Kongsberg, KBC Enter Upstream Partnership

Kongsberg Oil & Gas Technologies AS and KBC Advanced Technologies, a provider of consulting and software solutions to the hydrocarbon processing industry, announced they will collaborate in key areas focused on improving production solutions for upstream operators. To reinforce the relationship, Kongsberg made an investment in the recent KBC share placing to demonstrate interest in KBC’s growth strategy in upstream oil and gas.

C-MAR DP Training in Brazil

The modern offshore maritime industry relies on a variety of DP vessels, from OSVs to Drillships and tankers, almost all vessels serving the oil and gas industry need to be DP capable in order to safely operate offshore. The growth experienced in Brazil due to the uncorking of huge deepwater pre-salt plays has caused a steady demand for new ships, rigs and vessels, maritime officers and DP operators in the country.

Statoil Opens Research Center in Norway

Tord Lien, Minister of petroleum and energy, opened Statoil’s new research center for improved oil recovery (IOR) at Rotvoll in Trondheim, Norway. Lien and the mayor of Trondheim officially opened the IOR center. Lien commented, “The NCS is a workplace for the future, the resources are utilized in a sustainable manner and the recovery rate is record high, which benefit the employees and the financing of the Norwegian welfare state.

Human Powered Submarine Races Underway

The second European International Submarine Races are now underway at QinetiQ’s Ocean Basin at Haslar, Gosport – Europe’s largest covered water freshwater space. Nearly 100 students from 10 universities around the world are jockeying for position in this unique engineering and sporting event, which sees pilots in SCUBA gear pedalling furiously in their totally submerged submarine around the huge tank, which is the size of an international soccer pitch.

Saab Seaeye eRobotics Campaign Wins UTC Award

A project that achieved a world first in subsea vehicle deepwater residency capability, proving the potential for marine autonomous systems to take a greater role in underwater inspection, repair and maintenance methodologies, is the winner of the annual UTC Subsea Award.The UTC Subsea Award, presented by the Underwater Technology Foundation (UTF), is designed to recognize the many outstanding achievements within the subsea industry.

Wild Well Extends Reach with Subsea Capping Stack in Singapore

Wild Well Control, Inc., a Superior Energy Services company and a global leader in firefighting and well control, has unveiled its new subsea capping stack for response to a global deepwater well control incident. The subsea capping stack, located in Singapore, is a part of Wild Well’s emergency response system, WellCONTAINED, which provides personnel and equipment to plan, prepare and respond to global subsea well control events.

Wave Glider – Ocean Monitoring in Motion

The Wave Glider is a remote control ocean robot, which uses wave motion as propulsion. As an autonomous marine vehicle, the Wave Glider is capable of conducting detailed meteorological and oceanographic surveys across large distances and under the most extreme wind and sea conditions. Since its inception, the Wave Glider has seen the roles it is capable of undertaking greatly expanded, with the Wave Glider becoming a key Metocean measurement asset for research institutes…

Teams Vie for $2m Ocean Health XPRIZE

Down from 77 initial entrants to 18, a diverse group of competitors vie for the Wendy Schmidt Ocean Health XPRIXE’s $2 million cash purse. Nonprofit organization XPRIZE, which creates and manages large-scale, high-profile competitions that aim to stimulate research and development solutions to grand problems across a number of scientific fields, announced in September that 18 team were selected to…

Contact Rationalizing and Map Corrections Software

Chesapeake Technology Inc. (CTI), a producer of real-time sonar acquisition and GIS based processing software for seafloor mapping, announced two new capabilities that it claims will allow users to better organize sonar contacts and improve sonar mosaic accuracy. New Contact Rationalizing, available on SonarWiz version 05.06.0052, is designed to allow a user to combine contacts into a single merged target with an average position.

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.

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)…

Navy's Global Ocean Forecast System Goes Public

The U.S. Naval Research Laboratory (NRL) & the National Center for Environmental Prediction (NCEP) within the National Ocean and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) have entered into a formal agreement that results in NCEP using Navy developed global ocean forecast model technology to make environmental ocean forecasts for public use. “Development of an advanced global ocean prediction system has been a long-term Navy interest,” said Dr.

Interview: Global Diving & Salvage CEO Devon Grennan

Devon Grennan was named CEO of Global Diving & Salvage in November 2013 after company founders Tim Beaver and John Graham stepped down from direct operational involvement. MTR caught up with Grennan for his insights on the business of Diving and Salvage. Your title is new, your tenure is not. How is your company the same as it was in 1995? We still focus on making sure that our customers receive the best service, regardless of the services they need.

MWCC Completes GoM Shore Base Locations

Marine Well Containment Company (MWCC) today announced the completion of two new shore base locations to house its well containment equipment available for use in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico. In addition, this year marks the three-year anniversary of MWCC’s Interim Containment System (ICS) becoming available for use in the deepwater Gulf of Mexico. To date, more than 150 permits have been approved citing MWCC’s system.

Arctic Energy Exploration Efforts Heat Up

Oil and gas—and also mining—are the drivers today propelling Arctic maritime operations and the construction of new vessels able to operate in extreme latitudes. While the gas and oil resources can be recovered in the Arctic or far north and shipped to markets by sea or pipeline, the cost of doing must be balanced upon the global market price for those commodities. Ships and marine structures able…

Triton Imaging, Applied Acoustics Ink OEM Agreement

Triton Imaging, Inc. and Applied Acoustic Engineering Ltd. announced that they have signed an OEM agreement under which Applied Acoustics will offer Triton ISIS Offshore-SB data acquisition and Perspective-SB processing and interpretation software bundled with Applied Acoustic sub-bottom profiling hardware. With this arrangement, Applied Acoustics’ customers will have the advantage of using the proven…

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…