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…

Seatronics, 2G Robotics Form Sales Partnership

Seatronics and 2G Robotics announced a global sales and distribution partnership that will see the 2G Robotics line of underwater laser scanners to become available through Seatronics for equipment rentals and sales. "This new, exclusive agreement will contribute significantly to growth in our subsea visualization service capabilities by providing clients with useful data for purposes of integrity management on a global basis,” said Phil Middleton, deputy managing director at Seatronics.

Further Delay on Greater Stella

Ithaca Energy is facing a further delay of almost a year to start-up of its Greater Stella Area (GSA) development hub project off the UK due to stalled modification work by Petrofac on the field’s floating production, storage and offloading unit. Here is an update regarding the schedule for completion of the “FPF-1” floating production facility modifications programme and start-up of the GSA production hub.

Tasmania's Underwater Centre Delivers Commercial Diver Training

The Underwater Centre in Tasmania is working with Kuala Lumpur-based Samsian Solution & Services to train and qualify 21 candidates as on- and offshore commercial divers. The three-month Standard Commercial Diving Training Package includes the required Australian Diving Accreditation Scheme (ADAS) Parts 1, 2 and 3 certifications, providing them with the necessary accreditation to work legally as divers.

Arctic Smarts: Training Innovators and Explorers

When it comes to the Arctic, the world still has a lot to learn. With just 10% of its vast expanse having been charted to date and much about its environment still unknown, the Arctic remains one of the most mysterious places on Earth. As a new frontier with natural resource potential, the Arctic is also an area of increasing international interest and economic activity. As activity in the Arctic increases and new opportunities emerge…

OneSubsea Delivers Subsea Multiphase Compressor to Statoil

OneSubsea, a Cameron and Schlumberger company, has delivered the world's first subsea Multiphase Compressor to Statoil for the Gullfaks South field in the North Sea. The subsea multiphase compressor enables boosting of unprocessed wet gas production fluids, while eliminating the need for an upstream separation facility or an anti-surge system, making it the industry's only true wet gas compressor.

Oceans 15 MTS/IEEE Focuses on Change

The premiere North American conference and exhibition on marine technology will be held at the Gaylord National Resort and Convention Center on National Harbor from October 19-22, 2015. The conference is now accepting abstracts for technical presentations. The Technical Program draws its topics from the areas of interest of the co-sponsoring professional societies, the Marine Technology Society (MTS) and the Oceanic Engineering Society of IEEE (OES).

Utility Serving San Juan Islands Proposes to Harness Tidal Power

Tapping tidal flows for power generation has long been an elusive goal for clean-energy advocates. Formidable hurdles in logistics, technology and public acceptance make plans far from certain.Orcas Power and Light Cooperative (OPALCO) has quietly launched an ambitious five-year campaign to bring tidal-power-generating capabilities to San Juan County waters.Foster Hildreth, OPALCO’s managing director…

MacArtney Connectivity for Navy Bow Sonar Systems

MacArtney Underwater Technology supplied SubConn underwater connectivity solutions for the bow mounted sonar systems that are essential to the impressive undersea threat detection and response capability of the advanced FREMM frigates currently operated by the French, Italian and Moroccan navies. In close cooperation with naval defense technology contractors; Thales (France) and WASS (Italy), MacArtney…

Design of Hydraulic Systems for Subsea Applications

More than two-thirds of the earth’s surface is covered by water, and there are many potential resources there that await exploration and development. Industries involved in this new frontier include mining, oil and gas, infrastructure, energy generation and natural science. These activities all involve complex and highly technical systems. Many of them, particularly those performed beneath the sea’s surface…

The Future of Unmanned Underwater Systems

Launched to listen to the songs of humpback whales, Liquid Robotics has evolved into a harvester of data from the sea. Graham Hine of Liquid Robotics shares with MTR his insights on the future direction of unmanned underwater systems, and more specifically, his company’s role. Mr. Hine, please tell us a bit about yourself. I am Graham Hine, Senior Vice President of Product Management and one of the founders of Liquid Robotics.

Teledyne TSS Launches AHRS, INS Systems

Following a two-year development program, Teledyne TSS is previewing a complete new family of advanced AHRS and INS (Inertial Navigation and Attitude and Heading Reference Systems) named Saturn at the Oceanology exhibition in London starting March 11. The Saturn family is based upon fiber-optic technology developed and manufactured by Teledyne TSS. The family also incorporates advanced digital signal…

Seatronics Orders New Saturn System from Teledyne TSS

Aberdeen-based global rental and marine technology supply company, Seatronics Ltd. placed an order with Teledyne TSS for 12 of the new Saturn 30 Subsea Attitude and Heading Reference Systems (AHRS) that were launched at Oceanology International in London. Seatronics has also taken options on a further 38-units, which takes the total projected purchase to 50 systems. Commenting on his company’s choice of the Saturn system…

Rim-driven ROV Thruster

Due to its simplicity, the rim driven thruster has for years been seen as the ideal thruster concept, but it has proved to be difficult to implement. Several attempts of implementing the rim driven thruster concept has failed over the years, but due to technological advances in materials science and production techniques, Copenhagen Subsea A/S reports that it has succeeded in implementing the concept resulting in an ultra-reliable thruster with unique features.

Fugro Acquires ROV Support Vessel

Fugro has taken delivery of the new ROV support vessel (RSV) Fugro Aquarius, the most advanced vessel of her type built in Brazil. The new DP-2 diesel-electric vessel is 83 metres is length with a deck area of 520 square metres and accommodation for 60 people. Permanently equipped with two Fugro-built 150HP work class ROVs, Fugro Aquarius is capable of operating in water depths of 3,000 metres. The stern A‐Frame…

Acoustic Technology Aids Search for Downed Helicopter

A mission to search for the wreckage of an Irish Coast Guard helicopter which crashed into the Atlantic earlier this year killing all four crew members, was supported with underwater locating equipment from Sonardyne International Ltd. Within hours of rescuers arriving at the scene of the accident off the west coast of Ireland, Sonardyne Scout USBL (Ultra-Short BaseLine) and ROV-Homer acoustic tracking and relocation systems…

Wreckage of USS Ward Found in the Philippines

The U.S. Navy warship that famously fired the first American shot in World War II has been found resting on the seabed in Ormoc Bay near Ponson Island in the Philippines. The historic vessel USS Ward was discovered and documented by Microsoft co-founder and philanthropist Paul G. Allen's expedition crew aboard Research Vessel (R/V) Petrel, who has now released video images just prior to the anniversary of the December 7, 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor. At 6:45 a.m.

JFC Acquires Ortega Submersibles

JFD, a part of James Fisher and Sons plc, acquired all the assets, IP and designs rights of Ortega Submersibles BV, a Netherlands-based submersible boat designer and manufacturer. The acquisition will enable JFD to expand further its offering of advanced Swimmer Delivery Vehicles (SDVs) and to develop new vehicles and capabilities in order to meet increased market demand for specialized small and medium-sized craft.JFD…

Jeff Holtom New Seatronics Middle East Manager

Acteon company, Seatronics Ltd., has appointed Jeff Holtom as regional manager in the Middle East. Based in Abu Dhabi, Holtom’s responsibilities at Seatronics Ltd. will include sales and marketing, overall Quality, Health, Safety and Environment (QHSE) responsibility and general and management of the Seatronics office in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Holtom has a degree in land and hydrographic surveying from North East London Polytechnic, UK.

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).