Wave Glider – Ocean Monitoring in Motion

The Wave Glider is a remote control ocean robot, which uses wave motion as propulsion. As an autonomous marine vehicle, the Wave Glider is capable of conducting detailed meteorological and oceanographic surveys across large distances and under the most extreme wind and sea conditions. Since its inception, the Wave Glider has seen the roles it is capable of undertaking greatly expanded, with the Wave Glider becoming a key Metocean measurement asset for research institutes…

Kraken Announced Executive Appointments

Kraken Sonar Inc. announced it has recruited two industry veterans to further develop its sensors-to-systems strategy. Joining the company is Dr. Tom Tureaud, who brings 30 years of industry experience with expertise that resulted in 12 patents, and Gina Miller, adding 10 years of unmanned underwater vehicle (UUV) system engineering and leadership to Kraken’s design team. “We view these appointments as a sign of our commitment to being a leading company in our industry…

Nexans’ New Cable-Layer under Construction

Nexans said construction has started on its new cable-laying vessel for submarine HV cable systems installation. The vessel is being built by Croatia-based shipyard ULJANIK Group and is expected to be delivered and start operations by Q3 2020. The high capacity vessel is designed for worldwide installation of large volumes of HVDC and HVAC cable systems, covering the complete Nexans submarine product range, and has a 10 000-ton capacity turntable.

CMS-Geotech Launches New Monitoring System

Vibrocoring is an established fundamental phase of marine seabed investigations, but it’s importance is often underestimated, and much vibrocoring is carried out somewhat blindly, ie lowering the unit to the seabed, vibrating for a set time and recovering to the surface in the hope that an adequate sample has been obtained. CMS-Geotech Ltd. is a U.K. leader specializing in vibrocoring and CPT site investigation…

NOAA Backs Marine Debris Removal/Research

Nearly $2.2 million in fiscal year 2017 funding through the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Marine Debris Program will support 15 new marine debris removal and research projects. Four groups received a total of $935,156 for research to advance understanding of how microplastics interact with seafood species. Projects awarded through this grant competition will improve our understanding…

Swathe Services Named Distributor for AUV-S

Houston-based Advanced Undersea Vehicles and Systems (AUV-S) LLC has appointed Swathe Services as exclusive sales distributor for the U.K. and Europe. AUV-S combines up-to-the-minute technology and state-of-the-art engineering to provide the offshore industry with safe and reliable autonomous products including the highly versatile Multipurpose Unmanned Surface Vessel (MUSV). David Medeiros, CEO of AUV-S, chose Swathe Services to boost the company’s U.K. and European market presence.

Shell, Petrobras Expand Deep Water Partnership

Two of the world’s largest energy companies, Royal Dutch Shell and Petrobras, signed last week in The Hague, Netherlands, a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to establish a long-term mutual collaboration in developing pre-salt fields in Brazil. Shell said the partnership will allow it to benefit from technical solutions, contract management expertise and cost efficient initiatives Petrobras applies to Brazil’s pre and post-salt projects.

General Dynamics Bags $ 50 mi Submarine Contracts

General Dynamics Advanced Information Systems, a business unit of General Dynamics was awarded two contract modifications totaling $50 million to continue supporting the AN/BYG-1 combat control system aboard U.S. Navy and Royal Australian Navy submarines, as part of the AN/BYG-1 modernization program for the tactical control systems (TCS) and weapons control systems (WCS). General Dynamics is delivering enhanced capabilities across multiple submarine platforms…

One-on-One with SMAST’s Steven E. Lohrenz

MTR had the opportunity to visit with many colleagues at the recent Oceans2013 MTS/IEEE San Diego conference. Among them was Steve Lohrenz, Dean of  the School for Marine Science and Technology at the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth. Steve was there to chair the session on Marine Education and Outreach and to promote the new Professional Science Master’s in Coastal and Ocean Administration, Science and Technology. Steve explained the program in more detail to MTR.

Unlocking Seabed Secrets with Underwater Robots

From September 22 to October 13, 2014, the NATO Research Vessel Alliance is conducting the Multinational AutoNomy Experiment (MANEX ‘14) along the Ligurian coast to demonstrate the advantages of mapping the seabed using autonomous vehicles. Throughout the experiment, multiple autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs) equipped with modern sensors relevant to NATO minehunting missions are being employed…

Repnaval Inks Two-year Contract with Otech

The Zamakona Yards group’s Repnaval shipyards SA recently signed an exclusive agreement with Norwegian company Otech Marine Services to provide service support divers in the drydocking of vessels. This agreement, with duration of two years renewable, will assist specialized divers of the company that operates with the highest standards of safety and quality in work, also having the most modern and advanced equipment in the market, the company said.

Canada Installs Radar to Detect Tsunamis

Ocean Networks Canada—an initiative of the University of Victoria—together with ASL Environmental Sciences Inc. of Victoria BC, Northern Radar Inc. of St. John’s, Newfoundland and Helzel Messtechnik GmbH of Germany, announced the installation of a WERA NorthernRadar system that will detect near-field tsunamis. The WERA system was installed at the Tofino Airport so that tsunamis generated off the west coast of Vancouver Island can be measured.

Teledyne RD Instruments Supplies DVLs for LAUV

Teledyne RD Instruments, a developer of Doppler current profiling and navigation innovations, has supplied Portugal-based underwater vehicle systems designer and manufacturer OceanScan-MST with five Explorer Doppler velocity logs (DVLs). The Explorer DVLs have been integrated on OceanScan-MST’s flagship product, the light autonomous underwater vehicle system (LAUV), which is a one-man portable AUV that can be easily launched, operated and recovered with minimal setup.

Brazil Committee Votes to End Exclusive Petrobras Subsalt Rights

A bill that would allow companies other than state-led Petrobras to run new oil and gas projects in Brazil's prolific subsalt region advanced on Thursday when a committee of the lower house of Congress voted to recommend it in hopes of reviving stalled petroleum investment. The bill, already passed by Brazil's Senate, will now move to the full lower house in Brasilia for a vote expected as early as next week.

Hamburg Port Dredging Delayed

"We respect the decision announced today by the Federal Administrative Court (FAC) in Leipzig on the deepening and widening of the navigation channel on the Lower and Outer Elbe. A final decision can only be taken when the European Court of Justice (ECJ) has clarified questions still outstanding on the so-called prohibition of deterioration and desirability of improvement embodied in the European Water Framework Directive.

Case Study: High Accuracy Survey under Bridges

The vessel Spreegrund, property of WSA Berlin, has been equipped by MBT, part of MacArtney group, with state-of- the-art equipment including the Apogee-E, the highest accuracy inertial navigation system from SBG. One of the main goals was to obtain very good results when surveying under bridges. The catamaran survey vessel named Spreegrund serves as survey vessel on German lakes, adjacent canals and rivers (Berlin, Brandenburg, Eberswalde and Lauenburg).

Students to Pilot Pioneering Falcon ROV

America’s very first Bachelor of Science in Maritime Technology program, offered by Northwestern Michigan College, is to get a special Falcon ROV. In what the college says is a pioneering new capability, the Falcon will be fitted with an advanced sonar system that will help students study ROVs as a multicomponent resource used across a range of subsea activities. The aim of the BSc program is for students to become proficient in applied technology for the marine industry onshore and offshore.

New Map Exposes Previously Unseen Details of Seafloor

Accessing two previously untapped streams of satellite data, scientists at Scripps Institution of Oceanography at UC San Diego and their colleagues have created a new map of the world’s seafloor, creating a much more vivid picture of the structures that make up the deepest, least-explored parts of the ocean. Thousands of previously uncharted mountains rising from the seafloor and new clues about the formation of the continents have emerged through the new map…

GE Technology to Power Massive Crane Vessel

A recent partnership between Sembcorp Marine and GE aims realize one of the most challenging offshore projects in recent times for Heerema’s new Semi-Submersible Crane Vessel (SSCV) Sleipnir, which at 220 meters long and 102 meters wide, will be the world’s largest crane vessel. Equipped with two cranes, each boasting a lifting capacity of 10,000 tons, Sleipnir will be used for offshore construction and heavy lifting.

MacArtney AHC Winches for Canyon Offshore ROV Vessels

Canyon Offshore Inc., the marine contracting unit of Helix Energy Solutions, has opted for a MERMAC electric winch solution to empower the safe and efficient handling of ROV systems on board the latest two additions to the Grand Canyon family of advanced offshore support vessels. MacArtney has supplied a total of four winch systems, all featuring active heave compensation (AHC) allowing Canyon to launch, operate and recover their ROVs under rough sea conditions.