When It Comes to Inspiring Innovation, 'X' Marks the Spot

The XPrize is seeking to incentivize innovation to spur a new era of ocean discovery, as Jyotika I. Virmani, Ph.D. explains. We are living in an age of rapid innovation. Over the past 150,000 years we have evolved primarily in a local and linear world where most of our activities happened within a day’s walk. Life was relatively constant, millennium to millennium. The Industrial Revolution and the advent of the Steam Engine saw a shift from this predominantly arable and local lifestyle…

MTR100: Coda Octopus Products

Established in 1994, Coda Octopus Products Limited has become a global leader and specialist in underwater technologies as the patent holder for the world’s first and only real-time 3D sonar, the Echoscope, which enables subsea operators to constantly monitor operations when poor water visibility prevents the use of traditional cameras. The company’s unique sonar and proprietary software, Underwater Survey Explorer (USE)…

Bluefin Adds Klein 3500 Sonar to AUV Payload List

Bluefin Robotics added the L-3 Klein UUV-3500 Side Scan Sonar to its growing list of vehicle payload offerings. The integration effort was internally funded to support company initiatives to expand sensor options and continue to provide state-of-the-art technology to the market. The L-3 Klein UUV-3500 sonar is one of several next-generation, compact digital sensors available on Bluefin vehicles that…

Saipem Supplies Hydrone-W ROV for ISPRA's Arcadia Vessel

Saipem has been awarded a contract with the T. Mariotti shipyard in Genoa to supply the Hydrone-W remotely operated underwater vehicle (ROV), which will be deployed on ISPRA's (Higher Institute for Environmental Protection and Research) new oceanographic vessel, Arcadia.Hydrone-W will support ISPRA in advanced oceanographic activities, contributing to the observation, monitoring and study of ecosystems…

Kongsberg Develops New LARS for HUGIN AUVs

Norway's Kongsberg Maritime has developed a new LARS (Launch and Recovery System) solution for its HUGIN range of Autonomous Underwater Vehicles (AUVs), which it says will bring "a series of far-reaching operational improvements."Kongsberg has decided to have the new LARS operating from midships, with the release and capture of HUGIN marine robots occurring beneath the sea surface."Launching and recovering AUVs underwater…

Parallel Events Add Depth to Oceanology International

A series of complementary showcases are set to make 2018’s Oceanology International the most comprehensive forum in the event’s 49 year history. The Oceanology International 2018 exhibition and conference, will runs from March 13 to 15 at ExCel, London, as organizer Reed Exhibitions looks to expand the event’s remit. The 24th edition of this biennial global forum will spotlight technological developments including robotics, advanced sensor technology and autonomous systems.

White House Announces $9.6 Million for Regional Ocean Partnerships

The Department of Commerce and NOAA on Friday announced $9.6 million in funding is available through four established Regional Ocean Partnerships and five Integrated Ocean Observing System (IOOS) Regional Associations. The funding supports cross-jurisdictional priorities and data sharing that address the most pressing ocean and coastal management issues within each region. This investment is part of…

"AI is the Game Changer"

Austal USA Advanced Technologies is working with the US Navy on technical solutions that will power the next-gen of navy assets. Don Hairston recently took the helm of the AAT team, and discusses how additive manufacturing and artificial intelligence are powering the future of naval asset design, construction and lifecycle maintenance.Don, what specifically attracted you to the position as GM of Austal USA Advanced Technologies?I liked Austal USA as an up-and-comer…

Let There Be Laser Light

Earth’s warming climate is poised to cause changes on our planet. In the Arctic, permafrost has begun to thaw, releasing methane, a heat-trapping greenhouse gas, into the atmosphere. On the seafloor, warmer ocean temperatures threaten to release methane gas by thawing solid deposits of methane hydrates found in cold depths. Such changes are potentially momentous, but how can we detect evidence that they are happening?

Diving Deep for Conservation

The California coast is lined with 27 offshore oil and gas rigs that can be seen jutting out across the horizon—a reminder of humans’ dependence on fossil fuels. Below the surface, however, these platforms are home to some of the most dynamic ecosystems in the world, harboring everything from mussels and scallops to garibaldi and rockfish. As many of these enormous rigs are approaching the end of their viable production lives…

Subsea 7 Vessel Installs iXBlue DP-PHINS

iXBlue DP-PHINS Inertial Navigation System has been proven in operation offshore West Africa for Subsea 7. The system delivers a robust and secure position reference in the case of corrupted positioning from satellite systems due to ionospheric Interference. The 4 500 t DP2 Construction Support / Flex Lay vessel Simar Esperança has successfully completed FMEA (Failure Mode Effect Analysis) trials using the state of the art DP-PHINS inertial navigation system.

Pharos Acquires 1200HP Subsea Cable Trencher

Pharos Offshore Group has acquired an SMD built 1200HP cable burial tool. The Universal Trenching Vehicle (UTV 1200) is a unique low and wide Remotely Operated Vehicle (ROV) specifically designed to bury submarine power cables. Modifications to the 1200HP UTV 1200 are underway. The enhancements will facilitate more effective post lay/installation burial and improve the handling and stability of the vehicle.

Keppel Wins Add-on Mexican Jack-up Order

Keppel FELS, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Keppel Offshore & Marine Ltd (Keppel O&M), has secured a contract to build a jackup rig worth US$206 million from repeat customer Grupo R, a Mexican drilling company. Scheduled for delivery in 4Q 2015, the jackup rig will be built to Keppel's proprietary KFELS B Class design. It will be added to the fleet of another four similar rigs that Keppel FELS is building for Grupo R.

New Hire at Rockland Scientific

Rockland Scientific Inc. (RSI) continues its growth with the hire of Emma Murowinski as Oceanographer. This position was created in response to increased research and development activity in RSI product line and applications as well as an overall demand for marine turbulence instrumentation and training in new geographic markets. RSI welcomes Emma as she completes a recent Masters of Science Degree in Physical Oceanography from the School of Earth and Ocean Sciences at University of Victoria…

Meridian Gyros Achieves China Type Approval

The Meridian Standard and Meridian Surveyor gyro compasses manufactured by Teledyne TSS have been given type approval by the China Classification Society. The approval was granted after the Society inspectors completed a detailed study of the gyros, their performance and reliability and the manufacturing processes and quality control methods employed at the Teledyne TSS factory in Watford, U.K. The…

Statewide Underwater Bridge Inspections by Fenstermaker

Fenstermaker's Underwater Acoustic specialists collaborate with the Louisiana Department of Transportation & Development to use advanced technologies and progressive methods in addressing America's failing infrastructure with a pioneer statewide underwater bridge inspection project. Summer is in full swing, but the grades posted in the 2013 Report Card for America’s Infrastructure by the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) are downright chilling.

NDT Expert Joins Ashtead Technology

Ashtead Technology appointment Neil Harrap as Non-Destructive Testing (NDT) Market Manager. Neil is an experienced NDT specialist having spent 31 years in aerospace engineering with the Ministry of Defense, much of which was spent with the RAF. During this time, Neil’s roles included NDT Equipment Subject Matter Specialist, NDT Field Team Manager, Military Tri-Service NDT School Instructor and Aerospace Engineering Technician.

U.S. Navy Purchases Six New Iver AUVs

OceanServer Technology announced it received purchase orders for six new Iver AUVs across three different contracts.The vehicles will be utilized by four different Navy directorates for a variety of defense related applications. All six systems have or will be delivered within the next few months. The Iver platform has gained strong acceptance from Navy customers around the globe for high resolution imaging in littoral waters.

Ashtead Bolsters US Team

Global subsea equipment specialists, Ashtead Technology, has strengthened its leadership team with the appointment of Steven Thrasher as regional vice president for the Americas. Bringing almost 20 years’ experience in the subsea industry, Thrasher, who will be based in Houston, Texas, will head up Ashtead’s US operation as it gears up for further growth in the Gulf of Mexico (GoM) and neighbouring markets.

Rovco Trials 3D Visualization Tech

Subsea cable survey and inspection work for the world’s largest and most technologically advanced offshore renewables test site, Wave Hub, was completed by U.K. based Rovco. The inspection program included the first commercial trial of Rovco’s 3D visualization technology to create scaled, high resolution models of subsea infrastructure with millimeter accuracy. Rovco also delivered a detailed bathymetric survey utilizing a multibeam echosounder (MBES)…