New Research on Gulf of Mexico Loop Current

More than $10 million in grant funding has been awarded for a group of new projects that aim to fill research gaps in order to help improve understanding and prediction of the Gulf of Mexico Loop Current System (LCS).As the Gulf of Mexico's dominant ocean circulation feature, the LCS has far-reaching implications for a wide range of human and natural systems, including oil and gas operations, yet knowledge…

New MPA Guide Maps Out Ways to Effectively Protect 30% of Ocean by 2030

A novel scientific framework to consistently understand, plan, establish, evaluate and monitor ocean protection in Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) developed by an international team of scientists including Ellen Pikitch, PhD, of the School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences (SoMAS) at Stony Brook University, is published in Science. The results of a decade of collaborative research, the guide comes at…

NOAA Awards $41 Million for Ocean Observing

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) U.S. Integrated Ocean Observing System (IOOS) Office on Tuesday announced 11 new five-year cooperative agreements that support the continued growth, expansion, and modernization of our nation’s climate, coastal, ocean and Great Lakes observing capabilities. In the first year, NOAA will distribute $41 million to cover efforts along U.S. national and territorial waters and coasts."More than 40% of the U.S.

UTEC Deploys iXblue's Subsea Positioning Technology on Ultra-deep Water Project

Offshore survey services company UTEC, an Acteon subsidiary, has deployed iXblue new subsea positioning technology on "a world-class" ultra-deepwater field development project in Africa, with depths below 2,000 meters.According to iXblue, its sparse LBL solution, brings together Canopus intelligent transponders, Ramses transceivers, Inertial Navigation Systems, and Delph Subsea Positioning Software…

Emerson’s Launches Roxar RMS 11

Emerson has launched Roxar RMS 11, the latest version of its reservoir characterization software, which includes a powerful set of tools for developing smarter and more interactive reservoir modeling, facies modeling and unified tools for channelized reservoirs and region definition.The suite also comes with a new plug-in technology designed to ensure that RMS 11 is ideally placed for future web and…

Subsea’s Future is Blowin’ in the Wind

Offshore wind is hot, with the potential to be a significant area of growth for the global maritime, subsea and energy markets for years to come. Eric Haun does a deep dive on eight companies leading the way.GE Renewable EnergyAs offshore wind projects across the globe look to incorporate the latest innovations in wind turbine technology to maximize efficiency and drive down costs, many manufacturers are producing larger turbines on advanced foundation designs for even greater water depths.

#Oi2020 History

By the beginning of the 1970s came new advances within subsea technology, specifically a higher level of appreciation of technologies such as acoustics and sensors. This also included manned submersibles, which at the time, “were believed to be the answer to deep underwater exploration, taking humans beyond safe diver depth,” according to the book Advances in Marine Technology, as published by the Marine Technology Society.

Subsea 7 Acquires 4Subsea

Services company Subsea 7 announced it has acquired 4Subsea, a provider of technology and services that delivers decision support to oil and gas and offshore wind operators.4Subsea will function autonomously within Subsea 7, maintaining an independent brand and management team. 4Subsea’s Peter Jenkins will continue in his role as CEO of the company.4Subsea will support Subsea 7 in delivering advanced…

General Dynamics Launches New Bluefin-12

General Dynamics Mission Systems released the new Bluefin-12 autonomous unmanned underwater vehicle at Defense and Security Equipment International (DSEI) 2019.This new vehicle builds upon the proven Bluefin autonomy and uses shared Bluefin Robotics’ core capabilities, increased mission modularity and embedded intelligence to complete users’ long endurance, high-consequence and changing missions.The…

2G Robotics Unveils Micro Inspection Skid

Canadian marine technology company 2G Robotics said it has launched a new laser survey skid for inspection class remotely operated underwater vehicles (ROV).Developed in partnership with iXblue and Nortek, the all-in-one integrated Micro Inspection Skid delivers high accuracy inspection capabilities with subsea dynamic laser scanning to enable survey and inspection by low cost vehicles.Available for new and existing vehicles including the Saab Seaeye Falcon and the Seatronics VALOR…

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…

OTC Names Technology Award Winners

The Offshore Technology Conference (OTC), which takes place May 4-7 in Houston, has announced 17 technologies that will receive the Spotlight on New Technology SM Award. The 2015 awards will be presented May 4, in the NRG Center Rotunda Lobby. The Spotlight on New Technology Awards—a program for OTC exhibitors—showcase the latest and most advanced hardware and software technologies that are leading the industry into the future.

UK Subsea Industry Supports STEM Initiative

More aspiring young engineers will get the chance to participate in an international competition to design underwater machinery and robotics thanks to leadership and support from Subsea UK. The body, which represents the U.K.’s £9 billion subsea industry, has entered into a long-term partnership with RGU to sustain and extend the highly successful Scottish MATE ROV Challenge. The STEM initiative aims…

MacArtney LARS for Fifth Asia Pacific Research Vessel

MacArtney completed its order of a launch and recovery (LARS) system for Taiwan National University, the fifth Ocean Research Vessel (ORV) in the Asia Pacific region to date. MacArtney Asia Pacific provided the full launch and recovery system solution for the new vessel R/V New Ocean Researcher 1 (ORV 1), including slip rings, cables and docking heads. The 1,000 GT RV was completed on July 21, 2020.Behind ORV 1 is the CSBC Corporation…

MIT Studies Underwater Navigation Powered by Sound

New approach could spark an era of battery-free ocean exploration, with applications ranging from marine conservation to aquaculture.GPS isn’t waterproof. The navigation system depends on radio waves, which break down rapidly in liquids, including seawater. To track undersea objects like drones or whales, researchers rely on acoustic signaling. But devices that generate and send sound usually require batteries — bulky, short-lived batteries that need regular changing.

WHOI Appoints Douglas C. Webb as Oceanographer Emeritus

Douglas C. Webb, founder of Teledyne Webb Research, has been appointed as Oceanographer Emeritus at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, effective January 1, 2021. This peer appointed honorary position has been bestowed upon Doug Webb in recognition of his contributions to WHOI and to oceanographic science and engineering world-over.When asked about the appointment, Dr. Richard Murray, Deputy Director and Vice President for Research at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution commented…

Study: Offshore Ambient Vibration Monitoring

Two State University of New York (SUNY) Maritime College professors have received a $65,000 grant from the American Bureau of Shipping (ABS) to develop a program for inspecting underwater drilling equipment and gathering and maintaining information about its structural well being, all while the equipment remains in service and fully operational. Dr. Daniel Fridline, Assistant Professor, Mechanical Engineering and Dr.

ABS Advances Landmark Standardization JIP

ABS convened industry partners in Houston to sign an agreement that outlines objectives for the second stage of a pioneering unified joint industry project (JIP) for standardization. The goal of the JIP, which includes participants from Korean shipyards, operators, drilling contractors, engineering companies and classification societies, is to develop offshore design standards that will help to improve safety, reduce costs and increase efficiency for offshore projects.

ROV Tech File: Meet the Phantom T5 Defender

Homeland security, law enforcement, military and search and rescue organizations in every region of the United States recently attended demonstrations of the Deep Ocean Engineering Phantom T5 Defender underwater drone in various locations around the country. This specially-equipped remotely operated vehicle (ROV) was developed in collaboration with Greensea Systems, Tecnadyne, Tritech and Nortek, specifically…

FORCE Uses ASL's Acoustic Zooplankton Fish Profiler

The Fundy Ocean Research Center for Energy (FORCE) purchased one of ASL's single frequency 125 kHz Acoustic Zooplankton Fish Profilers (AZFP) autonomous scientific echosounder for deployment on their instrumented mooring platform in Minas Passage in the Bay of Fundy, Nova Scotia. FORCE is a Canadian center for in-stream tidal energy technology demonstration, located in the Bay of Fundy. The tidal flow through the Minas Passage boasts 14 billion metric tons of water…