Maersk Drilling has secured a contract from Korea National Oil Corporation (KNOC) for the drillship Maersk Viking to drill one exploration well in Block 6-1 offshore the Republic of Korea.

This month marks the start of a new international collaboration to better understand the ultra deep-sea through innovative adaptation of sensors to withstand the crushing pressures at depths of down to 11,000 metres. Funded through the NERC Global Partnerships Seedcorn Fund, the project will bring together experts from the National Oceanography Centre (NOC) with researchers from the newly created centre of excellence for ultra-deep sea research - the Danish Center for Hadal Research (HADAL) at the University of Southern Denmark (SDU), to jointly improve knowledge about the processes governing organic carbon degradation in deep-sea trenches.

The National Oceanography Centre’s Chief Executive, Prof Ed Hill, has been awarded a CBE in the Queen’s Birthday Honours 2020 list, published today, in recognition of his services to ocean and environmental sciences.

Registration is now open for the National Oceanography Centre’s Marine Autonomy and Technology Showcase (MATS) 2020, which will be held as a virtual event for the first time from 10–12 November.

Equinor and partners Petoro, Vår Energi and ConocoPhillips Skandinavia have decided to develop the Breidablikk field in the North Sea. Today the partnership will submit the plan for development and operation to the Minister of Petroleum and Energy, in addition to awarding contracts for subsea facilities and upgrading of the Grane platform.

The Royal Research Ships James Cook and Discovery are resuming scientific research expeditions following the suspension of the marine facilities programme earlier in the year due to Covid-19.

The NOC’s Marine Robotics Innovation Centre has announced that Abyssal is joining its thriving community of partners. This follows the news from earlier in the month that Cellula Robotics has partnered with the Centre.

This year’s Marine Autonomy and Technology Showcase (MATS 2020) will be held as a virtual event, the delivery committee announced this week.

Freshwater in the ocean leads to extreme cold patches in the North Atlantic, which has major implications for weather over the surrounding land-masses.

The National Oceanography Centre has this week published the National Marine Facilities (NMF) Technology Roadmap 2020-21, which outlines current capabilities and looks to the future of oceanographic science and the technology that will take us there.

Two new genera and four new species of giant, single-celled xenophyophores (protozoans belonging to a group called the foraminifera) were discovered in the deep Pacific Ocean during a joint project between scientists at the National Oceanography Centre, UK (NOC), the University of Hawai’i, and the University of Geneva. ‘Moana’ has inspired the name ‘Moanammina’ for one of the new genera, while the second has been named ‘Abyssalia’ in recognition of its abyssal habitat.

New research led by the National Oceanography Centre (NOC) has discovered how fast-moving waterfalls under the sea control the shape and behaviour of submarine channels. These underwater channels are the offshore equivalents of rivers, but can be much larger. Submarine channels can extend for tens to thousands of kilometres offshore, providing an important conduit for the transfer of sediment, nutrients and pollutants, such as microplastics, to the deep-sea. Avalanches of sediment that flow down these channels also pose a hazard to networks of seafloor cables that underpin global communications, including the internet.

The National Oceanography Centre (NOC) is pleased to announce the appointment of Huw Gullick who joins us this August as Managing Director of NOC Innovations and Associate Director of Strategic Business Development.

Marine science, technology, and industry experts line up to host sessions at the NOC’s Marine Autonomy and Technology Showcase 2020 (MATS 2020).The National Oceanography Centre this week announced the expert session chairs for this year’s Marine Autonomy and Technology Showcase (MATS 2020), scheduled to take place from 10-12 November.

The National Oceanography Centre (NOC) is calling for abstract submissions for the 2020 Marine Autonomy and Technology Showcase (MATS 2020).

Subsea 7 announced the award of a large (1) contract by ConocoPhillips Australia Barossa Pty Ltd to deliver the SURF scope for the Barossa Project (2). The Barossa field is located 300 km offshore Darwin in the Northern Territory of Australia.

New standards in long-endurance underwater navigation and automated subsea positioning have been set following the successful completion of a joint project led by subsea technology specialist Sonardyne International Ltd., with partners the National Oceanography Centre (NOC) and L3Harris.

The workshop will take place on Friday 15 November, and will be preceded by a networking reception and dinner on the evening of Thursday 14 November at The Dancing Man Brewery. The event will provide an opportunity for the UK research community to come together to discuss the latest technology developments and scientific discoveries related to ocean gliders.