MTR100: Five "Ones to Watch"

For Marine Technology Reporter's (MTR) 14th Annual "MTR100" - a look at 100 innovators and technologies in the subsea space - MTR editor-at-large Elaine Maslin reports on five companies and technologies that are worth the watch for the remainder of 2019 and beyond. For the full edition, see https://magazines.marinelink.com/nwm/MarineTechnology/201907/Blue Logic: Entering a new eraCompletely new modes…

Subsea Power Hub Tested in Aberdeen

Subsea energy storage and power generation specialists EC-OG said it has demonstrated the capabilities of its Subsea Power Hub (SPH) for powering subsea production equipment using battery power alone, during a recent workshop test program in Aberdeen.During the trials, supported by the Oil & Gas Technology Center (OGTC) and a North Sea operator, the SPH was used to power a commercial Subsea Control Module (SCM) and local power distribution system.

Subsea Electrification: Subsea Power Evolves

As subsea power needs evolve, so to must the batteries that provide the power.Operators of autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs) need longer survey runs, deeper dives, and lighter batteries, which result in lighter units in the water. Remotely operated vehicle (ROV) teams require electric-powered manipulators, high voltage and high power, and light batteries.Desires for manned underwater vehicles (MUVs) include safe operations, deeper dives, longer observation times, and lighter units.

Ocean Power Technologies Pact with NEC Energy Solutions

The provider of ocean energy solutions Ocean Power Technologies (OPT) signed a letter of intent to enter into a long-term supply agreement with NEC Energy Solutions, global leader in utility scale energy storage.Under the terms of the supply agreement, NEC ES will supply lithium ion batteries for OPT's subsea battery solutions.George H. Kirby, President and Chief Executive Officer of OPT, said: "NEC is a supplier of lithium ion batteries for our subsea battery solutions.

OPT Rolls Out New Products

Ocean energy solutions developer Ocean Power Technologies, Inc. has expanded its suite of complimentary products that leverage the core technology of the PowerBuoy, which include subsea batteries and a hybrid (liquid-fueled) PowerBuoy.George H. Kirby, President and Chief Executive Officer of OPT, said, “Our team has been working diligently to identify opportunities to leverage our technologies to address the needs of current and potential customers in subsea environments.

Subsea’s Future is Blowin’ in the Wind

Offshore wind is hot, with the potential to be a significant area of growth for the global maritime, subsea and energy markets for years to come. Eric Haun does a deep dive on eight companies leading the way.GE Renewable EnergyAs offshore wind projects across the globe look to incorporate the latest innovations in wind turbine technology to maximize efficiency and drive down costs, many manufacturers are producing larger turbines on advanced foundation designs for even greater water depths.

Kraken Scoops $9 Mln Deep-Sea Battery Contract

Canadian headquartered marine technology company Kraken Robotics Inc. said it has reached a deal with Ocean Infinity to supply $9 million worth of deep-sea batteries for the U.S. based ocean survey and exploration company for delivery from Q4 2018 to Q4 2019.Kraken will arrange for these batteries to be built by Kraken Power GmbH, an entity in which Kraken currently holds a 19.9 percent interest. The…

Taking UUVs Faster, Further & Deeper

Micro-UUV Technology is FlexibleIn 2015, veterans of the conventional UUV sector set out to change the dynamics of the industry, founding Riptide Autonomous Solutions. Riptide’s first product was the micro-UUV, a new, highly flexible, open source autonomous undersea vehicle that provides a state-of-the-art, low cost solution ideally suited for developers of autonomy and behaviors, power systems, subsea sensors, and other new payloads.

Submarine Excursions Now Available in the Maldives

Relax by the pool, sip a cocktail on the beach, explore the marine environment in a submarine . . .Guests at the Four Seasons Resort Maldives at Landaa Giraavaru are able to go beyond the typical vacation experience with an underwater flight excursion aboard the three-person DeepFlight Super Falcon 3S, a submarine designed specifically for underwater tourism.For $1,500.00 (+12% GST) per flight, a trained…

L3 OceanServer Unveils Iver PW AUV

L3 OceanServer announced its new Iver Precision Workhorse (Iver PW) autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV). The new Iver PW is the first in a family of highly capable commercial AUVs to address a wide variety of customer missions, including survey research and mapping, sub-surface security, and environmental monitoring. “Undersea missions are evolving, and L3 is uniquely positioned to develop military and commercial solutions using next-generation processing…

Digital Ocean: Making Subsea Data More Easily Accessible

The digital ocean is a reality and U.K.-based digital communications marine technology firm Sonardyne International Ltd is one of the organizations driving innovation to enable the extension of electronic and communications connectivity into the subsea domain. Based on a presentation given by Tom Rooney, Lead Trainer at Sonardyne, at the Digital Ocean conference held in Galway, Ireland in June 2017…

Aquabotix Debuts New Integra AUV/ROV

UUV Aquabotix Ltd. debuts its second-generation hybrid underwater vehicle, the Integra AUV/ROV (autonomous underwater vehicle/remotely operated vehicle). Single-person deployable, portable and lithium ion battery-powered, the Integra AUV/ROV allows users to conduct multiple underwater missions, while providing a cost-efficient alternative to deploying separate AUVs and ROVs for individualized tasks.

World’s First Floating Wind Farm Starts Production

The world's first offshore floating wind farm has started to deliver electricity to the Scottish grid, providing power to approximately 20,000 households. The 30MW Hywind Scotland wind farm, operated by Statoil in partnership with Masdar 25 kilometers offshore Peterhead in Aberdeenshire, Scotland, was officially opened today by First Minister of Scotland, Nicola Sturgeon. “This marks an exciting development for renewable energy in Scotland,” First Minister Sturgeon said.

General Atomics LiFT Batteries to Support UUV

General Atomics Electromagnetic Systems (GA-EMS) has been awarded a contract to provide its Lithium-ion Fault Tolerant (LiFT) battery system for the Semi-Autonomous Hydrographic Reconnaissance Vehicle (SAHRV), a small, portable underwater vehicle (UUV). GA-EMS is part of a team working with the U.S. Department of Defense to design, fabricate, deliver and conduct at-sea testing of the LiFT battery system for use on the SAHRV platform.

New Personal Submarines Unveiled

Dutch submersible manufacturer U-Boat Worx introduces five new research submarines that open up the deep to private explorers and oceanographic research organizations. The deepest diving submersible of the new C-Researcher series is the two-person C-Researcher 2, which has an operating depth of 2,000 meters. The two-person model also comes in a 500 meter rated version, while the three-person designs are built for 480 meters, 1,100 meters and 1,700 meters.

UUV Manufacturer Aims Big by Going Small

Unmanned undersea vehicles (UUVs) trace their history to the Special Purpose Underwater Research Vehicle (SPURV) developed by the University of Washington’s Applied Physics Laboratory in 1957. While the UUV was conceived decades ago it was the remotely operated undersea vehicle (ROV) market, with offshore oil and gas providing a significant driver, which initially saw significant technical and product developments.

SoCal Tech Focus: Blue Robotics

Blue Robotics, based in Torrance, Calif., makes the BlueROV2, the world’s most affordable high-performance remotely operated vehicle (ROV). With a six-thruster vectored configuration, open-source electronics and software and plenty of expandability, it’s the perfect ROV for inspections, research and adventuring. Production began in Torrance in July 2016, and there are now more than 200 vehicles in the wild to date.

Steatite Partners with Marine Robotics Innovation Center

Steatite, a developer of power solutions for extreme environments, has become a partner with the Marine Robotics Innovation Center. The National Oceanography Center (NOC) and Steatite already form part of a UK consortium, using the latest lithium-sulfur chemistry to research and develop safe, pressure tolerant, rechargeable batteries with increased endurance and reduced payloads, optimizing their potential for integration with MAS.

BG Group & the FlatFish AUV

The development of AUVs capable of being launched from FPSOs or actually being docked at the seafloor next to the subsea systems has been an industry goal for some years and offers a solution to two major problems: making deepwater subsea inspection become a simple task and decreasing the related costs. MTR’s correspondent in Brazil spoke to Rosane Zagatti, BG Group’s Subsea Technology Manager, about its FlatFish AUV project…

New Batteries Help Underwater Vehicles Dive Deeper

Steatite has completed the first phase of a 24-month project to develop a pressure-tolerant lithium sulphur (Li-S) battery pack that can improve the endurance and speed of ‘deep-dive’ autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs). Having demonstrated that Li-S cells can meet the demanding challenge of operating at depths up to 6,000m, the project can now move on to the battery development phase involving continued…