OceanWorks International is pleased to be providing an upgrade to the Strait of Georgia Shore Station for Ocean Networks Canada (ONC). Our scope consists of design, supply, installation and system integration testing of the upgraded system. The new system will provide the customer with the ability to monitor and control the power system in the Shore Station with a state of the art control system. New functionality will allow remote access and include soft start capabilities to enhance the safe use of the equipment. The upgraded shore station will also now share commonality with other shore stations, creating simplicity for the ONC team.

Senior figures from Mexico’s national oil company, Pemex, have been discovering the secrets of the UK subsea sector’s success and how it has revolutionised the way in which hydrocarbons have been extracted from beneath the seabed during a fact-finding visit to Aberdeen. Organised in partnership with the Department of International Trade (DIT), the five-day subsea learning event included site visits to some of the sector’s most innovative companies, including GE Oil & Gas, Aker Solutions, Hydrasun, Wood Group, BP and ROVOP. The delegation experienced what it’s like to operate a remotely operated vehicle (ROV), learnt about diving operations and toured a number of subsea manufacturing plants.

Greensea, creator of OPENSEATM, the universal marine industry operating platform, has recently announced the appointment of Morgan Gomez as Engineering Technician. Morgan earned his Associates of Applied Science Degree, Engineering Technology - Unmanned Aerial Systems from Northwestern Michigan College. Morgan enjoys snowboarding, running, and hiking.

Paragon Rapid Technologies has joined forces with the premier trade organisation for companies in the UK Aerospace, Defence, Security and Space Sectors. Working closely with ADS, the leading rapid prototyping Bureau aims to build on its strong position in the industry and help fellow members become more competitive by adding value to their product development process.

In December 2016 at The Underwater Centre in Fort William, Scotland, DOF Subsea (DOF) conducted a demonstration of dynamic underwater laser scanning as a replacement for traditional metrology techniques using 2G Robotics’ and Sonardyne’s complete dynamic survey solution. The demo showcased the complete dynamic survey solution, which integrates 2G Robotics’ underwater laser scanner, the ULS-500 PRO, with Sonardyne’s inertial navigation sensor, SPRINT; Syrinx DVL and 6G acoustics. Seatronics, channel partner for 2G Robotics and provider of Sonardyne rental equipment, provided sensors and project/technician support. Historically, metrology campaigns using Long BaseLine (LBL) acoustics and photogrammetry have demanded significant vessel and ROV time. Additionally, LBL requires physical interaction with the subsea assets and photogrammetry is unable to provide real-time results. The goal of the demo was to quantify the reduction in operational time and increased accuracy of dynamic laser scanning for subsea metrology.

Royal Dutch Shell CEO Ben van Beurden is to speak at the opening plenary session at SPE Offshore Europe 2017 which is being held in Aberdeen from 5-8 September 2017. Mr van Beurden will address several hundred oil and gas industry professionals who will attend the plenary session on the first day of Europe’s foremost exploration and production (E&P) technical conference and exhibition.

The Industry Technology Facilitator (ITF) and the Oil & Gas Innovation Centre (OGIC) have joined forces to fund and support the development of innovations which could reduce costs, raise production efficiency, and improve safety and environmental performance. OGIC has made £1 million available to support companies with projects that require research and development to be undertaken at a Scottish university. OGIC can fund up to 70% of these costs and ITF can potentially ‘top-up’ financial support if an innovative project engages the interest of its members.

Trelleborg’s applied technologies operation has exhibited its new innovative Eccofloat®TG30 and TG32 materials, at Underwater Intervention in New Orleans, Louisiana in the U.S., on stand 119.

Our ROV, Diving and Inspection team in Banbury (formerly SubservPro) has a long and distinguished track record in the provision of personnel for offshore projects. With this in mind, we have appointed Spencer Trouten as the new Business Manager for this business line. With this change, we enhance the experience level, offer new dimensions to our services and generate more focus on exceptional service delivery.

Like many organisations, subsea technology company Sonardyne Inc., uses trade shows to launch new products, speak to users about their requirements and identify industry trends. And whilst conversations first held at events regularly lead to a purchase decision, it can be weeks or months later before an order is actually placed. But that wasn’t the case during the recent Underwater Intervention show in New Orleans when equipment rental company Survey Equipment Services (SES) of Houston, placed an order during the show for a Sonardyne Mini-Ranger 2 USBL tracking system and multiple Nano transponders. SES’s clients regularly carry out inspection projects using divers working from small boats and barges. Sonardyne’s Mini-Ranger 2 USBL and Nano technology is perfectly suited to these short duration projects; it’s quick to install and easy to use, meaning that tracking underwater targets begin in just a few simple steps.

Greensea, creator of OPENSEATM, the universal marine industry operating platform, has recently announced the appointment of Kevin Wingart as Quality Control Engineer. Prior to joining Greensea, Kevin worked as a principal engineer for ERIN Engineering and Research where he performed probabilistic risk assessment for nuclear power plants. Kevin served four years in the United States Air Force as an Information Technology Specialist and one year in the Peace Corps as a renewable energy technology transfer volunteer. He earned his B.S. degree in Electrical and Electronic Engineering from California State University.

Aker Solutions will provide design engineering for the upgrading of the semi-submersible Njord A platform in Norway. The company will as a subcontractor of Kvaerner take part in upgrading the platform after operator Statoil exercised an option in an agreement awarded in April 2016. The option is for work in the engineering, procurement and construction phase of the project. Aker Solutions' share of the work is valued at about NOK 1 billion and will be booked in the company's first-quarter orders. "This is the largest offshore platform in Norway to have been brought to shore for a total upgrade," said Luis Araujo, chief executive officer of Aker Solutions. "We're excited to continue our work with Kvaerner and Statoil on this landmark project, which will enable the Njord field to keep producing oil and gas for several more decades."

C-Kore Systems delivered a C-Kore unit to a major integrated Oil and Gas Company with operations in the Gulf of Mexico. The unit will be used for fault finding on their assets in the Gulf of Mexico.

Dear MTS / IEEE OES Colleagues, On September 18-21, 2017, the OCEANS North America conference will be hosted in Alaska for the first time ever! On behalf of the Marine Technology Society and the IEEE Oceanic Engineering Society, the OCEANS ’17 Anchorage Local Organizing Committee (LOC) is honored to invite your participation in this prestigious event.

Underwater Laser Scanner an Industry Leader in Offshore Survey & Inspection. After several months of intensive development and testing, 2G Robotics will be publicly launching the ULS-500 PRO at the April 2017 Ocean Business Exhibition in Southampton, UK. The ULS-500 PRO improves upon 2G Robotics’ proven dynamic underwater laser scanning solution by increasing the ease with which surveys can be performed. The ULS-500 PRO boasts industry leading sample rates facilitating faster vehicle speeds while providing higher density point clouds. The system’s higher sensitivity sensor provides more accurate data capture and has achieved results up to 20m in range. The addition of the SeaShot Imager Stills Camera and the SeaShot LED provides synchronized laser and stills camera operation for an even higher degree of detail during survey campaigns. Additionally, the ULS-500 PRO comes standard with a 4000m depth rating. With the best accuracy in the industry and real-time data acquisition, the ULS-500 PRO will replace the ULS-500 as the accepted technological norm for high resolution subsea survey.

Another Greensea system is entering the market – this time with the versatile, long duration, Exocetus Coastal Glider. Greensea is providing their commercially available navigation, control, and automation product based on their patent-pending OPENSEATM operating platform – the first operating platform for the marine industry – for the command and control of the Exocetus vehicle and sensors. The Exocetus AUV carries more payload and is faster than competing gliders. It also operates well in changing salinity conditions common along the coast. “But the main differentiator for users is its open architecture design and ease-of-use,” said Joe Turner, Co-founder.

Ashtead Technology has expanded its equipment rental pool following a significant investment in the latest Pulsed Eddy Current (PEC) technology to deliver faster, more accurate asset integrity inspections. A global leader in marine technology, non-destructive testing and subsea services, Ashtead will now supply the Eddyfi Lyft™, an inspection tool for identifying corrosion under insulation (CUI), a major asset integrity issue for the oil and gas, and petrochemical sectors. CUI is a type of corrosion that occurs as a result of a moisture build-up on the external surface of insulated equipment. The corrosion is most commonly galvanic, chloride, acidic, or alkaline, and if undetected, the consequences can lead to the shutdown of a process unit or an entire facility.

- New research sheds light on youth perception of North Sea career prospects – YOUNG people living in the UK’s key energy hubs preparing for and making choices about their future careers still believe there is a long term future in the North Sea and want to pursue a career in the oil and gas industry, according to a new study. More than 500 students from Aberdeen, Aberdeenshire, Great Yarmouth, Waveney and Norwich were asked to contribute to the Youth Perception of a Career in the Oil & Gas Industry report which was conducted by oil and gas industry skills organisation OPITO throughout 2016. The study will be shared with industry as well as the Scottish Government, Scottish Enterprise, Skills Development Scotland and the Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy (BEIS) National Careers Service, to help inform and shape national career initiatives in the year ahead.