The National Oceanography Centre has today begun the latest in a series of ambitious marine robotic vehicle trials off the UK coast. Working in partnership with the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), NOC has deployed a submarine glider and an Autonomous Surface Vehicle into the Celtic Deep area of the Celtic Sea - the two robotic vehicles will now work together over the next three weeks to investigate why this area is particularly attractive to marine predators such as dolphins and seabirds.

Tony Durrant, Chief Executive, commented: “First half operating cash flows increased year-on-year driven by reliable production, our hedging programme and operating cost savings of 30 per cent. With Solan on-stream later this year and Catcher in 2017, we expect both growing production and reduced debt levels. Amended financial covenants announced today provide balance sheet flexibility and demonstrate the on-going support of our capital providers. With the optionality in our portfolio, we are well placed for growth in a stronger oil price environment.”

Making her debut at the Martin Midstream Dock in Galveston, Texas, USA, Fugro’s premier geophysical survey vessel, the Fugro Americas, was showcased to top clients, with over 100 in attendance.

The Society for Underwater Technology (SUT) will host two deepwater technical sessions at Offshore Europe, providing a platform for organisations to demonstrate innovations that are pushing boundaries at new depths. The first session, ‘New Technologies for Efficiency and Effectiveness’ takes place on Wednesday 9th September from 9.30am to 12.30pm, offering insights into innovations that help to reduce costs and improve reliability for developing and exploring oil and gas reserves.

Fugro will be highlighting its specialist services and technology for the oil and gas industry in the exhibition halls at SPE Offshore Europe next month. Showcasing its tools, solutions and innovations for offshore exploration and production, Fugro’s experts will be on hand to discuss its highly accurate dimensional control survey services as well as a range of meteorological and oceanographic services that cover a wide range of metocean parameters. Recent innovations will also be featured, including Fugro’s OARS™ virtual surveying system, which heralds a new wave of offshore monitoring operations and eliminates the need for an onboard surveyor.

The National Oceanography Centre (NOC) and the University of Liverpool have entered into a new strategic partnership creating the Institute for Sustainable Coasts and Oceans (ISCO). The new Institute is a collaborative venture that brings together marine scientists, social scientists, engineers and economists to meet the challenges of a changing ocean and a changing coastal population. It will provide the improved connectivity between experts in these different fields and through world-class research will provide the knowledge needed to deliver sustainable management of the coast and our coastal seas.

11 August, 2015, London, UK – Ceona, SURF contractor with heavy subsea construction capabilities, regrets to announce that John Smith, Chairman of the company’s board, has stepped down with immediate effect due to ill-health. A well-known industry figure, Mr Smith has been involved in the oil & gas sector for more than 30 years and has been pivotal in overseeing the growth of Ceona since its inception in 2012.

Ashtead’s Subsea Technology Training Academy has secured Continuing Professional Development (CPD) accreditation. CPD accredited courses include; Introduction to Offshore Survey Equipment, ROV Sensors and Multiplexors, Acoustic Positioning Systems and Pipe and Cable Tracking. In addition to these regular courses, Ashtead Technology is able to design tailor-made training to meet specific needs of individual customers.

SMD have now completed their first deliverable for the ¡VAMOS! (Viable Alternative Mine Operating System) project, finalizing the system architecture on schedule. The consortium made up of 17 project partners, is now progressing to deliver a number of spec documents as well as a project manual. ¡VAMOS! is a 42 month Research & Development Project, which was launched in March this year as part of the Horizon 2020 programme. At an estimated cost of approximately 12.6 milllion Euros, the project will help to provide an opportunity to tap into the wealth of unexploited European mineral resources.

The International Marine Contractors Association’s (IMCA) 2014 survey of remotely operated vehicle (ROV)s, and ROV personnel reveals that in February 2014 a total of 3,369 ROV personnel (superintendents, supervisors, pilot techs and other offshore ROV support personnel) were working, and in August the total figure was 3,617. The total number of ROVs in February was 677 and in August 726. These figures compare with 3,663 personnel in February 2013 and 3,962 in August 2013; and 580 ROVs in February 2013 and 636 in August 2013.

The countdown is on for submissions to the call for abstracts for Oceanology International 2016 (ExCeL, London, 15-17 March 2016), the world’s largest marine technology and ocean science exhibition and conference. The deadline for 300-word abstracts for the eleven conference streams is Friday 28 August 2015. As Conference Chairman, Professor Ralph Rayner explains: “Oceanology International is a unique event. No other exhibition and conference connects the manufacturers and users of ocean technology with such a diverse spectrum of scientific and industrial stakeholders.

The Super Yacht Sub 3 is to make its world premier at the Monaco Yacht Show from the 23rd to the 26th of September. U-Boat Worx, the world’s leading submersible manufacturer, is to showcase this first purposely designed 3-person luxury private submersible for super yachts at the Monaco Yacht Show 2015.

OXNARD, CA − BIRNS, Inc. has recently invested in advanced equipment for the development and testing protocols for its high performance connectors and cable assemblies. The investment is to meet the needs of the ever-increasing levels of precision that are required in the applications of the company’s wide customer base. The NAVSEA PRO-020 certified global subsea design and manufacturing leader is pleased to add two new precision inspection machines to its industry-leading engineering and testing programs.

3rd August, 2015, London, UK – Ceona, SURF contractor with heavy subsea construction capabilities, has expanded its West African reach after entering into a strategic partnership with Interoil Angola Lda. The partnership will see Interoil Angola, which is a key player in offshore support vessel management in West Africa, support Ceona’s plans to expand into Angola. Ceona is already active in West Africa through its Ceona-Seaweld joint venture in Ghana as well as the company’s strategic partnership with Marine Platforms Limited in Nigeria.

Subsea 7 S.A. (Oslo Børs: SUBC, ADR: SUBCY) today announced the award of a contract with a value of approximately USD 500 million by BP, and partner DEA, for the development of the Taurus and Libra subsea fields offshore Alexandria, Egypt. The contract is the first phase of Egypt’s West Nile Delta project where field development will be at depths of approximately 800 metres. The contract scope includes the engineering, procurement, installation and pre-commissioning of subsea infrastructure required to develop the hydrocarbon resources from nine wells including 75 kilometres of umbilicals and 100 kilometres of pipeline.

Fugro has been awarded a contract by BG International Limited Sucursal Honduras to conduct an integrated multibeam echosounder survey and seabed coring campaign over its offshore acreage in the Honduran Caribbean. As part of BG’s exploration licence commitments, the campaign will map the seafloor to interpret, identify, sample and analyse potential hydrocarbon seeps. Fugro’s modern 65-metre survey vessel, MV Fugro Brasilis, commenced the two-month mapping and interpretation portion in July 2015.

Trelleborg Sealing Solutions is launching a new online resource for engineers at an international conference next month as part of its “commitment” to the oil and gas industry. The website – ‘oilandgas-seals.com’ provides a comprehensive overview of seal profiles proven in the oil and gas industry, enabling engineers to identify optimum sealing solutions for specific applications within the field. It provides information on material compatibility covering issues such as sour gas and rapid gas decompression, spanning different applications, including drilling and exploration, completion and production systems.

New independent testing of the recently launched BIOGEN WIRESHIELD® wire rope and ROV umbilicals lubricant demonstrates consistently high lubrication performance within an industry-leading temperature range of -50ºC to +180ºC.