SSBN Force Level Requirements: It’s Simply a Matter of Geography

There have been recent claims that today’s ballistic missile submarine force is operating with excess capacity and, therefore, force reductions to save resources may be in order. As I have noted in response to a recent op-ed, this supposition is untrue – in fact, our lean SSBN force is providing the cornerstone of our national security at a pace that has remained essentially constant since the late 1990s.

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.

Missing WW II Bombers Found on the Seafloor

Two B-25 bombers associated with American servicemen missing in action from World War II were recently documented in the waters off Papua New Guinea by Project Recover—a collaborative team of marine scientists, archaeologists and volunteers who have combined efforts to locate aircraft and associated MIAs from World War II. The B-25 bomber is one of the most iconic airplanes of World War II, with nearly 10…

Seabed Geosolutions Wins Brazil Survey Work

Fugro said its joint venture with CGG has secured a contract from Petrobras for a 3D ocean bottom node (OBN) survey in the Brazilian Santos Basin. The seven month contract awarded to the survey firms’ joint venture Seabed Geosolutions is valued at around $90 million and is scheduled to commence at the end of the fourth quarter of 2017 or early 2018, Fugro said. According to Seabed Geosolutions CEO…

Spread of GE Tech Ordered for DSV Newbuild

Shanghai Salvage Bureau’s (SSB) new ship is purpose-designed for a range of roles including deep-water salvage operations, deep-water pipelay and construction as well as a saturation diving capability for up to 24 divers in two bells. Recently, GE’s Marine Solutions has been chosen by SSB, one of the largest rescue and salvage companies in the world, to provide a suite of marine technologies including power and propulsion equipment…

Bourque Joins Sea Machines

Following a recent capital investment and the growing global interest from the marine sector, Sea Machines Robotics said it has been expanding its crew and is poised for further growth, expecting to deliver first generation systems to marine customers this summer. Over the past two months, Sea Machines has added multiple new members to its experienced team of engineers, scientists and mariners. Among the new hires is Phil Bourque, the company’s new director of business development.

Saudi Aramco Buys Teledyne Gavia AUV

The Saudi Arabian Oil Company (Saudi Aramco) has acquired an autonomous underwater vehicle from Teledyne Gavia. The Gavia Offshore Surveyor AUV system is expected to enhance Saudi Aramco's agility in meeting high demands for hydrographic survey services through the company's in-house survey operations. The Gavia system will be utilized predominantly for debris survey and pipeline inspection in the Arabian Gulf…

Shell, Petrobras Expand Deep Water Partnership

Two of the world’s largest energy companies, Royal Dutch Shell and Petrobras, signed last week in The Hague, Netherlands, a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to establish a long-term mutual collaboration in developing pre-salt fields in Brazil. Shell said the partnership will allow it to benefit from technical solutions, contract management expertise and cost efficient initiatives Petrobras applies to Brazil’s pre and post-salt projects.

FarSounder Overlays S-57 & S-63 Charts

FarSounder’s SonaSoft software’s latest release has been upgraded to be compatible with S-57 and S-63 Charts. Anyone using these chart formats is now able to overlay realtime data on their charts using FarSounder’s software and reap the many benefits of its innovative Forward Looking Sonar (FLS). “The operators of those ships preferring to use S-57 and S-63 charts are important to us. Our team has worked diligently, with the user in mind, to make this option a reality for them,” said Cheryl M.

MTR100: develogic GmbH

Eiffestr. No. develogic subsea systems is a German-based company with a focus on developing and manufacturing turn-key customized data-acquisition and telemetry solutions for marine monitoring applications. To be able to deliver cost-effective systems with short turnaround times the company has developed a building block system containing all necessary elements for collecting data anywhere in the ocean and transporting it to the customers’ office.

OPTION Attracts New Partner for Oil Recovery

OPTION (Optimizing Oil Production by Novel Technology Integration) aims to significantly improve simulation tools for the prediction and control of the flow between the horizontal wells and the reservoir – with a focus on enhancing oil recovery. As part of their investment in the project, DONG Energy will contribute with the complete subsurface dataset from the Siri and Stine fields, located in the Danish sector of the North Sea.

FOG Technology for High Latitude Navigation

Fiber optic gyroscope (FOG) technology occupies a unique place in the navigation history, according to navigation, positioning and imaging solutions provider iXBlue, who says FOG continues to break performance boundaries where other gyroscope technologies have reached their limits. FOG and inertial navigation systems (INS) technologies perform even in extreme applications such as mission critical space operation, nuclear submarine stealth operation and high latitude (North) navigation.

Mystery of the Red Lake

Set in a sheer-sided bowl of rock, accessible by climbing gear alone, the Red Lake in Croatia has never revealed the secret of its depths. Now, mountaineering skills and a Saab Seaeye Falcon ROV will offer the first ever insight into the third largest sinkhole lake in the world. Many attempts to survey the lake have failed, even thwarting an earlier team of underwater specialists. No one knows how deep it is, nor how it is fed, or if it is connected to other water systems.

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…

iXblue Expanding in Australia

Navigation, positioning and imaging firm iXblue said it is expanding its local capabilities in Australia. In 2019, it will focus on developing the company’s local expertise in Inertial Navigation Systems for both defense and civil markets.“We have been present in Australia for over 10 years with a dedicated Brisbane-based team of highly qualified engineers, hydrographers, geophysicists, program managers and equipment sales staff,” said Fabien Napolitano, CEO of iXblue.

NOAA Seeks Hydrographic Panel Members

NOAA is seeking qualified candidates to apply for up to five voting member vacancies to serve on its Hydrographic Services Review Panel (HSRP) as of January 1, 2014. The HSRP is a federal advisory committee that advises the NOAA Administrator on current and emerging oceanographic and marine science technologies relating to operations, research and development; and dissemination of data pertaining to: a) hydrographic surveying…

NOAA Finds Lost 19th Century U.S. Coast Survey Steamer

More than 153 years after it was lost in a violent collision at sea, government and university maritime archaeologists have identified the wreck of the ship Robert J. Walker, a steamer that served in the U.S. Coast Survey, a predecessor agency of NOAA. The Walker, while now largely forgotten, served a vital role as a survey ship, charting the Gulf Coast ‒ including Mobile Bay and the Florida Keys ‒ in the decade before the Civil War.