SBG Systems Adds Technical Support Manager

France based motion sensing solutions provider SBG Systems has hired Ludovic Bazin as its new Technical Support Manager. Ludovic has a Master degree in Surveying technology and Positioning. He has been working for the past 19 years in the Geophysical Industry as Surveyor / Navigator, Support Engineer and Navigation, and Positioning Technical Manager. The company recently moved its U.S team from Chicago to Huntington Beach, Calif.

Swedish Navy Receives AUV's

During November and December 2011 the Swedish Navy received the last two of four state of-the-art AUVs (Autonomous Underwater Vehicles) from the Danish company EIVA a/s. The AUVs are equipped with advanced sensors in the form of sonars and underwater cameras and they are designed to operate autonomously underwater following a mission route planned ahead. There is a multitude of purposes for which the AUVs can be used.

Fincantieri’s Ramazel to Supply Rock Laying System for Jan de Nul’s Vessel

Remazel, a company of the Fincantieri Group, has signed a contract with Jan De Nul for the supply of mission-critical equipment for a newbuild vessel.The contract covers the design and supply of an advanced system for transporting and laying rocks on the seabed to protect cables and pipelines.The solution developed by Remazel will enable operations at depths of up to 400 meters with a production capacity of 2…

Drones for Coastal Enviro Management

Unmanned aerial systems (UAS), commonly called drones, have been making increasing impacts in the maritime domain. As the capabilities of these platforms have increased, so have their contributions to maritime science, defense, and industry. Recognizing this, the Alliance for Coastal Technologies (ACT) and the Northeastern Regional Association of Coastal and Ocean Observing Systems (NERACOOS), with support from the U.S.

New Tech for Wind Blade Inspections

Drones and crawling robots outfitted with special scanning technology could help wind blades stay in service longer, which may help lower the cost of wind energy at a time when blades are getting bigger, pricier and harder to transport, Sandia National Laboratories researchers say.As part of the Department of Energy’s Blade Reliability Collaborative work, funded by the Wind Energy Technologies Office…

New Subsea Cutting Technology Unveiled

Services company James Fisher Offshore (JFO) has developed an advanced internal abrasive cutting system designed to offer higher performance, cost savings and operational efficiency to support the oil and gas industry’s decommissioning cost reduction target.The abrasive cutting technology offers an innovative method for the internal cutting and removal of subsea tubular structures, ranging from piles and jacket legs through to well casings and well heads.

Sonardyne’s SPRINT-Nav 700 selected for new under-ice AUV

The UK’s center of excellence for oceanographic sciences, the National Oceanography Center (NOC), has selected high-performance hybrid navigation technology from Sonardyne International Ltd. for the next generation of its Autosub autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV), targeted for under-ice operations.The NOC, based in Southampton, will incorporate Sonardyne’s highest performing SPRINT-Nav inertial navigation system (INS) into the new 2…

MTR100 Spotlight: Bayonet Ocean Vehicles

The MTR100 is a look at the 100 leading companies, technologies and people in the global subsea sector. In the September/October edition, Marine Technology Reporter published the 17th Annual MTR100. Today's spotlight is on Bayonet Ocean Vehicles, recently launched by Greensea Systems Inc.Bayonet Ocean Vehicles was created to help bridge the gap between open water and the beach with a series of “AUGVs”…

Hydroid, Kongsberg Launch New Offshore Survey/Exploration AUV

Hydroid, Inc., a manufacturer of Autonomous Underwater Vehicles (AUVs), in partnership with its parent company, Kongsberg Maritime, announced the release of the new Munin AUV. Designed jointly by the two companies, the Munin combines the size and deployability of the Hydroid Remus 600 AUV with the navigation systems and user interface of the Kongsberg Hugin AUV to give offshore users a capable and reliable solution for their survey and exploration needs.

MacGregor to Deliver Two Arctic Subsea Cranes

MacGregor, part of Cargotec, has received an order for two MacGregor active heave-compensated (AHC) offshore cranes from a Turkish shipyard for a new subsea inspection, maintenance and repair (IMR) and construction vessel for a Norwegian owner. A 250 and 15-metric-ton MacGregor subsea crane will be installed on the 129-meter vessek. The 250-metric-ton unit will have its winch installed below the working deck and will also feature wire rope integrity software.

RTSYS Debuts Micro-AUV NemoSens

French acoustics specialist RTSYS has launched its latest versatile micro autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) NemoSens, designed to perform numerous civil applications such as seabed imagery, environmental monitoring or wreckage localization.Unveiled after years of development, the flexible new AUV is small (less than 1 meter long) and is easy to carry and launch (less than 20 pounds including payload).

Deck Machinery: Pulling Power

Modern deck machinery is essential to efficient subsea vessel operations. For those on the water conducting experiments, surveys or military exercise, it is impossible if not foolhardy to point to one system or piece of equipment that is head and shoulders above the rest in importance when it comes to conducting a safe and efficient project. But for those who have been present when a winch has jammed…

UTEC Awarded LNG Pipeline Contract

UTEC Survey Pty Ltd. announced it has been awarded the largest pipelay support survey and positioning contract in Australia. The contract was awarded to UTEC by Saipem and involves the provision of offshore survey and positioning services during the pre-lay, lay and post-lay installation of a 42-inch-diameter, 889-kilometer-long pipeline which will connect the Ichthys LNG Project’s offshore central…

ASI Conducts Record Long-range ROV Inspections

ASI Marine recently completed simultaneous tunnel inspections with their modified Falcon and Mohican remotely operated vehicles (ROV). These vehicles are unique to ASI Marine and operate over 5 km and 10 km umbilical lengths respectively. As the longest tethered systems in the world that are powered from the surface, these vehicles are capable of virtually unlimited inspection durations. Full crews accompanied the ROVs to Australia and Chile for the inspections…

At Hamburg port E-mobility Project, BESIC enters crucial phase

Ten battery-operated heavy goods vehicles now transport containers between ships and the yard at the highly automated handling facility in the HHLA Container Terminal Altenwerder (CTA). The aim is to charge the batteries of these container transporters when the grid has a surplus of renewable energy generated in northern Germany. The first battery-powered heavy goods vehicles in the world went into use at the HHLA Container Terminal Altenwerder (CTA) back in 2011.

Exail Sells First Compact USBL Positioning System

Exail has secured its first sale of the Gaps M3 compact USBL (Ultra-Short Baseline) positioning system to a major offshore construction group in Asia. The system will be deployed for a subsea cable laying project, providing precise underwater positioning in a dynamic coastal environment.The Gaps M3 was selected for its ability to deliver subsea tracking while remaining cost-effective. Integrated with a vessel’s existing attitude and heading reference system…

The World’s Largest Ocean Garbage Patch is Growing Rapidly

The world’s largest heap of ocean garbage is growing at an alarming rate. The 600,000-square-mile collection of ocean plastic and trash floating halfway between California and Hawaii known as the Great Pacific Garbage Patch now contains four to 16 times more plastic than previously estimated, with pollution levels increasing exponentially, new analysis reveals. It’s estimated some 1.8 trillion pieces of plastic weighing 80…

UKHO Appoints Marion Leslie as Non-Executive Chair

The UK Hydrographic Office (UKHO) confirmed the appointment of Marion Leslie as Non-Executive Chair. Leslie will chair the UKHO Board in this independent position after a year as interim Non-Executive Chair and six years as a Non-Executive Director at the UKHO.The Board supports, challenges and validates the UKHO business strategy and oversees the organization's performance. Leslie leads the Board as Chair…

DNV GL Initiative Aims to Cut Well P&A Costs

Plugging and abandonment (P&A) of offshore wells represents the highest cost within field decommissioning for operating companies and national authorities. DNV GL has now issued a new, globally applicable Recommended Practice (RP), on risk-based abandonment of offshore wells which in combination with optimized project execution and new technology could potentially reduce P&A costs by 30–50%. The framework outlined in the RP provides the possibility for individualized…

Collins Engineers Donates ROV to UW-Milwaukee

With the goal of enriching students’ educational experiences and enhancing the research capabilities of marine scientists on the Great Lakes, Collins Engineers, Inc. (Collins) has donated a Phantom-300 remotely operated vehicle (ROV) to the University of Wisconsin—Milwaukee School of Freshwater Science (SFS), located at the Great Lakes WATER Institute. The cost of a similar ROV purchased new would range between $25,000 and $35,000.