RRS Sir David Attenborough Starts Sea Trials

The U.K.’s most advanced polar research ship RRS Sir David Attenborough left Cammell Laird shipyard Wednesday to commence two weeks of technical sea trials ahead of scheduled delivery to the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) in November.“Although the vessel’s construction is now complete, trials are a critical and final part of the program as they allow our engineers and the ship’s crew to put the vessel through its paces at sea…

Barcodes to Drive Down Pipeline Inspection Costs

Three French companies are working on a pipeline inspection solution that combines ROVs and the use of visual markers - barcodes - directly integrated on subsea pipelines.The solution, being developed by tubular solutions firm Vallourec, smart robotics and visual positioning start-up Forssea Robotic, and subsea positioning and inertial navigation firm iXblue, promises to drive down the costs of subsea pipeline inspections.According to the companies involved…

Armach Robotics Promotes John Dunn to COO

Armach Robotics announced it has promoted its operations VP John Dunn to chief operating officer.Armach, which uses small autonomous robots to keep ships clean and collect hull data that can inform future maintenance and operations, hired Dunn when the company was launched in late 2021, as a spin-off company by marine software company Greensea Systems.In his new role, Dunn continues to play a central role in further developing and overseeing Armach’s ongoing business operations.

Inspired by Adélie penguins, EvoLogics Presents its new PingGuin AUV

EvoLogics recently introduced PingGuin, an autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) with low-drag bionic design. The vehicle was developed as part of the MUM (Modifiable Underwater Mothership) collaborative R&D project and was first demonstrated in Kiel, Germany, in June 2020.Outstanding hydrodynamic properties of a penguin’s body became the starting point for the AUV design within the NaviMUM subproject, assigned to EvoLogics. One of the EvoLogics co-founders, Dr.

US Navy Awards Unmanned Surface Vehicle Prototype Contract

The U.S. Navy on Monday awarded a $34,999,948 to L3 Technologies, Inc. for the development of a single medium unmanned surface vehicle (MUSV) prototype, with options to procure up to eight additional MUSVs. The award follows a full and open competitive procurement process.Funding is in place on this contract for the initial prototype. With all options exercised, the contract is valued at $294,508,976…

NOC Celebrates 25th Anniversary of First AUV Mission

This year, the National Oceanography Center (NOC) is celebrating the 25th anniversary of its first Autonomous Underwater Vehicle (AUV) mission. Over the last quarter of a century, the NOC’s underwater robots have been at the center of countless missions across the world in the most extreme marine environments to support scientific ocean research. As the world gathers in Glasgow at the COP26 summit…

Can the Subsea Factory Support a Net Zero World?

Mads Hjelmeland is passionate about subsea processing. It’s a subject close to his heart in his role as managing director, Processing Systems, OneSubsea. But it’s more than just a recovery enhancing technology to Mads. Subsea processing is central to the subsea factory concept and will play a key role in our efforts to increase energy efficiency and lower emissions. Hjelmeland is due to outline his…

Voyis: Enabling Subsea Autonomy with Complete Optical Payloads

Surveyors have historically been able to easily integrate into their vehicle platforms all the sensors needed to achieve their goals, simply connecting everything though the vehicle tether for surface control. Now however, the industry is seeking fully autonomous remote operations, a goal that requires sensors, navigation, and vehicle control systems to work together as a complex system to deliver unsupervised decision making.

French Companies Team to Tackle Maritime and Submarine Sustainable Innovations

Alcatel Submarine Networks, iXblue and SeaOwl join forces to develop partnerships around technologies dedicated to environmental protection underwater.Following several months of fruitful discussions and dialogue, several French players have announced the creation of the AMSSI (Agora for Maritime & Submarine Sustainable Innovations):•Alcatel Submarine Networks (ASN) - a leader in the procurement of…

Schmidt Offers Online Educational Content for Students

As millions of school age children transition their education to home classrooms in the wake of the devastating COVID-19 global pandemic, Schmidt Ocean Institute has assembled a wealth of free online science resources for parents and teachers.Schmidt Ocean Institute’s compilation of online educational videos and educational resources, drawn from the world’s leading universities and science organizations--like NASA…

Keppel FELS Deliver Shallow Water Jackup Rig

Keppel FELS delivers the jackup rig 'UMW Naga 4' to UMW Oil & Gas Corporation in Singapore. The rig was completed five days ahead of schedule, on budget and with a perfect safety record. UMW Naga 4 is the fourth consecutive rig that Keppel FELS has delivered ahead of schedule this year. UMW Naga 4 is built to Keppel’s proprietary KFELS B Class design which is today the industry standard for modern jackup rigs.

Subsea: The Future of Unmanned Vehicles

Subsea vehicles of every shape and size have evolved mightily in the past few years, as a confluence of communication, electronic and autonomy technologies have conspired to increase the accuracy, duration and efficiency of such systems. MTR tapped a few key industry leaders to discuss the path ahead.“I think there are two current market drivers forcing the industry to develop and adopt technologies that make subsea vehicles more efficient and effective…

OINA 2017 to Feature New ‘BlueTech’

With the inaugural Oceanology International North America (OINA 2017) conference and exhibition fast approaching, exhibitors are preparing to unveil a host of new technology developments to the ocean science community. Taking place February 14-16 at the San Diego Convention Center in association with The Maritime Alliance, exhibition space at OINA 2017 is already over 90 percent booked. Teledyne Marine (booth #D20) will be out in force at OINA 2017 in San Diego CA.

Ready for Launch: MTN Nexus Targets high-volume Cruise Market

MTN Satellite Communications launched MTN Nexus, a next-generation comms network billed as a hybrid that integrates it with new terrestrial wireless technologies as well as sophisticated computing, powerful processing and specialized optimization. Targeting the high volume cruise sector, MR thought an apt time to sit down with CEO Errol Olivier to discuss Nexus and its relevance to communications at sea. We understand you are a maritime satcom industry veteran.

US Navy Orders Production of Hydroid AUV's

Hydroid littoral battlespace sensing Autonomous Unverwater Vehicles (AUV's) enter full rate production for SPARWAR. Hydroid, Inc., a subsidiary of Kongsberg Maritime and a leading manufacturer of AUV's, announce that its contract to provide Littoral Battlespace Sensing (LBS) AUVs to the U.S. Navy’s Space and Naval Warfare Systems Command (SPAWAR) has moved directly from the Engineering Development Model (EDM) phase to full rate production (FRP).

Voices: Professor Cui Weicheng

Professor Cui Weicheng: Shanghai Ocean University, Director, Hadal Science and Technology Research Center (HAST), Co-Founder, Rainbowfish Ocean Technology CompanyDirector of Shanghai Ocean University’s Hadal Science and Technology Center (HAST), Lingang (New City), Pudong District, is one of those leading and influencing the development of advanced deep-sea technology. He is on an extraordinary mission…

NOAA Honors Fugro

Fugro’s global ocean mapping efforts have earned the company a formal commendation from the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). The recognition came during a recent industry briefing with Fugro and NOAA about The Nippon Foundation-GEBCO Seabed 2030 Project, a global initiative to map the world’s oceans by the year 2030.Given that more than 80 percent of the world’s oceans remains unexplored and unmapped…

Global BlueTech Clusters Form Alliance

Several BlueTech clusters from around the world have come together to launch a global BlueTech Cluster Alliance (BTCA) to foster innovation and economic development in the maritime domain. The seven Charter Members represent leading BlueTech clusters in seven countries – Canada, France, Ireland, Portugal, Spain, UK and U.S. – and will constitute the Steering Committee. In addition, Pôle Mer Bretagne Atlantique has signed as the first Regular Member of BTCA.

The Ocean Cleanup Kicks Off

A first-of-its-kind floating ocean cleanup system is undergoing a final round of testing before it begins removing plastic pollution from the Great Pacific Garbage Patch halfway between Hawaii and California.The system developed by the Dutch nonprofit The Ocean Cleanup was launched from San Francisco Bay on September 8 and towed 350 nautical miles by the vessel Maersk Launcher to an offshore test site.

Offshore Tests Prove Thunderstorm Detector’s Efficiency

Meteorological product specialist Biral has created a solution that aims to improve the safety of offshore operations since introducing its BTD-300 Thunderstorm Detection equipment. The detector can be used across multiple industries and has proved to be a particularly effective device for offshore operations as confirmed by the results of a North Sea application, the developer said. Biral supplied…