Maritime Robotics Lands $12M Investment to Power International Growth

Maritime Robotics, a provider of uncrewed surface vessels (USVs) and autonomous navigation systems in the maritime industry, has closed a $12 million capital raise, which will be used to accelerate business growth and international expansion.The funding round was co-led by the Nordic cleantech fund NRP Zero and the Norwegian state-owned fund Nysnø Climate Investment, with significant participation from Umoe and Holta Invest.As the market for maritime autonomous vessels continues to grow rapidly…

Oi London 2020 Marks 50th Anniversary

There are less than three weeks to go until the opening of Oceanology International 2020 (17-19 March, ExCel London), an event which will mark the 50th anniversary of the world’s premier ocean science and technology exhibition and conference series. The London 2020 event is on track to become the largest Oi undertaking in the expo’s half-century history: an unprecedented 17,000+m2 of floor space has been freed up to accommodate more than 500 exhibitors from 90 countries…

NextGeo Scoops $27.8M for North Sea Offshore Wind Surveys

Marine geosciences and offshore construction support services firm Next Geosolutions has been hired by TenneT under a $27.8 million contract to conduct an unexploded ordnances (UXO) survey off the Dutch coast, in support of the development of offshore wind farms.This contract involves the execution of marine UXO survey, to identify and locate magnetic anomalies potentially associated with unexploded ordnance…

NOAA Engages Fugro for Hydrographic Survey Services

Fugro has secured a new five-year contract by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) for hydrographic survey services.Under this indefinite delivery/indefinite quantity (IDIQ) contract, Fugro will support the creation and maintenance of nautical charts, which ensure safe and efficient maritime navigation within U.S. waters.Projects can be assigned to any of the six companies holding…

The Prolonged Impact of UXO

In 1946, the Polish cargo ship SS Kielce, loaded with munitions, sank about four miles off the coast of England. Its attempted salvage in 1967 resulted in an explosion equivalent to an earthquake measuring 4.5 on the Richter scale.Nobody was injured that time, but others haven’t been so lucky. Over 110 people have died from unexploded ordinance (UXO) dumped in the North Sea since 1945.A study reported in Marine Technology News this week investigated another risk such munitions pose.

Cortez Subsea Appoints New Operations Director

Subsea services and technology products company Cortez Subsea has appointed a new operations director, as the company looks to expand its scope internationally. Tony McKay has joined the company at a time of rapid growth as demand for their services is expected to increase following U.K. patent approval of their Modular Pipelay System (MPS). With more than 35 years of professional experience working onshore and offshore in the oil and gas industry…

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…

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.

Contrapel's Above the Water-Line Propeller System

Marine propulsion research & development company, Contrapel Ltd has released details of its new propulsion system for boats – the system set to make future boats more economical, manoeuvrable, safer, stronger and better for the environment. The high-speed propeller was invented over 170 years ago and has dominated the propulsion market ever since. Despite 60 years of development, water-jets have struggled to make significant inroads.

Nauticus Robotics Reports Strong Start to 2025

Nauticus Robotics announced its financial and operational results for the quarter ended March 31, 2025, citing solid momentum.President and CEO John Gibson commented, "Our offshore season launched in Q1 with solid momentum and continues to gain strength into the second quarter. With the successful integration of SeaTrepid, the combined business is on pace to exceed Nauticus's full-year 2024 revenue during the first half of 2025."On March 20…

Israeli Firm Gets Final Permit for US Wave Energy Demo

Eco Wave Power, an onshore wave energy technology company, has received a final permit for the construction and demonstration of its wave energy technology in San Pedro, California.The Revocable Permit 25-05 by the Port of Los Angeles was executed on behalf of the Executive Director, Eugene D. Seroka on March 27, 2025.This permit is the final approval required for Eco Wave Power to start construction of its pilot project…

Ocean Innovation Leaders Convene to Advance U.S. Coastal and Blue Economy Solutions

VentureWell, a global nonprofit dedicated to fostering innovation for lasting social impact, convened fifteen bluetech startups from across the country and other ocean innovation leaders in Rhode Island to kick off the first stage of the VentureWell Ocean Enterprise Accelerator.Supported by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), VentureWell is championing these innovators as they…

Sonardyne, Echoview Software Collaborate to Enhance ADCPs

Sonardyne, a global leader in underwater technology solutions, announced the addition of the echosounder feature to its Origin acoustic Doppler current profilers (ADCPs), significantly enhancing their ability to collect comprehensive marine environmental data in a single deployment.This new capability enhances offshore environmental monitoring by enabling simultaneous measurement of water velocities and biological activity…

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…

Latest Underwater GAPS Launched by iXBlue

iXBlue has launched the next generation of its underwater global acoustic positioning system (GAPS), designated GAPS-NG. The manufacturers say that GAPS-NG, like its predecessor GAPS, is a truly portable and precalibrated ultra-short baseline positioning system (USBL) that incorporates INS and GPS technologies. The system is designed to work in demanding environments, notably acoustically challenging and/or extremely shallow waters, where other systems commonly fall down.

Coast Guard Helps Deploy Seismic Sensors in Southeast Alaska

The crew of the Coast Guard Cutter Maple worked with scientists from the U.S. Geological Survey to deploy 12 seismic sensors along the Queen Charlotte-Fairweather Fault, northwest of Craig, Alaska. The team placed the ocean-bottom seismometers along a 28-mile section of the Queen Charlotte-Fairweather Fault to improve understanding of recent earthquake activity and associated seismic and tsunami hazards in Southeast Alaska coastal communities.

Expro Celebrates 40 Years of Technology at OTC 2013

An international oilfield services company, Expro, is celebrating its 40th anniversary at this year’s Offshore Technology Conference (OTC) in Houston by showcasing its investment in new technology and innovation. As part of that commitment Expro is launching the proto-type HawkEye V downhole camera, new high pressure/high temperature (HP/HT) Drill Stem Testing (DST) BigCat  packer, and Expro Annulus operated Circulating and Test (ExACT) tool.