Modern Tech for a Cold Case

In January 1971, a phone rang in the living room of a family in Atlanta, Ga. Lem Nikita, then 19, answered the call which confirmed that his father George Nikita’s plane had crashed somewhere over Lake Champlain during a blizzard shortly after takeoff. The elder Nikita was the pilot of a 10-seat Jet Commander owned by Cousins Properties, Inc. It was enroute from Burlington, Vt., to Providence, R.I., to pick up one of the pilots wives before continuing on to Atlanta. Five men were on board.

BAE Systems Awarded £201m to Advance Successor Sub Design

The U.K. Ministry of Defence (MoD) has awarded BAE Systems £201 million to further the design of a successor to the Royal Navy's Vanguard class submarines. The funding will allow the business to mature the design of the new class of submarines, which will carry the U.K.'s independent nuclear deterrent, including the layout of equipment and systems, and to develop manufacturing processes, BAE Systems announced today.

A Sea of Robots

A team of researchers from the Institute of Telecommunications at University Institute of Lisbon and from University of Lisbon in Portugal are the first to demonstrate a swarm of intelligent aquatic surface robots in a real-world environment. Swarms of robots have the potential to scale to hundreds or thousands of robots and cover large areas, making them ideal for tasks such as environmental monitoring, search and rescue and maritime surveillance.

Underwater Robotics National Challenge set for Indy

In only a few weeks, SeaPerch, a national educational outreach program using underwater robotics, sponsored by the Office of Naval Research (ONR), will hold its 2013 National SeaPerch Challenge. Hosted by the Indiana State Regions this annual competition will take place on the campus of Indiana University Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) on Saturday, May 18, 2013, at the University’s Natatorium housing the Olympic pool.

Fugro's Survey Vessel to Search for Malaysia 370

The Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) has awarded Fugro a contract that will see the deployment of its specialist vessel, equipment and expertise in the underwater search for the missing Malaysia Airlines flight 370 (MH370). Using its advanced survey vessel, the Fugro Equator, fitted with state-of-the art multibeam echosounder equipment, Fugro will conduct a bathymetric survey of the search area.

SeeByte Software Supports USV

SeeByte, creator of smart software technology for unmanned systems, and ATLAS ELEKTRONIK UK (AEUK), a specialist in delivery of innovative maritime systems, have together successfully integrated SeeByte’s Neptune software onto AEUK’s ARCIMS unmanned surface vessel (USV) mission system. ARCIMS is an USV specifically designed for multi-role applications including MCM, ASW, Hydrography and security. ARCIMS…

US-built Survey Vessel Delivered to Fugro

Newbuild shallow draft survey vessel Fugro Americas was delivered to Fugro on March 18, 2015. Built by Thoma-Sea Marine Constructors in Louisiana, with supervision by Fugro Marine Services Custom, the new vessel is designed to Fugro’s specifications, fitted with the latest geophysical survey equipment and houses some of the most advanced instrumentation in the field, Fugro noted. The Fugro Americas is optimized for working in the Gulf of Mexico…

Subsea Hardware Spending to Double to $124 Billion

Douglas-Westwood (DW) forecast subsea hardware spending is set to double to $124 billion during 2013-2017 compared to the preceding five-year period. The new third edition of Douglas-Westwood’s Subsea Hardware Market Forecast has launched analyses the market through to 2017, examining the key activity trends to provide detailed insight for major players and new entrants alike. “The prospects for the subsea hardware sector look good…

Havyard Group – Launch Of IPO & Prospectus Publication

Havyard Group ASA submitted an updated application for listing of its shares on Oslo Børs, alternatively Oslo Axess, on 6 June 2014. It is expected that the stock exchange will consider the application in a meeting of its board of directors on 18 June 2014. Subject to approval of the application and compliance with the listing criteria, the first day of trading is expected to be 26 June 2014. Havyard…

U.S. National Ocean Service 2014 Budget Request

The FY 2014 President's Budget Request for the National Ocean Service (NOS) amounts to $529.2M. The National Ocean Service (NOS) observes, measures, assesses and manages coastal, ocean and Great Lakes areas and provides science-based services to inform decision making, thereby positioning America's coastal communities, economies and ecosystems for the future. This budget request represents a critical step toward reestablishing balance across investments in NOAA's missions.

New, New York Harbor Current Meter

NOAA uses data from a new current meter in New York harbor operated by New Jersey’s Stevens Institute of Technology. The system provides enhanced real-time information to mariners travelling through the nation’s second busiest port. The Stevens current meter measures the  direction, speed, and volume of ocean currents in the harbor’s navigation channels, north of the Narrows between Brooklyn and Staten Island.

US to Test 'Submarine' Drone That Can Launch from Ocean Floor

USA’s Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) is testing a drone that can hibernate on the ocean floor for years at a time before being launched to the surface and into the air at the push of a button. The new drones, being developed by the DARPA, are part of a new focus by the US military in developing and improving technology for emerging threats. According to DARPA Director Arati Prabhakar…

Ocean Exchange Calls for Innovative Solutions

Solutions submitted to the third annual Ocean Exchange should have the potential to generate economic growth and increase productivity while reducing the use of nature’s resources and waste production. This year’s competition, with a theme of LEAP TO ZERO+, represents Ocean Exchange’s continued search for entrepreneurs and businesses from around the globe with innovative solutions to the world’s most pressing problems or an interest in those solutions.

OTC 2013 Spotlight On New Technology Awards

The Offshore Technology Conference (OTC), which takes place May 6-9 in Houston, announced 15 technologies that will receive the 2013 Spotlight on New Technology Award recognizing innovative new products that provide significant impact for offshore exploration and production. The Spotlight on New Technology Awards, which are for OTC exhibitors, showcase the latest and most advanced hardware and software technologies that are leading the industry into the future.

Swire Announces New Products at OTC 2013

Swire Oilfield Services, LLC, introduced two new products to the Gulf of Mexico region at the Offshore Technology Conference (OTC), May 6 - 9. Swire’s Modular Systems division and SAFE (Swire Advanced Fluid Engineering) Tanks address the industry’s need for offshore workspace solutions and more advanced offshore fluid storage and transport. Both products will be on display at the conference. The company’s…

Offshore Brazil: Production Starts at FPSO Unit

In February, a second floating production, storage, and offloading (FPSO)* unit deployed by NYK for the BM-S-11 consortium through a joint venture company started oil production in a pre-salt area off Brazil. This FPSO unit, FPSO Cidade de Marica, is owned by a shareholder consortium comprising SBM Offshore N.V. (Netherlands), Queiroz Galvão Óleo e Gás S.A. (Brazil), and a joint venture company between NYK (48.72 percent…

GE to Supply Turbomachinery to Statoil

GE Oil & Gas and Norway-based Statoil Petroleum AS have signed two new, five-year frame agreements that call for GE to supply turbomachinery equipment as well as services to support Statoil’s installed fleet of GE turbomachinery. GE’s equipment will be deployed primarily for Statoil’s onshore and offshore projects in Norway, as well as for other global activities, between 2013 and 2018. GE’s first…

Heriot-Watt University Orders ASV C-Enduro

Heriot-Watt University’s Edinburgh Campus, has confirmed the order of an ASV C-Enduro. The C-Enduro Unmanned Surface Vehicle (USV) will be used for research in persistent and long term autonomy with multiple remote and autonomous marine platforms. The vehicle’s primary application will be as a moving navigation and communication platform for AUV’s. Professor David Lane of Heriot-Watt said: “The vehicle…

SBG Systems Launches New Inertial Sensors

SBG Systems has released the Apogee-M and the Apogee-U, two new inertial sensors to complete the Apogee product line. The Apogee-M is a Motion Reference Unit (MRU), and the Apogee-U is an Inertial Navigation System. Both are made of titanium with a depth rating of 200 meters. Apogee Series is an inertial navigation systems (INS) based on the MEMS technology. One year after the release of the Apogee surface sensors (IP68 enclosure)…

New NOAA ROV On Ocean Trials

The 6,000-meter-rated remotely operated vehicle (ROV) system will be tested from 'Okeanos Explorer' in the 2013 field season. Dave Lovalvo, project manager for the NOAA Office of Ocean Exploration and Research’s Deep Submergence Group and his team has built and will be testing the ROV during the 2013 field season. The vehicle will be operated from the NOAA Ship Okeanos Explorer, America's only U.S. government ship that is dedicated to the sole purpose of exploring the world’s oceans.