NOAA HSRP Public Meet Webinar set for September 1-2, 2021

NOAA Hydrographic Services Review Panel (HSRP) Federal Advisory CommitteeWhen: Sept 1, 2021, 12:45-5:30pm EST; Sept 2, 2021, 1-5:30pm EST (Time/speakers are subject to change)Register: https://register.gotowebinar.com/register/5627376790601178124The meeting will focus on issues related to hydrographic and navigation services, observations and positioning including topics affecting the NOS’ Office of Coast Survey…

Brownfield Boost: Vigdis Gets a Subsea (Pump) Lift

The Vigdis subsea field in the North Sea has produced oil via the Snorre field for 24 years, and when it came on stream in 1997, it was projected to produce 200 million barrels.To date, according to Equinor, it has produced twice that amount, and courtesy of installation of a new subsea pumping system, that total is anticipated to reach or surpass the 475 millon barrel mark, as a pump on the seabed…

HII Acquires Autonomy Business from Spatial Integrated Systems

In a move that further expands its unmanned systems capabilities, Huntington Ingalls Industries acquired the autonomy business of Spatial Integrated Systems Inc. (SIS) which has proven unmanned surface vessel (USV) solutions.SIS’s unmanned systems solutions — including multi-vehicle collaborative autonomy, sensor fusion and perception — have been fielded for more than 6,000 hours on 23 vessel types.

Recovering Evidence with Technology

On a spring afternoon a call comes in to the police station citing an armed robbery has been committed at a local bank. The suspected criminals have fled the scene and EMS is in route. The last reported sighting of the suspects being seen was in a truck heading across the river over the I-88 bridge. Police cannot find the suspects, but a key witness says they saw someone in a truck throw something into the river. Could it be the gun used for the robbery?

Hanwha Ocean Floating Turbine Receives ABS Approval

ABS issued approval in principle (AIP) to Hanwha Ocean for its new design of a semisubmersible-type floating offshore wind turbine.The design, named WindHive 15-H3, supports 15-megawatt (MW) turbines on three hexagonal columns. ABS completed design reviews based on class and industry requirements.“Floating offshore wind power is set to play a critical role in the world’s future energy landscape, and…

OceanAlpha Delivers Research USV to Hong Kong University

OceanAlpha delivered a L12E USV, dubbed The Clear Water Bay, to Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST), to bolster the school's technology R&D initiatives, underscoring its commitment to advancing robotics education.The final recipient of the unmanned vessel is Cheng Kar-Shun Robotics Institute (CKSRI) at HKUST, a multidisciplinary platform dedicated to fostering research, development, and education in robotics.

Ponant Moves Forward with BV to Mitigate Underwater Radiated Noise

Le Jacques-Cartier, the last sister-ship in the Ponant Explorers series of six expedition class cruise ships, was awarded the Bureau Veritas class notation NR614 for Underwater Radiated Noise (URN).NR614 establishes requirements for the measurement of underwater radiated noise and the ‘acoustic sound signature’ emitted by self-propelled ships to support the management and mitigation of the impact of noise on marine fauna in both shallow and deep waters.

Vessel Autonomy in Offshore Wind: Scaling up Ops via Tech, Regulation

Autonomous technology is adding value to the offshore wind (OSW) industry, its supply chains and government policy with the potential to deliver benefits such as increased operational efficiency and safety, and reductions in human error and operational costs. With the unique needs for wind leases and their relative close proximity to shore, a wider group of systems and technologies can be deployed.A…

Kraken Robotics Secures $14M Subsea Battery Order

Kraken Robotics has received an initial order for subsea batteries valued at $14 million. The company said the order included a significant advance payment. Deliveries will occur in 2023, Kraken said, without sharing the identity of the client."Kraken’s SeaPower 6000-meter rated pressure tolerant batteries are based on  Kraken’s unique pressure tolerant gel encapsulation technology for  lithium polymer batteries," Kraken said.

Marine Technology Society Celebrates 60th Anniversary

Formed in June 1963, the Marine Technology Society (MTS) celebrates its 60th anniversary this year.In the early 1960’s, a group of business, academic, and government leaders recognized the need for a professional society to bring together scientists, engineers, and others interested in the rapidly growing fields of ocean technology and marine affairs. They convened a committee to establish the character…

Curtin, NASA Tap Ocean Information from Space

Curtin University has joined forces with NASA, University of Miami, San José State University and the National Institute of Standards and Technology on a new-generation satellite mission to study the colour of the ocean from space, providing vital information about ocean health and its role in climate regulation.Researchers recently deployed a 15-metre-tall buoy off the coast of Perth, Western Australia…

Underwater Noise is a Threat to Marine Life

Oceans are full of sound. Waves, earthquakes and calving icebergs all contribute to the underwater soundscape. But so do human activities, and this can be a problem for marine life as it can seriously affect their physiology, behavior, reproduction and even survival.Being able to produce and detect sound in an environment where light penetrates only a few hundred meter is crucial for animals to communicate, feed, avoid predators and navigate vast underwater habitats.

Interventek Launches Revolution-7 Subsea Landing String

Aberdeen-based, subsea well intervention technology specialist Interventek announced the commercial launch of a new API 17G qualified, in-riser subsea landing string system. The Revolution-7 landing string is an advanced, 7-inch nominal, 10,000psi rated system incorporating Interventek’s Revolution safety valve. The system also includes Interventek’s PowerPlus technology, which is a unique arrangement of a locally integrated…

Rovco Invests in SMD's EV Work Class ROV

Subsea equipment maker Soil Machine Dynamics Ltd (SMD) and offshore services provider Rovco have signed a Letter of Intent for next-generation EV Work Class ROV (WROV) technology.Under the deal, announced Wednesday, SMD will provide Rovco with a new Atom EV high-performance electric WROV, which will be the first of a fleet of vehicles designed to interface with Rovco’s latest computer vision and AI capabilities…

Support for Jones Act, Concern about China Voiced at Maritime Infrastructure Hearing

US Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation Subcommittee Chairman Mike Ezell (R-MS) addressed a hearing titled “America Builds: Maritime Infrastructure” on Wednesday saying: “It is clearly critical that we must build a safer and more efficient system.”The new chairman, for the 119th Congress, said the Jones Act is quite literally the bedrock and foundation of the nation’s shipbuilding industrial base…

Bayonet Ocean Vehicles Debuts Product Range at UDT

Bayonet Ocean Vehicles, a new company, launched at Undersea Defence Technology (UDT) in Rotterdam last week, using the platform to debut its new line of amphibious crawling vehicles the Bayonet 150, 250 and 350.Deployable from land or water independent of weather, the new Bayonet crawlers have been designed to transit along the ocean floor as well as on land; capable of working the surf zone, at ocean depths of up to 100 meters…

Geoquip Marine Wraps Up Surveys for German Offshore Wind Projects

Geoquip Marine, a Njord Partners portfolio company, has completed a preliminary geotechnical site investigation for two 4 GW offshore wind projects.The investigation will support the developer in advancing the next phase of design for both project sites, located in the German sector of the North Sea.Under the contract, Geoquip drilled 28 boreholes across the project sites to analyze the subsea terrain…

Synchro: Helping to Pull Emerging Tech through the “Valley of Death”

Taking subsea technology from the workbench to commercialization has always been fraught with hurdles and sinkholes. Synchro is a new co-designed testbed to synchronize and evolve tech solutions. Henry Ruhl, Director, and Amy West, Program Manager of Synchro discuss with the possibilities for technology developers. As anyone in the subsea sector can attest, new tech can have its growth trajectory stunted or killed by lack of facilities, funding [or both].

Impact Subsea Launches New Profiling Sonar Sensor

Impact Subsea has launched its new ISP360 Profiling Sonar which features an IS3 Impact Subsea Signaling Scheme.A highly compact and power efficient 1° profiling sonar, it has a range of up to 80 meters and a 0.35mm timing resolution. It provides sonar imagery with profiler points overlaid on top. Each point can then be logged or output to a survey package to enable the creation of a 3D points cloud.Acoustically…

Huntington Ingalls Industries Building Unmanned Systems Hub

Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII) is building a new hub for unmanned systems prototyping, production and testing to meet growing demand from the U.S. Navy for autonomous and uncrewed systems.The purpose-built Unmanned Systems Center of Excellence will include two buildings totaling over 150,000 square feet constructed on a 20-acre campus in Hampton, Va., the U.S.'s largest military shipbuilder said in announcing the center's groundbreaking on Tuesday.“With U.S.