MacArtney Sponsors UK MATE ROV Team

This summer MacArtney UK Ltd. sponsored one of the first UK based entries to qualify for the MATE ROV competition in the United States.MacArtney UK Ltd. has provided a range of underwater connectors to an inspiring student-led team from the University of Sheffield. Avalon Underwater Robotics is the first entry from England to qualify for the prestigious MATE ROV competition.Established in 2001 the Marine Advanced Technology Education (MATE) Center…

McDermott Signs Agreement for Gulfport Spoolbase

McDermott International, Inc. (NYSE: MDR) said that one of its subsidiaries has signed a lease agreement with the Mississippi Development Authority and the Mississippi State Port Authority for the exclusive right to operate a spoolbase and marine operations base in the Port of Gulfport. McDermott expects the facility, designed to serve projects from the Gulf of Mexico, will be available in early 2016.

VIDEO Interview: Steve Hall, Chief Executive, Society for Underwater Technology

Last month MTR interviewed Steve Hall, Chief Executive of the Society for Underwater Technology (SUT), for his insights on the growth, pace and direction of subsea technologies. Nuclear powered and nuclear armed AUVs? It’s all on the table for Hall as he looks back on his career and tenure leading SUT, and ahead to his next chapter as the CEO of the Pembrokeshire Coastal Forum at the end of 2020.Steve…

Sonardyne Suite for Dive Technologies’ AUV

Dive Technologies of Quincy, Mass., selected a suite of Sonardyne technologies for navigation, tracking and control of its large displacement DIVE-LD autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) program.Founded in 2018, Dive Technologies’ rapid development program has included support from the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) and technology partnerships with organizations including the Center for Marine Autonomy and Robotics at Virginia Tech.

STR, Forssea Agree Exclusive Partnership

French subsea firm Forssea Robotics and UK-based Subsea Technology & Rentals (STR) have agreed a global exclusive partnership.The moves follows a partnership formed between the two companies in June last year (2018). As part of the new partnership, STR has invested in Forssea Robotics Visual LOCalisation (V-LOC) Positioning technology, which will be available globally for operations. The V-LOC positioning…

AXYS Metocean Buoy Supports Offshore Wind

AXYS Technologies Inc (AXYS) has announced that a WatchKeeper meteorological and oceanographic data buoy has been recently deployed approximately 60km offshore along the Northern coast of Poland in the Baltic Sea. This buoy, procured by polish developer Baltic Trade and Invest (BTI), will be used as part of their upcoming Environmental Impact and Assessment campaign in the Baltic Sea. This campaign…

Newport News Authenticates Keel of Virginia-class Attack Submarine Oklahoma

HII’s Newport News Shipbuilding (NNS) division authenticated the keel today for Virginia-class attack submarine Oklahoma (SSN 802).“We enjoy participating in Navy traditions like this one because they remind us of the important role we play in our nation’s defense,” NNS President Jennifer Boykin said. “The nuclear submarines we build help ensure our peace and freedoms, and we take great pride in being a nuclear shipyard.”The ship’s sponsor is Mary “Molly” Slavonic, an Oklahoma native.

Hydrex Ready to Mobilize at Port of Rotterdam

To enable a fast mobilization throughout the entire Rotterdam port without delaying a ship’s commercials operations, Hydrex dive support vessels are stationed in Rotterdam. These workboats are fully equipped with hydraulic cranes, winches, a dive spread and control room.This allows Hydrex to offer simple maintenance operations as well as repairs on all parts of the underwater ship propulsion system and the hull.

First Underwater Drone Crossing of the English Channel

Earlier this year, the YUCO became the first micro–Autonomous Underwater Vehicle (AUV) to successfully cross the English Channel from Folkestone, England, to Wissant, France. The crossing, a partnership between RS Aqua and SEABER, took less than 8 hours.The AUV measures just under one meter long and weighs 10 kg, small but mighty enough to battle its way through the highly variable weather conditions…

Israel to Build Subsea Electric Cable with Possible Europe Link

Israel on Tuesday unveiled plans to build an underwater electric cable that will run along its Mediterranean coast and offer the possibility to connect to electricity grids in Europe.The proposed 150 km (93 mile) cable will carry electricity from solar energy farms in Israel's southern Negev desert to cities to the center and north, the Energy Ministry said.

Need a Survey? There’s a USV for That

While the adoption of unmanned/uncrewed surfaces vessels (USVs) was initially in defence, use of these low footprint systems has spread into other sectors, not least survey, and now the race is on for greater capability, endurance and autonomy. Elaine Maslin reports.After starting small, in inland waterways, use of USVs for survey operations has moved into coastal and now offshore waters. Given the extensive amount of seabed and rapid growth in offshore wind…

The Value of Friends in “High-Latitude” Places

Who do you call when you need a job done on short notice, in total darkness, under 100-percent ice cover, thousands of meters at the bottom of the sea? In the case of the U.S. Office of Naval Research (ONR), you call your friends in Norway. That is exactly what the Chief of Naval Research Rear Admiral Lorin C. Selby did when he enlisted the help of the Norwegian Coast Guard icebreaker and offshore patrol vessel, the CGV Svalbard, to retrieve oceanographic moorings containing irreplaceable data.

ABS Issues Safety, Technical Guideline for Floating Offshore Wind Substations

The American Bureau of Shipping (ABS) has published requirements addressing safety and technical standards for floating offshore wind substations in what has been described as an industry first. Together with input from offshore wind project developers, original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) of substations, and transportation and installation (T&I) companies, ABS developed the Requirements for Offshore Substations and Electrical Service Platforms which…

Navy Provides Realistic, Operationally-relevant Test Environment for Technology

“Synergy” is an overused word. But in the case of the “Advanced Naval Technology Exercises” that are held around the country, ANTX is truly a sum greater than its parts.ANTXs are conducted by the Naval Research & Development Establishment (NR&DE) and hosted at the various Naval Warfare Centers to demonstrate emerging technologies and innovations aimed at solving Navy and Marine Corps problems and addressing mission priorities and gaps.

OPT Bags $1M Contract from US Navy for Autonomous Maritime Tech

Ocean Power Technologies (OPT) been awarded a follow-on contract valued at $1 million to further advance the operational capability of its autonomous maritime technologies to support the U.S. military and its allies.OPT secured the follow-on contract as a subcontractor to EpiSci after the successful 12-month demonstration of its autonomous surface vehicle technologies during the Mission Autonomy Proving Grounds (MAPG) as part of Project Overmatch.With this award…

The Ocean's Microplastics Mess: Technology & Technique to Identify & Clean Up

The science and technology surrounding discovery, mitigation and clean-up of microplastics in the world’s environment makes this year’s “MTR100.” Here we offer insights on the organizations, people and technologies taking the lead.As marine journalists, scientists, technologists, activists and enthusiasts, we are aware of the large-scale impact that consumer macro-plastic products have on aquatic ecosystems.

Ice Navigation: Every Voyage is Different

It’s late in the season so Captain Duke Snider, sailing on a resupply voyage from New Zealand to Antarctica, is expecting virtually no sea, just glacial ice.Snider has been an ice navigator for decades, and he has seen the ocean change, not just here in the polar south, but in Arctic waters as well.“Variability is much greater than in the past when we could expect an ice breakup to occur within a calendar week, year after year, whether it was the Arctic or the Antarctic,” he says.

Subsea Europe Services, FLANQ Appointed as a Distributor of Voxometer Survey System Across Mainland Europe

Subsea Europe Services, together with its defense division, FLANQ, has been appointed as a mainland Europe distributor for the Voxometer multi-aspect survey system developed by Malta-based R3Vox. This partnership marks a milestone in Subsea Europe Services’ commitment to delivering hydrographic survey and underwater inspection technologies to commercial, academic and, through FLANQ, defense customers…

Viridien, TGS Kick Off Next Phase of Laconia Sparse OBN Survey in US Gulf

Seismic firms TGS and Viridien have started the Laconia Phase III ocean bottom node (OBN) survey in the Gulf of America, building on the previously completed Phases I and II.The goal of the Laconia Phase III is to extend extra-long-offset-low-frequency full-azimuth sparse OBN data coverage in the Paleogene trend.Supported by industry funding, Laconia Phase III, covering approximately 150 OCS blocks in the Keathley Canyon protraction areas…

Exail Opens New Office in Norway

Eying growth in the Scandinavian region, Exail announced the opening of a new business office in Norway. Located in the Oslo area, this new office is led by Lars Sorfang, who is acting as general manager for Exail AS, as well as regional sales manager for Scandinavia.A former officer for the Norwegian military, Sorfang previously held various business development positions at Kongsberg working on strategic defense programs…