Warner Linear Steers Unmanned Vessel Design

Research and development into unmanned vehicles has made considerable progress in the past few years. Designing fully autonomous vehicles presents additional challenges since they need to share operational space with human-operated vehicles. In an effort to advance the technology for marine surface vessels, a biennial competition is being held for universities to showcase their expertise; an endeavor that has been supported by Warner Linear.

O&G JIPs Target Seismic Imaging, Cyclone Forecasting

Global oil and gas companies have funded two joint industry projects (JIP) through the Industry Technology Facilitator (ITF), the details of which will be announced at the Technology Showcase conference and exhibition in Aberdeen Wednesday. The Fullwave Game Changer research project has been extended for a further phase with a consortium of 15 oil and gas operator and service companies working in collaboration with Imperial College London.

Bluefin Robotics on the Hunt for MH370

When Malaysian Airlines flight 370 disappeared on March 8, 2014 with 239 souls aboard, so began an aviation disaster and mystery. While a collaborative effort continues to hunt for clues in some of the world’s most remote, hostile and uncharted ocean environments, the subsea industry – and more specifically the AUV sector – has garnered international headlines, as Phoenix International, under contract to the U.S. Navy, has deployed its Bluefin 21 Artemis AUV in the search.

A Pivotal Year for AUVs in the Oil & Gas Sector

AUVs are on their way. With vast scope for their application, autonomous underwater vehicles are finally gaining pace in the commercial sector. The technology, which has its origins in military activities such as mine counter-measure and rapid environmental assessment (MC & REA), also has a strong presence in research activities, from research mapping to environmental sensing. In fact, the military and research sectors have strong links which enable collaboration and…

Newly Found Seafloor Rise Named Engineer’s Ridge

The newly discovered seafloor rise Engineer’s Ridge has been officially documented through the U.S. Board on Geographic Names, Schmidt Ocean Institute announced. Less than three months after announcing Falkor Seamount, an underwater mountain discovered and named by the crew aboard Schmidt Ocean Institute’s research vessel Falkor, the team has found and named another underwater feature. The U.S. Board on Geographic Names unanimously approved Engineer’s Ridge on January 19, 2016.

Governor Chafee: Rhode Island Leads the Way

(The Rhode Island Subsea Sector is profiled in the March 2013 edition of Marine Technology Reporter. Rhode Island Governor Lincoln D. Chafee offers insights on the wealth of opportunity found in his state). As the birthplace of the American Industrial Revolution, Rhode Island was at the forefront of innovation, entrepreneurial creativity, and economic transformation, beginning with the Slater Mill in 1793.

Dutch Gov’t Orders Equipment for Waterway Surveys

The Dutch Ministry of Infrastructure and Environment (Rijkswaterstaat Survey department IGA) has selected the Kongsberg Maritime EM 2040C very high resolution, shallow water multibeam system to spearhead its inland waterway survey operations. For starters, the Ministry has in 2015 ordered five EM 2040C dual head and dual swath systems and the contract provides the option for additional systems up to a maximum of 11 within the next 10 years.

Six Mile Deep GoM Oil Strike

Chevron Corporation has announced an oil discovery at the Coronado prospect in the deepwater U.S. Gulf of Mexico. The Walker Ridge Block 98 Well No. 1 encountered more than 400 feet (122 m) of net pay. The well is located approximately 190 miles (308 km) off the Louisiana coast in 6,127 feet (1,868 m) of water and was drilled to a depth of 31,866 feet (9,713 m). The well results are still being evaluated, and additional work is needed to determine the extent of the resource.

European Offshore Wind Faces Make-or-break 2020 -Report

Wind power companies such as Vestas, Siemens and Dong need Europe's installed offshore capacity to more than double and costs to be cut by a fifth within five years to compete with other fuels, an industry report said on Tuesday. The Ernst & Young report described 2020 as a make-or-break year for the offshore wind power industry, which must install more than 20 gigawatts (GW) of capacity generating electricty for about 100 euros ($107) per megawatt-hour (MWh), against 140 euros now.

Pradith Joins HYPACK Support Team

HYPACK, Inc. announced that Vitad Pradith has joined the HYPACK support team. In his new role, Pradith will work alongside HYPACk’s support team, providing customers with customer support, onsite trainings and system integration. Pradith previously worked as a Physical Scientist at NOAA Office of Coast Survey for the past 11.5 years. His primary role provided the technical direction and support to…

New Lineup for NOAA Hydrographic Services Panel

NOAA administrator Kathryn Sullivan, Ph.D., has appointed six members to the Hydrographic Services Review Panel, a federal advisory committee that gives NOAA independent advice for improving a range of services and products that support navigation and coastal resilience. Capt. “Providing coastal communities, boaters, and the commercial maritime industry with timely, reliable, accurate, and authoritative information is essential as we strive to keep commerce flowing through our nation’s ports…

Arctic Smarts: Training Innovators and Explorers

When it comes to the Arctic, the world still has a lot to learn. With just 10% of its vast expanse having been charted to date and much about its environment still unknown, the Arctic remains one of the most mysterious places on Earth. As a new frontier with natural resource potential, the Arctic is also an area of increasing international interest and economic activity. As activity in the Arctic increases and new opportunities emerge…

Deep Thinkers: Advancing Underwater Technology

Newfoundland and Labrador has been front and center on some of the world’s paradigm shifting ocean-based research and development achievements. Autonomous Oceans Systems Laboratory (AOSL) is a research facility within Memorial University’s Faculty of Engineering and Applied Science, focused on the advancement of persistent unmanned systems technology in harsh environments. Masters and Doctoral students from the university play a key role in driving AOSL’s research and development…

Northwind NV To Build Wind Farm off Belgian Coast

Northwind NV received statements of compliance for site assessment and site specific design assessment from GL Renewables Certification (GL RC). The Northwind Offshore Wind Farm will be located on the Bank Zonder Naam (Lodewijkbank) off the coast of Zeebrugge, Belgium. Construction of the wind farm, which includes 72 Vestas V112 turbines, begins this year, with completion scheduled for 2014. The statements of compliance were presented to Frank Coenen…

iXBlue Debuts GAPS-NG

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

New Unmanned Vehicle for Maritime Warfare

Drawing on know-how derived from generations of unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) design, development and operation and its naval capabilities, Elbit Systems’ newest offering in the unmanned platform field is Seagull - an organic, modular, highly autonomous, multi-mission unmanned surface vehicle (USV) system. Seagull is a 12-meter USV with replaceable mission modules, with two vessels capable of being operated and controlled in concert using a single mission control system (MCS)…

Iver3 AUV Sold to Defense Research and Development Canada

OceanServer Technology has received a contract for an Iver3-580 EP system from Canada Public Works and Government Services for delivery to the Defense Research and Development Canada (DRDC). The Iver3 AUV will be used to augment existing autonomous systems and provide a platform to continue R&D development in underwater research at DRDC Atlantic. OceanServer has sold several systems to DRDC with a wide range of sonar, software and sensors for research into areas such as mine counter measures.

Cammell Laird Awards Coatings Contract for RRS Sir David Attenborough

Subsea Industries’ Ecospeed hull protection system has been selected for RRS Sir David Attenborough, the polar research ship under construction at the Cammell Laird shipyard in Birkenhead, Liverpool, U.K. The £150 million contract to build the vessel, which Cammell Laird won in 2015, represents the biggest commercial shipbuilding contract in Britain for 30 years. The ship has been commissioned by the…

Teledyne Benthos Portfolio Moves to Odom

Teledyne Benthos and Teledyne Odom Hydrographic announced the transfer of the Benthos geophysical sonar portfolio, including the Chirp III Subbottom profiler, C3D interferometic sonar and newly released SIS-1725 side-scan sonar to Odom Hydrographic. This realignment of products and technologies allows both organizations to better serve their primary markets and build upon their core competencies. Dr.

EvoLogics to Showcase at Ocean Business 2013

EvoLogics GmbH, a manufacturer of underwater communication and positioning systems from Berlin, Germany, will showcase its recent developments at the Ocean Business 2013 exhibition from April 9-11 in Southampton, U.K., including new products, developer solutions and latest updates. Offering more options for customers, EvoLogics GmbH recently extended its ranges of underwater acoustic modems (S2CR series) and combined positioning and communication devices (S2CR USBL series)…