Forensics of the Sea

The sheer magnitude of insurance claims year on year within the shipping industry is striking. The complexities that now come with these claims is placing increasing pressure on surveyors to employ ever more sophisticated techniques in their quest to determine the reasons behind an incident and ascertain where the liability falls. Jeroen De Haas, Managing Director of BMT De Beer, and Han Wensink, Managing Director of BMT ARGOSS…

Robotic Marine Vehicles: Meet the Anaconda-2

Recently, Swiftships Shipbuilders, LLC, in Morgan City, La., showcased the Anaconda-2 – an unmanned, 35-ft. craft in development – during a demonstration on the Atchafalaya River next to its HQ. The company partnered with the University of Louisiana at Lafayette (ULL) more than a year ago to produce technology for a vessel that can navigate without a pilot aboard. Swiftships and ULL are designing a boat that uses Global Positioning System/sensory data…

ASI Conducts Record Long-range ROV Inspections

ASI Marine recently completed simultaneous tunnel inspections with their modified Falcon and Mohican remotely operated vehicles (ROV). These vehicles are unique to ASI Marine and operate over 5 km and 10 km umbilical lengths respectively. As the longest tethered systems in the world that are powered from the surface, these vehicles are capable of virtually unlimited inspection durations. Full crews accompanied the ROVs to Australia and Chile for the inspections…

Morozov Earns IEEE Senior Member Status

Teledyne Marine Systems announced that Andrey K. Morozov, Senior Scientist at Teledyne MarineSystems has been elevated to the grade of Senior Member of the IEEE. Senior Member is the highest professional grade of the IEEE for which a member may apply. The member status requires experience, and reflects professional accomplishment and maturity. Only seven percent of the 431,000 members of the IEEE have achieved this level.

Balmoral Escalates Renewables Ambition

Balmoral Offshore Engineering said it has acquired Norwegian manufacturer Seaproof Solutions to accelerate its expansion into the offshore renewables market. Established in 1989 Bergen-based Seaproof designs and manufactures advanced cable protection systems, bend stiffeners and flexible J-tubes and is forecast to generate sales of 140m NOK (approximately £13m, $18.5mln)) in the current financial year.

Making Sailors 'SAFFiR'

Navy Unveils Firefighting Robot Prototype at Naval Tech EXPO. Scientists unveiled a firefighting robot prototype Feb. 4 at the Naval Future Force Science & Technology EXPO, revealing details about its successful demonstrations last fall. The Shipboard Autonomous Firefighting Robot (SAFFiR), sponsored by the Office of Naval Research (ONR), walked across uneven floors, used thermal imaging to identify overheated equipment, and used a hose to extinguish a small fire in a series of experiments Nov.

Farsounder to Upgrade Navigation Sonar Software

This fall, FarSounder says it will be launching a major software upgrade for its FarSounder-500 and FarSounder-1000 forward-looking navigation sonars. The upgrade will vastly increase the intuitive nature of the information and greatly enhance the user understanding of the obstacles and sea bed ahead of their ship. The full release will be announced at SMM Hamburg and the Monaco Yacht Show. Once again FarSounder will be pushing the capabilities of 3D FLS beyond anything known today.

Dangerous Drifting Dock Tracked Down by NOAA

NOAA successfully forecasted the path of a possible Japan Tsunami Dock adrift  off Washington Coast. The dock washed up on the rocky northern coast of Washington state just before Christmas. "We suspect—though we are still waiting for confirmation—that this dock began its oceanic journey in March of 2011 at the Port of Misawa, Japan, following the devastating Tōhoku earthquake and subsequent tsunami. Four docks were ripped away from this port.

Creating Fuel from CO2: Progress Made

A working collaboration makes progress in developing an advanced microbiological pathway to convert CO2 to fuels and chemicals. Synthetic biology researchers Ginkgo BioWorks has validated that its genetically modified microbes can utilise a feedstock of formate produced from CO2 by risk management business DNV, reports 'TheBioenergySite'. DNV’s input to the process has also met metrics required for commercialisation of the electrolytic production of formic acid and formate salt from CO2.

Top Five Trends in Offshore Wind

As technologies mature and dramatic cost-cutting continues, the future is looking bright for offshore wind. Below are five trends to keep an eye on.1. Follow the LeaderOffshore wind’s established leader, Europe, will continue to show the way forward and build capacity. At the end of 2016, nearly 88 percent of the world’s offshore wind installations were located in European waters. In 2017, Europe saw a record 3…

Tideland Acquires IMT

Tideland Signal Corporation announced that it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire the IMT B.V. Group of Companies. IMT develops lighting, navigation and signalization products and systems with clients ranging from offshore to marine, construction and governmental organizations. By acquiring IMT, Tideland expands its product portfolio with Helideck and Circle-H Signalization and Lighting Control Systems…

Plastic-eating Enzyme Holds Promise in Fighting Pollution

Scientists in Britain and the United States say they have engineered a plastic-eating enzyme that could in future help in the fight against pollution. The enzyme is able to digest polyethylene terephthalate, or PET - a form of plastic patented in the 1940s and now used in millions of tonnes of plastic bottles. PET plastics can persist for hundreds of years in the environment and currently pollute large areas of land and sea worldwide.

Trelleborg Acquires Marimatech

Trelleborg has, through its business area Trelleborg Offshore & Construction, signed an agreement to acquire Marimatech A/S, a Danish company that designs and manufactures advanced marine positioning and piloting systems, primarily specializing in the development of software used for docking and mooring ships offshore and in ports. Richard Hepworth, President of Trelleborg’s marine systems operation…

WASSP Sounder Technology Receives a $10.6m R&D Growth Grant

New Zealand based ENL Group, the parent company of  Electronic Navigation Ltd, has announced that it has received a NZD$15m  ($10.6m) R&D Growth Grant from Callaghan Innovation to assist with ongoing investment in its globally recognized and New Zealand made WASSP Multibeam Sounder. Callaghan Innovation is a New Zealand government agency that helps businesses succeed through technology and R&D. ENL…

Boreas D90: Digital Fiber-Optic Gyroscope (DFOG) Technology

Advanced Navigation recently debuted a new digital fiber-optic gyroscope (DFOG) technology, a tech that has promise to revolutionize many subsea and maritime market navigation applications. Xavier Orr, CEO discussed the innovation and the potential with Marine Technology Reporter.Advanced Navigation is a privately owned Australian company that specializes in the development and manufacturing of navigation technologies and robotics…

NOC puts Robots at the Center of Ocean Obs in Developing Nations

A community engagement program in East Africa led by the National Oceanography Center (NOC) is demonstrating how marine robots have the potential to transform ocean research for developing nations.The SOLSTICE-WIO program involved multiple partners in the Western Indian Ocean (WIO) and East Africa and engaged with regional researchers as well as six Tanzanian coastal communities. The program tested…

FarSounder Receives 8th Patent

FarSounder expanded its IP portfolio with the issuance of its 8th Patent, number 11,609,316. This US patent expands the company’s patent portfolio for its unique sonar system and its 3D processing.The invention provides a sonar system that includes a forward-looking sonar device that operates in an integrated fashion with one or more other sonar devices so that a boater can have a reliable navigation tool.

Kongsberg Discovery Acquires Sonatech, Expands in the United States

Kongsberg Discovery announced on June 17 the signing of an agreement to acquire Sonatech, an expert in the field of underwater acoustics.This strategic move will support Kongsberg Discovery’s growth ambitions and enhance access to the U.S. Navy for the company’s product portfolio. The acquisition is expected to close later in 2025, subject to the necessary governmental approvals.With over 50 years of experience…

Hairston Named GM of Austal USA Advanced Technologies

Don Hairston has been named General Manager of Austal USA Advanced Technologies in Charlottesville, Va. Hairston comes to Austal from L3Harris Technologies where he was vice president and general manager of the C5 Systems Division. He was responsible for leading a $400 million organization that designs and delivers unmanned surface vessels, integrated C5ISR, and maritime controls and cyber solutions to support…

Simulation Training Profile: Chris Hearn, Memorial University

Memorial University in St. Johns, Newfoundland & Labrador, Canada, is a microcosm of how this unique regional cluster has parlayed its geographic locale and harsh, unique operating conditions into world leadership in the maritime, offshore energy and subsea tech spaces. An alumni, a professional mariner and now the Director of the Center for Marine Simulation, the Fisheries & Marine Institute at Memorial University…