Investigating a Non-polluting Alternative to Diesel Engines

Marine research and hydrographic activities could soon be possible without the risk of polluting either the air or the ocean thanks to a zero-emissions ship design and feasibility study led by Sandia National Laboratories. Hydrogen fuel cells have existed for decades, and there are multiple advantages to using them instead of diesel engines to power research ships. For example, with zero-emissions technology, fuel cells will not contaminate air or water samples collected in sensitive ecological areas. Additionally, they make almost no noise, so they will not upset marine life or interfere with the many sensors scientists use to listen to... (read more)

2019-06-02 09:21:12

Pioneer Grows Saab Seaeye Falcon Fleet

ASI Marine, a pioneer in long tunnel excursions and international operator for inland marine work, is expanding its Saab Seaeye Falcon fleet. Renowned for being the first to exploit the Falcon’s adaptive intelligent technology by sending the 300 metre rated remotely operated underwater vehicle on a five-kilometre-long tunnel inspection, the company is now adding the 1,000 metre rated Falcon version to their collection. Inland Operations Bob Clarke, manager of ROV services at ASI Marine, said “We are familiar with the Falcon’s potential, its operation and its maintenance. It’s also compatible with umbilical tethers already in our inventory and it is... (read more)

2019-05-28 10:20:03

Unique 3D Habitat Map of the Great Barrier Reef

International aquatic remote sensing company EOMAP recently showcased its unique contribution to the world's first 3D habitat map of the Great Barrier Reef (GBR) at the International Forum on Satellite-Derived Bathymetry (SDB Day 2019) in Australia. The mapping project, titled ‘3D live habitats for the full extent of the Great Barrier Reef’, will for the first time provide maps of the predicted coral types and underwater landscape for the more than 3,000 reefs within the 350,000 square kilometres of the GBR. EOMAP’s cutting-edge technology provides essential data for this revolutionary project, in which the University of Queensland (UQ), Great Barrier Reef Marine Park... (read more)

2019-05-20 10:58:04

CSA Completes Field Surveys Offshore Puerto Rico

CSA Ocean Sciences (CSA), under a subcontract to Jacobs, has announced the completion of a comprehensive environmental monitoring survey. The survey included physical, biological and chemical field sampling and data collection for 301(h) waiver demonstrations at the Aguadilla, Arecibo and Ponce Regional Wastewater Treatment Plant (RWWTP) outfalls offshore Puerto Rico for the Puerto Rico Aqueduct Authority (PRASA). Since 1999, CSA has been helping to evaluate compliance with receiving water quality standards and describe environmental conditions. Acoustic Doppler Current Profilers During this recent survey, CSA deployed and retrieved acoustic Doppler current profilers (ADCPs), a conductivity-temperature-depth (CTD) water profiler with ancillary sensors... (read more)

2019-05-13 11:17:58

Subsea vehicles equipped with Sonardyne navigation technology

Oceaneering International Inc. has ordered hybrid navigation systems from underwater technology specialist Sonardyne Inc. for its subsea resident vehicles Freedom and E-ROV. The two resident vehicle systems are to be fitted with Sonardyne’s SPRINT-Nav an all-in-one navigational instrument. SPRINT-Nav combines a SPRINT INS sensor, Syrinx 600 kHz DVL (Doppler velocity log) and a high accuracy intelligent pressure sensor in a single unit, making it one of the smallest and highest performing combined inertial navigation instruments on the market. Maintenance Free-deployments Oceaneering’s E-ROV has already proven the ability for battery powered remotely operated vehicles (ROVs) working in the oil and gas industry... (read more)

2019-05-13 11:05:51

Modus Adds Another Saab Seaeye Sabertooth

Modus is adding a second Saab Seaeye Sabertooth to its Hybrid Autonomous Underwater Vehicle (HAUV) fleet. The 3000 meters rated Sabertooth will be equipped with extended autonomous endurance and increased thrust for a high-speed survey and ready for the integration of advanced and high-resolution sensors for different types of applications and operations. Differentiated Capabilities Jake Tompkins, CEO Modus said: “We are continuing to bring to market differentiated capabilities as we develop not only a fleet of autonomous vehicles but also AI and machine learning methods for integrating data, data visualization, remote vehicle control, and mission planning.” System with 360-degree Orientation The... (read more)

2019-05-10 01:46:52

New, High-performing USV for Ocean Surveying

A new unmanned surface vehicle (USV) designed for the Chinese market offers an open and low-cost platform to measure water current and direction. Nortek China has integrated Doppler instrumentation on the vehicle to help better meet user requirements for ocean surveying. The new USV has an industrial personal computer (IPC) as the main operation platform and uses Remote Desktop, a remote control technique, to communicate with all the instruments installed. This means that the vehicle offers an open and low-cost platform for customers who need to carry out several different tasks at the same time. For example, users can perform... (read more)

2019-05-06 06:57:40

Zero-V, a zero-emissions marine research vessel

Marine research and hydrographic activities could soon be possible without the risk of polluting either the air or the ocean. It is thanks to a new ship design and feasibility study led by Sandia National Laboratories. Zero-emissions Technology Hydrogen fuel cells have existed for decades, and there are multiple advantages to using them instead of diesel engines to power research ships. Fuel cells are zero-emissions technology, so they won’t contaminate air or water samples collected in sensitive ecological areas. They make almost no noise, so they won’t upset marine life or interfere with the many sensors scientists use to listen... (read more)

2019-04-30 03:03:39

Modus Expands its Fleet of Hybrid Autonomous Underwater Vehicles

Modus, a provider of modular subsea vehicles and managed services for inspection, intervention, trenching, survey and construction support, has placed an order with Saab Seaeye for the next vehicle in its Hybrid Autonomous Underwater Vehicle (HAUV) fleet. The 3,000m rated Saab Sabertooth will be delivered in Q3 2019. Modus launched its first HAUV (also a Saab Sabertooth) in 2017 which has gone on to successfully complete major pipeline inspections and the trialling of subsea docking and residency, in a project backed by Innovate UK. The system will be equipped with extended autonomous endurance and increased thrust for high-speed surveys and... (read more)

2019-04-29 11:03:02

Valeport Launches Environmental Optical Sensors

Valeport, a British designer and manufacturer of hydrographic and oceanographic instruments, has launched two environmental optical sensors, a standalone turbidity sensor and a fluorometer. The first one of the new range, the Hyperion Turbidity, is the industry’s first standalone turbidity sensor that combines a Nephelometer and OBS readings in the same instrument. Created for inshore, coastal and oceanographic monitoring, this sensor delivers a minimum detection level of just 0.03 NTU (nephelometer) and can measure turbidity up to 6,000 NTU (OBS). The titanium housing, data output up to 16Hz and low power requirements ensure the sensor can be placed in situ for... (read more)

2019-04-29 10:48:40