Kosmos to Buy into Senegal Offshore Blocks for $400 mln

Kosmos Energy is set to sign a $400 million "farm-in" agreement with Senegal's state-owned hydrocarbon firm Petrosen and Timis Corp to take a 60 percent stake in the Cayar and St. Louis offshore blocks that they operate, a draft Petrosen document seen by Reuters on Saturday showed. According to the document, Kosmos has committed to drill two exploration wells up to a total value of $240 million. It will then drill a third well…

Google Maps Goes Coastal with Unmanned Boat

A new high-tech unmanned vessel, launched with the help of Google, will use innovative technologies from the boatbuilding and mapping fields to map shorelines and raise awareness of the impacts of global sea level rise. Originally designed to be worn by backpackers, Google's proprietary Street View Trekker camera system was provided on loan to the San Francisco Baykeeper organization, allowing them to create bay-level maps.

Hawaiki Transpacific Cable Set for Installation

The undersea fiber-optic cable and equipment for the 14,000 km Hawaiki transpacific cable system have been manufactured and are in the final stages of being loaded aboard cable laying vessels for deployment to beginning in early October. The Hawaiki submarine cable system, owned and developed Hawaiki Submarine Cable LP, will link Australia and New Zealand to the mainland United States, as well as Hawaii and American Samoa, with options to expand to additional South Pacific islands.

Gavia Delivers AUVs to the Turkish Air Force

Provider of low logistic Autonomous Underwater Vehicles (AUVs) Teledyne Gavia has recently delivered two Gavia AUVs to the Turkish Air Force through a contract with the Turkish government support and procurement company Savunma Teknolojileri Muhendislik Ve Ticaret A.Ş (STM). The 1,000m rated Gavia AUVs will be utilized for search and recovery applications and will provide the Turkish Air Force with deep water, rapid response capability from a man portable AUV system.

Lewit Awarded Lifetime Achievement Award

Scott Lewit, President and co-founder of Structural Composites, Inc received the Lifetime Achievement Award for Technology at the Florida Technovation/TechExpo in October. In recognition of this award Lewit was given a Congressional Medal of Merit from Congressman Bill Posey for the achievement. The Lifetime Achievement in Technology is presented to an individual whose impact, influence and work within…

Rhotheta and Metaocean Establish Cooperation

On May 1, 2012 Rhotheta USA, Inc and MetOcean Data Systems announced  they have entered into a cooperation agreement to support requirements for recovery of underwater assets and oceanographic equipment. Under the terms of the agreement both companies will combine their know-how and efforts to support customer requirements jointly. Both Rhotheta and MetOcean are now committed to support projects involving recovery of underwater assets…

Royal IHC to Build Reel Lay Vessel for Subsea 7

Royal IHC and Subsea 7 have signed a contract for the design and build of a high specification reel lay vessel capable of installing complex rigid flowlines including pipe-in-pipe systems. IHC said it has worked in close cooperation with Subsea 7 to incorporate several innovative features to make this one of the most technologically advanced vessels to date. The vessel’s compact dimensions are facilitated by the creative positioning of its three engine rooms and main reel…

Applied Acoustics Supplies 500th USBL System

Applied Acoustics said it has reached a company milestone with its latest contract to supply subsea positioning equipment to a major European subsea pipeline contractor. Contractors working in the Gulf of Finland in the eastern Baltic Sea have selected Applied Acoustics’ Nexus 2 USBL system to carry out sidescan sonar surveys in advance of engineering works as well as for use in marine archaeological operations. The award of this contract marks the 500th USBL system that the Great Yarmouth, U.K.

ASV to Host 55th Marine Measurement Forum

ASV Ltd have announced that it is to host the 55th Marine Measurement Forum at its new facility in Portchester, Hampshire. The Marine Measurement Forum (MMF) is a series of one-day, nonprofit making events that provides opportunities for the informal exchange of ideas, knowledge, techniques and developments across an extensive range of marine scientific measurement activities. Registration for the event is now open, and places are limited so early booking is highly recommended.

Nautronix Secures NASNet Order off Norway

Nautronix, a provider of through water communication and positioning technology to the offshore industry, has secured an order to supply NASNet, an underwater positioning system, for Subsea 7. The system will be used on the Aasta Hansteen field, which is located in the northern part of the Norwegian Sea approximately 300km west of Bodø, at 1,300m water depth. The field is developed by Statoil. Nautronix…

REP16: a Global At-sea Campaign

Several different Autonomous Surface Vessels (ASVs), Autonomous Underwater Vehicles (AUVs) and Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs), equipped with different sensors and acoustic payloads, are being used together in the seventh annual edition of REP16-Atlantic exercise, a joint exercise of the Portuguese Navy, the NATO Centre for Maritime Research and Experimentation (CMRE), and the University of Porto.

VideoRay eWorkshop to Showcase New Products

VideoRay has released several new ROV technologies and accessories over the last few months. New accessories like the Rotating Manipulator Arm and Recovery & Retrieval Kit expand the Pro 4 ROV's capabilities and make it possible to complete more advanced underwater tasks. To showcase its new offerings, VideoRay will host a New Products Overview on Wednesday August 12 at 11 a.m. ET. The live online eWorkshop will allow users to get a look at some of VideoRay’s latest products…

RH Petrogas’ Gets Green Light on Fuyu 1 Block

The approved ODP allows KRL to operate and drill up to 1,008 wells in Fuyu 1 Block over a course of five years. RH Petrogas Limited, which is engaged in the business of exploration, development and production of oil and gas resources, said that the Group’s Overall Development Plan for the phased development of the Yongping Oilfield in the Fuyu 1 Block has received approval from the National Development and Reform Commission of the People’s Republic of China.

Groundbreaking UK Maritime Research Parnership Set to Continue

With new experimental facilities under construction at HR Wallingford, the foundations are in place for another two decades of successful collaboration between HR Wallingford’s Professor Richard Whitehouse and University College London’s Professor Richard Simons. Richard Whitehouse and Richard Simons know first-hand the value of long term collaboration in experimental research. They first worked together…

Subsea Energy Production Beats Topside Method Says ABB

ABB recently entered a partnership with international energy company Statoil to develop power solutions for subsea oil and gas production. A key challenge they identify is to develop reliable long-distance power transmission technology and to build components that can function for several decades at depths of up to 3,000 meters. The subsea industry has gained worldwide importance as oil companies strive…

Meet the CARTHE Drifter

Surface currents in the upper 1 ocean are very important in driving the fate of marine debris and pollutants but are also challenging to measure. Tracking the upper ocean in an effective manner may require massive deployment of GPS tracked drifter buoys, which until now were expensive, cumbersome and quite polluting themselves (i.e. made of PVC, ABS and Nylon). The CARTHE drifter is an answer to the need for a compact, user-friendly, robust, yet eco-friendly solution.

Whorton Named President of Teledyne Optech

Dr. Mark Whorton has assumed the role of President of the U.S. organization Teledyne Optech, Inc., the company announced. In this role, Dr. Whorton will oversee U.S. operations and apply his expertise to the development of the Optech Coastal Zone Mapping and Imaging Lidar (CZMIL) and our line of digital aerial cameras. Dr. Whorton has served Teledyne Brown Engineering (TBE) as Chief Technology Officer since October 2014 and previously as Director, Commercial Earth Imaging.

UK's Newest Submarine Arrives on the Clyde

Artful, the third of the U.K. Royal Navy’s new Astute Class attack submarines, has arrived at her Scottish base port from where she will carry out sea trials before entering service later this year, the U.K. Ministry of Defense announced. The 7,400-metric-ton, 97-meter-long Artful left BAE Systems’ construction yard at Barrow-in-Furness in Cumbria several days ago before sailing to her new home at Her Majesty’s Naval Base (HMNB) Clyde.

Unmanned Forces: Building a Multi-Domain Autonomous Fleet

Success on the frontline relies largely upon harmonious operations between all sectors of the armed forces, whether that is Army, Navy, Air Force or Amphibious units. Naturally, each unit is assigned operations according the capabilities it brings to the battlefield and together bring the best of each domain. While this concept seems a clear choice for manned operations, multi-domain collaboration is rarely seen in unmanned operations.

MUM's the Word: New UUV Takes Shape in Germany

The Large Modifiable Underwater Mothership (MUM) brings German engineering prowess and cooperation to the fore. As the world of autonomous vehicles flourishes on land and in the air, subsea applications have proven more challenging, despite great strides in recent years to deliver fully autonomous, efficient systems at sea. A team of engineers from Germany, engineers teamed from industry and academia…