PicSea: A New Concept for Ocean Autonomy

“I just can’t believe that 70 percent of the world’s surface is underwater, but it remains almost entirely unexplored. We offer a solution that could make a huge difference to underwater survey, exploration and research. By using hundreds or even thousands of our low-cost underwater robots, we can intelligently explore these hidden depths more easily now than ever before,” said Andrew Durrant, Founder of PicSea…

Rovco to Launch Live 3D Subsea Technology

Subsea services company Rovco said it is set to launch its advanced live 3D subsea survey system.Following two years of extensive research and development activity, the new technology will begin field trials this month. The system has been developed to effectively manage the increasing complexity of subsea operations, using real-time 3D vision and AI data analysis to cut the cost of underwater inspections…

Fugro to Train Saudi Students in Marine Technology

Fugro’s new partnership with KAUST (King Abdullah University of Science and Technology) was marked recently with the inauguration of the KAUST - Fugro Center of Excellence for Marine Technology. The new center will provide training in ROV operations and hydrographic survey within the Kingdom as part of the Saudization program.KAUST’s facilities and location, on the shore of the Red Sea, are ideal for addressing the challenges associated with mapping the Red Sea…

Prysmian Orders New Cable Laying Vessel

Vard Holdings Limited reported having been selected by Prysmian Group for the design and construction of one cable laying vessel. The contract value, including owner supplied special equipment, amounts to approximately €170 million (approximately $205 million).The cable layer is designed by Vard Design in Ålesund, Norway. Vard and Prysmian are currently completing the vessel’s design and according to contract activation scheme the commencement of construction phase is foreseen by end 2018.

Research Vessels Construction Progressing as Scheduled

Seattle-based Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering company Guido Perla & Associates, Inc. (GPA) reports that construction of the AGOR 27 R/V Neil Armstrong is progressing according to plan at Dakota Creek Industries (DCI) in Anacortes, Wash. A major milestone was achieved recently with the completion of the hull assembly after the stern block was set, followed by the installation of the pilot house.

Deep-sea Canyons and Seeps Discovered Off U.S. Northeast

Ocean explorers in July on NOAA Ship Okeanos Explorer discovered a wide diversity of seafloor features and communities of life in the largely unexplored deep-sea canyons off the northeast U.S. coast. Now through August 16, as the expedition continues, the public can join the mission as "citizen scientists," at oceanexplorer.noaa.gov/okeanos, to see live seafloor video and listen as scientists discuss their observations in real time.

China Offshore Fugro Geosolutions to Sign New Contract

When the recently signed 10-year extension comes into effect on 23 August 2013, Fugro will enter the fourth decade of the successful joint venture with China Oilfield Services Ltd (COSL). Services provided include precise navigation services, subsea positioning, construction support services and remotely operated vehicle (ROV) services. The joint venture, named China Offshore Fugro Geosolutions (COFG) in which Fugro holds 50%, has been operating successfully offshore China since 1983.

NOV, GE to Provide Integrated Solutions for FPSOs

National Oilwell Varco, Inc. (NOV) and GE Oil & Gas has agreed to collaborate on delivering integrated solutions for Floating Production Storage and Offloading (FPSO) vessels. The agreement brings together the product offerings and engineering capabilities from the two companies to optimize engineering design and supply comprehensive topside solutions for FPSO projects. NOV engineers and manufactures advanced fluids pumping…

Teledyne Maintains Course

In what has become something of an MTR100 tradition, MTR visits with a trio of executives from Teledyne, a diverse company with links in each sector of the market, for insights on current developments and future trends. This year we speak with Mike Read, President of Teledyne Marine; William Egan - Vice President Sales & Marketing – Imaging & Instruments for Teledyne Marine; and Ken Nagengast, SVP, Global Technology & Group CTO.

Australian Navy to Upgrade Survey Vessels

FarSounder, Inc. said it has been awarded a contract to provide four complete FarSounder-1000 systems plus spare parts for the upgrade of four Paluma class hydrographic Survey Motor Launches operated by the Royal Australian Navy (RAN). Seismic Asia Pacific Pty. Ltd. of Salisbury, Australia will be responsible for the purchase of the equipment and assist with the systems integration. Seismic Asia Pacific is the FarSounder dealer for this project with BAE Systems as the prime contractor.

Norway's Rising Subsea Stars

While Norway is down (courtesy of a two-year oil and gas slump) it certainly is not out. The Norwegian maritime and subsea pedigree extends centuries, and despite a momentary bump in the aquatic road, William Stoichevski uncovers some Rising Subsea Stars. The merging in May of installation and equipment giants Technip and FMC into TechnipFMC eclipsed some news, so you might have missed the brilliance of wellhead, tubular and downhole stars shining from the depths.

Arctic Sea Ice Melt Continues

As of August 14, Arctic sea ice extent is tracking third lowest in the satellite record, according to the National Snow & Ice Data Center (NSIDC). The southern route through the Northwest Passage appears to be largely free of ice. Despite a rather diffuse ice cover in the Chukchi Sea, it is unlikely that Arctic sea ice extent this September will fall below the record minimum set in 2012. As of August 14…

MTR100: Sea-Bird Scientific

For over 40 years, Sea-Bird Scientific has developed award-winning technologies and CTDs that are the centerpiece of most oceanographic moorings, AUVs and profiling systems. The global Argo Array, with unprecedented accuracy and stability in temperature and salinity, has enabled scientists to detect ocean climate trends not previously possible. Sea-Bird also provides sensors to the NSF funded SOCCOM program to produce climate-quality data record for carbon cycling.

Teledyne Marine Plans 2nd Technology Workshop

Teledyne Marine said it plans to host its second biennial Teledyne Marine Technology Workshop in which speakers, influencers and attendees from around the globe will converge to explore, learn and share their experiences on a broad range of technologies spanning commercial, academic and defense applications. The 2017 event, slated for October 15-18 2017, will once again be hosted at the Catamaran Resort in San Diego, Calif.

US Navy Upgrades Mine Hunting Capabilities

Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE:NOC) delivered the first of three lots of mine hunting sonar upgrade kits to the U.S. Navy’s Naval Surface Warfare Center, Panama City Division. The ultimate end users will be the HM-12, -14 and -15 Mine Countermeasures Squadrons. The production contracts from the Navy’s PMS-495 are for upgrading 27 AQS-24A mine hunting systems into the more advanced AQS-24B system.

C-Innovation, 1Diamond Announce Joint Venture

C-Innovation, LLC, an Edison Chouest Offshore affiliated company, and 1Diamond, LLC, a Quanta Services, Inc. subsidiary, have jointly created C-Diamond, LLC, an integrated provider of advanced cutting solutions to the offshore industry. The joint venture was formed to target projects requiring marine-deployed cutting services, including offshore decommissioning activities. C-Diamond’s integrated offerings aimto create a more cost-effective and efficient solution for customers…

Kongsberg's Acoustic Scientific Research for RSS Sir David Attenborough

Kongsberg Maritime has been awarded a contract by Cammell Laird as the primary supplier of the acoustic scientific research and mapping equipment for the British Antarctic Survey’s new Polar Research Vessel, the RRS Sir David Attenborough. The new polar research ship, owned by Natural Environment Research Council (NERC), is currently under construction at the Cammell Laird shipyard in Birkenhead in the Port of Liverpool City Region, UK in a build project worth £140million ($178mln).

New Scanning Sonar for Tetis ROVs

EofE Ultrasonics, Korea, reports it has delivered 10 sets of scanning sonar Echologger MRS900 to Tetis Group. The 2,000m rated ultra-compact scanning sonar will be installed on Tetis' ROVs. Commenting in the delivery, EofE ultrasonics said, "We are delighted that Tetis decided to have Echologger scanning sonar for their ROVs after intensive testings and comparisons. It demonstrates that performance…

Measuring the Load on Jack-up Support Legs

Devices from US manufacturer S. Himmelstein accurately measure torque for control and verification of loads on oil rig support legs. These MCRT® 39000X devices enable load monitoring during jacking  operations and help maintain stability on uneven and shifting sea beds and strong currents. Mounted between the electric motors and pinion drive gearboxes on each leg’s truss, the system transmits data via a two-wire 4-20 mA loop to the Control Room.

Teledyne To Host Doppler Velocity Log Training

Teledyne RD Instruments (TRDI) will host a two‐day training seminar focused on their Doppler Velocity Log (DVL) technology. DVLs are used extensively onboard underwater platforms and surface vessels to provide precision navigation capability. All current and potential DVL users are encouraged to attend this event to quickly expand their working knowledge of the principals behind their DVL and its application to their underwater platform.