Kawasaki Picks Sonardyne Tech for Its SPICE AUV

Japan's Kawasaki Heavy Industries has ordered from Sonardyne a suite of subsea navigation, positioning, and communications technologies to navigate, track and control its first commercial SPICE autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs).The SPICE  AUV, short for Subsea Precise Inspector with Close Eyes, features a submerged docking system and a unique robotic arm for non-destructive testing.It has been…

Modus unveils Saab Sabretooth for cost effective survey, inspection

Modus Seabed Intervention has successfully completed trialling one of the subsea industry’s first commercially available hybrid unmanned underwater vehicles. It will be one of the first autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs) to feature the capabilities and characteristics of a remotely operated vehicle (ROV). In partnership with Saab Dynamics, Modus has developed the Saab Sabretooth to offer greater endurance and speed…

What Falls Down Must Come Up Again: DARPA Place Contract

Sparton Corporation has been awarded a Phase 1 contract for the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) Upward Falling Payload (UFP) program. Sparton, under the UFP program, will design a system intended to live on the sea floor and release payloads. This enablement is thought to represent a game changing capability for mission commanders. The company say it is energized by the opportunity and eager for the collaboration to execute on the delivery system module…

Subsea Vehicles: Diving into the Autosub Program

In our last MTR, to mark 25 years of the UK’s National Oceanography Centre (NOC) working with AUVs, we talked with Dr. Maaten Furlong, Head of the Marine Autonomous & Robotic Systems Group at NOC, about the organization’s history and future plans. Now we take a deep dive into the Autosub program.The UK’s National Oceanography Center (NOC) has a long history, going back to the National Institute of Oceanography…

To Harness the North Sea Winds, We Must Understand its Complicated Seabed Geology

For any country blessed with easy access to the shallow and windy North Sea, offshore wind will be key to meeting net zero targets. Developing these wind farms is partly a challenge for engineers, but it but also depends on the geology beneath the seabed – and that’s where geoscientists like us come in. As the industry collects more data, the seabed geology is proving to be far more complicated, and revealing…

2025 Janus Review: USV Industry Trends

The 2025 Janus Review, which will be launched at the Sea, Air and Space Exhibition at National Harbor Maryland April 6-9, highlights key trends, addresses critical challenges, and showcases new applications and technologies that are shaping the USV sector. Significant technological gaps are limiting the widespread adoption and full autonomy of USVs, the report reveals.Published annually by Janus Marine and Defense…

Exail Launches SWaP-C AUV Inertial Nav System

Exail launched its latest product, the Phins 9 Compact, an inertial navigation system (INS) designed for all unmanned underwater vehicles.The Phins 9 Compact is built around a Fiber-Optic Gyroscope (FOG)-based Inertial Measurement Unit (IMU) with advanced accelerometers. With compact dimensions, a DVL-aided position accuracy of 0.1% TD, and a power consumption of less than 7 W, it is particularly suited…

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.

Hibernia Express Ready for Service

Press release - Hibernia Networks, a provider of high speed global telecommunications services, announced that Hibernia Express, its new 4,600-kilometer ultra low latency submarine cable connecting Halifax, Nova Scotia to Slough, England and Cork, Ireland, is ready for service (RFS). The first transatlantic cable built in over 12 years, the Hibernia Express launch marks a milestone for global communications, addressing the strong demand for fast, high-performing global network services.

Fairbank Joins SBG Systems’ Sales Team

MEMS-based inertial motion sensing solutions supplier SBG Systems has hired Chelsea Fairbank as Sales Engineer in North America. She will team up with Jack Mawson, Sales Manager North America at the company’s U.S. office in Huntington Beach, Calif. and will be in charge of the marine and education segments. Fairbank has an extensive background in the hydrographic industry, starting her career as hydrographic surveyor.

Exploring the Subsea Cable Market

Sales Director, Graham Wilkie of Hydro Group plc, a global design and manufacturer of underwater cables and connectors for subsea, topside and harsh environment applications, details how it has stayed ahead in the rapidly changing subsea cable market. Thanks to the low oil price, the subsea sector is enduring a challenging period. Operators are being forced to venture into more remote and harsher locations, requiring top tier equipment to meet demanding and dynamic environments.

UK Royal Navy Orders Crewless Submarine from MSubs

The UK Royal Navy has awarded a £15.4 million (currently around $18,8 million) contract for a crewless submarine to the Plymouth-based company MSubs. The submarine is expected to be delivered to the Navy in two years. The Navy expects the submarine to further advance the UK’s ability to protect our critical national infrastructure and monitor sub-sea activity."Project Cetus – named after a mythological sea monster – enhances the Royal Navy’s experimentation with autonomous underwater systems.

Subsea Infrastructure Power Looks at Renewables

Using renewable energy to power critical subsea infrastructure needs power management. It’s a capability Verlume will soon be proving off the Orkney Islands – and Hawaii.Integrating offshore renewables into offshore operations has become a major goal for oil and gas companies. A remote power supply could improve project economics for long step-outs, where they replace long power cables. Powering facilities…

How Will the Fukushima Water Release Impact the Pacific Ocean?

Japanese authorities are preparing to release treated radioactive wastewater into the Pacific Ocean, nearly 12 years after the Fukushima nuclear disaster. This will relieve pressure on more than 1,000 storage tanks, creating much-needed space for other vital remediation works. But the plan has attracted controversy.At first glance, releasing radioactive water into the ocean does sound like a terrible idea.

Kraken Appoints Dillon as Chief Scientist

Kraken Robotics Inc. announced that Dr. Jeremy Dillon has joined Kraken’s wholly owned subsidiary, Kraken Robotic Systems Inc. as Chief Scientist.Dr. Dillon has 20 years of experience in research and development with a background in signal processing and mathematics. As an original member of Kraken's Synthetic Aperture Sonar (SAS) team, he developed the signal processing algorithms for the AquaPix SAS imaging and bathymetry software.

MaRINET2 Advances Renewable Energy Research

The MaRINET2 project has awarded €1.1 million in support to 32 offshore renewable technology developers to test at its network of world-leading research facilities. This support will accelerate the next generation of energy technologies toward the marketplace, and help maintain Europe’s global leadership in renewable energy research.€1.1 million of funding was awarded to 32 innovation technology developers from 17 countries, following a second competitive call for applications.

SHI, SKT Trial Autonomous Ship Using 5G

South Korean shipbuilder Samsung Heavy Industries (SHI) and compatriot telecommunications operator SK Telecom (SKT) have developed a 5G-based autonomous navigation platform that will allow ships to move to set destinations on their own.The trial was conducted using a 3.3m craft developed by SHI and equipped with 5G-based LiDAR, cloud-based IoT platform and T Live Caster, SK Telecom’s real-time video…

EdgeTech Announces Major Order from ECHO81

EdgeTech said it received a 'significant' order from ECHO81 for its 6205s2 Bathymetry Systems, 4205 & 4125 Side Scan Sonar Systems, 3400-OTS Sub-Bottom Profilers, and 2050-DSS combined Side Scan & Sub-Bottom deep tow systems. The order, valued at more than $2 million, will be available for direct purchases from ECHO81.CHO81 is EdgeTech's exclusive partner and distributor in the U.S. and Latin America for the 6205s2 and 3400 product lines.

Saab Receives Order for Life Extension of Swedish Mine Countermeasures Ships

Saab has signed an agreement with FMV on the life extension of two Koster-class mine countermeasures ships. The order value is SEK 350 million. The contract also includes options for FMV to order measures regarding the remaining three ships in the Koster-class. The total value of the options are SEK 270 million.The contract with FMV means that Saab will carry out life extensions of two Koster-class mine countermeasures ships.

MATS, A New Uncrewed Platform for Offshore Wind

Survey, positioning and data management firm UTEC, part of the Acteon Group, is targeting the offshore wind survey and inspection market with a new uncrewed surface vessel (USV).Torsten Marten, lead surveyor, UTEC, outlined the new design at the Marine Autonomous Technology Showcase (MATS), at the National Oceanography Center (NOC) in Southampton, UK, early November.It’s a 12m-long, “DP equivalent” catamaran design…