High-tech Sensors Advance Tsunami Monitoring

Accurate and long-term measurements of sea level, tidal harmonics and tsunami activity are a growing requirement to address global coastal developments and risk mitigation programs. Real-time tsunami monitoring and warning systems are being developed to save lives, model wave propagation and quantify coastal hazards.The Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies (DIAS) has recently taken delivery of five…

Aker Solutions to Supply Umbilicals for Liuhua FPSO

Aker Solutions said it has been contracted to deliver power umbilical systems to China National Offshore Oil Corporation's (CNOOC) Liuhua oil fields in the South China Sea, off Hong Kong.The order, which is said to be worth more than NOK 350 million ($36.6 million), was booked in the third quarter of 2018. The work scope includes more than 35 kilometers of dynamic and static power umbilicals for the Liuhua 16-2…

RRS Sir David Attenborough Launched

The hull of the U.K.’s new polar research ship RRS Sir David Attenborough was launched from Cammell Laird shipyard Saturday, marking a major milestone toward the completion of one of the world’s most advanced scientific maritime vessels.Shipyard workers, engineers, scientists and maritime industry experts were among thousands who gathered to celebrate the launch along with special guest speakers, including renowned naturalist and broadcaster Sir David Attenborough…

All IOOS Regional Networks Are Now NOAA-certified

NOAA announced it has certified the last of 11 Integrated Ocean Observing System (IOOS) regional associations as Regional Information Coordination Entities. Data coming from all IOOS partners now adheres to common federal collection, storage and management standards, meaning it can be integrated with other data, and help make "big data" research and development possible.IOOS is a coordinated network of regional associations that compile and distribute data on America’s coastal waters…

Shearwater to Buy Schlumberger’s Seismic Business

Norwegian marine geophysical services company Shearwater GeoServices Holding AS has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire the marine seismic acquisition assets and operations of Schlumberger’s geophysical services product line, WesternGeco.The transaction, which remains subject to regulatory approvals and other customary closing conditions, is expected to close in the fourth quarter of 2018.Houston…

Total Deploy LBL Network in Record Time

Following on from the installation of a Long BaseLine (LBL) acoustic positioning network at the giant Egina oil field off the coast of Nigeria, French oil major Total and its project partners have repeated their success using the same Sonardyne Fusion 6G technology offshore Angola at the even larger, even deeper, Kaombo oil field. The campaign to deploy, calibrate and make ready for work the field-wide array of transponder frames…

Bourbon Orders ROV Launch and Recovery System

Kongsberg Maritime subsidiary Kongsberg Evotec informs it has signed an agreement with Bourbon Offshore Norway for the delivery of the E-LARS launch and recovery system for remote operated vehicles (ROV). The system, to be delivered in December 215, will be installed on an advanced new VARD 2-12 ARCTIC design AHTS vessel, which is developed for worldwide operations, including arctic regions. Through the development of E-LARS…

C-Innovation ROVs inks deal with Sonardyne

C-Innovation, an integrated marine services company whose core services and products evolve around ROVs within the oil and gas sector, has placed a major order for SPRINT Inertial Navigation Systems (INS) from Sonardyne International Ltd. SPRINT is an acoustically aided inertial navigation system for subsea vehicles and makes optimal use of acoustic aiding data from acoustic USBL and LBL positioning and other sensors such as Doppler Velocity Log (DVL) and pressure sensors.

Island Offshore Debuts Open Water Coil Tubing

Press release - Island Offshore recently made history when they successfully drilled a pilot hole for Centrica Energy by means of open water coil tubing. This technology has never been utilized in the offshore industry before and proves to be a safer and cheaper alternative to traditional drilling using a rig. MOU Island Constructor was given the assignment to drill a shallow gas pilot hole down to 360 meters below mud line at the BUTCH PL 405-field…

K-LARS Chosen for Jumeirah Offshore’s New DSV

Kongsberg Evotec, a fully owned subsidiary of Kongsberg Maritime, has entered an agreement with CSSC Huangpu Shipyard in Guangzhou China for the delivery of two launch and recovery systems (LARS) for remote operated vehicles (ROV). The contract includes the first delivery of the recently patented K-LARS port frame solution, in addition to a tried and tested moon-pool LARS system. Both are scheduled…

Loss of Diversity Near Melting Coastal Glaciers

Melting glaciers are causing a loss of species diversity among benthos in the coastal waters off the Antarctic Peninsula, impacting an entire seafloor ecosystem. This has been verified in the course of repeated research dives, the results of which were recently published by experts from Argentina, Germany and Great Britain and the Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research (AWI) in a study in the journal Science Advances.

Project Mars: The future of Autonomy

Innovation and technological advancement is central to propelling maritime industries into a new era of efficiency. While the idea of autonomy is now a welcome solution for several military and scientific applications, other sectors are yet to fully take the concept on-board. As autonomous systems are continually proven a success in the field, the spotlight has now turned to the maritime sector. World…

Kongsberg Launches Third Generation HiPAP System

The third generation of Kongsberg Maritime’s High Precision Acoustic Positioning and Navigation System – HiPAP, is now available. The new system, HiPAP 502, is smaller, lighter, more durable and accurate, according to the manufacturer. It is designed to support the performance and safety of offshore support, survey, subsea construction and scientific vessel operations. HiPAP 502 is the latest in a line of High Precision Acoustic Positioning Systems from Kongsberg Maritime.

Funding for Jee’s Excalibur system

Technologies which harness tidal energy (i.e. tidal energy convertors or TECs) are in the advanced stages of development. Single TECs have been tested in UK waters for some time but only recently has a fully commercial, grid-connected array been installed. Despite the rapid progress the tidal sector is relatively immature and the greatest challenge is to find a cost-effective method to deploy these technologies at a large scale.

Delving Deeper with AUVs

What lies beneath? Autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs) and buoyancy-driven gliders have revolutionized the way the subsea industry gathers oceanographic data and despite the volatility of oil prices, it is predicted that the demand for this technology will continue to grow over the next five years and beyond. Although the sustained low oil prices have reduced budgets and put a cap on the development of new technology…

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.

Neptune Shows Versatility

Subsea experts swapped the wilds of the North Sea oil fields for the confines of inner city London’s river network as the potential for energy sector knowledge to be used in a diverse range of projects was underlined in advance of a major international marine event. Specialists from Aberdeen-based Neptune were mobilized to work on the Thames Tideway Tunnel development. The 20 day survey support project was completed in January as work on the landmark scheme continues.

STR Adds iXBlue Equipment to Its Rental Portfolio

Subsea Technology and Rentals (STR), a provider in the rental of marine equipment to support the offshore survey, IRM, subsea construction and renewable sectors, has increased its portfolio of specialized subsea rental equipment with the purchase of iXBlue’s OCTANS NANO. iXBlue, a navigation, positioning and imaging solutions provider, is supplying the OCTANS NANO subsea gyrocompass for utilization by STR clients in ROV and structure monitoring operations.

WHOI Helps Locate El Faro’s Voyage Data Recorder

A team of scientists and engineers from the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), U.S. Coast Guard and Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) have located the voyage data recorder (VDR) of the U.S. flagged cargo ship El Faro, which sank during Hurricane Joaquin on Oct. 1, 2015, killing all 33 crew aboard. The VDR was located at approximately 2 a.m. Tuesday in the waters between Florida and the Bahamas at a depth of approximately 4,600 meters.

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.