TechnipFMC Bags $1B Contract with Petrobras

TechnipFMC has been awarded 'major' integrated engineering, procurement, construction, and installation (iEPCI) contract by Petrobras to deliver the Mero 3 HISEP project, which uses subsea processing to capture carbon dioxide-rich dense gases and then inject them into the reservoir.The contract covers the design, engineering, manufacture, and installation of subsea equipment, including manifolds, flexible and rigid pipes…

Fugro to Deliver Offshore Surveys at Major Energy Fields in Middle East

Dutch geological data specialist Fugro has been selected to deliver extensive offshore and onshore surveys for multiple major energy field developments in the Middle East.Fugro has recently been awarded multiple contracts to perform comprehensive offshore and onshore surveys in the United Arab Emirates, supporting two of the region’s largest long-term field development programs.These projects mark…

What is a Sonar Pulse and How Can it Injure Humans Under Water?

Last month, the Australian government revealed that its navy divers had sustained “minor injuries”, likely due to sonar pulses from a Chinese navy vessel.The divers had been clearing fishing nets from the propellers of HMAS Toowoomba while in international waters off the coast of Japan. According to a statement from deputy prime minister Richard Marles, despite HMAS Toowoomba communicating with internationally recognized signals…

Seabed Imaging Re-imagined

A project to address the twin challenge of covering large areas of seabed at high resolution, while also processing the gathered data within expedition time-scales, has been delivering promising results. BioCam project participants Geraint West, Adrian Bodenmann, Darryl Newborough, and Blair Thornton explainIt’s often said that we know more about the surface of the moon than our own ocean floor – despite half the moon being permanently hidden from our gaze.

NOAA Accelerates Permitting Timeline for Deep Seabed Mining Applications

NOAA announced revisions to the regulations for exploration licenses and commercial recovery permit applications under the Deep Seabed Hard Mineral Resources Act (DSHMRA), an anticipated milestone in NOAA’s effort to streamline the deep seabed mining permitting framework. The revisions establish a consolidated DSHMRA exploration license and commercial recovery permit application process, which is effective on the date of publication.

Viridien, SLB Set to Launch ‘Massive’ OBN Survey Offshore Egypt

Viridien and SLB have entered into an agreement with the Egyptian Natural Gas Holding Company (EGAS) to launch a massive multi-client ocean bottom node (OBN) seismic acquisition and imaging program in Egypt’s Eastern Mediterranean offshore.The largest project of its kind in the region, it will combine the recognized OBN expertise of both parties to deliver an unparalleled subsurface dataset for Egypt…

Robotics Essential to Coral Reef Preservation Efforts

Will 2026 be the year when coral reefs pass their tipping point?Samantha Garrard, Senior Marine Ecosystem Services Researcher at Plymouth Marine Laboratory, asked the question in The Conversation on January 5.“Tropical coral reefs cover less than 1% of the seafloor, yet support 25% of all marine species. They are also incredibly vulnerable. Over the past few decades, an estimated 30%-50% have already been lost.”Garrard concludes: “To help these biodiversity powerhouses survive the 21st century…

Windcatcher Receives AIP from DNV

Wind Catching Systems announced its 40MW Windcatcher design has received approval in principle (AIP) from DNV.The objective of an AIP is to perform a third-party technical evaluation of a design to assess whether there are any conceptual showstoppers or rule compliance aspects that need improvement. As such, a successful AIP indicates the likelihood of the design meeting applicable rule criteria for…

Maritime Firms Launch PntGuard to Counter GPS Spoofing Surge

Tschudi Shipping Company, NAL Research and Norway-based SGM Technology have launched PntGuard, a maritime navigation system designed to detect and counter increasing cases of GNSS and GPS signal spoofing at sea.The standalone bridge system alerts crews the moment a vessel’s official position is falsified and provides authenticated location data when satellite navigation inputs are compromised.Developers…

TGS Moves to Expand Multi-Client Seismic Data Activity in Libya

Energy data and intelligence firm TGS has signed a Letter of Intent (LOI) with North Africa Geophysical Company (NAGECO), a subsidiary of the Libya National Oil Corporation (NOC), marking an important step toward expanding multi-client data activities in Libya.The LOI establishes a framework that enables further multi-client collaboration with TGS, subject to final contractual arrangements and regulatory…

Viridien, TGS Wrap Up OBN Survey in Gulf of America

French seismic firm Viridien, in collaboration with Norway’s TGS, has completed the acquisition of the Laconia Phase III ultra-long offset ocean bottom node (OBN) survey in the Gulf of America.The latest phase spans 151 OCS blocks and expands ultra-long offset low-frequency OBN coverage of the Paleogene trend to provide improved seismic data and subsurface imaging over this geologically complex area.Laconia III includes coverage of the BP-owned Kaskida field, discovered in 2006.

VLIZ Takes Delivery of a Gavia AUV

Teledyne Gavia announced that after an international tender it has completed the sale and recent sea acceptance testing of an autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) to the Flanders Marine Institute (VLIZ) in Oostende, Belgium.The VLIZ Gavia is rated to 1,000m depth in a low logistics form factor and includes an array of scientific instruments to meet current and future VLIZ research requirements. The modular nature of the GAVIA AUV allows sensors to be added as mission requirements dictate.

MTR100: #2 Admiral Karl Schultz, Commandant, USCG

The editors of Marine Technology Reporter are pleased to share that Admiral Karl Schultz, Commandant, USCG is #2 in the 14th Annual "MTR100". The full print and electronic edition of Marine Technology Reporter will be available shortly. Until then, presented here is the full story on Admiral Karl Schultz.The career biography of Admiral Schultz is predictably impressive for an officer that has ascended to the top of the United States Coast Guard.

Robotics: Bringing Navigation Accuracy to Petroleum Tank Inspection

An autonomous robot outfitted with a DVL is looking to revolutionize fuel tank inspection – while eliminating potential operational hazards.Boston-based Square Robot has deployed Nortek’s Doppler Velocity Logs (DVLs) – already established in subsea applications – for this different and challenging environment, developing a robot that can provide detailed assessments of the conditions in above-ground…

SUBSEA TECH: Compact Hydrographic System for Shallow-Water ‘Gap-Filler’ Surveys

Subsea Europe Services GmbH has introduced a new compact version of its unique integrated Hydrographic Survey System (iHSS). Dubbed iHSS-Compact, it is designed to meet demand for shallow-water ‘gap-filler’ marine surveys and simplifies the acquisition of commercial grade marine data for users of any experience.iHSS-Compact is designed to provide a low-cost, turnkey marine survey package for deployment on almost any vessel.

Remote Control: ROAM enables Remote Fusion 2 Survey Ops in the GOM

Sonardyne reports successfully providing remote Fusion 2 survey operations capability on a live subsea construction campaign in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico.Using its new Remote Operations Access Module (ROAM), Sonardyne surveyors based in the UK were able to remotely access and operate the Fusion 2 survey and construction software onboard Subsea 7 vessels in the Gulf of Mexico, significant from the Sonardyne perspective as it de-risks the upgrade to Fusion 2…

ABS Calls for New Tech in Marine Fuels

ABS Chairman, President and CEO, Christopher J. Wiernicki, mapped out the future of marine fuels, indicating that the 2050 targets will require technology beyond today’s state-of-the-art.“Technology advances of the next decade may entirely change our view of the future, but based on what we see today we can identify three developmental pathways for future fuels distinguished by the onboard technologies they require.

Forum ROV to Support Arctic Research

Forum Energy Technologies has secured an order from Amundsen Science (Université Laval, Canada) to supply a light work-class remotely operated vehicle (ROV) to support its Arctic scientific research activities.The vehicle will be installed on board the Canadian research icebreaker CCGS Amundsen and will support the exploration of Arctic and Sub-arctic seafloor eco-systems. Equipped with 85 scientific systems…

One-on-One with Duane Fotheringham, President, Unmanned Systems, HII

Hydroid, a familiar name in the Unmanned Underwater System defense market, was bought this year by Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII). We checked in with Duane Fotheringham, President, Unmanned Systems, HII, for insights on the path forward for autonomy in the defense sector.Hydroid is a long-established, well-known name in the subsea Autonomous Underwater Vehicle (AUV) sector that recently had a change in corporate ownership, joining the Huntington Ingalls Industries family of companies.

US Aims to Improve Ocean Observations with $2.7 Million for New Robotic Floats

NOAA and the Department of Commerce on Wednesday announced that $2.7 million from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) will be used to replenish and expand an important array of robotic floats in the Argo program that measure ocean and climate data.The Argo array is made up of a fleet of robotic instruments that measure temperature and salinity in the global ocean, drifting freely with the currents.