers are working toward making that scenario a reality. Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) received $5.7 million from ARPA-E's…

NSRI: Project Director Sought

The National Subsea Research Initiative (NSRI) says it is recruiting a director to drive market-led research and technology development in the subsea industry. The subsea focused technology research arm of Subsea UK is seeking to replace current project director, Dr. Gordon Drummond, who is returning to Subsea 7 following his three year secondment to NSRI. NSRI facilitates and coordinates research and development activities within the U.K.’s subsea sector.

'Roomba' in the Arctic

The pace and quality of oil spill research in the United States typically ebbs and flows as a function of two, if not three important variables. First, after the 1989 Exxon Valdez grounding, there was a flurry of activity to ramp up oil spill research because it had been dormant for so long. The need was recognized, with plenty of money made available. Primarily, this research centered on conventional spill remediation techniques – for example, a tanker or barge spilling oil – and not much else.