OceanTools launch new C7 Colour Subsea Camera with light ring
OceanTools, global supplier of underwater technology, launch the new C7 colour camera adding to their extensive industry leading range of high specification subsea cameras. Differing from its sister products, the OceanTools C7 multipurpose subsea camera has an integral high intensity controllable light ring to illuminate the underwater environment, providing clear video footage at depths down to 6000m.
The compact C7 subsea observation camera offers an impressive 800 TVL resolution composite video output with a Wide Dynamic Range providing superb video quality under all lighting conditions. The integral light ring has 12 LEDs that can provide light output of up to 2,250 lumens.
The unique design is manufactured from Grade 5 Titanium and features separate Sapphire windows for the camera and light ring, to eliminate reflected light.
Brian Hector, Technical Sales Manager, OceanTools said “I am very proud of the C7 addition to the ever-expanding family of high specification OceanTools cameras. The C7 has been designed with specific customers’ requirements in mind and utilises the latest CMOS sensor camera technology and high efficiency ultra-bright LED’s in a very small 6000m package. We believe the C7 is the smallest camera currently on the market to be able to offer very high-resolution SD video and integrated LED lamps making it truly versatile”.
The C7 product announcement follows a series of pioneering releases for OceanTools including the high performance C6 Colour Zoom camera producing advanced video imagery at resolutions up to 1080p, launched earlier this year.
For further information on OceanTools products and services, visit www.oceantools.co.uk or email [email protected]
Tech firm playing key role in Antarctic science voyage
Bath-based wireless technology specialists Icoteq are supporting two young Scottish brothers, aged 10 and 12, in an epic 20,000 kilometres voyage to send two replica ships to circumnavigate Antarctica in what is thought to be a world first.
Icoteq has designed tracking and monitoring devices for the vessels that will report back via satellite the location of each boat throughout the journey and sensor data measuring sea temperature and ocean pH – both of which can be used as markers for climate change. Images from an integrated camera will also be sent once per month.
The metre-long scaled wooden replicas of 19th century warships, HMS Erebus, and HMS Terror, will drift through the Southern Ocean following the circumpolar current around the coastline of Antarctica in an expedition – known as Project Erebus.
“We were contacted by the boys’ father MacNeill Ferguson to ask if we could advise him on the best tracker to buy online to fit to the boats,” said Craig Rackstraw, who founded Icoteq in 2013 and lives in Wells, Somerset. “We were so inspired by his sons’ mission, we offered to build the technology for them.
“We developed a custom tracking and data monitoring device that incorporates a GPS receiver, air and ocean temperature probes, a pH probe to measure ocean acidity and a forward-facing camera. Position and scientific data will be sent back to us using an ARGOS satellite communication link.
“The boys will hopefully provide inspiration to other children and families. They’re both extremely hands on and have worked hard to make this happen. They built the boats as far as possible by themselves – and where they have had to get professional help, it’s all been given for free.”
Craig said, if successful could show that low-cost sensors, such as those used on Ollie and Harry’s expedition, could be a viable way to help monitor climate change.
“This is currently done using expensive complex equipment. If low-cost sensors combined with citizen science, can contribute to the gathering of important scientific data, it could open the doorway for larger scale monitoring at a fraction of the price.”
Icoteq – whose previous work includes developing a new generation of satellite tracking equipment aimed at sea turtles and a plastic pollution tracker for a National Geographic-backed expedition – will feature a dedicated Erebus page on its website with a map that will track the two boats, along with a monthly camera image sent via satellite.
“It’s like a mission to Mars,” said Harry Ferguson, 10. “We cannot rescue the boats once they are launched so we have to plan every detail.”
The vessels are due to leave for South Georgia in the Southern Atlantic and will be handed over to the territory’s government who will take the boats on board a fisheries patrol vessel from which they will be launched 160 kms north into the Antarctic Circumpolar Current.
Project Erebus is the latest adventure for Ollie and Harry from Aberdeenshire, who previously set the world record for the longest distance travelled at sea by a toy boat with their Playmobil pirate ship ‘Adventure’ which sailed 6072km to the Caribbean as part of their list of 500 adventures.
They went on to smash their own world record last year with a second toy ship, that managed to sail over 15,000 km through the Caribbean and the Gulf of Mexico.
For further information on Icoteq visit: https://www.icoteq.com/
APPG for the Ocean launches inquiry into Blue Carbon and Ocean-Based Solutions to Climate Change
The All-Party Parliamentary Group for the Ocean has recently launched its first inquiry into ocean-based solutions to climate change and the role of blue carbon. This inquiry also looks into the benefits offered by ocean-based solutions, and the funding, research and solutions needed for supporting blue carbon.
The APPG for the Ocean is a cross-party group of MPs and Peers that seeks to provide a collective space where all parliamentarians can support and promote ocean research and awareness, to develop greater understanding of the ocean and its role in tackling challenges such as climate change, and to debate wider ocean issues.
This inquiry, which is the APPG’s first since its launch in May 2022, will cover Great Britain, Northern Ireland and all relevant overseas territories and will run until Wednesday 10 August 2022.
APPG Chair Sally-Ann Hart MP commented:
“I’m delighted to announce the launch of this important inquiry into blue carbon and ocean-based solutions. This is a topic close to my own interests, and as Chair of the APPG for the Ocean, I am pleased that the APPG’s first inquiry is examining the integral role of the ocean in tackling climate change.”
For further information on the inquiry and a full list of the questions, please contact [email protected].
Fugro partners with EMODnet to advance ocean sustainability in Europe
Fugro is now an Associated Partner of the European Marine Observation and Data Network (EMODnet), a long term EU initiative to make diverse sources of marine data freely and uniformly available to all. Beneficiaries of this work include policy makers, scientists, private industry and the public. The Fugro EMODnet partnership was formalised earlier this week and will focus on expanding private sector collaboration and marine data sharing in support of a sustainable blue economy.
Planned partnership activities tightly align with Fugro’s industry-leading involvement in two global ocean science initiatives: The Nippon Foundation-GEBCO Seabed 2030 Project (Seabed 2030) and the United Nations Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development 2021-2030 (Ocean Decade). An early output of the partnership will be the direct delivery of crowdsourced bathymetry acquired by Fugro for Seabed 2030 into the EMODnet data services.
Dr. Kate Larkin, EMODnet’s Deputy Head of Secretariat, said: “We are delighted to welcome Fugro into the EMODnet community as an Associated Partner. Fugro has such a wealth of high-quality marine environmental and human activities data and information that can be useful for many applications, from operations at sea, to research, ocean governance and beyond. This partnership will connect Fugro’s wealth of experience in marine geospatial data with EMODnet expertise in marine data management, best practices and services to make more private-sector data open and freely accessible to all. This is a win-win for Fugro, EMODnet and for marine data users around the world, particularly at a time when high-quality, trusted marine data and information has never been more crucial to deliver solutions to the unprecedented societal challenges facing us today.”
Dr. Marco Filippone, Fugro’s Solution Director Hydrography, said: “Our new partnership with EMODnet gives us an important opportunity to ramp up our ongoing contribution to the Ocean Decade and Seabed 2030 global initiatives. It perfectly complements our September 2021 partnership agreement with the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (IOC-UNESCO) to coordinate and boost access to global ocean science data. We look forward to discussing marine data interoperability with EMODnet, IOC-UNESCO and other ocean-focused organisations during an official ‘side event’ at the UN Ocean Conference in Lisbon on 29 June.”
Ocean Infinity to establish green shipping corridor between Scandinavia and Northern Europe
Enova funding award to support technology development to enable green logistics
Ocean Infinity, in pursuit of its’ objective of transforming maritime operations through the deployment of innovative technologies, is excited to announce the development of zero-emission, remotely operated and autonomous ready, short sea container vessels that will operate between Norway and the Netherlands, creating one of Europe’s first zero-emission maritime ‘green corridors’.
In partnership with Samskip B.V, a global logistics company and one of Europe’s largest transport companies, Ocean Infinity will be building 2 new “SeaShuttle” container vessels, developing and integrating a hydrogen fuel cell power systems, delivering up to 3.2Mw of power.
Partial funding of €15M towards the “SeaShuttle” programme will be provided by Enova, which focuses on contributing to the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions and is owned by the Norwegian Ministry of Climate and Environment.
This announcement, building on the COP26 Clydebank Declaration commitment to establishing a global network of green corridors by 2025, signals the beginning of an exciting collaboration between Samskip B.V. and Ocean Infinity to deliver zero-emission, efficient and safe, multi-modal logistics across a global maritime network.
Christoffer Jorgenvag, Ocean Infinity CCO, commented:
“Ocean Infinity’s enabling technologies can facilitate green corridors but also the broader decarbonisation and transformation of maritime operations. The emphasis today is on the SeaShuttle vessels, which are just part of Ocean Infinity’s overall strategy of unlocking innovation to deliver truly sustainable maritime operations. We would like to thank Enova for their support for our vision which represents a firm endorsement of our ground-breaking approach and allows us to proceed at full speed in bringing this project to life.”
Contacts and Further Information: [email protected] or oceaninfinity.com
Nine Flag States join the MASSPeople working group to collaborate on remote and autonomous operator training standards
The introduction of remote and autonomous technology has brought new ways of working to the maritime sector, and MASSPeople aims to explore the human dimension of remote operations enabled by maritime autonomous surface ships (MASS).
MASSPeople was launched in early 2021 with the task of bringing focus to the people behind the technology revolution currently gripping the maritime industry. The working group founded and chaired by Fugro with support from SeaBot Maritime has brought together multiple national maritime authorities representing the Netherlands, United Kingdom, Norway, Belgium, Denmark, France, New Zealand, Italy and Poland, to share in the challenge of developing world-class training and competency standards for the workforce of tomorrow. The involvement at the Flag State level is key for driving the conversation to the highest regulatory tables with the aim of aligning international standards and enabling MASS operators.
MASSPeople will work to develop new job profiles for the people involved in ensuring the safe operation of MASS. These profiles will inform recommendations on new competency standards for discussion at the International Maritime Organisation (IMO), where currently, a roadmap containing scope, steps and timelines is being prepared by the Maritime Safety Committee (MSC).
By focusing on the people who will operate this new technology, the group aims to ensure that workforce skills evolve effectively and align with high industry safety standards.
Ross Macfarlane, Fugro Remote Operations Program Manager UAE and Chairperson of the MASSPeople group, said: "By establishing MASSPeople, we are preparing for the future and the transition to remote and autonomous technology, which is already changing the way our industry operates. The involvement of the 9 Flag States in this group highlights the importance of people in the conversation when it comes to realising this new technology and how to effectively legislate for its introduction. This new technology contributes to creating a safe and liveable world, but ultimately, our people make change happen, and MASSPeople will ensure they are fully trained and supported in their important mission."
FET’s advanced submarine rescue vehicle successfully completes sea trials
Forum Energy Technologies (FET) has successfully completed sea trials for its highly advanced submarine rescue vehicle (SRV) ahead of its deployment for an Asia Pacific-based navy.
The sea trials tested the SRV’s capabilities to perform a variety of demanding operations, including deep dives, navigation, and mating with a target. In country commissioning and testing took two months to complete with nine FET personnel assisting throughout the trial.
Working closely with the navy and Lloyd’s Register (LR), the sea trials followed an extensive commissioning period and factory acceptance test, which took place at FET’s test tank in Kirbymoorside, Yorkshire, UK. LR offered third party verification and supervised every part of the sea trials.
The LR-class SRV is divided into two sections, a command module for pilots and a rescue chamber for the rescue chamber operator and people being rescued. Built to meet the most up-to-date industry standards, it is capable of rescuing up to 17 people at a time and operate at depths of up to 600m.
The new model has increased power and an advanced auxiliary thruster control system that allows for speeds approaching four knots, enabling it to operate in high currents. The vehicle is able to attach to submarines at highly precarious angles above 40 degrees.
This world-class SRV joins a small group of rescue systems in use around the globe and is designed to extract submariners from distress situations using the most cutting-edge technologies. It has been designed with safety in mind, boasting easily removable panels to assist with maintenance operations and ensure the safety of people.
The state-of-the-art submersible vehicle also has some of the most advanced sensors and sonars to locate a distressed submarine as quickly as possible, including a doppler velocity log, fiber optic gyroscope, sonar, and depth sensing. All sensors and sonar systems are fully embedded into FET’s software to deliver advanced functionality, including automatic depth, heading and piloting capabilities.
Kevin Taylor, FET’s Vice President - Subsea Vehicles, commented: “The SRV’s successful sea trials marks another accomplishment for the company as we continue to bring the latest technology to the industry. The vehicle is highly reliable and its capabilities make it ideally suited to a wide range of operations in the defence market and the Lloyd’s Register stamp of approval will assure clients that the SRV performs to the highest possible standards.
“This is a huge achievement for the business and a testament to our highly experienced engineering, QHSE, purchasing, planning and production teams. I would like to commend my colleagues for persevering in the face of challenges brought on by the Covid pandemic and the logistical complications of managing an international project at this difficult time.”
The scope of the contract also included FET’s experts providing training for navy pilots as part of a comprehensive programme, which encompassed theoretical training, maintenance, and practical aspects such as diving and recovery.
Vision unveiled for first of its kind hydrogen cluster in the East of England
Hydrogen is set to play a key part in the government’s policies for delivering Net Zero by 2050. The East of England is taking a central role through a first-of-its-kind hydrogen cluster centred on core electrolyser projects, say hydrogen experts Hydrogen East as they unveil their vision for what it may look like.
Norfolk and Suffolk in particular, say the body, can make a significant contribution in bringing clean hydrogen’s potential to the surface, supporting the Hydrogen Strategy laid out in the Energy Security Strategy earlier this year.
The east is a forerunner in the race to net zero, with its hydrogen capabilities already being spoken about in Westminster. Peter Aldous, MP for Waveney, delivered a speech on the “The Future Hydrogen Economy” as part of a debate in the Houses of Parliament on 14th June and then went on to say:
"Whilst I understand the rationale behind the Government's cluster-driven approach to the hydrogen economy, the regulatory framework must be sufficiently flexible to ensure that smaller scale projects in decentralised areas like the East of England are able to realise their full potential.
In East Anglia we have a real opportunity to be a major producer, user and exporter of hydrogen. We have an abundance of resources, infrastructure—both on land and at sea—that can be readily retrofitted, and developers keen to step up to the plate, provided that the right policies are in place. That way, we can not only more readily realise our decarbonisation goals but create new and exciting jobs for local people".
The region aspires to become the UK’s Clean Growth Region, as originally outlined in the Local Industrial Strategy. Energy giants, including ScottishPower Renewables and Vattenfall, have already received the go ahead for projects in the offshore wind sector as well as new nuclear being developed by EDF at Sizewell C. All projects are set to bring a magnitude of opportunities, investment, and further energy integration to the region.
Hydrogen East look to lead the development of a clean hydrogen cluster in the East of England, strengthening the foundation of an attractive region that is primed and ready for the development of diverse hydrogen projects. Initially, the proposal outlines six “core” electrolyser sites across Norfolk and Suffolk, paving the way for development and improved infrastructure to be implemented and then further scaled as the demand for clean hydrogen grows.
Nigel Cornwall, Director for Hydrogen East, said: “Hydrogen is such a versatile element and, with the ability to be deployed across a variety of sectors, we should be looking to it as a powerful tool that can aid us in the transition to Net Zero.”
“It should be considered as a complement to electrification and increased roll-out of renewable generation. Already, a number of demonstrator projects are on-going around the country testing hydrogen for heat, power and transport in regions such as Aberdeen and Teesside.”
“Here in the east, we need to establish our hydrogen pathway in a way that aligns with its distinct characteristics, including pathways into nuclear power, offshore wind and major energy hubs like Bacton,” he concluded.
Andy Holyland, General Manager for Hydrogen East, explains, “the East of England has always been a key contributor in delivering the nation’s energy requirements and the integration of hydrogen will only further bolster this position, providing energy flexibility and security.
Discussing what a proactive hydrogen cluster in the east could deliver: “Through analysis of local assets and data and continued engagement with local stakeholders, a cluster could identify opportunities whereby concept designs illustrating viability can be produced. Supply and demand could be balanced and add real value. In addition, projects will be de-risked through the establishment of multi-stakeholder collaboration, engineering studies and demonstration projects. Cluster commitments and guidance would support further research, developing business models, raising investment and sourcing appropriate funding. Through the clean hydrogen cluster, the hydrogen economy could be scaled and grown over time to maximise potential and build bespoke energy networks.”
“Through the development of a hydrogen cluster, we can create touchpoints with a variety of different sectors, supply-chains, and organisation types, ensuring the East of England leads the way and doesn’t accept the prospect of being an adopter of second or third generation technology and assets” he said.
Hydrogen East would like to invite anyone interested in joining a consortium to contact us and explore how our vision for the East of England can align with your organisation
With the promise of hydrogen in the region, Hydrogen East’s team is growing rapidly and are on the lookout experienced analysts and project managers to join their growing team as the sector gains momentum.
For more information, please visit https://hydrogeneast.uk/.
Seaforth Geosurveys adds iXblue Gaps M5 USBL to its pool of survey equipment
Seaforth Geosurveys, a leading Canadian marine survey company, recently acquired iXblue new Gaps M5 USBL system to support data acquisition for marine geophysical survey projects, including one in the Canadian Arctic as well as multiple other projects such as support of sidescan sonar operations during lost and abandoned fishing gear (Ghost Gear) identification and retrieval efforts.
“Having rented the iXblue Gaps USBL systems for many years to conduct our subsea positioning operations, we were always pleased with the highly accurate results provided by the system for the tracking of subsea vehicles and towfish,” says Jonathon Randall, Technical Manager at Seaforth Geosurveys. “The system’s performance, as well as its ease of use thanks to its calibration-free feature, played a big role in our decision to purchase the iXblue Gaps USBL, as this can save an appreciable amount of time in the field. The Gaps M5’s simultaneous tracking capability further makes it the perfect fit for all applications requiring highly accurate and reliable tracking and positioning of multiple assets, such as the marine geomatics operations we run.”
The latest addition to iXblue’s USBL product range, Gaps M5 has already been adopted by many companies worldwide. It offers accurate positioning and tracking of subsea assets and provides unrivaled horizontal tracking capabilities and high-precision geo-referenced positioning, especially in shallow waters where it has shown accuracy better than 0.5% up to 995m water depths. It is a medium-frequency ultra-short baseline (USBL) system combined with an Attitude & Heading Reference System (AHRS) based on fiber-optic gyrocompass (FOG) technology. With no calibration required, it can be easily deployed and operated from any vessel of opportunity. Free of export, the new Gaps M5 is quick and easy to ship anywhere in the world, saving even more operational time and offering efficiency on the field.
“We would like to thank Seaforth Geosurveys for being a long-time, valued customer and adopter of iXblue solutions and for trusting our Gaps M5 system to add to their arsenal. It is highly gratifying to hear from our customers about the Gaps M5’s accuracy, reliability and ease-of-use and that it is providing them value and operational cost savings in challenging conditions. Last, but definitely not the least, we appreciate tremendously the relationship we fostered along the way.” says Shayan Haque, Business Development Manager for iXblue Inc.
#MMF64 Speaker Agenda Released
Marine Measurement Forum 64, hosted by RS Aqua, is almost here. Taking place in Port Solent on 6th July, the event is set to have a variety of speakers united by a common theme of cross-sector collaboration.
With abstract submissions now closed, RS Aqua is happy to announce the event speakers have been confirmed. Being the return of the event series, RS Aqua and MMF are honoured to have received such a wide range of speaker applications from leading maritime organisations and companies.
The agenda will be sectioned into themes including marine science, seabed exploration, large-scale projects, and science optimisation, promising a truly insightful and valuable networking event.
The speaker agenda is now confirmed and can be viewed on the RS Aqua website, here.
More details around the speaker agenda will be announced in the coming week on RS Aqua's LinkedIn. If you have not secured your space, do not delay as ticket sales close on 20th June and there are less than 50% available.
