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.

euRathlon Marine Robot Competitions at CMRE

The NATO Center for Maritime Research and Experimentation (CMRE) has just concluded two intense weeks of student challenges with a multi-domain demonstration. After the Student Autonomous Underwater Vehicle Challenge - Europe (SAUC-E), hosted for the fifth year in a row in CMRE’s sheltered harbor, from September 20 to 26, the first euRathlon sea robotic competition was held in the same venue from September 29 to October 3.

Reducing the Costs of Port and Terminal Ops

The global economic outlook is uncertain; this uncertainty is leading to depressed investment worldwide, particularly in energy and mining activity. The international ports and terminals sector forms an important part of the infrastructure supporting these activities. As the sector is exposed to restraints on investment, the emphasis is on reducing in operating cost. HR Wallingford advises clients on how their activities interface with the water environment.

STR Expands Dredging Equipment Offering

Global specialists in the design, manufacture and rental of advanced subsea technology for the offshore energy industry Subsea Technology & Rentals Ltd (STR) has expanded its offering of dredging equipment following a partnership agreement with Aberdeen based Subsea Tooling Services (STS) to hire, service and support its range of subsea dredging systems held mobilization ready at STR offices. The Predator and Gremlin range of dredgers will become the latest offering from STR.

Oil Steadies Above $92 on Signs of Global Growth

Brent crude oil edged down but stayed above $92 a barrel on Monday after a week of sharp falls, as strong U.S. employment data and a rally in global stock markets pointed to stronger economic growth and higher demand for fuel. Brent fell nearly 5 percent last week, its steepest decline since April 2013, as a strong U.S. dollar, weak demand and ample supply weighed on prices. "It is no surprise to see the price stabilising after the massive sell-offs last week…

UTEC Comes up Big Offshore

Offshore and onshore survey provider UTEC Survey says it has completed a significant ROV navigation and seismic node positioning project in deepwater Gulf of Mexico. The project, carried out for seismic nodal technology company FairfieldNodal and undertaken in 2,425 meters of water, involved use of the latest software and navigation technologies available to simplify operations, increase cost savings on an original scope of work…

Curtiss-Wright Winch Systems for US Navy Sonar

Curtiss-Wright’s Defense Solutions division has been selected by Raytheon Integrated Defense Systems to provide its winch system technology for use in a new Variable Depth Sonar (VDS) for the U.S. Navy Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) class. Raytheon recently announced that it had been awarded a contract by the U.S. Navy to develop the VDS, a mission-critical anti-submarine warfare asset that will be deployed from the LCS to locate and track submarines.

OceanServer Wins US Naval Undersea Warfare Center AUV Contract

OceanServer Technology son a contract for one Iver3 AUV by the US Naval Undersea Warfare Center (NUWC)  in Newport, RI, a system that will include several Iver3 options just released including the Rowe Technologies, Inc. (RTI) SeaPILOT 600 kHz Doppler Velocity Log with ADCP. RTI’s SeaPILOT family of Doppler Velocity Logs (DVLs) represents some of the industry’s newest and state-of-the-art acoustic Doppler technology.

WASSP Debuts F3 Widescan Sounder

New Zealand based manufacturer of Multi-beam technology WASSP Ltd has introduced its second product for 2016, and the fifth in three years: the WideScan Sounder F3. The F3 Widescan Sounder is the latest addition targeting the coastal fishing market. With the success of WASSP sales in the higher end commercial fishing fleet, WASSP Ltd said it recognized the need for a more cost effective and compact solution for the coastal fishing fleet.

New Technology Measures Tidal Speeds

The Fundy Ocean Research Center for Energy (FORCE), in partnership with Nortek Scientific, announced the construction of the world’s first instrument to provide high-resolution, real time measurements of turbulent water flow at turbine hub height, called the Vectron. The Vectron is able to capture highly accurate measurements of turbulence at a specific height above the sea over long periods of time, beneficial to understanding turbine performance.

Another Milestone for RRS Sir David Attenborough Build

Rolls-Royce is marking another milestone on the journey toward the completion of Britain’s new polar research vessel the RRS Sir David Attenborough being built by Merseyside shipyard Cammell Laird. The last of the vessel’s Bergen B33:45 engines/gensets have been craned into the ship’s hull at Cammell Laird ready to be connected to the RRS Sir David Attenborough’s Rolls-Royce propulsion system. The nine cylinder engines are carefully installed in three separate pieces.

Advanced Polymer Coatings, Reactive Services Ink JV Agreement

Advanced Polymer Coatings, based here, and Reactive Surfaces, Ltd., based in Austin, Texas, have signed a Letter of Intent to combine their technologies in a joint venture to develop exterior marine coatings functionalized with bio-based additives for submersed hull surfaces and stationary structures. Advanced Polymer Coatings is well-known for its premier polymer-based tank coating/lining system, MarineLine® used to protect maritime chemical and product tankers.

Sonardyne Awarded Contract from Magseis

Sonardyne International Ltd., UK said it has secured a contract from Magseis to supply seabed node acoustic positioning technology to support an expansion in the Norwegian seismic services company’s deep water survey activities. The equipment ordered includes a large quantity of Sonardyne’s newly developed SST 6 (Small Seismic Transponder 6), and associated vessel-based acoustic positioning system, Ranger 2 USBL (Ultra-Short BaseLine).

KEP Releases New HD Video Management Systems

Kessler-Ellis Products (KEP), a manufacturer of type approved displays, computers and peripherals, announced the release of its two new high definition video management systems, the HD-SDI (High Definition Serial Digital Interface) Professional and the HD Sport Cam. Able to record in high definition 1080p resolution at up to 60 frames per second, the new KEP cameras are IP68 waterproof rated– submersible to two meters for one hour.