Seatronics Choose SeeByte Software for ROV

SeeByte and Seatronics announced that the Predator ROV will now be fully integrated with SeeByte’s SeeTrack CoPilot software. This collaboration will allow Seatronics to offer the advanced applications available through SeeTrack CoPilot as an integrated package and as a rental option for their customers. David Currie, MD at Seatronics commented, “As the builders and global distributers of the Predator Inspection Class ROV…

Fugro Awarded Survey Work Papua New Guinea

Fugro has been awarded a total of six hydrographic survey contracts by the National Maritime Safety Authority (NMSA) of Papua New Guinea to help contribute capacity development in the country, which has over 5,000 kilometers of coastline. The surveys will be conducted utilizing a combination of Fugro’s Airborne LiDAR Bathymetry (ALB) and multibeam echo sounder (MBES) sensors and a seamless dataset will be delivered to the NMSA.

WHOI Selects Ranger 2 USBL for RV Neil Armstrong

Houston-based subsea technology company, Sonardyne Inc., has announced that its deep water acoustic positioning system, Ranger 2 USBL, has been selected for the U.S Navy’s new oceanographic research vessel, R/V Neil Armstrong. The ship is operated by the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) on behalf of the Navy and replaces the recently retired R/V Knorr vessel which had been in operation since 1970.

MacArtney Launches Hydrostatic Pressure Vessels Range

MacArtney introduced its new range of advanced in-house developed hydrostatic pressure vessels. While the company has long offered worldwide access to hydrostatic test facilities and services, the company also designs and supplies its own range of pressure vessel to clients who require to set up their own facilities for testing underwater equipment. “When it comes to quality, safety and performance in harsh underwater environments…

Engineers Aid UK Subsea Diversification Drive

Two engineers from Wood Group have supported the National Subsea Research Initiative (NSRI) in its drive to speed up the development and implementation of near to market technologies in the subsea sector. Jamie McCallum and Christer Fjellroth, who are both working toward becoming Chartered Engineers, beat off competition from a number of hopefuls who applied to join NSRI on a one year secondment last year.

MakaiLay Suite Adds Features for Power Cable Installers

Makai Ocean Engineering, Inc. said it continues to address issues experienced by the subsea power cable industry by enhancing submarine cable lay software, MakaiLay, and its desktop simulation sister product, MakaiPlan Pro. 1. Cable Top Angle. MakaiLay now has the option to use the cable departure angle, or “Top Angle”, which can be measured at the over-boarding point. When high quality measurements of top tension are not available…

Photline Technologies Joins the iXBlue Group

iXBlue extends a warm welcome to Photline, a company in which the group already had a large stake and which now holds almost 100% equity. Photline is now a wholly owned subsidiary of the group. Founded more than ten years ago by formers researchers at CNRS and University of Besançon, France, Photline designs, develops and manufactures integrated optical components and products for scientific and industrial applications in the instrumentation…

ThunderFish AUV Program Gets $745,000 Boost

Kraken Sonar Inc. wholly-owned subsidiary Kraken Sonar Systems Inc. has received a $745,950 contribution from the the Research & Development Corporation (RDC) of Newfoundland and Labrador to support development of its ThunderFish autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) program. The ThunderFish program will combine smart sonar, laser and optical sensors, advanced pressure tolerant battery and thruster technologies…

Dyneema: Making Light Work of Ultra-Deep Sea Recovery Operation

A salvage operation on a ship wreck 3200 meters below the surface of the South Atlantic has been successfully carried out thanks to the use of lightweight ropes made with Dyneema ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene fiber. Dyneema fiber, the world’s strongest fiber, is manufactured by DSM Dyneema. It is used by Hampidjan, one of the largest fishing gear and “super rope” manufacturers in the world…

Maldives Protects Fishery with GOST Nav-Tracker

GOST (Global Ocean Security Technologies) announced that its Nav-Tracker 3.0 VMS has been adapted for use by the Indian Ocean archipelago nation of The Maldives to prevent illegal encroachment on protected island fisheries and preserve special areas for traditional fishing techniques. GOST in conjunction with both The Maldives Ministry of Fisheries and Agriculture and the Maldives government-owned…

Summer Shark Research Heats Up at WHOI

WHOI scientists will collaborate with the non-profit shark research organization OCEARCH on a month-long expedition starting out on 31, July 2013, to tag white sharks and collect valuable blood and tissue samples off the coast of Cape Cod. The OCEARCH vessel is uniquely equipped to catch, tag, and bio-sample sharks before they are released. As mythic as sharks are, surprisingly little is known about these apex ocean predators.

RV Belgica to Undergo Electrical Systems Refit

System integrator Alewijnse Marine Systems said it has won an order for an electrical systems refit aboard RV Belgica, an oceanographic research vessel owned by the Belgian state. Prior to the assignment, Alewijnse carried out a year-long research project on a limited lifetime extension of the vessel. The refit will start in April 2016 and take several months to complete. RV Belgica celebrated her…

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…

Shell Tests Off-Site Rig in Office Backyard

The only off-site rig of its kind for testing new oil and gas drilling techniques lies sandwiched between office blocks in a peaceful Dutch suburb, says Shell. Drilling is vital to unlocking energy supplies to meet the world’s growing needs. Engineers rely on advanced equipment to bore wells deep into the ground or seabed to access the oil and gas resources that lie there. As many remaining resources are trapped tightly in rock pores or located thousands of metres beneath the seafloor…

Schlumberger to Acquire Coiled Tubing Drilling Units

Schlumberger has announced  it has entered into an agreement to acquire the coiled tubing drilling and coiled tubing units from Xtreme Drilling and Coil Services Corp. (TSX:XDC), a Calgary-based provider of international land drilling and coiled tubing drilling services. Xtreme currently owns a fleet of 11 coiled tubing units located in Saudi Arabia and the United States. The transaction is subject to customary closing conditions and is expected to close in the third quarter.

Sweden’s First AIS Aid to Navigation Deployed

True Heading, manufacturer of Automatic Identification System (AIS) solutions, GPS compasses and app navigation, has supplied an AIS Aid to Navigation (ATON) beacon to the Port of Stockholm, Sweden. Located at Stockholm Stream (Stockholm Ström) and the first of its kind in Sweden, local authorities launched a new buoy with the True Heading ATON transponder to assist commercial and recreational ships moving in and out of the busy harbor.

General Dynamics Tests U.S. Navy UUVs

General Dynamics Advanced Information Systems, a business unit of General Dynamics, completed the comprehensive risk reduction program for the U.S. Navy’s Knifefish Surface Mine Countermeasure Unmanned Undersea Vehicle (UUV) program. Designed to discover any potential systems defect early on in the program’s development phase, the configuration item test (CIT) successfully verified key components within…

Hyperdynamics Continue Search for Offshore Guinea Oil

Hyperdynamics Corporation say that Tullow Oil Guinea Ltd. has formally notified the Republic of Guinea, on behalf of the consortium that is exploring for oil offshore Guinea, of its intent to elect to extend the Second Exploration Period for an additional three years, as provided for under the terms of its existing Production Sharing Contract (PSC). During the three-year extension of the Second Exploration Period – which extends through September 21…

TRDI to Host Underwater Navigation Training in Houston

Teledyne RD Instruments (TRDI) – manufacturer of Acoustic Doppler Current Profilers (ADCPs); Conductivity, Temperature and Depth (CTD); and Doppler Velocity Logs (DVLs) for offshore, academic and defense applications – announced it will host a two-day training seminar focused on their Doppler Velocity Log (DVL) technology in Houston, October 21-22, 2014. DVLs are used extensively onboard underwater platforms and surface vessels to provide precision navigation capability.

FPSO Operation Increased 84% in Past Decade

IMA/EMA recently completed an in-depth analysis of the floating production sector. Highlighted below are some key findings in Floating Production Systems: assessment of the outlook for FPSOs, Semis, TLPs, Spars, FLNGs, FSRUs and FSOs. FPSOs account for 61% of the existing systems. The balance is comprised of production semis, tension leg platforms, production spars, production barges and floating regasification/storage units.