Marco Polo Marine, F-Drones to Build Autonomous Cargo Drones for Offshore Wind Farms

Singapore's marine logistics firm Marco Polo Marine has signed an agreement with F-drones, a company developing large scale autonomous delivery drones, to co-develop the world’s first large-scale, electric aerial delivery drones for offshore wind farms. The use of these drones is expected to result in more than 90% cost savings, and is four times faster than traditional means, which rely mostly on boats and occasionally, helicopters, as the key modes of transport, the companies said.

Greensea Advancing Autonomous Hull Cleaning for the US Navy

Marine software company Greensea Systems Inc. said it has recently been awarded a contract for a two-year Phase II Option Period by the U.S. Navy’s Office of Naval Research to continue the technology development for an autonomous hull cleaning vehicle. This is a continuation of the work that Greensea has been conducting through a Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) program since 2018.“The objective…

Lander Lab #5: Lithium Polymer Batteries

A column about the Technologies, Strategies, and Use of Ocean LandersLithium-Polymer batteries offer a safe and robust option for portable electrical power. As we collectively have gained experience, application parameters have been refined, defined and improved. Though ubiquitous in everyday life, their acceptance has not quite outrun a troubled past.LiPos have now flown on crewed Space-X spacecraft and are installed on the International Space Station.

Kongsberg Maritime Launches new HiPAP 602 Ultra Deepwater SSBL Positioning Tool

Kongsberg Maritime (KM) launched its HiPAP 602 Ultra Deepwater SSBL (Super Short Base Line) Positioning Tool, which has been designed to provide extreme range (up to 7,000m+) and accuracy for positioning ROVs and AUVs, and to operate as a DP reference.To achieve this performance, the HiPAP 602 replaces the spherical transducer used by the HiPAP 502 with a large-diameter, multi-element planar array combined with electronic beam forming and unique signal processing techniques.

New ASV Delivered to the US Navy

San Francisco Bay Area based marine robotics company Marine Advanced Robotics said it has delivered a WAM-V 16 autonomous surface vehicle ASV to Naval Information Warfare Center (NIWC) Pacific to support multi-domain unmanned maritime system autonomy.According to Marine Advanced Robotics, the WAM-V technology is particularly suited for subsurface, surface and air sensor deployments in real world ocean…

Increasing Alkalinity Could Counter CO2 Acidity

One solution for mitigating increased CO2 levels is to accelerate and enhance the ocean's natural uptake of CO2 by increasing its alkalinity. Ocean alkalinity enhancement mimics the natural process of rock weathering by adding ground rock, or its dissolution products, directly to the seawater.So far, little is known about the effects of this method on marine life, but a study by the GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kiel has now assessed the impacts of a moderate alkalinity application…

CGG Rebrands to Viridien

French seismic company CGG has changed its name to Viridien.At the Annual General Meeting on May 15, 2024, shareholders approved the resolution to change the company’s corporate name from CGG to Viridien. “Our new name, Viridien, connects our company’s history to our future, confidently positioning us for accelerated growth as an advanced technology, digital and earth data company,” said Sophie Zurquiyah…

Proserv, Intelligent Plant Ink Deal Aiming to Drive Digital Evolution

Proserv Controls signed a strategic alliance with software engineering firm Intelligent Plant, a deal aimed to deliver advanced control systems and data analysis to provide operators with digital solutions tailored to their needs and feedback. The announcement follows a broader industry trend toward leveraging true digitalization to help rationalize efficiencies in the offshore industry. Ultimately…

Kystdesign to Deliver Advanced ROV to Dutch NIOZ

Engineering firm Kystdesign has a contract with the Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research (NIOZ) for the construction of the advanced Remotely Operated Vehicle (ROV), the Supporter 6000.The Supporter 6000 will be delivered in June 2026 and will serve the entire Dutch marine research community.The ROV is designed for ultra-deepwater operations, capable of reaching depths of up to 6,000 meters.It…

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…

Solar-powered Autonomous Vessel Crosses the Atlantic

An uncrewed surface vessel (USV) is believed to be the first to cross the Atlantic Ocean using only solar power.The autonomous robotic boat—dubbed Mahi Two—left the coast of Spain in September 2021 and made landfall in Martinique, in the French Lesser Antilles, six months later, after more than 4,300 nautical miles at sea.Project Mahi started as many success stories do, in the founder’s garage. Pieter-Jan Note assembled six friends from a variety of engineering backgrounds.

Marin Port Authority Renews AtoN Buoys

Almarin has supplied six new buoys for Port Authority of Marín and Ría de Pontevedra as part of a program to improve the Aids to Navigation in this natural harbor. These six buoys mark the approaches to the Ria. Works concluded last week with the installation of ‘Punta Faxilda’ buoy that marks the northern entrance of the Ría de Pontevedra. The buoys supplied are from Almarin’s Guía range, equipped with highly durable foam elastomer hulls and robust galvanized structural steelwork.

Powering the Seafloor: Put a Socket in It

There’s an energy revolution coming on the seabed.In efforts to boost subsea oil and gas production and reach fields further from shore, in deeper and even Arctic waters, a subsea power revolution is in progress. Several multinationals are developing systems to provide electric power across the seafloor – think subsea power sockets.Giving access to subsea power this way would help oil and gas firms move processing equipment to the seafloor, instead of hosting it on platforms.

Easier Access to UK Tidal Data

The U.K. Hydrographic Office has released a new ADMIRALTY application programming interface (API) that puts U.K. tidal data in the hands of software developers.The U.K. Tidal API gives developers access to accurate data from the U.K.’s largest authoritative network of tidal stations, allowing them to build tidal height and time predictions into their own online applications. These predictions can be useful for a wide range of coastal activities…

New UCP from TE Connectivity

Introducing a new addition to TE’s range of infrastructure management solutions for the data center or LAN environment. The new universal connectivity platform (UCP) is an advanced modular cabling concept designed for speed and flexibility, facilitating data center migration from one to 100 GbE. Supporting both copper and fiber component cabling, TE’s UCP delivers superior rack efficiency and is ideal…

New Ocean Technology Innovation Center Opened

Industry, partners and tenants gathered in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Wednesday to launch the new Center for Ocean Ventures and Entrepreneurship, known as COVE.COVE is a world-class facility for applied innovation in the ocean sector and the only such hub of its kind in the world where start-up companies, small and medium sized enterprises, large firms and post-secondary expertise are housed together developing ocean technology.

Liebherr Reports Record Year for Offshore Cranes

With 87 units delivered in 2014, Liebherr offshore cranes achieved a new per year delivery record, more than doubling its delivery numbers from 2012. And according to Liebherr, well filled order books allow for an optimistic 2015 forecast despite a generally unstable world economic development. “Our distinctly increasing turnover figures wouldn’t be possible without our new production site in Rostock, Germany, as well as our worldwide sales and service network.

Independent Report: WMB-3250 Multibeam Sonar

Multibeam manufacturer WASSP Ltd. announced the release of an independent report on their WMB-3250 Multibeam Sonar. Based in New Zealand, WASSP Ltd. has been supplying its Multibeam systems globally since 2007 and have over 700 systems being used in the commercial fishing industry and other applications including survey, dredging, fisheries research and defense. Using advanced signal processing techniques coupled with the latest generation hardware platforms…

ABB Wins $26m Marine Repeat Order

ABB won a $26m order to supply electrical power and propulsion systems for two next generation ‘Ramform’ vessels, capable of three-dimensional (3D) seismic data acquisition for deep sea resource exploration. The ships will be constructed by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, and delivered in 2015 to Norway’s Petroleum Geo-Services ASA (PGS), a leading company in marine seismic and reservoir data acquisition, processing and analysis/interpretation services.

EMAS Wins Statoil Contract

EMAS AMC, the subsea services division of EMAS, a global offshore contractor and provider of integrated offshore solutions to the oil and gas industry, announced today that it has won a contract from Statoil for the transport and installation of subsea templates for the Norwegian Sea’s deepest offshore project – the Aasta Hansteen field development. EMAS AMC’s scope of work includes the transport and installation of two four-slot templates and one single-slot template.