Kraken Gets $3m Funding for ThunderFish XL Development

Kraken Robotics will receive a $2,909,891 non-refundable financial contribution from the National Research Council of Canada’s Industrial Research Assistance Program (NRC-IRAP). The funding will be received over a 26-month project period and will be used to support the development of Kraken’s seabed resident ThunderFish XL Autonomous Underwater Vehicle (TFXL AUV).Building from the previous development efforts of the ThunderFish Alpha AUV…

Sercel Launches DFU-3C Node, Extending WiNG Range

Sercel has launched the WiNG DFU-3C, a three-component version of its field-proven WiNG land seismic nodal solution. The WiNG DFU-3C supports a growing need for high-end seismic applications for the energy and mineral E&P sectors.The new integrated three-component node acquires the most comprehensive and high-definition data for outstanding imaging, characterization and monitoring of the subsurface.

Dive Technologies, Metron Partner Up

Boston-based subsea robotics firm Dive Technologies has entered a commercial partnership with Metron, Inc. "This partnership will directly support the commercialization of Metron’s Autonomy, Navigation, Command & Control (ANCC) software suite on Dive Technologies’ large displacement autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV), the DIVE-LD. Initial sea testing of the DIVE-LD with ANCC software was completed in December 2020…

French Tidal Energy Project Clears another Hurdle

EU competition regulators approved on Thursday French support for an EDF-operated tidal energy project, saying the scheme was in line with the bloc's energy and climate goals.The Normandie Hydro plant, located at Raz Blanchard on the English channel and to be developed by OpenHydro, will be made up of seven turbines with a power generation capacity of 14 megawatts.French authorities will provide operating and investment aid, part of which will be repayable advances that will be reimbursed if the

New Esri Ocean Industry Manager: Drew Stephens

Drew Stephens to lead Esri's Geographic Information Systems (GIS) for Ocean and Coastal Environments Industry. Esri has hired Drew Stephens to expand the market for GIS within the ocean industry. Esri, the world leader in GIS, has accelerated the development of its ocean technologies via the Esri Ocean GIS Initiative. As Esri's industry manager for ocean and coastal environments , Stephens will play a key role in this effort through his diverse background and GIS experience.

Ocean Power Technologies Launches Hybrid PowerBuoy

Ocean Power Technologies, an ocean energy technology developer, has expanded its offering with the latest product called the hybrid PowerBuoy.The hybrid PowerBuoy is a buoy that offers remote power for subsea and topside applications, data communications, and a nominal 1.5-megawatt-hours of energy storage. While OPT is known for its moored floating buoys - such as OPT PB3 PowerBuoy - that harvest and store wave energy…

Vineyard Wind to Miss Startup Target Over Permit Delay

Vineyard Wind, the developer of the first major U.S. offshore wind farm, said on Tuesday it will miss its target to start sending power to Massachusetts by 2022 due to lengthy federal permitting delays.The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, part of the U.S. Department of Interior, posted a revised permitting timeline on its website on Tuesday that said it will issue a final decision on the project by Dec.

Keel-Laying for NOAA's Discoverer at Thoma-Sea

NOAA, the U.S. Navy and Thoma-Sea Marine Constructors (TMC), LLC., recently held a keel-laying ceremony today in Houma, La., for Discoverer, a new oceanographic research vessel being built for NOAA.The keel-laying ceremony marks the beginning of a ship’s construction. Second Gentleman Douglas C. Emhoff was named the ship’s sponsor. In keeping with maritime tradition, the initials of the ship’s sponsor…

Olis Robotics Partners with Aleron Subsea

Olis Robotics announced a new agreement with the Aleron Subsea. Aleron will lead sales, distribution and support of Olis Robotics machine-learning ROV manipulator controllers.The Olis Master Controller is providing value for ROV inspection, repair and maintenance (IRM) global market operators. The controller’s intuitive interface, ease of integration and straightforward training make the product a requirement  for new ROVs and ROV upgrade and sustainment kits.

Canada Invests Over $3.9 million to Support the Great Lakes

Today, Terry Duguid, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Environment and Climate Change, announced an investment of more than $3.9 million over three years in 39 new projects in Ontario through the Great Lakes Protection Initiative, part of the Government of Canada's Freshwater Action Plan.The announcement includes $98,000 over two years to the Niagara Peninsula Conservation Authority to conduct…

Ultrabeam, USS team up to deliver Autonomous Pipeline Survey

Ultrabeam Hydrographic teamed up with Unmanned Survey Solutions (USS) to conduct a pair of subsea gas pipeline inspection surveys in Northern Ireland. Both companies are based in the UK and offer unmanned platforms as an alternative to traditional manned survey vessels. The contract was awarded by Mutual Energy, which wanted experience on how unmanned autonomous platforms can increase the knowledge…

OFG, EMGS Enter Cooperation Agreement

Ocean Floor Geophysics Inc (OFG) and Electromagnetic Geoservices ASA (EMGS) signed a cooperation agreement under which the two companies agree to work together on various projects to promote the use of marine CSEM technology.The agreement places specific emphasis on exploiting the obvious synergies between the state-of-the-art towed-streamer CSEM system from OFG (under its exclusive right to acquire the PGS EM technology) and the industry-leading sea-bottom CSEM/MT nodal system from EMGS.

New Survey Vessel Delivered to USACE Portland Distric

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ Portland District officially welcomed its newest hydrographic survey vessel, the Beeman, with a dedication and christening ceremony in Newport, Ore., on January 11.The Beeman, whose name honors the legacy of Ogden Beeman, chief of the Portland District’s Waterways Navigation Branch from 1960-1967, replaces and continues the work of the district’s aging vessel, the Patterson…

Fleet Xpress Chosen for Nekton Project

Inmarsat’s Fleet Xpress has been chosen to provide the connectivity backbone enabling images captured by the deep ocean research institute, Nekton from the floor of the Indian Ocean to be transmitted to audiences worldwide.The Nekton Institute is an independent, not-for-profit research institute working in collaboration with the University of Oxford. It aims to accelerate the scientific exploration…

iXblue, ThayerMahan in Unmanned Surface Vessel Pact

ThayerMahan, a company specializing in autonomous maritime security solutions has partnered up with iXblue, a company specializing in navigation, acoustic positioning, and underwater imaging.The two companies are teaming up to provide unmanned maritime and survey services using iXblue’s DriX Unmanned Surface Vehicle (USV) in North America as well as internationally.In a statement on Monday, the companies said that ThayerMahan’s expertise in maritime domain awareness…

NOAA’s Cloud and Data Strategies to Unleash Emerging Science and Technologies

NOAA’s new Cloud and Data strategies aim to unlock the full utility and potential of the agency’s massive and diverse data. They will also be key to its efforts to dramatically expand emerging science and technology that will drive innovation and guide transformative advancements in NOAA’s science, products and services.Both strategies, released this week, have their own broad application across the…

Atlantic Canada’s First Instream Tidal Energy Set for Delivery in Early 2022

Sustainable Marine is set to demonstrate that Nova Scotia can produce vast amounts of clean and predictable energy from its world-famous tidal streams, after completing construction of its substation at Grand Passage.“We are on target to connect the platform to the substation in the first quarter of next year,” said company CEO Jason Hayman while attending the annual Marine Renewables Canada conference in Halifax this week.

Ocean Infinity Names Braun Chief Information Officer

Marine robotics company Ocean Infinity has appointed DebraAnn Braun as Chief Information Officer (CIO) based in the company’s headquarters in Austin, Texas. Braun is responsible for leading the digital aspects of the business including delivery of high-quality data to clients in the most efficient and technologically advanced ways possible.A data and technology expert, DebraAnn has previously led many…

Odyssey Marine Exploration Welcomes New Executive Order for Deep Sea Mining

Odyssey Marine Exploration, Inc. is pleased to see the issuance of a new Executive Order titled Unleashing America’s Offshore Critical Minerals and Resources. In addition, the company confirms that it currently has no specific plans to issue any securities under its universal shelf registration statement on Form S-3, which has been declared effective by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and provides Odyssey with the flexibility to access the capital markets in a timely manner.

$2.6 Million Awarded to Advance US Offshore Wind Innovation

The National Offshore Wind Research and Development Consortium (NOWRDC)has made available $2.6 million for a group of projects aiming to advance technological innovation that will drive down costs of offshore wind development in the U.S.The Consortium, established by the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) and U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) in 2018, this week announced…