d’ROP Bibby’ Hydromap’s Custom-built ROV

Self-dubbed a ‘revolution in coastal ROV survey,’ Bibby HydroMap unveiled its d’ROP system onboard its new survey vessel, Bibby Athena, a the National Oceanographic Center in Southampton, UK. MTR spoke with Andrew McLeay, Managing Director of Bibby HydroMap, for details. In an industry where innovation is common, Bibby HydroMap’s d’ROP system truly stood out at an active Ocean Business last month in Southampton.

Making Seaweed More Useful: ABB Control Technology

Using ABB’s control system technologies for an advanced, 24 hour chemical process, FMC Biopolymer converts seaweed to alginate for use in thousands of products. ABB has supplied process automation, motors and drives to FMC Biopolymer for more than 20 years. To further develop the process control system capabilities, the company has chosen to upgrade their main automation system from ABB's Advant to ABB's award winning Extended Automation System 800xA.

Research Vessels Construction Progressing as Scheduled

Seattle-based Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering company Guido Perla & Associates, Inc. (GPA) reports that construction of the AGOR 27 R/V Neil Armstrong is progressing according to plan at Dakota Creek Industries (DCI) in Anacortes, Wash. A major milestone was achieved recently with the completion of the hull assembly after the stern block was set, followed by the installation of the pilot house.

RRS Sir David Attenborough: Construction Progressing

Cammell Laird shipyard informs it has reached the nine-month milestone in its project to build the U.K.’s new polar research ship the RRS Sir David Attenborough. The Merseyside-based engineering services giant beat off competition from around the world to be appointed to build the £15 0million vessel. The ship, which is the biggest commercial shipbuilding project in Britain for 30 years, has been commissioned by the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC)…

Cambla: Soft Solutions for Hard Problems

As uncertainty around the fluctuating oil price remains, the industry must continue to evolve. It is more important now than ever that companies search for effective and innovative methods to streamline their processes, in order to adapt to the challenging climate. For those willing to develop technological advancements to meet the needs of the industry, there is still an abundance of opportunities available.

MTR 100: Teledyne Marine Acoustic Imaging Group

Which companies are included in your group? Site an example of your group collaboration. Teledyne RESON, BlueView and Odom Hydrographic are part of the Teledyne Marine Acoustic Imaging Group (TMAIG). With more than 35 years of experience, the group develops some of the world’s most sophisticated sonar technology and offers one of the strongest collective product portfolio in the market for subsea acoustic imaging and Multibeam Echosounder solutions.

EvoLogics Modems Connect AUV Fleet

In late July 2013, partners of the Marine Robotic System of Self-Organizing, Logically Linked Physical Nodes (MORPH) European Project concluded five-day sea trials in Toulon (FR), having integrated several AUVs (Autonomous Underwater Vehicles) and ASVs (Autonomous Surface Vehicles) into a coordinated multi-node MORPH system using EvoLogics underwater acoustic communication devices. The MORPH project was launched in February 2012 under coordination of Atlas Elektronik GmbH (DE).

MORPH Robots Tested in France

During the week from July 22-27, 2013 tomorrow’s underwater robots were tested at the European  center of Underwater Technologies, located at Ifremer, the French Research Institute for Exploitation of the Sea, located near Toulon, in Southern France. The tests were carried out by research engineers in the scope of a four-year-research-program named MORPH (Marine Robotic System of Self-Organizing, Logically Linked Physical Nodes).

U.S. Navy Purchases Six New Iver AUVs

OceanServer Technology announced it received purchase orders for six new Iver AUVs across three different contracts.The vehicles will be utilized by four different Navy directorates for a variety of defense related applications. All six systems have or will be delivered within the next few months. The Iver platform has gained strong acceptance from Navy customers around the globe for high resolution imaging in littoral waters.

Manned Submersible Divers to Study Sharks in the Bahamas

A yearlong expedition in the Bahamas has been planned to assess sharks and sea life hidden in the deep ocean. Beginning in October 2017, an exploration team aboard a manned submersible will aim to uncover new details on deep sea sharks and the variety of species that inhabit the waters off the Great Bahama Bank continental shelf. OceanGate Expeditions – a team undersea explorers, scientists, and filmmakers…

Standard Missile Shows Versatility with “Juliet” Flight Test

The Navy executed a successful flight test of the surface-to-air Standard Missile-6 (SM-6) at White Sands Missile Range Aug. 14. During flight test “Juliet,” the Navy examined the missile's ability to intercept a subsonic, low- altitude target over land. Juliet is one of 10 follow-on operational test and evaluation (FOT&E) events planned for SM-6's missile performance and demonstration. "This event…

Ocean Bottom Cable Installation: SAIC Choose Makai

SAIC has purchased two MakaiLay Seismic licenses and one MakaiPlan Pro Seismic license for use in their seismic oil and gas exploration projects. (SAIC owns and operates modularized cable engines and cable installation equipment together with  certified MakaiLay operators to install submarine cables worldwide. SAIC often leases vessels of opportunity in the project region with which they deploy the Ocean Bottom Cables (OBCs) or node arrays).

BIRNS Grows Its Sales Team

Manufacturer of ISO 9001:2008, NAVSEA PRO-020-certifed lighting and connector systems BIRNS, Inc. has expanded its sales team with the appointments of Alan Whitebook and Jenny Ong. As sales Applications Engineer, Whitebook will be responsible for the active sale of the company’s advanced deep submergence connectors and cable assemblies (electrical, coaxial, optical, electro-optical and electro-opto-mechanical) to worldwide users, comprising a combination of new prospects and existing customers.

Falcon ROV Helps Japan Harness Offshore Wind

After Japan’s 50 nuclear reactors closed following the Fukushima disaster, wind is now seen as an important alternative energy source. But in a crowded and mountainous country the search for sites must go offshore, with floating turbines the main option in the deep waters off the rugged coastline. It is at the southernmost tip of Japan that the Ministry of the Environment is trialing a turbine to determine the viability of floating wind turbines…

Big Data, 3D Printing and Robots

Commandant of the Marine Corps (CMC) Gen. Robert B. Neller recently visited the Office of Naval Research (ONR) to get a close-up look at some of the latest technologies being developed for the U.S. Marine Corps—from autonomous systems to virtual reality training devices. During his visit, Neller met with Chief of Naval Research Rear Adm. Mat Winter, as well as department heads and program officers, and expressed his appreciation for the science and technology being designed for the future force.

Kraken Sonar Systems Inc.

50 Harbor Drive, St. No. Kraken is a marine technology company engaged in the design and development of high performance sonars and acoustic sensors for military and commercial applications. It is leading developers of Synthetic Aperture Sonar (SAS), a sonar technology for ultra-high resolution seabed imaging. SAS uses sophisticated signal processing of successive acoustic pings to form an image with much higher resolution than conventional sonars.

ASB and TRDI to Co-host ADCPs in Action Event in India

For over a decade, Teledyne RD Instruments (TRDI) has hosted its ADCPs in Action (AiA) Users’ Conference through its U.S. and French offices. Due to popular demand, in 2012, Teledyne RDI began to co-host these events in cooperation with their global representatives, successfully bringing this event to customers in key regions such as Australia, India, China and Europe. On September 23-25, 2014, Teledyne…

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.

Compact Bathymetry Sonar: NORBIT Choose NovAtel® SPAN®

NovAtel announce at the Oceanology International (Oi) China expo, that NORBIT has selected their Synchronized Position Attitude Navigation (SPAN) product for integration into the new NORBIT iWBMS Compact Bathymetry Sonar. They say that this combination of technologies produces integrated bathymetry solutions that are easy to operate and deliver previously unattainable miniaturization of the form factor.

Science and Surveillance Blend for Polar Exploration

Surveillance and science aren’t a typical combination but for British Antarctic Survey, it’s a perfect pairing for polar exploration. British Antarctic Survey (BAS) is one of the world's leading environmental research bodies and is responsible for the U.K.'s scientific activities in Antarctica. Its specially designed research ships are among the most advanced in their field, which is why choosing the right technology to protect them is paramount.