NASA to Further Develop Titan Submarine Design

Step forward the Titan Submarine, a proposal that NASA has just awarded a second round of funding through their Innovative Advanced Concepts (NIAC) program. It is very much just a concept at the moment, but it is promising nonetheless. Aside from Earth, Titan is the only place in the solar system that has bodies of liquid on its surface, making it a rather attractive place to explore. But while a number of proposals have been put forward to take a closer look, none have come to fruition.

Pipeline Damage Assessment Tool Launched

Tecnitas, the marine advisory arm of leading international classification and verification group Bureau Veritas (BV), has launched a new technology simulation system for pipeline damage assessment, in collaboration with Total. This system, EMPREINTE, helps pipeline operators to determine safe operating pressures after a pipeline is damaged. It is a software suite which provides a decision making tool which, according to BV, aims to save operators money and cut downtime for pipeline repairs.

Latest DMS-500 Sensor Range Launched at Oceanology

A new addition to the Teledyne TSS range of DMS-500 motion sensors is being launched at the Oceanology International exhibition in London March 13-15. The DMS-500 range is being developed specifically to meet the needs of users who require a top-quality motion sensor with Ethernet connectivity, but do not require the subsea-rated housings that typify Teledyne TSS products. The result is a complete…

OI London Issues Final Call for Speakers

Marine science and ocean technology event Oceanology International 2018 has issued a public call for abstracts by September 15, 2017 for the opportunity of inclusion in its technical conference program line-up of speakers. Technologists, scientists, engineers and experts in their field are invited to submit a 300-word proposal on a variety of topical specialist subjects which reflect the conference’s…

Kraken Develops AquaPix MINSAS

Kraken Sonar Systems Inc. announced the development of AquaPix MINSAS - a next generation Miniature Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Sonar designed for operation to depths of 3,000 meters. The system integrates the latest electronics, transducer arrays and signal processing software and is optimized for the demanding size, weight, power and cost constraints of Autonomous Underwater Vehicles (AUV), Unmanned Surface Vehicles (USV) and high speed towfish platforms.

Manned Submersible Built to Explore Titanic Shipwreck

The titanium and carbon fiber wound pressure vessel for a new deep sea manned submersibles has been constructed in preparation for the first human exploration of the Titanic shipwreck since 2005. Once completed Cyclops 2 will be the latest addition to the fleet of OceanGate, Inc., capable of reaching more than 50 percent of the ocean to increase human exploration of the undersea world. “Construction of Cyclops 2 is a significant step in advancing human exploration of the ocean.

TGS Continue GofM Seismic 3D Survey

TGS says it is continuing its Explorer Series seismic acquisition program in the deepwater U.S. Gulf of Mexico. Panfilo 3D will add 11,500 km2 to TGS' multi-client library in the Lund and Henderson Central Gulf of Mexico protraction areas. Acquisition will commence in Q4 2014 with the M/V Polarcus Adira towing ten kilometer streamers to image regional stratigraphy and deep basin structures. Data will be available in late 2015. This project is supported by industry funding.

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…

Teledyne Acquires CDL

Teledyne Technologies Incorporated announced that its subsidiary, Teledyne Limited, has acquired C.D. Limited (CDL). Headquartered in Aberdeen, Scotland, CDL is a supplier of subsea inertial navigation systems and motion sensors for a variety of marine applications. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed. CDL designs and manufactures a variety of sensors including gyrocompasses, attitude and heading reference systems, and inertial navigation systems.

MakaiLay Suite for Cable Layers

Makai Ocean Engineering, Inc. said it continues to address issues experienced by the subsea power cable industry by enhancing submarine cable lay software, MakaiLay, and its desktop simulation sister product, MakaiPlan Pro. 1. Cable Top Angle. MakaiLay now has the option to use the cable departure angle, or “Top Angle”, which can be measured at the over-boarding point. When high quality measurements of top tension are not available…

Almarin Launches Balizamar Mooring Buoys

Following on from the design of Balizamar navigation buoys, Almarin has launched the new range of mooring buoys used for mooring of vessels, as well as for containment booms and supporting floating cages used in aquaculture. The new mooring buoys are manufactured with a galvanized steel structure with a safe working load (SWL) of 12,000kg and a foam filled rotomoulded polyethylene hull. There are four available hulls with standard diameters of 1…

DeepSea Improves SeaLite Sphere LED Light

The SeaLite Sphere has evolved to offer field-serviceable connector replacement for a quick and easy repair in the field. The ability to change the connector without any special tools or the need to send the light back to the manufacturer has reduced downtime to a matter of minutes, saving users time and money. The SeaLite Sphere advances beyond other LED lights by separating the connector from other internal electronic components to avoid downtime and costly repairs due to connector failures.

TE to Showcase New Wet-mate Connector

TE Connectivity (TE) said it will display a selection of products from its underwater portfolio at its SEACON booth at Offshore Europe in Aberdeen, September 5-8, 2017. Among its many connector systems, TE will specifically feature the new HydraElectric wet-mate connector. TE’s SEACON portfolio includes more than 2,500 underwater electrical and fiber optic connectors for complete submerged connectivity systems.

General Dynamics to Christen U.S. Navy Submarine

General Dynamics Electric Boat, a wholly owned subsidiary of General Dynamics, will christen North Dakota (SSN-784), the U.S. Navy’s newest and most advanced nuclear-attack submarine, at its shipyard here on Saturday, Nov. 2, at 11 a.m. Katie Fowler, wife of retired Vice Adm. Jeff Fowler, is the ship’s sponsor. The event’s principal speaker is Vice Adm. Michael J. Connor, commander – Submarine Forces. The submarine North Dakota is the 11th ship of the Virginia class, the first U.S.

IOOS Awards $31 Mln for Ocean Observation

More than $31 million has been awarded in grants from the U.S. Integrated Ocean Observing System (IOOS) to support ocean, coastal and Great Lakes observing efforts throughout the United States, Caribbean and Pacific. IOOS said the funds, which are to be distributed primarily as five-year cooperative agreements, are augmented by contributions from other federal offices and agencies, as well as outside…

Kongsberg Awarded Several New Asian Projects

Kongsberg Maritime was recently awarded separate contracts with three major shipyards in Asia for major technology deliveries to specialist offshore vessels. Samsung Heavy Industries (SHI) and Hyundai Heavy Industries (HHI) in Korea, and Cosco Shipyard in China have each selected Kongsberg “Full Picture” solutions for, in total, nine advanced Offshore Drilling Units, an Accommodation Unit, a Multipurpose Construction Vessel and four LNG vessels with Integrated Automation Systems.

Leak Detection Methods for Subsea Pipelines

According to the U.K.’s Health and Safety Executive’s (HSE) Offshore Division (OSD), almost 400 offshore hydrocarbon releases had been reported between April 2010 and April 2013, around 45% of which were classified as major or significant incidences. Regardless of their size, subsea leakages are a foremost concern for the industry. This issue extends beyond the considerable costs of product loss and repairs, but considers human injuries as well as significant environmental impacts.

Norvestor to Become PG’s Largest Shareholder

Norvestor VI, L.P., a fund advised by Norvestor Equity AS, announced it has signed an agreement to invest in Ing Per Gjerdrum AS including its subsidiaries PG Hydraulics AS and PG Construction AS. The transaction is expected to close end of October 2014, subject to customary approval from the Norwegian Competition Authorities. Following the acquisition, Norvestor will become the largest shareholder in PG with about 63 % of the shares…

DeepOcean Working with New Teledyne TSS Cable Trackers

A recent investment by DeepOcean in four pipe/cable tracking systems from Teledyne TSS is now bearing fruit with the company putting them to work on a number of different subsea projects. DeepOcean took delivery of two TSS 440 and two TSS 350 systems at the start of the summer season and has been using them regularly since then. The four systems are occupying an essential role in DeepOcean’s high technology equipment inventory.

TGS Start Offshore Madagascar 2D Seismic Surveys

Norway-based TGS, in partnership with BGP, has commenced acquisition of 2D seismic, gravity and magnetic multi-client surveys offshore Madagascar utilizing the 'M/V Challenger'. The surveys, MAJ-13 and MS-14, will add 7,025 km of new 2D seismic data to extend and infill the existing 33,315 km of 2D data acquired by TGS in the region. Data processing will be performed by TGS using its proven Clari-Fi(TM) broadband processing technology. Final data will be available to clients from Q3 2014.