Norwegians Collaborate on Mapping Plastic in the Oceans

The Institute of Marine Research, shipowner Torvald Klaveness, Kongsberg and the Norwegian Shipowners’ Association have entered into a public-private partnership to develop a pilot project with the aim of mapping marine plastic and other environmental parameters vital to the health of the oceans. The partners will equip several vessels with advanced sensors to collect data for the Institute of Marine Research. Every minute, about 15 tons of plastic end up in the ocean.

AUV Exposes Coral Loss at One of the World’s Southernmost Reefs

Advanced Navigation, a leader in navigation and autonomous systems, in collaboration with marine consultancy O2 Marine, has revealed an explicit visual depiction of Hall Bank, a small, nearshore reef off Fremantle in south-west Australia (32°S), located well beyond the typical latitudinal range for coral reefs.Using Hydrus, a micro hovering autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV), the teams conducted a detailed survey of the reef…

URI Research Seeks to Learn About Deep Sea Organisms

Building upon previous research, University of Rhode Island Professor of Ocean Engineering and Oceanography Brennan Phillips and a multidisciplinary team of scientists will use cutting-edge technology to learn new information about fragile deep-sea organisms and possibly discover new species.The team will receive $2.2 million over three years from the Ocean Shot Research Grant Program, an initiative…

UAE, Israel to Jointly Design Unmanned Military, Commercial Vessels

Emirati and Israeli state-owned weapons makers on Thursday signed a strategic agreement in Dubai to jointly design unmanned vessels capable of carrying out anti-submarine warfare.United Arab Emirates defense conglomerate EDGE and Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) announced the partnership on the final day of the biennial Dubai Airshow.In a joint statement, the firms said they would design the "170…

Petrobras, Total ink Strategic Alliance Deal

Petrobras signed a Master Agreement with French outfit Total today related to the strategic collaboration set forth in the memorandum of understanding signed on October 24 by our CEO Pedro Parente and Total CEO Patrick Pouyanné. Under the new agreement, Petrobras will substantially increase the level of technological cooperation in the fields of geosciences, subsea systems, and in joint studies in…

New US Wave Energy Test Facility

A new wave energy testing facility will be built off the Oregon coast, aiming to support the development of innovations and technologies capable of harnessing the significant wave energy resources along U.S. coastlines. Up to $40 million has been awarded by the U.S. Energy Department for the design, permit and construct of the open-water, grid-connected national wave energy test site in Newport, Oregon.

Ocean Dynamics Orders Deeper-rated Saab Seaeye Falcon ROV

Canadian company Ocean Dynamics has ordered a second, deeper-rated Saab Seaeye Falcon ROV for the inspection of instrumentation monitoring of the ocean around Canada’s northwest coast and First Nation coastal waters.The company already owns of a 300m-rated Seaeye Falcon.Ocean Dynamics’ President, Josh Chernov says he chose the new 1000m-rated fiber optic Falcon because it can accommodate HD cameras…

US Navy-owned Research Vessel Back in Action

Research vessel (R/V) Thomas G. Thompson (AGOR-23) has gained a new lease on life following a recently completed 18-month upgrade to improve operating systems, bolster its research capabilities and extend its working life for the U.S. Navy and scientific organizations.The Navy-owned vessel has been operated and maintained University of Washington since 1991, under a charter lease agreement with the…

HII Debuts REMUS 620 Unmanned Underwater Vehicle (UUV)

HII’s Mission Technologies division debuted a new medium-class unmanned underwater vehicle (UUV): REMUS 620.Building on the design philosophy of the REMUS 300 — recently selected by the U.S. Navy as the program of record for the Lionfish Small UUV — the REMUS 620 has a battery life of up to 110 hours and a range of 275 nautical miles.“Retaining a forward strategic advantage requires the ability to deliver a multitude of effects from under the sea…

InterMoor Unveils New Acoustic Release Mooring Connectors

InterMoor announced the market introduction of its new Inter-M Release mooring connector.Acoustic release mooring connectors allow a rig’s mooring legs to be released remotely and immediately, in case of emergencies, severe weather events, or simply to save time and money during rig moves.“With its innovative and compact design,the Inter-M Release literally reinvents the acoustic connector. It’s easier…

Olympus Debuts Portable Eddy Current Flaw Detectors

Olympus announced the introduction of its new NORTEC 600 Series high-performance eddy current flaw detectors. The NORTEC 600 incorporates the latest advancements in high-performance digital circuitry and eddy current flaw detection into one compact and durable unit. With its crisp and vivid 5.7 inch VGA display and true full-screen mode, the NORTEC 600 is capable of producing user-selectable, highly contrast eddy current signals in any lighting condition.

UDT Conference: Responds to Subsea Security

Undersea Defense Technology (UDT), a European conference and exhibition for the undersea defense sector, will again demonstrate the ability to respond to developments in subsea security that has been the hallmark of the event for more than 25 years. The UDT conference agenda for 2013 reflects the ever broadening portfolio of challenges that face all concerned with security and safety in the subsea environment…

Advanced Offshore Flow Measurement Solutions

McCrometer offers advanced flow meter technology measurement solutions for the industry’s challenging, highly space- and weight-constrained offshore oil and gas production environments. Subsea modules, Offshore Platforms and FPSO Vessels necessitate flow meters that can maintain accuracy under rugged, crowded, high pressure conditions. Already cramped installations are further complicated by the extensive…

Strainstall Provides Advanced Tension Monitoring Solution

MAATS Tech Ltd is a specialist ship design organization with expertise in the provision of turnkey carousel systems and associated equipment that are installed in special purpose vessels used for laying flexible pipe, umbilicals and power cables. On such vessels, the cable or pipe is fed through a tensioner before being loaded to and from the carousel system as part of the laying process. Maintaining…

Kraken Appoints Dillon as Chief Scientist

Kraken Robotics Inc. announced that Dr. Jeremy Dillon has joined Kraken’s wholly owned subsidiary, Kraken Robotic Systems Inc. as Chief Scientist.Dr. Dillon has 20 years of experience in research and development with a background in signal processing and mathematics. As an original member of Kraken's Synthetic Aperture Sonar (SAS) team, he developed the signal processing algorithms for the AquaPix SAS imaging and bathymetry software.

Seismic Survey Offshore Liberia: 'Polarcus Asima' Starts Work

TGS has commenced acquisition of a 3D multi-client survey, Sunfish, which covers up to 7,800 km2 of highly prospective acreage in the Harper Basin, offshore Liberia. "This survey provides excellent data coverage for the source prone, syn-rift and early post-rift sequences, in this highly prospective area offshore Liberia. TGS has been active in acquiring data over the West Africa Transform margin for…

New Polar-Orbit Satellite Under NOAA Control

These satellites are critical for advanced warning of severe weather including tornado outbreaks, heavy snowfall, hurricanes, heat waves, floods, & wildfires. Data from the Suomi National Polar-orbiting Partnership (Suomi NPP) satellite will continue to strengthen NOAA’s ability to predict severe weather days in advance. Suomi NPP data are also used to generate dozens of environmental data products, including measurements of clouds, vegetation, ocean color, and land and sea surface temperatures.

iXblue Equips Manned Submersible for Titanic Mission

OceanGate, Inc., a provider of manned submersible services, and iXblue, a global company that provides innovative solutions for navigation, positioning and underwater imaging, are combining forces to conduct the first manned submersible expedition to the wreck of the RMS Titanic since 2005.iXblue’s Phins 6000 inertial navigation system and Posidonia USBL positioning system will both be used for the accurate and reliable navigation and positioning of OceanGate’s Titan…

McDermott Awarded Pemex Platform Contract

McDermott International, Inc. has announced  that one of its subsidiaries has received a letter of award for a turnkey contract for the PB-Litoral-A production platform for PEMEX Exploracion y Produccion in the Litoral Tabasco Tsimin-Xux fields. The value is approximately US$ 230 million and will be included in McDermott's fourth quarter 2012 backlog. “This project reaffirms our Altamira, Mexico fabrication…

Rigid Reel-Lay Pipe-in-Pipe Installed Offshore Malaysia

McDermott International, Inc. reports that its subsidiary has become the first to install rigid reel-lay pipe-in-pipe in Asia-Pacific for the Siakap North-Petai (SNP) development project offshore Malaysia. At more than 3,900 feet (1,190 meters), the SNP development is one of the industry’s most challenging deepwater projects. “Successfully installing the rigid reeled pipe-in-pipe flowlines on the Siakap project is a significant achievement for McDermott and a first for the region…