Fugro Names Director of APAC Region

Fugro’s board of management has appointed Luh Shyang Loo as Group Director for the Asia Pacific region and member of the executive leadership team.Loo will take over responsibility for the region as from October 1, 2024, succeeding Amar Umap, who has decided to leave Fugro for personal reasons.As an integral part of the Fugro family for over 25 years, Loo has been engaged in various key roles within the organization.Between 2007 and 2009…

How Do You Build Tunnels and Bridges Underwater?

When I was a kid, I discovered a Calvin and Hobbes comic strip that posed one of my own burning questions: How do they know the load limit on bridges? Calvin’s dad (incorrectly) tells him, “They drive bigger and bigger trucks over it until it breaks. Then they weigh the last truck and rebuild the bridge.”Several decades later, I’m a geotechnical engineer. That means that I work on any construction projects that involve soil.

Technip Energies and Partners to Develop Reusable Floating Wind Anchors

Technip Energies, in partnership with Université Gustave Eiffel, Valeco, and OPEN-C Foundation, has launched the PAREF project, an R&D program aimed at accelerating industrial-scale development of floating wind.The project, funded by the French State as part of France 2030 operated by ADEME, aims to design, fabricate, and test a reusable anchoring system, high and low connectors, and tendons for a tension line system…

Exxon Taps Ocean Infinity to Survey the Stabroek Block

Subsea marine robotics company Ocean Infinity said it has been awarded a contract with ExxonMobil, for high-resolution autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) geophysical and geotechnical data acquisition within the promising Stabroek block offshore Guyana.Ocean Infinity will simultaneously deploy a fleet of AUVs in water depths of between 70 meters and 2,150 meters over an area of approximately 3,100 square kilometers.Having recently expanded its AUV fleet and implemented new battery technology…

Scientists Discover Mysterious Patterns on Ice Shelf Bottom

Using the autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) Ran underneath 350 m thick ice, an international team of researchers created the very first detailed maps of the underside of a glacier, revealing clues to future sea level rise.This mission was carried out as part of the International Thwaites Glacier Collaboration (ITGC), a five-year, $50 million joint U.S. and U.K. mission to learn more about Thwaites Glacier…

NOAA Engages Fugro for Hydrographic Survey Services

Fugro has secured a new five-year contract by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) for hydrographic survey services.Under this indefinite delivery/indefinite quantity (IDIQ) contract, Fugro will support the creation and maintenance of nautical charts, which ensure safe and efficient maritime navigation within U.S. waters.Projects can be assigned to any of the six companies holding…

Elomatic and Thyssenkrupp Ink Ship Design Contract for New Polarstern Icebreaker

German naval conglomerate Thyssenkrupp and Finland-based consulting and engineering company Elomatic have signed a design and engineering contract to support the development of a new Polarstern ship, bound to become the largest and most advanced research and polar logistics icebreaker.The ship will be built at the large and modern shipyard of tkMS in Wismar. The shipyard has a remarkable track record in developing complex icebreaking ships…

UTEC Uses Sonardyne’s Fusion 2 Software to Support Offshore Project in Australia

UTEC, a company providing survey, positioning, and data services in the offshore energy world, has deployed Sonardyne’s Fusion 2 software and associated hardware to support offshore construction in Australia.Combined long baseline (LBL) acoustic positioning and inertial navigation system (INS) from Sonardyne, has helped to support the latest phase of UTEC's offshore project in northwest Australia."The…

CCG Adds OFSV to its Fleet

Seaspan Shipyards (Seaspan) has completed Delivery of Canadian Coast Guard Ship (CCGS) Capt. Jacques Cartier, the Canadian Coast Guard’s newest state-of-the-art Offshore Fisheries Science Vessel (OFSV), the second OFSV delivered by Seaspan."The milestone in the shipbuilding process took place exactly five months and two days after the delivery of her sister ship, the CCGS Sir John Franklin. These two ships are the first large vessels delivered under the National Shipbuilding Strategy…

Autonomous Offshore Power Trials Get Underway off Hawaii

With the advent of autonomy on and under the water, part of the value proposition is the ability to stay at sea, on station, to exponentially increase efficiencies. Have the ability to repower at sea is central to this effort, as an increasing number of companies work to solve the inherent technical and logistic problems.Columbia Power Technologies (C-Power) is commencing a six-month sea trial to test and validate its SeaRAY autonomous offshore power system (AOPS)…

The Arctic: Scientists Aim to Improve Sea Ice Predictions' Accuracy, Access

Sea ice predictions have improved markedly since the founding of an international forecasting and monitoring network 14 years ago.“These forecasts are quite encouraging in their increasing accuracy,” said Uma Bhatt, an atmospheric sciences professor at the University of Alaska Fairbanks Geophysical Institute. Bhatt spoke about the Sea Ice Prediction Network at the American Geophysical Union’s annual meeting last month.As the amount of sea ice in the Arctic declines…

TE Connectivity Expands Offers New CII FCC-325 Relay

TE's newest relay adds additional functionality to the control of the relay in harsh environments.TE Connectivity (TE) expanded its existing MS27418 relay series with the CII FCC-325 relay, which provides added benefits of auxiliary contacts. The 2A SPDT (single pole double throw) auxiliary contacts can be used to perform additional functions related to the control of the relay allowing for circuit trip feedback status, illuminating an indicator light, and other similar control functions.

Subsea LiDar Specialist Ventures into Offshore Geophysical Survey Business

3D at Depth, a company specializing in commercial Subsea LiDAR (SL) laser technology, and a provider of underwater survey services and 3D data solutions, on Tuesday announced the launch of its offshore Geophysical Survey Services division. According to 3D at Depth, the new division will provide surveys to support both nearshores, inshore, and offshore deepwater development activities focused in the areas of offshore wind farms…

EdgeTech Announces Major Order from ECHO81

EdgeTech said it received a 'significant' order from ECHO81 for its 6205s2 Bathymetry Systems, 4205 & 4125 Side Scan Sonar Systems, 3400-OTS Sub-Bottom Profilers, and 2050-DSS combined Side Scan & Sub-Bottom deep tow systems. The order, valued at more than $2 million, will be available for direct purchases from ECHO81.CHO81 is EdgeTech's exclusive partner and distributor in the U.S. and Latin America for the 6205s2 and 3400 product lines.

Floating Energy Allyance Selects Ocean Infinity for Offshore Wind Farm Survey

Floating Energy Allyance (FEA), comprising of BW Ideol, Elicio, and BayWa r.e., has appointed Ocean Infinity to carry out an initial geophysical and geotechnical site investigation at its Buchan floating offshore wind project, 75 km to the northeast of Fraserburgh, Scotland.The Floating Energy Allyance last year secured the rights to develop a floating offshore wind farm with an approximate capacity…

Energy @ Sea: Powering Up in the Blue Desert

Last year marked the beginning of the United Nations Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development, lasting from 2021 until 2030. With 10 years comes 10 challenges—goals for regional, national and global participants to work towards for positive, collective impact on our oceans. Included in the 10 are ocean-based solutions for climate change, expanding the Global Ocean Observing System, creating a digital representation of the sea…

Damen, MO4 In Pact to Further Digitalize Offshore Wind Ops

Dutch Damen Shipyards Group has teamed up with technology firm MO4 specializing in offshore motion prediction, to take a step towards the digitalization of offshore wind farm operations. "This strategic alliance pairs Damen’s Triton monitoring platform with MO4 motion forecasting knowledge, offering data analytic-based services. Vessel operation will become more effective and safety levels will increase at the same time…

Semtech, Wilhelmsen, TTI Team-up for Maritime IoT

Semtech, Wilhelmsen and The Things Industries (TTI) have formed a partnership to use Semtech’s LoRa devices to help deliver what they describe as cost-effective, robust and proven IoT solutions to the maritime shipping industry.Wilhelmsen is a global maritime industry group founded in 1861. Semtech Corporation is a  supplier of high performance analog and mixed-signal semiconductors and advanced algorithms.Wilhelmsen…

Kitron Wins OWF Orders

Norwegian electronic manufacturing services (EMS) supplier Kitron has received orders with a value of more than NOK 75 million for the development of test systems and production of electronics modules that are part of control systems for High Voltage Direct Current (HVDC) technology used for offshore wind power."These orders are strategically important for Kitron, as they come from a leading company within the rapidly growing renewable energy sector…

Leidos Developing New Generation of Underwater Drones

U.S. tech giant Leidos is developing several new unmanned underwater vehicles (UUVs) that will feature advanced artificial intelligence (AI), sensing capabilities and more.These vessels, along with Leidos-developed unmanned surface vessels (USVs) Seahawk and Sea Hunter, can perform a growing number of jobs without hazarding human divers. They will feature technology to support military and commercial activities alike.Leidos noted that U.S.