Seabed Imaging Re-imagined

A project to address the twin challenge of covering large areas of seabed at high resolution, while also processing the gathered data within expedition time-scales, has been delivering promising results. BioCam project participants Geraint West, Adrian Bodenmann, Darryl Newborough, and Blair Thornton explainIt’s often said that we know more about the surface of the moon than our own ocean floor – despite half the moon being permanently hidden from our gaze.

Windcatcher Receives AIP from DNV

Wind Catching Systems announced its 40MW Windcatcher design has received approval in principle (AIP) from DNV.The objective of an AIP is to perform a third-party technical evaluation of a design to assess whether there are any conceptual showstoppers or rule compliance aspects that need improvement. As such, a successful AIP indicates the likelihood of the design meeting applicable rule criteria for…

Maritime Firms Launch PntGuard to Counter GPS Spoofing Surge

Tschudi Shipping Company, NAL Research and Norway-based SGM Technology have launched PntGuard, a maritime navigation system designed to detect and counter increasing cases of GNSS and GPS signal spoofing at sea.The standalone bridge system alerts crews the moment a vessel’s official position is falsified and provides authenticated location data when satellite navigation inputs are compromised.Developers…

Viridien, TGS Wrap Up OBN Survey in Gulf of America

French seismic firm Viridien, in collaboration with Norway’s TGS, has completed the acquisition of the Laconia Phase III ultra-long offset ocean bottom node (OBN) survey in the Gulf of America.The latest phase spans 151 OCS blocks and expands ultra-long offset low-frequency OBN coverage of the Paleogene trend to provide improved seismic data and subsurface imaging over this geologically complex area.Laconia III includes coverage of the BP-owned Kaskida field, discovered in 2006.

VLIZ Takes Delivery of a Gavia AUV

Teledyne Gavia announced that after an international tender it has completed the sale and recent sea acceptance testing of an autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) to the Flanders Marine Institute (VLIZ) in Oostende, Belgium.The VLIZ Gavia is rated to 1,000m depth in a low logistics form factor and includes an array of scientific instruments to meet current and future VLIZ research requirements. The modular nature of the GAVIA AUV allows sensors to be added as mission requirements dictate.

MTR100: #2 Admiral Karl Schultz, Commandant, USCG

The editors of Marine Technology Reporter are pleased to share that Admiral Karl Schultz, Commandant, USCG is #2 in the 14th Annual "MTR100". The full print and electronic edition of Marine Technology Reporter will be available shortly. Until then, presented here is the full story on Admiral Karl Schultz.The career biography of Admiral Schultz is predictably impressive for an officer that has ascended to the top of the United States Coast Guard.

Robotics: Bringing Navigation Accuracy to Petroleum Tank Inspection

An autonomous robot outfitted with a DVL is looking to revolutionize fuel tank inspection – while eliminating potential operational hazards.Boston-based Square Robot has deployed Nortek’s Doppler Velocity Logs (DVLs) – already established in subsea applications – for this different and challenging environment, developing a robot that can provide detailed assessments of the conditions in above-ground…

SUBSEA TECH: Compact Hydrographic System for Shallow-Water ‘Gap-Filler’ Surveys

Subsea Europe Services GmbH has introduced a new compact version of its unique integrated Hydrographic Survey System (iHSS). Dubbed iHSS-Compact, it is designed to meet demand for shallow-water ‘gap-filler’ marine surveys and simplifies the acquisition of commercial grade marine data for users of any experience.iHSS-Compact is designed to provide a low-cost, turnkey marine survey package for deployment on almost any vessel.

Remote Control: ROAM enables Remote Fusion 2 Survey Ops in the GOM

Sonardyne reports successfully providing remote Fusion 2 survey operations capability on a live subsea construction campaign in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico.Using its new Remote Operations Access Module (ROAM), Sonardyne surveyors based in the UK were able to remotely access and operate the Fusion 2 survey and construction software onboard Subsea 7 vessels in the Gulf of Mexico, significant from the Sonardyne perspective as it de-risks the upgrade to Fusion 2…

ABS Calls for New Tech in Marine Fuels

ABS Chairman, President and CEO, Christopher J. Wiernicki, mapped out the future of marine fuels, indicating that the 2050 targets will require technology beyond today’s state-of-the-art.“Technology advances of the next decade may entirely change our view of the future, but based on what we see today we can identify three developmental pathways for future fuels distinguished by the onboard technologies they require.

Forum ROV to Support Arctic Research

Forum Energy Technologies has secured an order from Amundsen Science (Université Laval, Canada) to supply a light work-class remotely operated vehicle (ROV) to support its Arctic scientific research activities.The vehicle will be installed on board the Canadian research icebreaker CCGS Amundsen and will support the exploration of Arctic and Sub-arctic seafloor eco-systems. Equipped with 85 scientific systems…

One-on-One with Duane Fotheringham, President, Unmanned Systems, HII

Hydroid, a familiar name in the Unmanned Underwater System defense market, was bought this year by Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII). We checked in with Duane Fotheringham, President, Unmanned Systems, HII, for insights on the path forward for autonomy in the defense sector.Hydroid is a long-established, well-known name in the subsea Autonomous Underwater Vehicle (AUV) sector that recently had a change in corporate ownership, joining the Huntington Ingalls Industries family of companies.

US Aims to Improve Ocean Observations with $2.7 Million for New Robotic Floats

NOAA and the Department of Commerce on Wednesday announced that $2.7 million from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) will be used to replenish and expand an important array of robotic floats in the Argo program that measure ocean and climate data.The Argo array is made up of a fleet of robotic instruments that measure temperature and salinity in the global ocean, drifting freely with the currents.

MSM Ocean, Sonardyne Partner on Tsunami Early Warning System

MSM Ocean and Sonardyne agreed to team on the supply of a complete solution for warning coastal communities of a tsunami.The agreement combines MSM Ocean’s experience in oceanographic measurement buoys, on-board data processing and telecommunications with Sonardyne’s precise deep water pressure measurement and acoustic through-water telemetry capabilities. Together, these allow minute changes in deep water pressure at the seafloor that indicate a tsunami to be reliably detected…

Subsea7 Confirms Remote ROV Piloting Capabilities

Subsea7 reports a major advance in its remote piloting technology by fully operating a workclass ROV from Scotland to carry out operations 9,400km away off the coast of Brazil. Developed by Subsea7, it can perform key inspection repair and maintenance (IRM) tasks "precisely and safely" under remote control with the potential to increase operational flexibility.“This was a major milestone for Subsea7,” said Alan Gray, ROV and Autonomy Manager.

Viridien Starts Sparse OBN Project in the Gulf of Mexico

Viridien has announced the start of the Laconia 3D OBN multi-client seismic program in the US Gulf of Mexico.Covering 330 offshore continental shelf (OCS) blocks in the Garden Banks and Keathley Canyon protraction areas, the project is supported by industry funding. Acquisition started in July 2024 with delivery of initial products scheduled for Q2 2025.The complex salt geometry in the Garden Banks…

Oi Americas Announces Key Partnerships for February 2023 Event

RX Global, the organizers of Oceanology International Americas (OiA), announced a new collaboration with the Marine Technology Society (MTS), a collaboration designed to complement an existing relationship with the Society of Underwater Technology (SUT) Houston Branch. The MTS San Diego Section will be delivering conference content and market support while SUT Houston Branch will continue to deliver…

Eco Wave Power Eyes South Africa for Wave Energy Plant

Eco Wave Power has signed an agreement with the Africa Great Future Development (AGFDL) to conduct a feasibility study for a potential wave energy power station at the Port of Ngqura, South Africa.The agreement marks Eco Wave Power's first step into the African market and aligns with the company's strategy to expand into regions with high renewable energy demand and strong coastal resource potential.The Port of Ngqura…

Houston Mechatronics Leverages Greensea's OPENSEA

Greensea says its universal open software architecture OPENSEA was put to work as a development platform for Houston Mechatronics in the early development phases of its shape-shifting Aquanaut underwater vehicle.HMI's Aquanaut is a multipurpose subsea robot which employs a patented shape-shifting transformation from an autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) to a tetherless remotely operated vehicle (ROV), removing the need for large vessels and umbilicals.

NOAA and Esri Collaborate to Revolutionize Ocean Data Accessibility

In a move to enhance the accessibility and utility of ocean and coastal data, NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) and Esri, a global leader in location intelligence, have announced a new partnership to develop a pioneering open data platform. This initiative aims to make critical oceanic and coastal data more actionable and equitable for decision-makers and communities.The collaborative…