Innovative wave energy project receives green light from EU
Innovative wave energy project receives green light from EU
A €19.6 million partnership project, which aims to be the stepping stone towards large scale wave energy commercialisation, has received formal go-ahead from the European Union.
WEDUSEA is a pioneering collaboration between 14 partners, spanning industry and academia from across the UK, Ireland, France, Germany and Spain. It is co-ordinated by the Irish company OceanEnergy.
The project is co-funded by the EU Horizon Europe Programme and by Innovate UK, the UK’s innovation agency.
In common with all other Horizon Europe projects, WEDUSEA has undergone a comprehensive independent review by EU appointed external experts following its initial project design period to ensure the technical designs and all plans, budgets and protocols are fully in place and approved.
The green light has now been received from the EU and the project can proceed to its next stage.
The WEDUSEA project will demonstrate a grid connected 1MW OE35 floating wave energy converter at the European Marine Energy Centre (EMEC) wave energy test site at Billia Croo in Orkney, Scotland. A rigorous technical and environmental demonstration will happen over a two-year period in Atlantic wave conditions.
OceanEnergy has developed the OE35, which is the world’s largest capacity floating wave energy device. Floating on the ocean’s surface, the device incorporates a trapped air volume, with the lower part open to the sea. Wave pressures at the submerged opening cause the water to oscillate and drive the trapped air through a turbine to generate electricity. Electricity generated will be exported to the UK grid via EMEC’s subsea cables.
Prof Tony Lewis, Chief Technical Officer at OceanEnergy, says: “Wave energy is the world’s most valuable renewable resource with around 30TWh of potential annual production waiting to be harnessed. That’s almost ten times Europe’s annual electricity consumption. However, this potential has yet to be fully realised. The project will demonstrate that wave technology is on a cost reduction trajectory and will thus be a stepping stone to larger commercial array scale up and further industrialisation. We predict that the natural energy of the world’s oceans will one day supply much of the grid.”
The WEDUSEA project has three phases. The first phase is the initial design and build of a device suited to the ocean conditions at EMEC’s Billia Croo wave energy test site. This will be followed by the demonstration at the site, lasting two years. The final phase will be commercialisation and dissemination which sees the capitalisation and exploitation of the results.
Matthijs Soede from the European Commission said at the start of the project: “WEDUSEA is set to be a major catalyst for the wave energy industry, unlocking the full potential of this exciting renewable technology.
Prof Lars Johanning of University of Plymouth says: “The WEDUSEA partnership has worked hard to ensure that all detailed designs and planning are robust, to prove that the project is viable and that the project will be delivered within budget. Now we have received the green light from the EU, it’s all systems go!”
The wave converter build starts in the second half of 2024 and the demonstration at EMEC is expected to begin in June 2025.
Disclaimer:
Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are, however, those of the authors only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or CINEA. Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.
Impact Subsea Strengthens Canadian Presence with M2Ocean Distributor
Impact Subsea, a global leader in subsea sensor solutions, is delighted to announce a new distributor agreement with M2Ocean Solutions, expanding its reach in the Canadian market.
This collaboration marks Impact Subsea's second distributor in Canada, further solidifying its commitment to serving the region's subsea industry.
M2Ocean, renowned for its expertise in non-traditional hydrographic solutions and oceanographic monitoring systems, will offer Impact Subsea’s comprehensive range of subsea sensors and solutions.
Together, they will provide Canadian sensor users with enhanced access to cutting-edge technology and local support for their subsea projects.
“We are excited to welcome M2Ocean as distributors of Impact Subsea sensors,” said Ben Grant, Managing Director of Impact Subsea.
“Their knowledge of the Canadian market, combined with our cutting-edge sensor technology, will enable us to better serve users of our sensors and drive innovation in the subsea sector.”
Together, Impact Subsea and M2Ocean will focus on providing advanced solutions for a wide range of applications, including offshore energy, aquaculture, oceanography, and marine science.
By leveraging their combined expertise, the partnership aims to contribute to the growth and success of the Canadian maritime industry.
IMarEST publishes special ‘Future Edition’ of Marine Professional
Youth takeover issue of IMarEST magazine guest edited by under-35 members
The Institute of Marine Engineering, Science & Technology (IMarEST) has published a special open access edition of its member magazine this week in celebration of its youth membership. Marine Professional has been guest edited by some of the Institute's under-35 members, featuring the voices of young professionals from across the international marine sector.
To celebrate this landmark edition, the IMarEST is offering free digital access to this issue until the end of 2024 – after then, it will only be available to members and subscribers, as usual. Marine Professional: The Future Edition is available here.
Marine Professional editor Carly Fields said:
“This issue of Marine Professional is dedicated to early career marine professionals and the pipeline of talent, of which there are plenty, and they are more than capable of successfully propelling the sector into the future.
“Celebrating the youth membership of the IMarEST, this issue has taken its shape from the suggestions and contributions from the Institute’s under-35 members. It has been my pleasure to assist our guest editors, Ashleigh Kitchiner and Evan Cheok, in curating this special edition.
“From the early submissions and content deliberations, through to the contributions and final content, passion for the marine industry has shone through at all stages. I hope you enjoy reading it as much as we enjoyed creating it.”
Guest editors Ashleigh Kitchiner and Evan Cheok said:
“As under-35 IMarEST members, we are honoured to be the guest editors for this issue. This unique edition marks the first of its kind as we champion IMarEST youth voices and share how they are shaping the future of the marine industry. Through our young members’ stories, in this issue we showcase their innovative ideas for a sustainable and inclusive community.
“We share inspiring stories of the technologies of tomorrow and renewal efforts taken by the IMarEST to nurture future leaders. We have curated a series of engaging features, including technical topics, as well as discussions on the skills required of a successful steward within the industry.”
Marine Professional is the official IMarEST magazine and newsletter, bringing the latest on marine news around the world via email newsletter once a week and in print four times a year. All members of the IMarEST receive Marine Professional, in either print or digital format depending on their membership category. Subscriptions are also available to institutions, organisations and companies.
With a strong news analysis focus, each issue looks at the trends emerging within the marine sector with a view to enhance the reader’s understanding of the complex technical intersections between the maritime, offshore and science agendas. Marine Professional has been shortlisted for two awards this year:
- 2024 Memcom Excellence Awards - Best Magazine, Circulation less than 20K
- Association Excellence Awards 2024 - Best Association Newsletter or Magazine
Enhancing Underwater Exploration
NOVACAVI is proud to supply the Rebikoff-Niggeler Foundation (FRN), a non-profit organisation whose mission is to facilitate marine research and in-situ observation and documentation of deep-sea environments by means of submergible technology.
During the development of their new remotely operated camera system, which will be used for documentary filming and research in the pelagic zone down to depths of 1000-1200m, they asked NOVACAVI to design a custom-made neutral buoyant fibre optic cable with high tensile strength, perfectly suited to their specific requirements.
NOVACAVI, with its experience in developing underwater cable solutions, designed a special configuration and manufactured a tailor-made strategic component for their unique underwater exploration system.
Specialist in custom electrical cables design and manufacturing for the most varied and challenging applications since 1975, NOVACAVI develops specific solutions as reliable high-quality components to any innovative technological equipment.
ASL Successfully Completes Metocean Survey for FortisBC Energy Inc.
ASL is pleased to announce that it has recently completed a six-month metocean survey for FortisBC Energy Inc. as part of its ongoing operations and maintenance activities supporting its stewardship of the Vancouver Island Transmission System, which supplies natural gas to Vancouver Island and the Sunshine Coast. Wave buoys and subsea current profilers were deployed from December 2023 to June 2024, with a mid-program servicing trip in March 2024. All subsea equipment and wave buoy mooring anchors were successfully recovered, with full recovery of all datasets.
The field program measured directional waves and subsea currents at six individual moorings deployed at three strategic locations along the pipeline route in the Strait of Georgia near Powell River, BC and Texada Island. These measurements utilized ASL’s new PBM-15 polyethylene deepwater buoys to support data collection in water depth of up to 400 m. The datasets collected from this program will be used in numerical modeling studies to support pipeline spanning and integrity assessment at various locations, to be conducted by Worley and RPS, a Tetra Tech Company.
The Vancouver Island Transmission System is critical energy infrastructure that transports natural gas from the British Columbia mainland to Vancouver Island. This pipeline system ensures a reliable natural gas supply to the Island's residents and industries, supporting residential heating and electricity generation. ASL is pleased to support preliminary front-end engineering design (PRE-FEED), construction, and operations and maintenance assessments of new and existing marine energy infrastructure.
SeeByte and Kraken Robotics sign MOU
SeeByte Ltd (SeeByte) and Kraken Robotics Inc. (Kraken) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) under which they will seek to enhance their complimentary system offerings to bring customers an integrated solution across maritime mission planning, data collection, and data analysis.
Kraken specializes in the delivery of advanced synthetic aperture sonar (SAS) for maritime platforms including uncrewed underwater vehicles of all sizes and the KATFISH™ towed SAS system.
SeeByte specializes in the development and supply of maritime software solutions including their SeeTrack Mission Management System (MMS), Neptune Autonomy System, and Automated Target Recognition (ATR).
The combined solution offers customers an integrated proven system for maritime operations that is competitive, readily available, and delivers a high-quality user experience.
Chris Haworth, CEO at SeeByte said, “This collaborative approach brings together a best-of-breed solution to satisfy the needs of our maritime and naval customers. We are excited to add Kraken to the long list of SeeByte collaborators and look forward to seeing the capabilities of this combined solution for high-resolution seabed intelligence.”
Greg Reid, CEO at Kraken said, “Kraken provides turnkey minehunting solutions which collect high quality data and turn it into high quality seabed intelligence – our customers use this to inform high quality decisions. Our sonar systems are used worldwide for critical decision-making, providing swaths up to 400m and constant resolutions of down to 2 cm x 2 cm. Having completed several integrations and customer demos with SeeByte, Kraken is excited to integrate with SeeByte’s advanced capabilities. This provides navies worldwide with the ability to seamlessly leverage SeeByte’s mission management tools to optimally plan, analyze and review Kraken’s high-resolution synthetic aperture sonar data.”
SeeByte and Kraken will demonstrate this collaboration at the NATO Exercise REPMUS 2024 in September and will continue to collaborate to advance products and solutions.
Subsea Supplies Limited appoints business development manager amidst continued growth
Prior to his appointment, Gary spent five years with Concept Cables Limited as business development manager, responsible for the design of cables to client specifications across the UK.
Gary said: “This is an exciting time to join the Subsea Supplies team, and I look forward to the opportunity to engage with advanced subsea technologies, collaborate with experienced professionals, and grow in a supportive work environment.
“The energy sector is in a time of transition, but one thing that remains the same is demand from clients for quality subsea equipment. As we look to expand our advanced service offerings into new markets, I’m confident our track record of exceptional customer service will continue.”
This latest hire follows several key appointments within Subsea Supplies Limited, which include the creation of roles for a marketing manager, and sales coordinator.
Pauline McCann, Subsea Supplies’ sales director added: “It’s a pleasure to welcome Gary to the team. His experience and understanding of the sector will allow us to widen our offerings to clients and support them in an ever-expanding portfolio of projects across the offshore space.
“We have spent almost 25 years’ building a trusted reputation as an international equipment supplier, from small local firms to global businesses, and I know Gary will help us continue to deliver quality solutions to the subsea industry.”
Subsea Supplies has been a provider of ROV, AUV, oil and gas, oceanographic and defence solutions since 2000 and has vast experience across the subsea and cables industry. The company is a partner to world-leading manufacturers of electrical and mechanical components, and a global distributor for Burton Subsea, Nexans, Sun Star Electric, Masto, Innerspace and Clear Com.
Subsea Supplies is the only Burton product range distributor in Europe to be certified to manufacture Burton cable and connector assemblies to Eaton standards.
Pliant Offshore partners with Exail to enhance wind turbine installation precision
Exail, a leading manufacturer of advanced inertial navigation systems (INS), has secured a new contract to supply three Hydrins INS to Pliant Offshore, an offshore measurement specialist. These units will be integrated into Pliant Offshore's Installation Measurement System (IMS) to improve the accuracy and efficiency of wind turbine installations.
Pliant Offshore's IMS is an innovative technology designed to provide real-time measurements of the inclination and position of structures, such as monopiles, during installation. The system uses 3D point cloud technology combined with laser sensors to measure and virtually reconstruct objects with high accuracy. The integration of Exail Hydrins INS enhances the system performance by providing precise positioning and motion compensation, even on moving vessels. This enables the IMS to take continuous measurements during the pile-driving process, guaranteeing the correct positioning and stability of wind turbines in challenging offshore conditions.
“We particularly value the offshore capabilities of the Exail Hydrins INS for our operations,” said Alex Heurkens, founder of Pliant Offshore. “This system effectively meets the challenges of our working environment. The Hydrins is extremely robust, reliable and provides highly accurate data, ensuring excellent stabilization of our system and saving offshore contractors valuable time in the field”.
“We are delighted to continue supporting Pliant Offshore in this ground-breaking project,” said Hans-Willem de Leeuw, Sales Director at Exail B.V. “Our Hydrins INS, designed for offshore applications, offers exceptional accuracy in position, velocity and orientation measurements. They are the ideal solution for enhancing the performance of the IMS laser scanner system and ensuring highly efficient and accurate wind turbine installations”.
Exail Hydrins INS has a proven track record in various offshore projects, recognized for its reliability in a wide range of installations. The Pliant Offshore IMS system, now enhanced with Exail inertial sensors, will soon be available for rental as well, building on its success in the installation of over 1,000 wind turbines worldwide.
“K” Line Wind Service and Acteon have signed Japanese floating wind demonstration collaboration agreement
"K" Line Wind Service Ltd (KWS), a subsidiary of the “K” LINE Group, and Acteon, the international marine energy and infrastructure services business, have signed a non-exclusive memorandum of understanding (MOU) that sets out how the companies will use each other's skills and services to collaboratively support the Japan’s Floating Offshore Wind project including demonstration and commercial projects.
InterMoor, Acteon’s moorings and anchors brand, will provide comprehensive mooring, transportation and installation engineering support to KWS for the desktop study of the commercial project and to support the offshore installation of the demo project.
Acteon provides mooring solutions for all types of floating assets, from design and engineering to decommissioning. These include anchor and mooring system construction; floating infrastructure positioning and hooking up; mooring installation and inspection; maintenance, repair and replacement services; and late-life disposal services.
KWS has been actively engaged in the field of floating offshore wind. In the Japan’s Floating Offshore Wind Research and Development program, NEDO Green Innovation Fund Phase 1,KWS conducted intensive research for efficient mooring methods for large-scale Floating Offshore Wind farms. For conducting actual towing and mooring of floating assets for demonstration and commercial projects, KWS aims to provide safer and more efficient transportation and installation services with InterMoor’s engineering support.
“We can ensure the success and efficiency of this critical project,” says Barry Parsons, Chief Commercial Officer, Acteon, “by combining our expertise and resources in engineering and offshore installations with KWS’s capabilities.”
“Acteon is an ideal collaboration partner,” says Teruki Kuramoto, President of KWS. “They have proven history of fixed and floating wind innovation. Combined with the "K" LINE Group's expertise in operating Offshore Support Vessels, we will help to drive innovation and sustainability in floating offshore wind energy in Japan.”
FMS’ latest contract adds to proven track record in floating offshore wind
Global mooring solutions expert, First Marine Solutions (FMS), has been selected by the BlueFloat Energy | Nadara Partnership to support its upcoming floating offshore wind developments.
The project activities will comprise engineering consultancy services pertaining to the partnership’s ScotWind (Broadshore and Bellrock) and INTOG (Sinclair and Scaraben) projects. With a predicted combined capacity of 2.3 GW, the projects could contribute significantly towards Scotland’s net-zero targets whilst maximising opportunities for the Scottish supply chain and encouraging local investment.
Managed and delivered by FMS’ Glasgow-based renewable energy consultancy and supported by specialists from its Aberdeen headquarters, the contract will see FMS undertake a number of services designed to inform the submission and conferment of the required offshore consents, with particular emphasis upon the environmental impact and technical feasibility of each development.
Drawing upon the company’s engineering, design and marine capabilities, the work scope focuses on mooring design screening and preliminary optimisation of concepts.
Steven Brown, FMS Managing Director, comments: “Since the inception of our renewable energy consultancy in 2020, we have been consistently developing the mooring and survey capabilities honed in the offshore oil and gas industry, in order to provide the offshore floating wind market with a comprehensive consultancy service designed to drive such landmark projects forward.
“We are therefore delighted to be working with as progressive and technically accomplished a partnership as BlueFloat Energy | Nadara, and we view this latest contract award as a significant addition to the proven track record we have been building in this field, both in the UK and overseas.”
David Robertson, Portfolio Director, Scotland at BlueFloat Energy | Nadara Partnership, said: "Knowledge and skills transferred from the oil and gas industry will be key to advancing our floating wind ambitions in Scotland and we’re confident that FMS’s experience in both operational and conceptual designs will input greatly into our ScotWind and INTOG projects going forward."