Vehicle Launch: Riptide UUV-12 takes BAE Systems into Medium UUV Sector

BAE Systems unveiled the newest addition to its unmanned undersea vehicle (UUV) portfolio, the RiptideTM UUV-12, a 12-inch diameter vehicle is the company’s entry into the medium UUV market.“The Riptide UUV-12 system significantly extends the Riptide family of UUVs by taking us into the medium UUV market,” said Jeff Smith, chief scientist at BAE Systems’ FAST Labs research and development organization.

NOAA Awards $11.6M for Harmful Algal Bloom Research

NOAA is announced funding of 17 new research projects around the country to better understand and predict harmful algal blooms (HABs) and improve response to them.NOAA’s National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science (NCCOS) allocated $10.3 million to harmful algal bloom research in fiscal year 2020 for work that will take place over the next three to five years. Approximately $4 million will cover the first year of 11 new projects, while $6.3 million will go to 16 projects already in process.

AI- and Solar-powered Autonomous Ship Mayflower Launched

A new Mayflower has been launched in Plymouth, 400 years after its historic namesake set sail from southwest England to America.The new vessel won't be carrying pilgrim settlers across the Atlantic. In fact, it won't hold any crew or passengers at all. The sleek AI- and solar-powered trimaran is autonomy level five, meaning it can operate independently with no human intervention. Next year, it will embark on the famous ocean voyage from Plymouth, England to Plymouth, Mass.

Sweden’s First AIS Aid to Navigation Deployed

True Heading, manufacturer of Automatic Identification System (AIS) solutions, GPS compasses and app navigation, has supplied an AIS Aid to Navigation (ATON) beacon to the Port of Stockholm, Sweden. Located at Stockholm Stream (Stockholm Ström) and the first of its kind in Sweden, local authorities launched a new buoy with the True Heading ATON transponder to assist commercial and recreational ships moving in and out of the busy harbor.

EIVA Launches New NaviPac Module

EIVA has launched a new module for the offshore navigation solution NaviPac, developed in close collaboration with Subsea 7. The Bundle Monitor module has already proven its worth, having undergone numerous field tests in connection with the offshore transportation and installation of a pre-assembled six-kilometer pipeline bundle. EIVA has further developed the NaviPac navigation software solution with a module dedicated to the navigation of particularly large structures at sea.

Two Gavia AUVs with EdgeTech Sonars Shipped for Mine Countermeasures

Teledyne Gavia, manufacturer of the Gavia Autonomous Underwater Vehicle (AUV), announced the shipment of two Gavia AUVs equipped with the latest EdgeTech 2205 side scan sonars. The simultaneous dual frequency 600 /1,600 kHz EdgeTech 2205 side scan sonar and the Kearfott T24 inertial navigation system (INS) allow the Gavia to gather high resolution, accurately navigated, sonar images while remaining submerged for several hours of continuous operation at survey speeds up to five knots.

New Report: North Sea Oil Gushes, Less Interest in UK Continental Shelf

The report, detailing activity across North West Europe over the last 12 months and compiled by Deloitte’s Petroleum Services Group (PSG), found the number of UK fields which started production rose by 44% in 2013 (up from nine in 2012 to 13 in 2013). This figure represents the highest number since 2008, when 16 fields were brought on-stream. Of the 13 fields brought on-stream last year, 84% were eligible for tax allowances…

Submarine Maneuvering Simulation Technology

The numerical simulation of submarine maneuvering is a challenging problem that has only recently been addressed by technological advances in commercial Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) software. In this article, we demonstrate how CD-adapco’s simulation technology can be applied to accurately predict how a submarine’s motion is driven by hydrodynamic forces, and compare numerical results with experimental data.

Seatronics to Open Houston Premises

Seatronics Inc., an Acteon company, is moving to a new, purpose-built facility in Houston to expand its rental, sales and service work for customers throughout North and Central America. The new plant, at 1319 West Sam Houston Parkway North, Suite 150, contains service facilities for cable moulding, connector assembly production and injection polyurethane molding; along with a state-of-the-art calibration laboratory…

Transocean Orders Two New Ultra-Deepwater Drillships

Transocean Ltd. inform that a subsidiary company has awarded contracts to Sembcorp Marine's subsidiary, Jurong Shipyard, in Singapore for construction of two newbuild dynamically positioned ultra-deepwater drillships with contract options for up to three more. The two drillships are expected to be delivered from the shipyard in the second quarter of 2017 and the first quarter of 2018, respectively.

Raytheon Get US$35-Million Navy LCS Sonar Contract

Raytheon Company says it is to provide the U.S. Navy with AN/AQS-20A minehunting sonar systems and equipment. The system leverages advanced sonar technologies to support the Navy's critical minehunting missions, ensuring safe access and passage for military and civilian vessels on the world's oceans and waterways. Deployed from the Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) as the variable depth sonar for the AN/WLD-1 Remote Minehunting System (RMS)…

Recovering Evidence with Technology

On a spring afternoon a call comes in to the police station citing an armed robbery has been committed at a local bank. The suspected criminals have fled the scene and EMS is in route. The last reported sighting of the suspects being seen was in a truck heading across the river over the I-88 bridge. Police cannot find the suspects, but a key witness says they saw someone in a truck throw something into the river. Could it be the gun used for the robbery?

Product Spotlight: FLEXUS More than an ROTV

MacArtney introduced FLEXUS, a new data acquisition system. Based on a simple and rugged, yet flexible remotely operated towed vehicle, the FLEXUS composes a versatile and user friendly system suitable for a multitude of oceanographic, monitoring and survey applications. Like the more advanced MacArtney TRIAXUS and FOCUS-2 ROTV systems, FLEXUS is based on a towed vehicle featuring a broad range of innovative features and benefits.

Blue Carbon Project to Study Marine Carbon Storage Around the Isle of Man

A study is underway on the Isle of Man to investigate, for the first time, the Island’s marine and coastal role in storing carbon to help mitigate climate change. Scientists from the National Oceanography Center (NOC) will work closely with marine scientists from the Department of Environment, Food and Agriculture (DEFA) and Swansea University to quantify how much carbon is stored in the territorial sea around the Isle of Man…

C-Innovation Forms Subsea Projects Group

Edison Chouest Offshore (ECO) affiliate C-Innovation, LLC (C-I) has formed a turnkey subsea projects group. Capable of providing a complete solution to its global customer base without sourcing outside the Chouest family worldwide, the new group is based in ECO’s Houston office, at the heart of the energy corridor. David Sheetz, manager of C-I’s Subsea Division, said, “This represents a significant milestone for C-I…

UKHO Creates High Density ENC of the Bristol Channel

The United Kingdom Hydrographic Office (UKHO) has disclosed details of a new Electronic Navigational Chart (ENC) which could help to improve situational awareness and safety. Developed to cover an area of the Bristol Channel known as ‘The Bridge’, this ‘high density’ ENC displays depth contours at one-meter intervals, allowing ECDIS to set safety contours at corresponding levels to support navigation through shallow water.

R/V David Packard to Sport Sonardyne’s Ranger 2 USBL

Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute (MBARI) selected Sonardyne's deepwater positioning tech for 50-m long R/V David Packard, its new scientific flagship.Named in honor of MBARI’s founder, David Packard, the vessel is being built to undertake a diverse range of missions in Monterey Bay and beyond, supporting the institute’s mission to advance marine science and technology to understand a changing ocean.

ASL’s Fissel Named a Fellow of CMOS

The Vancouver Island CMOS Center and ASL co-hosted a reception and award presentation ceremony at the University of Victoria, University Club, last month to honor those that have contributed significant scientific achievements. At theceremony, ASL’s David Fissel was named a Fellow of the Canadian Meteorological and Oceanographic Society (CMOS).Fissel was educated at the University of British Columbia, earning a B.Sc. in Honors Physics in 1971 and an M.Sc. in Physical Oceanography in 1975.

NORBIT DCT – Hydrographic Survey Made Easy

With the increasing number of maritime operations worldwide, more and more hydrographic surveys are required to be conducted. This exerts a demand for hydrography providers with survey capabilities ranging from single-beam to multibeam echosounders, sub-bottom profilers, lidar, and magnetometers. The developed markets with a long history of bathymetry and hydrography surveys are well prepared to serve the increased demand with professional hydrographers, equipment and software support.

US Navy Sub Discovery Validated

The U.S. Navy recently validated the identity of a submarine shipwreck that was discovered in 2017 after being missing for nearly 75 years. Utilizing advanced imaging technology, Ocean Explorer Tim Taylor and his "Lost 52 Expedition Team" officially discovered the final resting place for the 49 Sailors of the long-lost U.S. submarine S-28 (SS-133) in ultra deep water off Oahu, Hawaii. July 4, 2019 marks the 75th anniversary of the loss of the submarine…