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.

OceanGate Developing Manned Submersible With University of Washington

OceanGate Inc., (OGI) a global provider of deepsea manned submersible solutions, has announced a collaboration with the University of Washington’s Applied Physics Lab (APL-UW) on Project Cyclops, a new 3,000-meter manned submersible which will usher in a new era of increased access to the deep ocean for commercial exploration and research ventures. Scheduled to debut in 2015, Cyclops will allow up to five engineers…

MEOPAR, Irving Shipbuilding Support Ocean Research

The Marine Environmental Observation Prediction and Response (MEOPAR) network and Irving Shipbuilding Inc. have partnered to award $1.8 million in support of nine new ocean research projects that align with MEOPAR’s aim to strengthen Canada’s ability to anticipate and respond to marine risk. “Irving Shipbuilding’s $1 million contribution in support of progressive, coast-to-coast-to-coast marine research highlights the importance of effective industry and academic partnerships…

General Dynamics Mission Systems Acquires Bluefin Robotics

PRESS RELEASE: General Dynamics Mission Systems has acquired Bluefin Robotics, a manufacturer of unmanned undersea vehicles (UUVs) that perform a wide range of missions for the U.S. military and commercial customers. “Bluefin’s advanced underwater technologies and products are perfectly aligned with our expertise in undersea system integration,” said Chris Marzilli, president of General Dynamics Mission Systems.

Kongsberg Contracted for New Seismic Vessel

Kongsberg Evotec AS, a Kongsberg Maritime company, will provide the complete back deck solution for handling of up to 20 streamers simultaneously aboard a GC Rieber owned new-build seismic exploration vessel, awarded by builder Kleven. The ST324XT designed by Skipsteknisk in Ålesund, will be built at Kleven’s shipyard Myklebust Verft in Sande, Norway, and will be operated by Dolphin Geophysical from Bergen.

KATFISH Completes Phase One Sea Trials

Kraken Sonar Inc. said it has successfully completed phase one sea trials of its KATFISH towed Synthetic Aperture Sonar system. Karl Kenny, Kraken’s President and CEO, said, “These are exciting times in the underwater robotics industry. Customers are starting to fully understand the cost and risk mitigation benefits of unmanned systems. Both military and commercial markets are showing encouraging growth…

C-MAR DP Training in Brazil

The modern offshore maritime industry relies on a variety of DP vessels, from OSVs to Drillships and tankers, almost all vessels serving the oil and gas industry need to be DP capable in order to safely operate offshore. The growth experienced in Brazil due to the uncorking of huge deepwater pre-salt plays has caused a steady demand for new ships, rigs and vessels, maritime officers and DP operators in the country.

Army, Navy and Air Force Gather at Saab Seaeye

Officers from an international group representing the army, navy and air force gathered at Saab Seaeye in Fareham, Hampshire, where all 40 officers and defense staff were participants in the premier Advanced Command and Staff Course held at HMS Collingwood. The visit to Saab Seaeye was integral to the course and gave delegates a chance to consider the opportunities and technology available from a global defense company.

Long Beach Police Choose HYPACK Marine Search

HYPACK has sold its HYPACK Marine Search to the Long Beach, Calif. Police Department, to be integrated with the department’s existing Edgetech 4125, Kongsberg MS 1000 and Diver 6 equipment. HYPACK said its Marine Search is a simplified and user-friendly software package suited for police/fire/marine departments. The package is designed to enhance search operations by improving efficiency and safety of divers through better real time navigation information and reduced time spent on the water.

Exocetus Selects Greensea for Navigation and Control

Another Greensea system is entering the market – this time with the versatile, long duration, Exocetus Coastal Glider. Greensea is providing its commercially available navigation, control and automation product based on the patent-pending OPENSEA operating platform – the first operating platform for the marine industry – for the command and control of the Exocetus vehicle and sensors. The Exocetus AUV carries more payload and is faster than competing gliders, according to the manufacturer.

Rolls-Royce Delivers Far Sleipner

Rolls-Royce would like to congratulate Farstad Shipping ASA for their recently named highly advanced subsea and construction vessel Far Sleipner. The event also marks the first delivery of a vessel equipped with the latest generation dynamic positioning system DP3 from Rolls-Royce. Designed and built by Vard (Vard 3 07), the vessel is equipped with Rolls-Royce bridge controls, DP3, engines and propulsion.

Irving Shipbuilding Invests in Ocean Technology Programs

Irving Shipbuilding Inc. said it has made a multimillion dollar investment to support marine innovation and commercialization in Nova Scotia and across Canada. The shipbuilder is investing $4.52 million in the newly established Centre for Ocean Ventures and Entrepreneurship (COVE), an ocean innovation centre to be located on the waterfront in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia. The investment over the next five years represents the largest private sector contribution COVE has received to date.

Adventure Under Ice

Louis Whitcomb makes it possible for remote controlled underwater robotic vehicles to explore the most extreme environments on earth—including the icy depths of the arctic. Out in the middle of of the Arctic Ocean, a German icebreaker, Polarstern, punches its way slowly through arctic sea ice to a spot just a few hundred miles shy of the North Pole. Polarstern is no mere icebreaker, however: It is a floating scientific laboratory.

Naval Aviation History in the Making Aboard CVN 77

Unmanned aircraft accomplishes first ever ‘touch-and -go’ aboard aircraft carrier CVN 77. The Navy's X-47B Unmanned Combat Air System Demonstrator (UCAS-D) has begun touch-and-go landing operations aboard the aircraft carrier USS George H.W. Bush following on board launching. For UCAS-D, this represents the most significant technology maturation of the program. Ship relative navigation and precision…

MHI Delivers "Jinryu" Japan's 7th Soryu-Class Submarine

Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd. (MHI) delivered the "Jinryu" submarine to the Japanese Ministry of Defense (MOD) today in a ceremony held at the MHI Kobe Shipyard & Machinery Works' No.3 pier in Kobe, Hyogo Prefecture. The Jinryu is the seventh Soryu-class submarine supplied to the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF), and the fourth built by MHI. MHI also built the first Soryu-class submarine, and has produced a total of 26 submarines at the MHI Kobe Shipyard over the last 70 years.

Sonardyne Debuts Syrinx Doppler Velocity Log

Sonardyne International Ltd. has introduced its first Doppler Velocity Log (DVL), Syrinx. Developed to meet the needs of surface and subsea vehicles that require high integrity, high performance navigation aiding over a wide range of water depths and seabed types, the new Syrinx DVL will make its worldwide debut at the Ocean Business exhibition in Southampton, April 14-16. The introduction of Syrinx…

Newfoundland and Labrador: Sensing Success

Newfoundland and Labrador (NL) is home to a number of companies at the cutting edge of remote sensing technology. From mature, established organizations to specialty start-ups, the province is increasingly excelling in this high technology category. Rutter Inc. has spent more than 20 years developing a proprietary suite of radar technologies including its Sigma S6 system, which has helped it lay claim as the largest supplier of ice radar systems in the world.

STR Invests in Multibeam Sonar System

Subsea Technology and Rentals (STR), a multidisciplinary technology expert specializing in the design, production and rental of innovative marine survey equipment, announced the delivery of the first ever deep water rated, Titanium housed NORBIT iWBMS wideband multibeam sonar system. The curved array wideband multibeam sonar will be employed by STR customers for wide swath bathymetric survey operations from surface vessels…

US Navy Tests UUV for Mine-hunting Operations

The General Dynamics Mission Systems Knifefish team completed a comprehensive evaluation of Knifefish, an autonomous surface mine countermeasure (SMCM) unmanned undersea vehicle (UUV). In coordination with the U.S. Navy, the test events took place off the coast of Boston using submerged Navy mine test targets. The evaluation represents a significant milestone in the Knifefish program and demonstrates the UUV’s capability to detect and classify potential mines…

Bellingham Named Director of WHOI Robotics Center

The Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) has appointed James Bellingham as the first director of its Center for Marine Robotics. Bellingham will come to WHOI in early fall 2014 from the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute (MBARI), where he was director of engineering and most recently chief technologist. Bellingham earned his PhD from Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where he was founder and manager of the Autonomous Underwater Vehicle Laboratory.