M² Subsea has joined forces with Frontera Offshore to deliver remedial pipeline work for Permaducto, a subsidiary of Grupo Protexa, in the Ku-Maloob-Zaap (KMZ) oilfield in the Bay of Campeche, 65 miles north east of Cuidad del Carmen, Mexico. This contract also marks the first award for M² Subsea in the Gulf of Mexico region. The project will see personnel from M² Subsea’s Houston base on-board Frontera Offshore’s chartered multi-purpose support vessel (MPSV) Tehuana, to facilitate pre and post lay surveys for Frontera Offshore. The survey work will be carried out along a 7.5km section of the KMZ-94 pipeline to be stabilised for the Mexican pipeline contractor, Permaducto.

Global safety, standards and workforce development organisation OPITO has called out to the US oil and gas sector to fully embrace common industry standards to help build a stronger safety culture across the Gulf of Mexico (GoM) in line with other areas in the world. Speaking at the OTC conference on Tuesday 2nd May during a technical session on approaches to improving health, safety, and environment performance, the industry body highlighted the need for its International Offshore Emergency Response (ER) Framework to be implemented in the region to ensure personnel are equipped to react in the same way when life threatening situations occur.

Production optimisation specialist Enpro Subsea has revealed details of how its unique subsea architecture was used for the first time by an operator in the Gulf of Mexico and was a contributing factor to the organisation achieving first oil production in under 12 months – a record time for the client.

Independent subsea remotely operated vehicle (ROV) service provider ROVOP has bolstered its US team after winning a raft of contracts worth around $19 million (£15million) including a two-year deal with a Houston-based global company.

Offshore Technical Compliance (OTC), the industry leader in compliance related services, has acquired Northwest Technical Solutions (NWTS) as a wholly-owned subsidiary, extending the efficiency and reach of its offshore services. The acquisition of NWTS, which will be renamed as OTC Solutions, adds third party verification of compliance for well control equipment by a registered professional engineering firm to OTC’s portfolio, enabling its customers to access the full spectrum of compliance related services under the OTC brand. OTC now operates out of offices in Houston and Covington, LA.

OEM Group has welcomed on board a new global business development manager as the company gears up for a significant period of growth in the UK and internationally. The firm created the position for industry veteran Jim George to support ongoing operations in Europe and the Middle East. Mr George has more than four decades’ experience in the oil and gas industry with a track record across a diverse portfolio of companies covering operators as well as global supply chain firms.

Continuous, safe, lightweight, low power system is 30% more cost effective than helicopters. Ampelmann has designed its latest access system, the S-type, as a cost effective and safe option in the transportation of workers and luggage to and from offshore platforms. The company, a leader in the provision of safe offshore access to the energy industry, is launching the new Walk-to-Work system as an alternative to using helicopters or baskets. In total, the cost of using the system will be around 30% cheaper than helicopters. The S-type builds on Ampelmann’s track-record of innovative design by incorporating a lightweight system that uses a low amount of energy to operate.

Materia Inc., a leader in the development and manufacture of catalysts and advanced polymers, is supporting growth in its Proxima® thermoset resins by expanding its manufacturing capacity fivefold in Huntsville, Tx. The expanded facility will complement Materia’s existing state-of-the-art prototyping and polymer testing facility in Pasadena, Calif.

C-Kore Systems have verified the installation of 3 new umbilicals in the North Sea for a major oil company. The field is one of the biggest subsea projects being developed in the UK sector of the North Sea. The patented C-Kore Subsea Testing Tools were used both to prove cables subsea during installation and from the FPSO after hookup to the subsea control modules. Due to unique low-voltage IR testing technology, the C-Kore units allow testing of cables without requiring isolation of sensitive control modules electronics.

Soil Machine Dynamics Ltd (SMD) are pleased to announce the signature of a contract with Van Oord for the manufacture and delivery of a QTrencher 1600. This contract follows the successful deployment of SMD’s QTrencher 1400 on Van Oord’s Gemini Wind Farm. Scheduled for delivery in Q1 2018, the high power trenching machine will be supplied with an SMD designed umbilical winch, along with jetting and mechanical cutting tools to tackle a wide range of seabed conditions. Additional functionality includes beach operation to offer cable installation for export and inter array campaigns. The equipment will be loaded directly onto Van Oord’s state of the art cable-laying vessel Nexus from SMD’s Turbinia Works in Wallsend, UK. The QTrencher 1600 is scheduled to be deployed from the Nexus onto various wind farm projects in 2018.

SEATTLE - APRIL 24, 2017: The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has selected BluHaptics to receive new grant funding to apply its proprietary software to remote robotic operations in space. Synchronizing what a robot sees and does through advanced applications of real-time modeling, force feedback and machine learning, BluHaptics’ software addresses the challenges of latency, spatial awareness and control that have long limited robots’ effectiveness in space.

This announcement is not an offer of securities and appears as a matter of record only. The securities referred to herein have not been and will not be registered under the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and may not be offered or sold in the U.S., except pursuant to an applicable exemption from registration.

BIRNS, Inc. has announced that it has been selected by DeepFlight, a leading manufacturer of high performance personal submarines, to supply a range of custom penetrator assemblies for its newest submarine model, the DeepFlight Super Falcon 3S. The high density, ABS certified custom penetrators will be crafted from anodized aluminum and rated to 400FSW. The custom penetrator assemblies will be a key piece of the Super Falcon 3S, a craft which was specifically designed for ocean tourism and to provide underwater excursions at luxury resorts around the world.

Modus Seabed Intervention continues to strengthen its management team with the recruitment of Guy Lainchbury, who joins Modus as Commercial Manager. With over twenty years’ experience in the Subsea Industry, Guy has previously worked as Commercial Manager for Saipem and more recently as Tendering Director for Subsea 7 where he worked for 10 years.

Scotland’s First Minister Nicola Sturgeon visited the Edinburgh Campus of Heriot-Watt University yesterday (Thursday 20 April) to mark the signing of a five year Partnership Agreement between Total and the University’s Institute of Petroleum Engineering. Worth a minimum of £2.5m, the agreement was signed by Elisabeth Proust, managing director, Total E&P UK, and Dr Gillian Murray, deputy principal, Business and Enterprise, at Heriot-Watt University.

A security system which brings together up-to-the-minute information on key security developments in Iraq and the implications for companies operating in the region will launch this month. Restrata’s new web-based portal is set to go live and will serve as a platform to provide reporting and longer-term situational risk analysis conducted by its Business Solutions Operation Centre (BSOC) in Basrah. Restrata is co-located with the Basrah Operations Command (BaOC), the main headquarters of the Iraqi Security Forces (ISF), and provides a liaison between ISF and International Oil Companies (IOCs) and private business.

An energy industry entrepreneur has snapped up Oil Plus Ltd, a specialist oil and gas consultancy based in Berkshire, south England. Mark Cavanagh, managing director of Crandale Consultants, acquired the business from John Crane Inc, a division of Smiths Group plc, for an undisclosed value. Oil Plus plans on adding to its workforce over the next 12 months as it targets double-digit growth and forecasts turnover of £3million. Mr Cavanagh has more than 25 years of experience in the oil and gas industry, primarily in project management and the population of asset management systems. He said: “Oil Plus is a dynamic business that provides specialist services and technology to the oil and gas industry. There is a lot of potential for growth throughout the sector thanks to the skills and knowledge held within the business. “The company has a reputation for determining water injection specification and troubleshooting oilfield water treatment systems, helping clients improve recovery and run their plant more efficiently. As the industry becomes accustomed to living with a lower oil price, Oil Plus can play an important role in supporting businesses to work cost-effectively.”

Ocean Innovation System launches its electrical manipulator arm. The French company, specialized in robotics for underwater exploration and submarine intervention.