Metrol Boosts Efficiency with Miko Magnets

Metrol Technology disclosed that it developed a subsea tool from the technology of Miko pipe magnets. The company said it is currently gaining cost and time benefits through having perfected the use of powerful permanent magnets when positioning instrumentation on seabed structures. Most Metrol products are the result of advanced research and innovative technology but it only took some alert lateral…

Metron Get Navy R&D LDUUV Contract

The Department of Defense award Metron Inc. a contract for development of a large displacement unmanned undersea vehicle (LDUUV). Metron, Inc., of Reston, Va.,is being awarded a $7,287,619 cost-plus-fixed-fee contract  to include in-lab integration and testing of autonomy and mission planning software with bench test hardware selected for deployment on the LDUUV. This one-year contract includes two…

Exploring the Abyss

GEOMAR & theABYSS AUV Study the S. For most of human history, the size and depth of the Earth’s oceans have made it nearly impossible for surveyors and scientists to collect valuable and comprehensive data on the seafloor. In recent years, this led to the question:  “Why is it that we cannot map our own planet as well as we’ve mapped the Moon and Mars?”  Since the development of sonar instruments at the turn of the 20th century…

Unmanned Surface Vessels: Wave Glider SV3

In recent years, the proliferation of unmanned surface vessels deployed for hydrographic missions has mushroomed as the collaborative effects of propulsion, software and sensor technologies has cumulatively made these vessels, large and small, more capable for a multitude of missions. In this edition, and on the heels of the Ocean Business exhibition last month in Southampton, Marine Technology Reporter examines recent developments.

GE Oil & Gas Sign GofM Deepwater Contracts

GE Oil & Gas has signed an $84-million agreement with PEMEX Exploration and Production to supply and install subsea wellheads for PEMEX’s deepwater and ultra-deepwater drilling projects in the Gulf of Mexico. The Gulf of Mexico is a strategic zone for the hydrocarbon industry, since it is estimated to hold more than 50 percent of Mexico’s potential or prospective resources. However, such reserves are located in deepwater and ultra-deepwater sites…

Ross Laboratories Delivers Turn-Key Sweep System

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers – St. Paul District has taken delivery of a turn-key multi-channel sweep system from Ross Laboratories of Seattle, Wash. The system is installed on a 24 foot Armstrong Marine aluminum work boat. Ross Laboratories was awarded the contract to provide the boat and survey electronics as a "turnkey” system. The Ross “Mini-Sweep” is a small boat multi-channel survey system designed for inland rivers and shallow water surveying.

WHOI Selects Ranger 2 USBL for RV Neil Armstrong

Houston-based subsea technology company, Sonardyne Inc., has announced that its deep water acoustic positioning system, Ranger 2 USBL, has been selected for the U.S Navy’s new oceanographic research vessel, R/V Neil Armstrong. The ship is operated by the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) on behalf of the Navy and replaces the recently retired R/V Knorr vessel which had been in operation since 1970.

Cambla: Soft Solutions for Hard Problems

As uncertainty around the fluctuating oil price remains, the industry must continue to evolve. It is more important now than ever that companies search for effective and innovative methods to streamline their processes, in order to adapt to the challenging climate. For those willing to develop technological advancements to meet the needs of the industry, there is still an abundance of opportunities available.

Rolls-Royce Designs UK's New Polar Research Vessel

Cammell Laird has selected a Rolls-Royce design for the U.K.’s future polar research ship, which, when built, will be one of the most advanced scientific maritime vessels ever constructed. Rolls-Royce will also supply machinery and equipment for the vessel in a deal worth $43.6 million. The 128 meter long ship, which will be named RRS Sir David Attenborough, will be built at the modular construction hall at Cammell Laird’s site in Birkenhead on Merseyside.

OSIL Small Field Buoys Deployed on Dredge Projects

International data buoy manufacturers Ocean Scientific International Ltd (OSIL) are reporting extensive use of its 0.7m Small Field Buoy on international dredging projects. The lightweight, easily repositionable buoys can be repeatedly deployed to follow in the path of dredgers in order to monitor plume activity, and are often complimented by the OSIL 1.2m Tern buoys, which provide more permanent monitoring stations for long term projects.

Fugro Enables Safer Drilling for BP in Strong Currents

Fugro has provided a spectrum of services to BP Trinidad and Tobago LLC (bpTT) to allow safe drilling and completion of five subsea wells in an area of strong currents. The services include wellhead motion (fatigue) monitoring, metocean measurements and positioning services. The positioning activities were carried out onboard the drilling vessel as well as on the three supporting anchor handling tugs (one tug had subsea acoustic ROV positioning).

Subsea Vessel Market Outlook 'Robust' for 2026

Throughout 2025 we have seen the subsea vessel market transitioning from a period of record highs towards a more cautious, but still fundamentally strong, outlook. While short-term activity and rates have softened in the latter part of the year, long-term demand - driven by deepwater projects and global energy infrastructure- remains robust. The market is watching closely how the influx of newbuilds…

Kraken Enters R&D Partnership with NOAA

Kraken Robotics Inc. announced that its wholly owned subsidiary Kraken Robotic Systems Inc. has signed a Cooperative Research and Development Agreement (CRADA) with the Office of Ocean Exploration and Research (OER) of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).The data and information OER collect can be used to enhance ocean research, inform policy and management decisions, develop new lines of scientific inquiry…

Bluefin to Offer SeeByte’s Software

SeeByte and Bluefin Robotics announced acollaboration to provide enhanced software solutions for deepwater export pipeline inspections. The collaboration is aimed at equipping Bluefin’s 21-inch AUV platforms with SeeTrack AutoTracker. SeeTrack AutoTracker was developed to enable AUVs to perform export pipeline inspections using on-board payload sensors to detect pipelines and automatically adjust the vehicle’s trajectory to optimally track the pipeline.

Norway's Scana Energy Call on Consultants

Scana Industries ASA engage consultants to evaluate strategies for Scana Energy's further growth and international development. Scana Industries ASA has engaged Bridgehead AS and its Swedish partner Avantus Corporate Finance AB, to assist in assessing various strategies for the business unit Scana Energy's further growth and international development. Scana Energy, is the Scana Group's largest business area with a turnover from 800 million to 1500 million SEK in recent years.

Deep-sea Submersible Purchase by OceanGate

OceanGate Inc., provider of deep-sea manned submersible solutions, buys 3-person, diesel-electric submersible 'Lula'f rom Portugal's Rebikoff-Niggeler Foundation. The submarine, which can operate at a depth of 500 meters (1,640 feet), was purchased to meet the increased demand for manned submersibles in commercial applications focused on biological and environmental surveys, monitoring, and inspection.

Offshore Maritime Simulator Contract for Kongsberg

Kongsberg Maritime simulators have been selected for Maersk Training's new centre in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The delivery to Maersk Training Brazil Treinamentos Maritimos LTDA is under a non-exclusive frame agreement signed earlier by Kongsberg Maritime and Maersk Training. The Kongsberg Offshore Vessel Simulator at Maersk Training Brazil will be operational in the second quarter 2013. The new simulator…

Keppel Earn Bonuses For Early Rig Completions

Keppel FELS complete two rigs early for Transocean and Asia Offshore Drilling, earning a combined US$1.5-milliion bonus. Over two consecutive days Keppel FELS held naming ceremonies for twin jackup rigs built for Transocean, and another jackup rig built for Asia Offshore Drilling (AOD), which is majority owned and managed by Seadrill Limited. Transocean named twin Super B Class Bigfoot jackup rigs…

“Oil & Gas Industry at Critical Crossroads”

Radical Change Required to Fully Exploit Potential of UKCS and Maximise Economic Contribution, Says Expert Commission. The independent expert oil and gas commission has determined that radical fiscal and regulatory change is an absolute necessity to ensure that the remaining hydrocarbons on the UK Continental Shelf (UKCS) are fully exploited in order to deliver the maximum economic contribution to the nation.

BMT to Showcase at Oceanology International

BMT Group Ltd (BMT)  will showcase its portfolio of offshore support products and services on Stand R400 at the Oceanology International conference taking place in London’s ExCeL this month. BMT provides fully integrated services in monitoring, understanding and managing the risks associated with working in the offshore environment. Visitors will have the opportunity to engage with BMT’s technical experts and discuss the specific challenges they face.