SUBSEA TECHNOLOGY: Underwater Acoustics Pick up the Tempo

Humans have always been intrigued by what we do not know, especially that which we can’t see. At the time of writing, NASA’s Perseverance rover, fondly nicknamed Percy, has safely landed on Mars and sent over its first images of its Jezero Crater landing site. Percy, among many other technological creations, demonstrates the curiosity and capacity of our exploratory efforts. While our achievements in outer space exploration pile up…

Norway: IMR to Use Kongsberg USVs, AUVs for Marine Ecosystem Monitoring

Norwegian maritime technology and equipment specialist Kongsberg Maritime will supply Norway’s Institute of Marine Research (IMR) with four autonomous vessels. The scope of supply includes two Kongsberg Maritime Sounder USVs (Unmanned Surface Vehicles) and two KONGSBERG AUVs (Autonomous Underwater Vehicles), which will form the practical basis of the institute’s long-term strategy to develop the monitoring and management of marine environments and resources.According to Kongsberg Maritime…

MacGregor's Gangways and Cranes for Edda Wind SOVs

Cargotec's MacGregor has secured orders to equip Edda Wind's new offshore wind service vessels, ordered from Spanish shipyards.Two of the equipment packages were awarded by the shipbuilder Astilleros Gondán in Asturias for Edda Wind's Commissioning Service Operation Vessels (CSOV), the first of which will enter into a firm charter period of 11 years starting Q1 2022.Each of these vessels will be equipped with a Horizon all-electric walk-to-work gangway…

Trelleborg Launches Advanced Sealing System for Offshore Wind Foundations

Trelleborg Marine and Infrastructure has launched advanced sealing system, IRIS, for Airtight Platforms (ATP), which has the potential to improve offshore wind foundation designs.The new seal eliminates the need for welded steel landing rings traditionally used in monopiles (MPs) and transition pieces (TPs), providing an effective solution to lower Levelized Cost of Energy (LCOE) for offshore wind projects…

Japan’s First Megawatt-Scale Tidal Energy Turbine Hits Water

Proteus Marine Renewables has deployed the AR1100 tidal turbine in Japan, which became the country's first ever megawatt-scale grid connected tidal energy system.Installed in the Naru Strait, the turbine will generate 1.1 MW of clean energy, accelerating the decarbonization of the Goto Islands' electricity supply and advancing Japan’s renewable energy transition.Building on the success of the AR500 pilot project in 2021…

New Nav Buoys for Port of Setúbal

Portuguese Port Authority of Setúbal and Sesimbra (APSS) have recently improved the marking of the central area in the North Channel in Setúbal with five navigation buoys and a marine sector light for Bela Vista windmill sightseeing point.

SRO Updates Stena Drilling's Rigs with IBM’s Maximo System

Offshore drilling contractor Stena Drilling has had its asset management software system on six offshore rigs replaced.The company hired UK-based tech firm SRO Solutions which, over the course of 14 months replaced its existing asset management system with IBM’s Maximo software. Six engineers from SRO carried out the work, and also delivered training on the rig fleet in the Canary Islands, Israel, Guyana…

Ace Oil Tools Introduces Ace Splice Clamp

The oil and gas technology company Ace Oil Tools has launched its new Ace Splice Clamp to the completions market.Allowing multiple lines to be spliced with a single clamp, the ASC is a ‘sub-less’ downhole product that protects the control lines during completion, the company said."Combining the functionality of a shrouded crimp clamp, for locking flatpacks, with a splice sub into one single product…

Offshore Wind – A Brief History

Happy 80th birthday Maritime Reporter & Engineering News! Eighty years is a significant publishing and business accomplishment!Birthdays always cause a look back. An 80-year review starts in 1939, the close of one very challenging decade, the start of events still reverberating today. History’s most important history is contained in the last 80 years.Energy dominated every one of those decades. Consider energy use, say, starting after World War II, from 1950 to 1975.

‘Hull Skate’ Your Way to Cleaner Hulls, Better Fuel Efficiency

When it come to ship efficiency and emission reduction, the next frontier is devising better means to keep hulls clean from biofouling in the five years between dry dockings. Finding best solutions on hull coating and cleaning is major point of focus among shipping majors globally.Last month in a feature interview in Maritime Reporter & Engineering News with Royal Caribbean Cruises (RCCL) Anshul Tuteja…

Flooded Member Detection Using ROVs

VideoRay, a global leader in inspection-class ROVs, has implemented the new ISFMD Flooded Member Detection (FMD) system manufactured by Impact Subsea, a UK-based subsea technology company specializing in high-performance sensors, as an available option for their Mission Specialist Defender series of Remotely Operated Vehicles (ROVs).The Mission Specialist Defender is a robust ROV designed for precise control of the vehicle position and orientation, heavier payloads, and demanding intervention.

DOLPHIN: Enabling Technology for Acoustic Systems

DOLPHIN Signal Processing TechnologyAcoustics enable many core undersea capabilities. Where radio waves do not propagate well, and light is absorbed quickly, acoustic signals help us map, see, locate and communicate. The many products and technologies that employ acoustics all depend upon signal processing, thus new processing approaches can impact many applications. QinetiQ North America (QNA) and…

Warm Oceans May Mean Major Coral Bleaching -NOAA

Warm ocean temperatures in the tropical Pacific and Indian Oceans could set the stage for major coral bleaching events across the globe in 2015, NOAA scientists warn. The warnings follow severe bleaching in 2014, and come with the release of the most recent outlook from NOAA’s Coral Reef Watch, a weekly product that forecasts the potential for coral bleaching up to four months in the future. “The new…

New Tech for Wind Blade Inspections

Drones and crawling robots outfitted with special scanning technology could help wind blades stay in service longer, which may help lower the cost of wind energy at a time when blades are getting bigger, pricier and harder to transport, Sandia National Laboratories researchers say.As part of the Department of Energy’s Blade Reliability Collaborative work, funded by the Wind Energy Technologies Office…

Kraken Enters R&D Partnership with NOAA

Kraken Robotics Inc. announced that its wholly owned subsidiary Kraken Robotic Systems Inc. has signed a Cooperative Research and Development Agreement (CRADA) with the Office of Ocean Exploration and Research (OER) of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).The data and information OER collect can be used to enhance ocean research, inform policy and management decisions, develop new lines of scientific inquiry…

New Mort Collector for Offshore Fish Farms

On behalf of its client De Maas SMC, Dutch subsea technology company Seatools completed a feasibility and conceptual design study on a Remotely Operated Mort Collector (ROMoC). The study resulted in a highly automated mort collection system capable of effectively collecting dead fish in large-scale offshore fish farms as currently developed by De Maas SMC. In addition to innovative large-scale fish farm concepts…

DPS Offshore is now Forum Subsea Rentals

Forum Energy Technologies, Inc. (NYSE: FET) recently announced the rebrand of its DPS Offshore product line to be known as Forum Subsea Rentals. With an extensive inventory of the most advanced subsea rental products, Forum Subsea Rentals is recognized as one of the global leaders within the industry. Supported by a dedicated team of experienced technicians and offshore engineers, Forum Subsea Rentals services both existing and new clients from key locations in Aberdeen…

Subsea Mining: The Next Big Thing for UUVs

In Europe, there are sure signs that underwater mining is the next big market for autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs), remotely operated vehicles (ROVs) and new “drones” called HROV, DART or TURTLE. Among the indicators is the involvement of mining companies, governments, rich subsea players and the Dutch dredging community. New vehicles are being developed from Hungary to Hawaii, although Portugal…

Saipem to Establish US Spool-base

Saipem announced on Monday it will establish a "highly specialized" spool-base on Greenwood Island, Pascagoula, Miss. designed to provide support for vessels performing pipelay activities for offshore oil and gas development projects in the Gulf of Mexico.The new spool-base will support the Saipem Constellation, the latest addition to the Saipem fleet, suitable for the installation of rigid and flexible pipes in ultra deep waters as well as for heavy lifts of up to 3…

iXblue Expanding in Australia

Navigation, positioning and imaging firm iXblue said it is expanding its local capabilities in Australia. In 2019, it will focus on developing the company’s local expertise in Inertial Navigation Systems for both defense and civil markets.“We have been present in Australia for over 10 years with a dedicated Brisbane-based team of highly qualified engineers, hydrographers, geophysicists, program managers and equipment sales staff,” said Fabien Napolitano, CEO of iXblue.