Marine robotics software company Greensea IQ has partnered with BUVI Scandinavia to expand its international sales team. This follows the recent signing of Spanish sales representative Uniformidad Y Suminstros De Proteccion (USP). The new business relationship will represent Greensea IQ and its Bayonet autonomous underwater vehicle (AUGV). Founded in 2011, BUVI Scandinavia provides consulting, training and support for subsea solutions and technologies. USP has 40 years of experience specializing in providing superior solutions for police and military needs.
Venterra Group is expanding its marine hard-bottom benthic and hard-structure offerings with support from marine science consultancy INSPIRE Environmental and seafloor imaging company Marine Imaging Technologies. The expanded service aims to monitor marine growth on introduced hard surfaces and native hard bottoms to assess the impacts of offshore wind project developments. It will also support nature-based scour and cable protection designs, climate adaptation projects and the collection of high-resolution 3D videos for science education and communication.
Malaysian offshore services company Sapura Energy has been awarded a five-year contract to provide subsea services to Shell’s Malaysian units Sarawak Shell Bhd and Sabah Shell Petroleum Bhd. The contract, which includes diving support vessels, air and saturation diving systems and remotely operated vehicles, will cover subsea inspections, repairs, maintenance, scrapping and decommissioning.
Marine seismic data company PGS has secured a 4D contract in Northern Europe for an independent energy company. Ramform Tethys will conduct an operational investigation in late April, with a total duration of 30 days. The contract is worth US$10 million or more and lasts for 2 months. PGS President and CEO Rune Olav Pedersen expressed satisfaction with the contract award.
New research from CSIRO and the University of Toronto has found up to 11 million tonnes of plastic pollution on the seafloor. With plastic use expected to double by 2040, understanding how and where plastic is spread is critical to protecting marine ecosystems and wildlife. The seafloor has become the repository for most plastic pollution, with an estimated 3 to 11 million tons of plastic sinking to the bottom of the ocean. The study used data from remotely operated vehicles (ROVs) and seafloor trawls to estimate the amount and distribution of plastic on the ocean floor. Research also shows that plastic mass clusters around continents, with about half of the world's seafloor plastic mass estimated to be located above 200 meters.
Marine seismic data company PGS has secured a large-scale 3D contract offshore the South Atlantic from a multi-client company. The contract, worth $10 million or more, involves a Ramform Titan-class vessel expected to enter service in June. PGS President and CEO Rune Olav Pedersen praised the vessel’s ability to conduct large-scale exploration surveys.
GeoAcoustic has launched the GeoPulse 2 seafloor profiler, a versatile tool designed for pipeline inspections, geological surveys, dredging surveys, environmental assessments and buried object detection. The tool can reach deeper waters for data collection at offshore wind farms and is a drop-in replacement for the GeoPulse Pinger. GeoPulse 2 is available in 4, 9 or 16 sensor configurations and has an operating depth range of 5,000 m. It can achieve resolutions up to 6 cm and penetration depths of up to 80 m in fine clays and 20 m in sand. GeoAcoustics also integrates GeoPulse Compact with Geo-Suite seismic acquisition software, launching a new GIS-based data collection, processing, interpretation and 3D visualization solution.
Norwegian state-owned company Petoro has awarded a framework agreement to AGR to provide independent consultancy and third-party validation studies in the subsurface, drilling, well and field development sectors. The agreement is valid for three years, with the option of two one-year extensions. AGR's services span reservoir and well management, well controls, operating geologists and resource allocation. Petoro’s expertise in reservoir modeling, well integrity and NCS earned AGR the agreement.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers won a 2023 Innovation Award for its 6.5-foot drone, the SURVEYOR AMY. Designed by a team of 36 employees, the vessel can travel at 16 knots and collect hydrographic survey data, including water depth and seafloor structure. This information is critical to New York and New Jersey's coastal storm risk management program. The vessel can collect data for dam safety, levee and bridge inspections, and remote shallow water locations that are inaccessible to ships. It can also help in emergency situations by being up and running within hours. The spacecraft's multi-beam system can collect up to 20,000 high-resolution, three-dimensional detail points per second along the seafloor. The ship is unique in that it is able to right itself when ocean conditions cause it to tip over. The project was led by Francis Postiglione, a long-time Army Corps employee and chief of the survey and mapping department.
Norwegian crane specialist Motus Technology has been awarded a contract by Seatrium to design and build the platform main crane for the Empire Wind 1 offshore substation. The crane, designed to lift 5 tonnes at a height of 30 metres, will be delivered to Seatrium’s Singapore shipyard and then installed in Long Island. The crane will comply with U.S. statutory laws and regulations for inspection, installation and operation in U.S. federal offshore areas. The 810-megawatt offshore wind project will power hundreds of thousands of New York homes and contribute to America’s energy transition goals for a low-carbon future.