Dr. Jennifer Brower, Prometheus

Prometheus Inc., incorporated in 1983, is a mathematics and engineering research firm that specializes in the application of high-level mathematics to modeling, simulation and signal processing. Last month MTR caught up with Dr. Jennifer Brower to discuss the company's position in the marketplace and outlook for 2014 and beyond. Please discuss your background, how you came to your current field, including details on your tenure and role @ Prometheus.

Offshore Energy: Monitoring Performance

Recent severe storms in the U.K. North Sea have resulted in a number of floating production, storage and offloading vessels (FPSOs) being shut down in order to assess and repair the damage caused. Notwithstanding the possible safety implications for operations crew, oil and gas majors are facing weeks, if not months without a critical asset which in turn, is having a significant impact on future production.

New Sonars for Shark Marine’s Navigator

Shark Marine Technologies said its Navigator series is now available with three different forward looking sonar solutions: Teledyne Blueview’s Proviewer line, Tritech’s Gemini and Sound Metrics’ Aris. Teledyne Blueview sonars have been the standard forward looking sonars available on the Navigator since its early models, and now Tritech and Sound Metrics sonar options have been added in line with the Navigator’s initial design philosophy, that no single configuration is perfect for every job.

James Fisher Subsea Excavation Brings MFE Tool to Market

Mass flow excavation business, James Fisher Subsea Excavation – part of James Fisher and Sons plc, has brought a powerful tool to the market to support clients with large scale excavations. The SP12000 produces more than 6 tonnes of thrust at full power and a significant volume output of 12,000 liters of water per second, making it ideal for large seabed preparation projects, sandwave clearances, freespan rectifications and large diameter pipeline trenching.

MTR100: EvoLogics

Founded in 2000 by a group of international scientists and R&D experts, German high-tech enterprise EvoLogics GmbH specializes in underwater acoustic communications, acoustic positioning equipment and innovative solutions for robotics. The Berlin-based company says its mission is to develop innovative technologies for maritime and offshore industries through interdisciplinary cooperation between engineering and life sciences.

MTR100: Global Maritime Mooring Group

With the complexity and remoteness of offshore developments and the need to manage costs yet adhere to safety and asset integrity, Global Maritime is meeting customer challenges through a total mooring solution. Global Maritime Vryhof is a developer and provider of offshore anchoring technology. Global Maritime Vryhof’s expertise is complimented by that of its sister companies, Global Maritime Mooring Group s.a. Deep Sea Mooring and Moorlink.

GE Opens Global R&D Center in Brazil

General Electric today announced the opening of the $500 million Brazil Technology Center that will focus on developing advanced subsea oil and gas technology. The center, GE’s first in Latin America, will be a hub for engagement and collaboration with GE’s customers in the region and is expected to employ 400 researchers in the future. In the twentieth century, one of mankind’s greatest feats was successfully landing on the moon more than 235,000 miles from earth.

Underwater Center Debuts ROV Ops Training

A new model for increasing workforce competency in the ROV industry, using a realistic offshore instruction environment, was introduced by The Underwater Center at the Subsea UK ROV conference in Aberdeen. Industry and training providers have collaborated to develop work class ROV operations training that gives personnel thorough preparation and experience in essential aspects of work class ROV practice, offering the building blocks to improve safety and efficiency of staff and agency personnel.

Silver Ships Delivers Survey Vessel to USACE

Silver Ships delivered a 48-ft. Endeavor Survey boat to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, New Orleans District. The vessel will be tasked with surveying the waters in both the Gulf of Mexico and rivers of the New Orleans District. The all-welded aluminum vessel is designed and engineered by Naval Architect Lou Codega, PE of Smithfield, VA and features a hull form designed to handle the short choppy seas of the Gulf Coast regions.

Sonardyne Ranger 2 Chosen for Russian Salvage Vessels

Sonardyne International Ltd.’s Ranger 2 acoustic positioning technology has been selected by marine navigation systems group, Transas, for use on two new build ice-class multipurpose salvage vessels (MPSVs, the project is developed by Marine Engineering Bureau) commissioned by the Russian Ministry of Transport. The vessels are currently under construction at Nordic Yards in Germany and will each be fitted with dual Ranger 2 Pro systems…

ROVs Help Determine Iceberg Risks for Rigs

Rigs at risk from drifting icebergs can expect an early warning following research by the Memorial University of Newfoundland. The Autonomous Ocean Systems Laboratory (AOSL) at the University is undertaking a long-term study into modeling the behavior of icebergs that includes acquiring real-world data to increase the accuracy of predicting the rate and direction of their drift. They are also finding…

Polish DefenseTakes Delivery of Two AUVs

Teledyne Gavia announced that it has completed a contract with the Armament Department of the Polish Ministry of Defense for the delivery of two Gavia Defense AUV systems for mine countermeasures (MCM). The provision includes all required topside equipment and AUV operation and maintenance training. Teledyne Gavia completed a competitive tender process for delivery of the first MCM AUVs into Poland…

Aquabotix Adds Global Distributors

UUV Aquabotix Ltd has added five new distributors to its global network. These partnerships will help support the company’s global expansion and sale of its underwater robotics products, including its Endura ROV (remotely operated vehicle), Integra AUV/ROV (autonomous underwater vehicle/remotely operated vehicle) and AquaLens Connect underwater camera system. To date, Aquabotix has sold more than 400 vehicles in nearly 60 countries worldwide.

MTR100: Sea-Bird Scientific

For over 40 years, Sea-Bird Scientific has developed award-winning technologies and CTDs that are the centerpiece of most oceanographic moorings, AUVs and profiling systems. The global Argo Array, with unprecedented accuracy and stability in temperature and salinity, has enabled scientists to detect ocean climate trends not previously possible. Sea-Bird also provides sensors to the NSF funded SOCCOM program to produce climate-quality data record for carbon cycling.

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?

Sonar Equipment Services Renamed Subsea Technology & Rentals

A new name in advanced subsea equipment supply is being unveiled at Subsea Expo on February 5, 2014. Great Yarmouth-based Sonar Equipment Services will now trade under the name of Subsea Technology & Rentals (STR) to better reflect the broader range of products and associated services they now supply to the subsea sector following a restructure and significant investment in premises, people and equipment.

Remote Control Boat Assists Flood Repair

A remote control boat equipped with a SonTek M9 Acoustic Doppler Profiler (ADP) has been employed with HydroSurveyor software to create a three-dimensional map of a damaged (and still submerged) flood barrier, following serious damage that took place during last December’s storms. Data from the survey enabled the Environment Agency to act swiftly and effectively to repair the damage and thereby protect local industry and residents.

Ove Bråthen strengthens Scandinavian sales team at MARIS

Maritime Information Systems AS, Norway (MARIS) has appointed Ove Bråthen Director, Sales Scandinavia. Mr Bråthen, who holds an electronics degree with focus on radar and underwater acoustics, brings more than 25 years’ international sales experience to the company, having spent the first six years of his career with the Royal Norwegian Navy. After working at sea on a number of seismic research vessels…

Oceanology International Marine Science Exhibition

Hydrography, geophysics and site investigation lie at the heart of ocean science and technology and therefore are of key importance at Oceanology International, the world's largest exhibition for marine science and technology taking place March 11-13, 2014 at London’s ExCeL, and will be the subject of a full day conference on Thursday, March 13. Co-chaired by Andy Hill, Marine Geohazard Technical Authority, BP Exploration and Toby Powell, U.K.

MTR100: L-3 Communications Klein Associates, Inc.

No. Founded by Marty Klein in 1968, in a small factory in Salem, New Hampshire, USA, Klein Associates became the first commercial manufacturer of side scan sonar in the world. Since then, L-3 Klein Associates has become the leading supplier of side scan sonar equipment, and waterside security and surveillance systems to navies, shipbuilders, secure installations, researchers, oil & gas explorers, and hydrographers all over the globe.