Since the latter half of 2014, the offshore oil and gas industry has been primarily concerned with the falling price of oil, which has dropped as much as 27% a barrel since early summer. One of the major talking points is whether or not oil prices will rise in the future relative to the continued growth of exploration and production (E&P) costs.

Bibby Offshore’s Houston-based division, Bibby Subsea, has signed a three-year contract with Bordelon Marine to charter a new vessel. The Brandon Bordelon is an ultra-light intervention vessel (ULIV) and will commence a three-year charter in August 2015 primarily operating in the Gulf of Mexico. The addition of the Brandon Bordelon to Bibby Offshore’s existing international fleet of specialised vessels enhances the capability throughout the Americas region.

UK-based First Subsea has delivered cable connectors for the second phase of the Fukushima floating offshore wind demonstration project in Japan. Two of First Subsea's connectors have been utilized to link 22kV lines to the facility's floating 66kV substation ahead of the arrival of the 7MW turbine for phase three. The new connections will also support phase four of the project, in which a second 7MW machine will be added.

The Kara-Winter-2014 Ice Expedition, organised by the Arctic Research and Design Center (a joint venture of Rosneft and ExxonMobil) has finished field studies in the Arctic Ocean. Scientists spent 63-days studying the Laptev, Kara, and East-Siberian Seas on board the Yamal Ice-Breaker, as well as carrying out work off the coast of the Novaya Zemlya and Severnaya Zemlya archipelagoes, and De Long Islands. It has been the largest expedition in the Arctic Ocean since the USSR collapse.

The Research & Development Corporation (RDC) is pleased to announce a $4.9 million investment in a multi-purpose survey, support and research and development vessel to be stationed in St. John's. The total cost to design, build and operate such a vessel over a 10-year period is estimated at more than $100 million which will be funded by Fugro GeoSurveys (FGI). RDC's investment directly targets the research and development capabilities, equipment and operations of the vessel, which will be built and operated by Fugro GeoSurveys.

 

 

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Gleaming cast metal called orichalcum, which was said by Ancient Greeks to be found in Atlantis, has been recovered from a ship that sunk 2,600 years ago off the coast of Sicily. The lumps of metal were arriving to Gela in southern Sicily, possibly coming from Greece or Asia Minor. The ship that was carrying them was likely caught in a storm and sunk just when it was about to enter the port.

To mine the discoveries waiting at the bottom of the Marianas Trench, a hybrid remotely operated vehicle is needed, according to Dr. Jeff Drazen, ecologist and co-chief scientist of a recent expedition over the Marianas Trench last November and December. During the research, scientists deployed landers, which are platforms that hold sampling equipment like cameras, baited trap, metal grabs, or cores, to study the trench.

New construction research is poised to make big waves both here and far abroad. We've been working in partnership with the University of Washington (UW) to find ways to reduce the noise created by underwater pile driving that will not only benefit and protect marine wildlife in the Puget Sound, but may also change marine construction practices around the globe.

Researchers dispatched an underwater vehicle called the Deep-SCINI into the drilled hole. It uses its cameras to capture images of the rocks and the sediment on the sea floor. Sediment core samples, as well as samples of sea water, were taken by the scientists. Results from the samples show the presence of only a few microbes and no signs of crustaceans or other types of sea life that is usually found at the sea bottom.

Bluefin Robotics designs, develops, builds and operates Autonomous Underwater Vehicles for defense, commercial and scientific customers from all over the globe. However, their products are now most notably being employed for plane recovery. According to the company, "Bluefin is a full AUV lifecycle provider offering research and development, technology integration, full-scale manufacturing, platform training, and operations support. No other provider has our depth and breadth of expertise and resources dedicated exclusively to AUV development and production."

Makai Ocean Engineering, Inc. and the University of Hawaii (UH) have jointly developed a novel autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) that can effectively deploy seafloor sensing equipment by combining features of a free-swimming AUV and those of a bottom crawling vehicle. This ‘hybrid’ autonomous underwater vehicle is called the Bottom-Skimming AUV, or B-SAUV.

Scientists at the Tomsk Polytechnic University (TPU) are working on a modem that will be able to provide users the ability to connect to the internet in an underwater environment, and shared preliminary results of their efforts with reporters on Friday, Russian news agency RIA Novosti reports.

Trimble introduced today the Trimble® SPS356 DGNSS Beacon Receiver specifically designed for marine construction. This affordable, dedicated marine receiver allows contractors to achieve sub-meter accuracy using DGNSS or MSK Beacon station corrections for robust, multi-constellation positioning. The receiver is ideal for a range of marine applications including dredging, vessel positioning and tracking, and bathymetric surveying.

Ennsub has completed the design and manufacture of two workclass Remotely Operated Vehicle (ROV) deepwater deployment systems, designed and manufactured for ROVOP and due to be installed into a newbuild pipelay vessel early in 2015. The company’s DEEP 4000 system includes a cable handling solution which it says is designed to maximise umbilical lifespan, particularly in ultra-deepwater and other high-fatigue applications such as active heave compensation.

Phoenix International has successfully completed upgrades on the US Navy's 8,000ft depth-capable remotely operated vehicle (ROV) deep drone, as part of a contract from the navy's supervisor of salvage and diving (SUPSALV) office.

Inspired by vintage maritime aesthetics, The Ballistic Diver harnesses the characteristics of a life forged upon the sea. It is a reflection of bold simplicity, capable of taking care of business in and out of the water. Ballistic strength ultra-durable nylon 4-ring Nato strap, screw down crown, and 200 Meter Water Resistance. The Ballistic Diver is purpose built to live up to its name.