U-Boat Worx, the world leader in personal submersibles, proudly announces the launch of its 60th submarine. Marking a significant milestone in the company’s 20-year history, the latest addition to their fleet is a bespoke Super Yacht Sub 3, crafted exclusively for a client and outfitted in a striking metallic bronze colour scheme.

Royal Boskalis B.V. (Boskalis) is excited to announce the latest addition to its versatile fleet: a groundbreaking subsea rock installation (SRI) vessel with a cargo capacity of 45,500 metric tons. This state-of-the-art vessel will stand as the largest SRI vessel in the industry, significantly bolstering Boskalis’ position in this specialized niche market, which currently includes three existing SRI vessels. With the introduction of the ‘Windpiper,’ Boskalis will effectively double its capacity and thereby becomes the largest player in the industry. Scheduled for delivery in the first quarter of 2026, the ‘Windpiper’ is set to play an important role in facilitating the energy transition working on offshore wind projects. Her first projects are expected to be located in Northwest Europe.

The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) has awarded a contract to a team led by Saab, Inc.’s newly formed accelerator, “Skapa by Saab”, and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) to contribute to the Autonomy Standards and Ideals with Military Operational Values (ASIMOV) program. The DARPA- ASIMOV program “aims to develop benchmarks to objectively and quantitatively measure the ethical difficulty of future autonomy use cases and readiness of autonomous systems to perform in those use cases within the context of military operational values”.

Fugro is significantly expanding its role in the Florida Seafloor Mapping Initiative (FSMI), a multiyear effort by the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) to map the state’s seafloor for improved coastal resilience, infrastructure planning and environmental protection. Building on its previous award of 14,000 square kilometres of airborne lidar data for the FSMI, Fugro is now conducting vessel-based surveys across 42,000 square kilometres offshore Florida.

Forssea recently completed the delivery of one fully equipped #ARGOS smart ROV spread to DGA - Direction générale de l'armement in Brest, France. The system will be used in the context of underwater trial and technical offshore support.

As part of the AUKUS Pillar II – SSW Line of Effort Three, U.S. Navy, Royal Navy and Royal Australian Navy personnel launched, tested and operated several unmanned underwater vehicle (UUV) and remotely-operated vehicle (ROV) systems in tandem over the course of the two-week event.

Global Oceans, a US-based 501(c)3 operating foundation (www.global-oceans.org) has signed a Letter of Intent with Orpheus Ocean, Inc. based in New Bedford, MA (www.orpheusocean.com), to develop strategies for integrating Orpheus’ vehicle technologies in support of Global Oceans’ Innerspace Initiative. Orpheus Ocean is a new VC-funded ocean technology start up with an exclusive license to develop and deploy an autonomous full-ocean-depth vehicle platform originally designed by Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) and NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL).

Solstad Subsea Holding, a subsidiary of Solstad Offshore, has acquired a 35.8 percent ownership stake in Omega Subsea, marking a significant milestone in the collaboration between the two companies.

The awards dinner will take place on Wednesday, 19 February at P&J Live in the Granite City as part of Subsea Expo, a three-day exhibition and conference showcasing the subsea sector and wider underwater industry. Eight awards will be presented at the black-tie event, to which over 550 guests are expected to attend. Several companies have been shortlisted in multiple categories.

Toyo Construction has invested in Japan’s emerging offshore wind sector by purchasing a market-leading trenching ROV from underwater technology and services company, SMD. The ROV will form part of Toyo’s expanding fleet of assets, with the business having also invested in a custom-built cable-lay vessel late last year.

Ocean services provider DeepOcean takes 100% ownership of the pipeline repair and subsea intervention (PRSI Pool Services) contract with Equinor, formerly operated in a Joint Venture (JV) between DeepOcean and TechnipFMC. The transaction reinforces DeepOcean’s pipeline repair expertise with JV employees being transferred to DeepOcean.

The OCEANS 2025 Brest conference is for global maritime professionals to learn, innovate and lead in the protection and utilization of the world’s largest natural resource – our OCEANS.

An international team of scientists on board a recent Schmidt Ocean Institute R/V Falkor (too) expedition surveyed nearly 20 methane seeps, some of which are new discoveries, and four submarine canyon systems previously never before seen by humans. They found an abundance of animals, including possibly 60 new species or more, living in surprisingly diverse ecosystems off the Chilean coast, including commercially valuable fish swimming in seep areas. The 55-day expedition traveled from Valparaiso to Punta Arenas, Chile, exploring the ocean from the central to the southern coastline of the country.

The DARPA No Manning Required Ship (NOMARS) program recently completed a successful first test of at-sea refueling designed for use with the program’s Defiant unmanned surface vessel (USV). The USV Defiant is intended to operate autonomously for long durations at sea and is designed from the ground up with no provision, allowance, or expectation for humans on board. US Navy PMS-406 (the Unmanned Maritime Systems Program Office) and USV Squadron 1 (USVRON-1) conducted the test in partnership, using two of the PMS-406 experimental USVs: Ranger and Mariner.

Oceaneering International, Inc., announces today that its Freedom™ Autonomous Underwater Vehicle (AUV) has been honored with the Innovation Award at TotalEnergies’ 2024 Supplier Day.

Petrobras has signed a 175-day addendum to Fugro’s current inspection, repair and maintenance services contract, performed by the Fugro Aquarius, to include fully remote subsea inspection surveys of shallow-water infrastructure in Brazil. Work will begin in January, leveraging Fugro’s advanced Blue Essence® uncrewed surface vessel (USV) and Blue Volta® electric remotely operated vehicle (eROV) technology to enhance inspection safety, efficiency, and sustainability.

HonuWorx’s innovative subsea robotics technology has been chosen for NATO’s 2025 Defence Innovation Accelerator (DIANA) program. HonuWorx is one of only 71 companies to be selected for the 2025 DIANA program following 2600 submissions from across NATO’s 32 member nations.