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.

Rovco Secures Funding for 3D Visualization Project

Subsea technology company Rovco said it has secured Innovate UK funding to develop a cutting-edge 3D visualization system as part of a two-part Artificial Intelligence demonstrator project potentially worth £1 million. Working in partnership with the Offshore Renewable Energy (ORE) Catapult, the first phase of the project will see Rovco develop the equipment and software required to produce live 3D data from challenging and extreme subsea environments.

NOAA Releases 2018 Hydrographic Survey Plans

Beginning in April, NOAA’s four hydrographic survey ships – Thomas Jefferson, Ferdinand Hassler, Rainier and Fairweather – will set out along with private contractors to tackle their assigned survey projects over the course of the 2018 field season. North Coast of Kodiak Island – Last surveyed in 1932, this survey project focuses on areas inadequate for safe navigation, particularly along the corridor of vessel traffic transiting from Kodiak.

Greensea Hires Abbott as Robotics Engineer

Greensea, creator of the universal marine industry operating platform OPENSEA, has hired Geoffrey Abbott as its new robotics engineer, responsible for advancing Greensea’s user interface and vehicle control systems for original equipment manufacturer products. As a robotics engineer at Greensea, Abbott will help further the company’s ability to easily integrate, configure and deploy its technology across vehicles and sensors in the marine industry.

NASA, Norway to Develop Arctic Laser-Ranging Station

NASA and the Norwegian Mapping Authority are partnering to develop a state-of-the-art satellite laser ranging station 650 miles from the North Pole that will produce high-precision locations of orbiting satellites, help track changes in the ice sheets and improve the efficiency of marine transportation and agriculture. The Arctic station will be the latest addition to a global network of space geodetic stations…

UKHO Supports HMS Queen Elizabeth in Portsmouth

The United Kingdom Hydrographic Office (UKHO) has supported the safe arrival of HMS Queen Elizabeth into Portsmouth by providing specialist marine geospatial and hydrographic expertise and data capabilities. Following initial dredging operations to make Portsmouth’s navigation channel and entrance deeper, hydrographic data was collected by the survey launch HMS Gleaner using modern multibeam echosounder technology to confirm the available water depth.

Thales Invests to Advance Autonomy

Thales is announcing a major commitment to develop future autonomous and unmanned technology across air and sea by investing in two new UK-based trials and training centers. Following Thales’s successful trials during the Royal Navy’s Unmanned Warrior exercise in 2016, Thales is now investing in two trials and training centres based in West Wales and in South-West England to test and develop autonomous systems for both military and civil activities.

Floating Offshore Wind Turbine Design Passes ABS Review

The American Bureau of Shipping (ABS) has completed the design review of the Front End Engineering and Design (FEED) documentation for the VolturnUS, a floating offshore wind turbine (FOWT), developed by the University of Maine Advanced Structures and Composites Center. “UMaine is pleased that its innovative design became the first floating wind turbine concrete semisubmersible hull to be reviewed by ABS, and found to meet the ABS requirements,” said Dr. Habib J.

Ping DSP Releases MBES Mode Bathymetry Software

Aiming to raise the bar for shallow water mapping and imaging, Ping DSP has introduced its new MBES Bathymetry Engine. With a useable swath width of up to 14 times water depth, the 3DSS brings accurate, wide swath echo sounding to shallow water and provides the same operational and bathymetric performance benefits of Multibeam Echosounders but over the larger swath. Ping DSP said the new MBES Mode…

Advanced Monitoring Proves Its Capabilities Offshore

New monitoring technology developed by RED Engineering has been used for the first time to improve accuracy, speed and safety during the installation of jacket foundations for wind turbines at the Beatrice Offshore Wind Farm Ltd project in the Moray Firth, Scotland. The development by the North East-based firm of engineers features remote proximity sensors to confirm the correct engagement of an internal lifting tool (ILT) in use by Seaway Heavy Lifting, a Subsea 7 company.

Partners Advance Arctic Oil Spill Response Technology

Continually working to help improve oil spill response technologies, the U.S. Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE) presented details on its latest efforts at the Arctic Oil Spill Response Research and Technology Workshop on April 26. There, Bureau staff presented results of several BSEE-funded projects including the development of a submersible skimmer prototype for oil recovery in and around broken ice.

Verlume Appoints Valor Ocean Technology As First Canadian Business Development Agent

Verlume, a leader in subsea batteries and power management systems, has appointed Valor Ocean Technologies as its first business development agent in Canada. The partnership follows the successful offshore deployment of three Verlume Charge systems in Canadian waters and signals a strategic expansion to meet growing market demand.Based in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Valor Ocean Technologies (formally known as ValorBPS) is a provider of advanced ocean technology systems…

Ireland's First: XOCEAN Deploys Uncrewed Vessel for Survey in Irish Waters

XOCEAN last week launched an Uncrewed Surface Vessel (USV) in Ireland to carry out an environmental survey of the seabed in collaboration with Dundalk Institute of Technology (DkIT). Launched off County Louth coast, off the Mid-East Region of Ireland, this was, per XOCEAN, the first time an uncrewed vessel has operated in Irish waters and "represents a major step forward in reducing the carbon footprint…

Kongsberg Maritime's Sonar and Navigation Package for Norwegian and German Navies' Type 212CD Subs

Kongsberg Maritime's active sonar suite and bottom navigation technology has been selected for installation on Type 212CD class submarines for both the Norwegian and German navies.The contract was awarded through a comparative and thorough process governed by Kongsberg Thyssen Atlas JV (kta naval systems) and tkMS (thyssenKrupp marine systems) with another vendor(s).The Kongsberg technology package…

OPT Buys Autonomous Surface Vehicle Maker MAR

Wave energy solutions provider Ocean Power Technologies has acquired Marine Advanced Robotics, Inc. ("MAR"), a California-based developer and manufacturer of autonomous surface vehicles (ASVs). "This acquisition immediately provides OPT with an established, innovative offshore product line that features roaming capability and highly complements the OPT business strategy," OPT said.Founded in 2004, MAR is the developer of Wave Adaptive Modular Vessel (WAM-V) technology…

UDT 2013 to Highlight Subsea Innovation

Returning to Hamburg for the fifth time, Undersea Defense Technology (UDT) 2013 will take place in the Congress Center Hamburg (CCH), from June 18-20. UDT has for the last 26 years offered visitors to the exhibition floor a unique opportunity to experience firsthand the technological advancements in undersea equipment. An eclectic mix of companies have already committed to this year’s event. The exhibition floor will feature stands from Babcock…