Interview: Tim Leach, Glosten, Discusses Efficient Refit by Design

From 3D laser scanning to Computational Fluid Dynamics, an efficient and successful major mid-life refit such as the one completed on the RV Roger Revelle requires intricate advance design planning, an updated technical toolbelt, as well as the personal touch. Tim Leach, Principal, Naval Architect (Glosten), walks us through the process.Tim Leach, Principal, Naval Architect, Glosten. Image courtesy…

LOC Offering 3D Digital Inspections

LOC announced, as part of its digital services, the launch of a new technology offering enabling remote advanced surveying by use of aerial drones and remotely operated underwater vehicles (ROV), which will be applied to a range of assets both onshore and offshore.Survey data results are collated and reproduced in 3D imagery, by using high resolution visual, thermal, LIDAR and SONAR imaging, to create a virtual walkthrough of vessels and both offshore and onshore structures.

SEAJET Offers Its Excavation Tech to Offshore Industry through 'Own and operate' Model

Dubai-based SEAJET Systems has offered its controlled flow excavation (CFE) technology to the offshore energy industry through an "own and operate" model."Usually offered as a rental product, SEAJET identified an opportunity to provide a more cost-effective, flexible, and efficient CFE solution with additional performance benefits," SEAJET said.Established by Dr Hector Susman and Faisel Chaudry, SEAJET offers what it says is one of the most versatile CFE systems on the market.

Kraken Debuts Ultra High Def Upgrade for AquaPix Imaging Sonars

Kraken Robotics Inc. announced it has achieved a practical resolution of 2 cm with a Commercial-Off-The-Shelf (COTS) Synthetic Aperture Sonar (SAS), Kraken’s AquaPix MINSAS.“For demanding subsea survey missions in mine countermeasures, infrastructure monitoring and oil & gas exploration; data quality is of the essence," said Karl Kenny, Kraken’s President & CEO. "The sensor that gets the job done most…

Meterologists, Oceanographers Help Pave a Safe Path for USN Hospital Ships

USNS Mercy (T-AH-19) arrived safely in Los Angeles last week and USNS Comfort (T-AH-20) arrived safely in New York on Monday. While the Navy’s hospital ships prepare to receive patients, Naval Oceanography’s team of meteorologists and oceanographers ensured these ships were safe from hazardous weather as they traveled to their destinations.On March 20, Fleet Numerical Meteorology and Oceanography Center…

Fugro Mapping Arctic Waters off Norway

The Norwegian Hydrographic Service has awarded Fugro another hydrographic survey contract as part of the MAREANO seabed mapping program, financed by Norway’s Ministry of Trade, Industry and Fisheries, and the Ministry of Environment.Fugro said it has already completed 10 surveys for the program since 2006 and acquired over 140,000 km2 of data. This latest survey will collect high-resolution, high-density…

Dutch Flood Defense, The Natural Way

When the Dutch government and research institutions wanted to monitor how waves and currents would affect the pioneering use of artificial sand banks to protect a levee in a non-tidal freshwater system, Nortek was selected to supply key measuring instruments and set up the data telemetry system.The Houtribdijk is a 25 km long levee, or dike, separating two large artificial lakes, the IJsselmeer and Markermeer.

US, Australia to Unveil Submarine Pact to Counter China

U.S. President Joe Biden will meet leaders of Australia and Britain in San Diego on Monday to announce a way forward for Australia to receive nuclear-powered submarines in Canberra's biggest-ever defense project.The three countries announced the so-called AUKUS plan in 2021 as part of efforts to counter China in the Indo-Pacific region.However, questions remain over strict U.S. curbs on the extensive…

Ocean Infinity Names Braun Chief Information Officer

Marine robotics company Ocean Infinity has appointed DebraAnn Braun as Chief Information Officer (CIO) based in the company’s headquarters in Austin, Texas. Braun is responsible for leading the digital aspects of the business including delivery of high-quality data to clients in the most efficient and technologically advanced ways possible.A data and technology expert, DebraAnn has previously led many…

Aker Solutions, LR Partner on Subsea O&G Engineering

Lloyd’s Register (LR) and Aker Solutions collaborate under a new global framework agreement to drive efficiency in engineering and subsea oil and gas developments. With this new global framework agreement in place, Norwegian oil services company Aker Solutions can further improve efficiency and uphold their position as forerunner in advanced technologies for the offshore oil and gas industry, LR said in announcing the partnership today.

Danish Coastal Authority Orders New Survey Ship

The Danish Coastal Authority has ordered a new survey ship from Tuco Marine – ProZero Workboats to replace the 34-year-old vessel Ekko from 2022.The new vessel, which will be used for surveying Danish waters and collecting coastal development data, is expected to cost approximately DKK 10 million ($1.6 million), including advanced measuring equipment.The vessel will be equipped with an A-frame for…

What Did Scientists Learn from Deepwater Horizon?

April 20, 2020, marks the tenth anniversary of the Deepwater Horizon rig explosion, the offshore oil industry's biggest environmental disaster.Eleven people died, 17 others were injured, Transocean's drilling rig sank, and an incident caused more than four million barrels of oil to spill into the U.S. Gulf of Mexico from the BP-operated Macondo well which spewed oil into the ocean for 87 days before…

Subsea: Argeo Builds the Tools to Bridge the Data Gap

Argeo is an offshore service company, created in 2017 and on the move, driven by its mission to transform the ocean surveying and inspection industry via autonomous surface and underwater robotics solutions. We recently caught up with Argeo CEO Trond Crantz for a far-reaching discussion on the company and its recent innovations in the surface and underwater vessel sector, as well as insights on its digital platforms and patented electromagnetic sensor systems.

ADIPEC: Fugro, AD Ports Pen Deal for Remote & Autonomous Tech Use in Middle East

During the ADIPEC exhibition in Abu Dhabi, Dutch firm Fugro and UAE's AD Ports Group signed an agreement that sets out combined goals to utilize remote and autonomous technologies in the region. The agreement was signed by Captain Mohamed Juma Al Shamisi, Managing Director and Group CEO, AD Ports Group and Mark Heine – Fugro CEO.The companies said that the would create a platform to implement remote and autonomous technology…

BHGE Wins Subsea Award from Beach Energy

Beach Energy has awarded Baker Hughes, a GE company, a contract to supply subsea production systems for its Victorian Otway Basin brownfield development project located in offshore Victoria, Australia.The Otway Basin is approximately 500 kilometers long from Cape Jaffa in South Australia to northwest Tasmania, covering both onshore and offshore.BHGE said its contract was awarded in the first quarter…

Poland Employs New Seismic Tech

The Polish state-controlled oil and gas company PGNiG said that its geophysical services provider Geofizyka Toruń SA became the first company in Europe to employ new seismic data acquisition technologies in searching for hydrocarbon deposits.The Polish oil and gas company said in a press release that the company is replacing the hitherto used cabled geophone networks with ultra-lightweight wireless nodal sensors.

Wesmar Equips National Geographic Endurance

Lindblad Expeditions' new vessel National Geographic Endurance, billed as the world’s most advanced polar expedition ship, is currently under construction at Ulstein in Norway.The new expedition cruise ship features a range of state-of-the-art technologies that will help it to navigate safely through some of the world's most remote locations, including several planned cruises through Arctic and Antarctic waters.Wesmar’s EV860 sonar was chosen for the vessel for a variety of reasons…

University of Limerick Buys ROV for Renewables Research

The University of Limerick (UL) will deploy a brand new remotely operated underwater vehicle (ROV) to support its research into subsea inspection and intervention campaigns on renewable energy sector infrastructure.The new underwater vehicle, a Comanche 2,000 meter observation class ROV designed and manufactured in-house at Forum Energy Technologies’ Kirkbymoorside Yorkshire facility, was officially launched at the docks in Limerick City by Minister of State for Trade…

Seatools Debuts Subsea Compensator Range

Dutch subsea technology company Seatools has introduced its new subsea hydraulic compensator range: the Advanced series. This new subsea compensator range, based on the preceding Hyco range, delivers improvements in robustness, durability and standardization, according to the manufacturer. Seatools, a specialist in subsea hydraulic systems, said it performed an extensive development trajectory that led to the Advanced series.

Exail: A New (Old) Name in Subsea

ECA Group and iXblue join forces and become ExailFollowing the acquisition of iXblue by Group Gorgé at the end of September, ECA Group and iXblue announced that both companies will be operating under a new joint brand: Exail.Exail aims to be a global high-tech industrial champion specializing in robotics, maritime, navigation, aerospace and photonics technologies, and according to Fabien Napolitano…