Drill Rig Noise: Entering the Exclusion Zone, Quietly

Unmanned surface vessels continue to make in-roads into new applications and industries. An ability to gather data in otherwise inaccessible locations is both increasing knowledge about marine noise and confidence in marine autonomous systems in the oil and gas industry. Elaine Maslin reports.Offshore oil and gas exploration and production activities have been going on since the mid-20th century. But…

NASA NeMO-Net video game helps Researchers Understand Global Coral Reef Health

NASA researchers invite the public to become citizen scientists and contribute towards their research on coral reef ecosystems by playing the NeMO-Net video gameA new study has demonstrated how video games can be used as a citizen science approach to train artificial intelligence tools, with data contributing towards coral reef conservation efforts. The NeMO-Net video game (http://nemonet.info), designed…

German Government Funds Autonomous Subsea Robotics System Development Project

The German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy is providing 12 million Euros as part of the Maritime Research Program for the development of a novel autonomous submersible robotics system that will enable autonomous monitoring of underwater installations in the deep sea.All told, there are nine participating companies in the Cooperative Development of a Comprehensive Integrated Autonomous Underwater Monitoring Solution (CIAM) project…

Making Waves @ OSU: Energy Secretary, Senators, Governor tour Oregon State Wave Lab

U.S. Department of  Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm, Oregon U.S. Sens. Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley and Oregon Gov. Kate Brown visited the O.H. Hinsdale Wave Research Laboratory at Oregon State University on Tuesday afternoon, with Granholm touting wave energy as “the elixir that we need” to address climate change by ending the nation’s reliance on fossil fuels.The visit was organized by OSU and the Pacific Marine Energy Center…

NOC's Professor Ed Hill Receives CBE

The National Oceanography Centre’s Chief Executive, Professor Ed Hill, received the insignia of a CBE at an investiture at Windsor Castle held by HRH the Duke of Cambridge. Professor Hill was awarded the CBE in the Queen’s Birthday Honors 2020 list, in recognition of his services to ocean and environmental sciences.Professor Hill has been committed to ocean exploration and observation throughout his 35-year career…

Virtual Conference to Focus on Transatlantic Marine Renewables

Marine industry experts from Portugal and Canada are staging a special Blue Economy conference to spark transatlantic business growth. WavEC Offshore Renewables is teaming up with the Embassy of Canada to Portugal to host ‘Advancing the Blue Economy through Intercontinental Collaboration’. It runs on December 09 and 10.The two-day online event includes a world-class roster of speakers. They will share knowledge on floating offshore wind…

INTERVIEW: Kris Kydd, Head of Robotics, at Total E&P UK; Total’s “Stevie the Robot”

Total has been working on robotics for some years now, having launched the Argos challenge in 2013 and now getting ready to put the Taurob designed Stevie robot through its paces in a trial at Shetland Gas Plant. We spoke with Kris Kydd, Head of Robotics, at Total E&P UK.What have been the main lessons learned to date around enabling these systems to operate in an offshore environment?Total believes that robots have a huge amount to offer to our industry.

SOI Steps Ahead on Ocean Mapping

With its new research vessel Falkor (too), Schmidt Ocean Institute (SOI) has ramped up its ability to map the ocean floor. Jyotika I. Virmani, Ph.D. Executive Director, SOI, offers insights on how new and emerging meld with onboard and shoreside crew to make exploration and discovery more efficient and effective.Jyotika, to start, can you give us a ‘By the Numbers’ look at SOI today?We recently donated our original vessel, Falkor, to Italy in 2022.

Shipbuilder Austal USA Partners with USV Firm Saildrone

Shipbuilder Austal USA and has formed a strategic partnership with Saildrone, Inc to build cutting-edge, autonomous uncrewed surface vehicles.The partnership  ensures that production of the autonomous and uncrewed Saildrone Surveyor will accelerate to meet the growing demand of the U.S. Navy and other government customers for the cutting-edge solution for maritime domain awareness, hydrographic survey, and other missions requiring persistent wide area coverage.

Beam Launches New System to Advance 3D Mapping for Offshore Wind

Beam, a company created by the merger of Rovco and Vaarst, has unveiled SubSLAM X3, a new underwater perception system designed to enhance the monitoring and maintenance of offshore wind farms.SubSLAM X3 offers real-time, high-resolution 3D mapping and is set to improve the efficiency and accuracy of underwater operations, according to Beam.The system integrates artificial intelligence (AI), robotics…

USVs Eye Offshore Wind Opportunities

Use of USVs in offshore wind has started to become a norm; in pre-survey and post-construction, with O&M on its way. How much more could be done?The use of USVs in the offshore industry has come a long way since they first started making an appearance in the 2010s. After some tentative steps, companies like XOCEAN have come in and blazed a trail, not least in offshore wind.This has largely been for standard multibeam and sub-bottom profile surveys.

Eserv Digitizes Neptune's Offshore Platforms

Oil and gas company on Tuesday announced Neptune Energy a new partnership with 3D technology specialist, Eserv, as part of the ongoing digitalization of Neptune’s assets including its operated Cygnus gas platform in the UK southern North Sea."Using 3D and Artificial Intelligence (AI) technologies, a digital map of all three bridge-linked jackets was captured, enabling Neptune Energy to detect asset integrity issues early and plan fabric maintenance work on Cygnus…

Ocean Influencer: Mike Read, Teledyne Marine

Teledyne Marine is no stranger to the MTR reader, a group of leading-edge marine and subsea technology companies that are part of Teledyne Technologies Inc. and a driver of consolidation in the subsea sector for more than a decade. At the helm sits Mike Read, President, who has held a steady hand over the evolution of Teledyne Marine, through market cycles up and down.Through acquisitions and collaboration over the past 10 years…

GeoAcoustics to Launch Two New Side Scan Sonars at Ocean Business

GeoAcoustics Ltd will debut a new Side Scan Sonar range at Ocean Business 2025 next week, adding to its hydroacoustic technology portfolio.Designed to deliver superior visualization for diverse marine survey applications, the GeoScan range currently features two models, both offering simultaneous broadband dual frequency operation and advanced sonar processing features.The GeoScan 2361 operates at 300 kHz and 600 kHz to maximize range performance…

Regulatory Crewing Challenges for Offshore Wind Vessels

Every day we see more and more news about how the planning for new offshore wind projects continues to expand with the increasing investment from both domestic and foreign interests in these projects. This is resulting in both developers and contractors making logistics plans to secure vessels and crew for the purposes of meeting the demands necessary to crew and operate vessels in support of future wind farm operations.

Kongsberg to Equip Three Polish Navy Warships with Hugin AUVs

Norway's Kongsberg Maritime has secured a contract award with Polish shipbuilder Remontowa Shipbuilding SA (RSB) to supply three shipsets of Kongsberg Hugin Autonomous Underwater Vehicle (AUV) systems and related HiPAP positioning and communication systems for three newbuild warships for the Polish Navy.The total contract value exceeds €10 million, with the Kongsberg equipment planned for the next three ships in the Kormoran II Mine-Countermeasures (MCM) vessel program (#4…

Subsea Infrastructure Power Looks at Renewables

Using renewable energy to power critical subsea infrastructure needs power management. It’s a capability Verlume will soon be proving off the Orkney Islands – and Hawaii.Integrating offshore renewables into offshore operations has become a major goal for oil and gas companies. A remote power supply could improve project economics for long step-outs, where they replace long power cables. Powering facilities…

Reid Takes the Helm at Kraken

Canadian marine technology company Kraken Robotics announced that Karl Kenny, Founder, President and CEO, will be appointed Executive Chairman of Kraken and transition the President and Chief Executive Officer role to Greg Reid. Reid joined Kraken more than seven years ago as Chief Financial Officer and since 2019 has been Chief Operating Officer. This transition will become effective January 1, 2023.

Installation Underway for World's Longest Heated Subsea Pipeline

Installation is underway in the Norwegian sector of the North Sea for the world’s longest heated subsea production pipeline, oil and gas company Neptune Energy has informed.The project will see the installation of the 36-kilometer electrically trace-heated (ETH) pipe-in-pipe solution transport oil from the Neptune Energy-operated Fenja field to the Njord A platform, operated by Equinor.The first phase of the installation saw a 9km section safely installed and successfully tested…

Meterologists, Oceanographers Help Pave a Safe Path for USN Hospital Ships

USNS Mercy (T-AH-19) arrived safely in Los Angeles last week and USNS Comfort (T-AH-20) arrived safely in New York on Monday. While the Navy’s hospital ships prepare to receive patients, Naval Oceanography’s team of meteorologists and oceanographers ensured these ships were safe from hazardous weather as they traveled to their destinations.On March 20, Fleet Numerical Meteorology and Oceanography Center…