Steatite, a leader in the development of power solutions for extreme environments, has formally become a partner with the Marine Robotics Innovation Centre. With over 30 years’ experience in the development of lithium batteries, Steatite’s move into the Innovation Centre is a sign of the company’s potential to secure their position as global leader for innovative power solutions for deep-sea Marine Autonomous Systems (MAS). The National Oceanography Centre (NOC) and Steatite already form part of a UK consortium, using the latest lithium-sulfur chemistry to research and develop safe, pressure tolerant, rechargeable batteries with increased endurance and reduced payloads, optimizing their potential for integration with MAS.

A new on-demand wireless ribbon lighting system, designed to revolutionise diver safety and efficiency in remote subsea locations, has been launched following a collaboration between award-winning Scottish technology companies WFS Technologies Ltd and PhotoSynergy Ltd (PSL). Seatooth LIGHTPATH™ is a combination of two advanced technologies – WFS’s Seatooth, a subsea wireless communication system that can download and log information gathered on subsea installations remotely, and PhotoSynergy Ltd’s LIGHTPATH™, a side-emitting flexible fibre that projects a continuous line of light that carries no electrical power. The new product works for both diver and ROV operators working either near surface or at depths of up to 3,000m. The light is engaged automatically when the diver or the ROV comes within 5m of a structure, and provides instant illumination of subsea architecture and delineating features such as control valves, docking bays and even the outline of the structure itself against the natural darkness of the underwater environment.

Ocean Installer has been awarded a contract for riser installation work in Australia. The firm work scope encompasses the installation of flexible risers and flowlines as well as options for additional support work. Ocean Installer is conducting the work as a subcontractor to McDermott International, Inc. (NYSE:MDR).

OpenHydro, the Irish based tidal energy company and part of DCNS Energies, has appointed Mr Patrick Gougeon as their new Chief Executive Officer. The appointment signals the company’s ongoing drive towards commercialisation of its tidal technology and follows the launch of DCNS Energies, a subsidiary of the DCNS Group which recently secured €100m in investment.

Hydraulic cutting systems specialist, Webtool, announces a resettable emergency disconnect cutter for light and medium subsea well intervention. As an integral part of either a workover tool or dedicated emergency disconnect package, the Webtool guillotine cutter can now be reset subsea by ROV, avoiding the need to return the cutter to the surface vessel for resetting. The Webtool emergency cutter is a simpler and quicker emergency disconnection than more complex multi-line stab-plate systems for mixed material bundles. Within a well intervention emergency disconnect package, the bundles are securely positioned in the mouth of the cutter. Multiple fluid transfer lines and hydraulic flying leads (HFL), steel tension member, fibre rope, reinforced hoses, electrical conductors, cables and electrical flying leads (EFL), are all cut in single guillotine action taking just a few seconds. The Webtool cutter offers considerable weight savings compared with other emergency disconnect methods, and is easily retrofit to intervention systems.

Xodus Group has won a contract with North Sea operator Apache to deliver subsea engineering services for two new infill well developments at the Nevis and Skene fields in the Northern North Sea. The project includes a novel idea of designing and fabricating spools with no requirement for metrology focusing on time and effort savings. The latest win follows a number of successful projects delivered for the operator over the last 18 months, including the concept, Front End Engineering Design (FEED) and detailed design studies for the Beryl field’s Far North Triassic (FNT) subsea tie-back, which was 4km in length

Teledyne Gavia, manufacturer of the Gavia Autonomous Underwater Vehicle (AUV), announced the release of a new Side Scan/Bathymetry module that incorporates Klein Marine Systems’ new UUV-3500 high-resolution side scan sonar with optional bathymetry sonar. The system is another high quality option for customers interested in utilizing the Gavia AUV for geophysical survey, cable and pipeline survey, environmental survey, and under ice survey, as well as Mine Countermeasures (MCM), Rapid Environmental Assessment (REA), and Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance (ISR) surveys.

STR’s reputation as specialists in developing high quality technology for the subsea industry will be enhanced as they set to release their new SeaGamma Flooded Member Detection System at Subsea Expo Exhibition 2017. Gamma Flooded Member Detection has long been the method of choice for the inspection and monitoring of subsea structural members for the detection of water ingress. FMD inspection technique can also be applied to locating blockages in pipelines as a result of pigging or silt build up.

New action plan to cement Scotland’s leading position in £50bn global subsea market. Enpro Subsea has announced a research and development grant from Scottish Enterprise which will see the firm investing £1.5million to develop its flow assurance technology further to address emerging markets in deeper waters. The news came as Scottish Enterprise revealed a new Subsea Engineering Action Plan with the aim of capturing an even bigger slice of the current £50 billion global subsea market. Scottish Government Minister for Business, Innovation and Energy, Paul Wheelhouse, visited oil and gas firm, Enpro Subsea Ltd to announce its new £1.5 million investment to support innovation, a key theme of the plan.

Forum Energy Technologies’ VisualSoft product line marks the beginning of 2017 with the release of many new features and capabilities within their software suite. The VisualSoft Suite is a well-established toolbox of applications used during survey and inspection of subsea assets, in particular pipelines and cables. The first of these releases features a multi-channel, high definition version of VisualDVR (digital video recorder). This system is available with up to four channels of high definition video recording with in-built dynamic overlay. The new recorder can distribute live video and overlay channels without the requirement for additional hardware. Video files are recorded using H.264 encoding for optimum storage efficiency and playback compatibility.

With increasing pressure on the industry to find economically viable ways to develop marginal oil fields in the UK North Sea and further afield, NSRI (National Subsea Research Initiative) is looking to help the industry adopt a collaborative and integrated approach to exploit the potential of untapped ‘small pools’ (oil and gas reserves less than 50 million boe). As the technology arm of Subsea UK, NSRI will be hosting a workshop at Subsea Expo 2017 on Thursday 2nd February to highlight the work that has been done to maximise economic recovery from small pool developments across the UKCS. The event will welcome a host of industry experts to the stage to showcase their involvement and provide a platform to discuss the next steps, looking at what is required to unlock reserves that have previously been deemed uneconomic.

The Local Organizing Committee is inviting applications for tutorials to be held at the OCEANS'17 Conference at the AECC, Aberdeen on Monday, June 19, 2017. We are seeking applications from interested parties to hold either half-day tutorials (three and a half to four hours, including a 20-30 minute break) or full-day tutorials (eight hours, with a suitable amount of time allocated for a lunch break). Tutorials are meant to compliment the technical program. Their purpose is to describe fundamental elements of a technology and/or the “nuts and bolts” of the subject. The subjects would include core topics and areas of knowledge of broad interest within the oceans and oceans engineering community. Topic areas include established or emerging research within the field itself, as well as from related fields or application areas that are clearly relevant to the oceans community. Tutorials are held in a classroom like setting.

Through its operating company Fugro Subsea Services, Fugro has recently been awarded Authorised Economic Operator (AEO) status, highlighting its role in the international supply chain. The demanding and extensive accreditation process began in the second half of 2015 and culminated in the award on 11th December 2016.

Following the success of the reliable and popular HYDROlog 2000 hydrotest logger, Aquatec Group is proud to announce the launch of the next generation of hydrotest monitoring equipment – HYDRO 3000. At the core of this new range is the HYDROlog 3000PT instrument – a compact logger measuring test pressure to 1000bar and ambient temperature. The integral pressure sensor meets the latest more stringent DNV-OS-F101 Oct 2013 testing specification, with ±0.05%FS accuracy and ±0.01%FS precision. New features include enhanced memory and faster downloads. With increasingly stringent lithium battery shipping regulations, the HYDROlog 3000 overcomes potential transport issues by using standard field-replaceable batteries available across the world. Users can choose the type of battery most suitable for each deployment, whether alkaline, lithium or rechargeable.

Forum Energy Technologies, Inc. has won an order to supply the University of Limerick with a Remotely Operated Vehicle (ROV) to support its subsea inspection and intervention work on renewable energy infrastructure. The University’s Mobile and Marine Robotics Research Centre (MMRRC) has purchased the Sub-Atlantic™ Comanche 2,000 metre Observation Class ROV and associated launch and recovery system for delivery in March 2017 under a MaREI Science Foundation Ireland infrastructure grant (15/RI/3232). The Comanche was selected due to its high thrust to drag ratio enabling it to operate in strong waves, currents and winds – typical conditions for the offshore renewables industry. The system will be equipped to a high specification with precision positioning and navigation systems, camera and lighting systems and sonars

Fugro has been awarded a contract from INPEX Operations Australia Pty Ltd (INPEX) for subsea services to be executed across the Ichthys facilities in the Timor Sea, located approximately 220 kilometres from the coast of Western Australia. INPEX is Japan’s largest oil and gas exploration and production company.

With demand for the Ocean Business show at a record high, the organisers are excited to unveil an action-packed training and demonstration programme for Ocean Business 2017, taking place in Southampton, UK at the National Oceanography Centre on 4-6 April 2017. The full programme is available online and free visitor registration is open at www.oceanbusiness.com.

Dear MTS/IEEE OES colleagues, We are writing to you in our capacity as Technical Program Chairpeople for the MTS/IEEE OCEANS'17 Conference, to be held in Aberdeen, Scotland, UK, 19-22 June 2017. OCEANS'17 will be a tremendous opportunity to focus on topics of interest to you in all fields of Marine Technology and Ocean Engineering. We are developing a Technical Program that we hope will appeal to the most significant areas of interest.