Market and Technology Trends in Underwater Sensors & Instumentation

Underwater sensors and instrumentation have been developed for a broad range of activities – including mapping the seafloor, communicating underwater, locating underwater objects, and observing underwater animals and plants – carried out by government, industry, and the scientific research community. The Duke University Center on Globalization, Governance & Competitiveness (CGGC) recently completed a study on the global value chains of ocean technologies…

Aker Solutions Sign Subsea Alvheim Contract

Aker Solutions sign contract with Marathon Oil Norge for the delivery of subsea trees to the Alvheim field on the Norwegian continental shelf. The contract includes the delivery of four subsea trees and associated equipment. The contract is part of the frame agreement, covering the North Sea and Europe, between Marathon Oil Norge, a wholly owned subsidiary of Marathon Oil Corporation, and Aker Solutions.

Sonar Synthetic Aparture IP Rights Secured by Kraken

Kraken Sonar Systems acquires all Intellectual Property (IP) rights to the AquaPix® Synthetic Aperture Sonar (SAS) technology platform from Marport Deep Sea Technologies Inc. The SAS technology assets consist of all hardware and software intellectual property targeted to military and commercial applications. The transaction had an effective closing date of December 31, 2012. A number of different underwater activities rely on high quality seabed imaging.

Schlumberger Introduces Autonomous Directional Drilling

Oilfield services giant Schlumberger has this week introduced a service called Autonomous Directional Drilling, which, the company says, includes solutions to steer autonomously through any section of the wellbore. According to Schlumberger its intelligent and dynamic downhole automated control system instantly interprets and acts on data, enhancing well construction performance," the company said.Autonomous…

UK to Transfer Two Minehunters to Ukraine

Britain said on Monday it would transfer two Royal Navy minehunter ships to the Ukrainian Navy, as it sets up a new maritime defence coalition alongside Norway to help strengthen Ukraine's sea operations.Britain said the two Sandown Class mine countermeasures vessels will enable Ukraine to better counter the threat from Russian sea mines, aiming to restore Ukraine's export routes via the Black Sea.The…

BeWild Project to Assess Impact of Offshore Wind Farms on Biodiversity

Dutch offshore survey services provider Fugro, together with other project partners, said Wednesday it would work to develop innovative methodologies and technologies for remotely collecting environmental DNA (eDNA) samples in the North Sea as part of a project called BeWild, aimed at measuring biodiversity at offshore wind farms. The project was recently launched at Fugro's TechCenter in Nootdorp…

Marine Telemetry: Shedding Light Below the Waves

Marine telemetry can help species conservation and management in a changing climateAn OTN Liquid Robotics Wave Glider. © Nicolas Winkler PhotographyThe end of 2022 marked a potentially significant time for climate activists, scientists, and policymakers worldwide with two United Nations climate conventions—the 27th Climate Change Conference (COP27) in Egypt and the 15th Biodiversity Conference (COP15) in Canada.

Danos Wraps Coastal Restoration Work for Shell in Louisiana

In late 2021, Danos completed four coastal restoration projects in south Louisiana on behalf of Shell Pipeline Company. The work will provide shoreline protection through a combination of customized 3D printed modules, nicknamed “Cajun Coral,” and advanced satellite image monitoring with partner Natrx, Inc. The project designs and installation procedures were tailored to local site conditions in order…

Argeo Builds the Tools to Bridge the Data Gap

[As published in the March/April 2023 edition of Marine Technology Reporter]Argeo is an offshore service company, created in 2017 and on the move, driven by its mission to transform the ocean surveying and inspection industry via autonomous surface and underwater robotics solutions. We recently caught up with Argeo CEO Trond Crantz for a far-reaching discussion on the company and its recent innovations in the surface and underwater vessel sector…

Hydrothermal Vent Temperatures Used to Forecast Eruptions

A new study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences provides scientists with a new tool for monitoring and predicting tectonic activity deep beneath the seafloor at mid-ocean ridges—vast underwater mountain chains that form where Earth’s tectonic plates diverge.The study, titled “Hydrothermal vent temperatures track magmatic inflation and forecast eruptions at the East Pacific Rise…

Alliance Says No Link Between Offshore Wind Surveys and Mammal Deaths

The EnerGeo Alliance has sent a letter to New Jersey Governor Philip Murphy and Assemblyman Christopher Tully, Chairman of the state’s Committee on Science, Innovation and Technology in advance of the Assembly’s hearing on marine mammal deaths scheduled for Thursday May 18, 2023.There have been at least 11 whales that have washed up dead along New Jersey's coastline since December 5, prompting concern…

Argeo Listen - Electromagnetic Subsea Cathodic Protection Measurement

Autonomous Underwater Vehicles (AUV’s) have been introduced as efficient tools for subsea pipeline inspections. It has also been demonstrated that AUVs can be used to perform contactless and continuous electric field measurements of the Cathodic Protection (CP) systems along pipelines. In this article we present a newly developed and commercialized sensor system for accurate and low noise electric field measurements.

Autonomy: iXblue ramps up DriX USV Production

iXblue has been ramping up its production of DriX Uncrewed Surface Vehicles (USV) to meet the growing need for efficient and sea-proven autonomous platforms.With more than 20 DriX in operation worldwide, iXblue USV, that was launched back in 2017, has already been acquired, deployed or trialed by several industrial companies and scientific institutes for seabed mapping missions and other subsea positioning operations…

Schmidt Ocean Institute, National Geographic Society Partner on Diversity

Schmidt Ocean Institute and the National Geographic Society announced a program to advance diversity and equity among ocean scientists. The partnership is intending to provide seagoing opportunities to underrepresented, historically marginalized and local scientists and National Geographic Explorers.The collaboration aims to strengthen project leadership, encourage career development, and amplify diverse perspectives in ocean-related work.

Argeo Inks Pact with CSI for Second HUGIN Superior AUV

Argeo Subsea, CSI Nordics and Kongsberg Discovery signed a three-party Certificate of Delivery and Acceptance for a new HUGIN Superior AUV. The agreement supports Argeo’s fleet expansion plans, as it aims to build the world’s most advanced AUV fleet, with seven high specification units. Argeo already has one HUGIN Superior in service.CSI Nordics, a subsidiary of CSI Leasing, one of the largest independent equipment leasing companies in the world…

Fugro Nets Mubadala Energy’s Deepwater Gas Job in Asia

Fugro has secured a large contract with Mubadala Energy to deliver advanced soil investigation services for the South Andaman Deepwater Development, located offshore Indonesia.The strategic project will inform the Front-End Engineering Design Engineering Procurement and Construction (EPC) award, and guide the detailed design for the development of the Tangkulo field.The Tangkulo field comprises offshore…

NOAA and Sofar Advance Weather Forecasting

NOAA’s Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory (GFDL) and Sofar Ocean have partnered to build modeling systems that advance marine weather forecasting.GFDL and Sofar’s three-year cooperation, which began in late 2024, combines parallel efforts at each organization to produce a coupled atmosphere-wave-ocean model that improves the accuracy of global marine weather forecasts and regional extreme weather…

MOG, HHI Ink MoU to Build Submarines

Maritime Operations Group (MOG) and HD Hyundai Heavy Industries (HHI) signed a memorandum of understanding MoU aimed at accelerating the development, construction and delivery of modern diesel-electric submarines and undersea technologies for U.S. government and allied missions.Under the agreement, the two companies will explore collaboration on the design and construction of diesel-electric submarines optimized for U.S.

US Invests $3.9 Million for Ocean-based Climate Resilience Accelerators

The United States is investing in new and emerging technology that aims to bolster NOAA’s efforts to support climate resilience.The Department of Commerce and NOAA on Tuesday announced $3.9 million in awards to help small businesses improve climate resilience in communities across the nation through the Ocean-based Climate Resilience Accelerators program.This investment, funded by the Inflation Reduction Act…

Water Linked Introduces 3D Sonar Technology

Water Linked, a sensor and surveillance technology provider from Trondheim, Norway, is presenting a new form of 3D sonar technology at the Underwater Defense Technology exhibition this week.The Sonar 3D-15 provides real-time 3D imaging with point cloud generation, enabling live, precise and comprehensive visualization of underwater environments. Because of its high resolution and short-range capabilities it is especially useful for close-proximity operations…