International subsea equipment rental and solutions specialist Ashtead Technology has appointed Phil Middleton as Survey and Robotics Director.
The appointment underlines the company’s strategic growth plans as it looks to further strengthen its market-leading market position internationally for its survey and robotics service line.
Mr Middleton brings a wealth of experience to the role having held various senior positions in the subsea technology sector, most recently with MacArtney Group where he was UK Managing Director. Prior to that, Phil was Group Managing Director at Seatronics, a post he held for over five years during his 17 years with the business.
In his new role, Phil will work with the senior management and regional teams to further strengthen existing capability across Ashtead Technology’s core markets and drive forward the company’s ambitious growth strategy.
Allan Pirie, Ashtead Technology’s CEO, said: “Attracting someone of Phil’s calibre into the business is a great endorsement of our strategy and ambition. He has strong industry experience, as well as considerable knowledge of the subsea equipment rentals sector which will complement the talent, expertise and capabilities of our existing team.
“Phil’s appointment will help accelerate the delivery of our growth plans as we continue to enhance our capabilities and expand our technology and service offering across all key offshore energy markets to support our customers globally.”
Phil Middleton, Ashtead Technology’s Survey and Robotics Director, said: “Ashtead Technology is an ambitious company with a first-class reputation. Through strategic acquisition and ongoing investment in people and new technologies, the company has significantly enhanced its expertise, subsea equipment rental fleet and service offering over the years to become the market-leader in its field.
“I am thrilled to be joining the talented team at Ashtead Technology and playing a key part in the next stage of its growth.”
MacArtney Offshore Wind Solutions, part of the MacArtney Group, recruits Bjarne Siig as the new General Manager. With over 20 years of global experience at top management level in the wind energy sector, he will bring the division through growth.
Bjarne Siig will head MacArtney’s wind division, supplying handling and installation equipment, including cable carousels, offshore power quadrants, tensioners and service solutions.
"I'm enthusiastic about this new task with MacArtney Offshore Wind Solutions. A hub for experience and expertise; comprising many great people with the will to succeed and establish the framework for solving future tasks together. I am happy to be here!" Bjarne states.
Partner with the industry
MacArtney Offshore Wind Solutions near Holstebro in Denmark is a division under the MacArtney Group. It builds on more than 40 years of experience producing handling equipment for the marine segment. Its currently 45 employees are well equipped to continue own production, development, sales and service of the product portfolio targeted at offshore wind customers.
Bjarne Siig wishes to motivate the entire value chain and MacArtney's own employees through inspiration, vision, values, teamwork and challenging each other. Backing this is the aim to partner with the wind industry, delivering unique equipment and customised solutions to support effective installation and service offshore.
"Our strength - and standing - lies in complete system solutions. We own and include all value chain steps from engineering, automation and production to service. We offer smart solutions bringing value to the customer," Bjarne Siig continues.
Furthermore, there is an ongoing priority on maintaining good and close customer relations, enabling guidance, support and availability in the rapidly increasing wind market.
40 years of experience
Bjarne Siig believes there is a significant market for MacArtney to exploit within the installation of wind farms. It is a strength that MacArtney has more than 40 years of experience in product development and technology from the maritime market, which is directly applicable to the offshore wind segment.
MacArtney CEO Niels Peter Christiansen supports this premise:
"We are happy to see Bjarne Siig join MacArtney Offshore Wind Solutions as General Manager. Bjarne brings many years of experience from the industry, which will be instrumental for expanding the division’s product portfolio and increasing the activities in a growing offshore wind market."
Bjarne Siig is 51 years old, married with two sons and lives in Ulfborg, close to MacArtney's factory in Bur, where he will be based. Before his time with Gurit, Siig spent many years with Vestas in the Blade Production division, based in Denmark, Germany, and China.
Fugro has extended its Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Underwater Survey Technology 21 (UST21) following strong demand for combined geophysical, geotechnical and metocean data services, launched 2019, to support South Korea’s ambitious expansion of wind power assets.
The two-year renewed agreement will enable Fugro, assisted by UST21’s local hydrographic expertise, to provide a comprehensive package of Geo-data collection, interpretation and advice to help a growing client base achieve successful outcomes.
Fugro has drawn on its full range of marine site characterisation services over the past three years, with UST21’s hydrographic mapping capabilities being integral in creating a unique synergy and scope of services between Fugro and UST21, along with a clear understanding of the regional market and its operational challenges. The extended MOU signals that Fugro and UST21 are committed to longevity in South Korea and inspiring client confidence that delivery excellence in the geoscience data they need is available within the fast growing offshore wind market.
Jerry Paisley, Fugro’s Regional Director for Marine Site Characterisation, said: “We are pleased to announce the extension of our Memorandum of Understanding with UST21 in South Korea. We believe it demonstrates Fugro’s commitment to this emerging market and our desire to establish long-term relationships within Korea. Our aim is to maximise the value and benefits of our innovative digital solutions, experienced personnel and regional resources in the delivery of market-leading geoscience data, precisely tailored to the needs of the client and their wind energy challenges.”
The United Kingdom Hydrographic Office (UKHO) is the UK’s agency providing hydrographic and geospatial data to mariners and maritime organisations across the world.
Feeding into a number of UK Government Programmes, this framework will cover offshore, coastal and nearshore work, and looks to leverage the latest advances in hydrographic equipment and platform technology to deliver high quality, low carbon hydrographic data. Data collected will assist the UKHO in updating navigational charts and publications, while also supporting the management and protection of the marine environment.
For more details on the tender and details on how to register your interest, please visit https://www.delta-esourcing.com/tenders/UK-UK-Taunton:-Hydrographic-surveying-services./M83PW2966B. Tenders are due on the 14th July 2022.
New findings from the record-breaking Tongan volcanic eruption are “surprising and unexpected”, say scientists from New Zealand’s National Institute for Water and Atmospheric Research (NIWA).
NIWA’s research vessel, RV Tangaroa, has returned from a month-long expedition as part of the Nippon Foundation-funded Tonga Eruption Seabed Mapping Project (TESMaP), where scientists were studying the effects of January’s eruption of Hunga Tonga–Hunga Ha'apai (HT – HH).
Due to the power of the explosion, researchers expected to find dramatic changes to the volcano, but instead found it largely intact.
The research is also supported by The Nippon Foundation-GEBCO Seabed 2030 Project which aims to map the world’s ocean floor by 2030. NIWA mapped 22,000 square kilometres of the surrounding seafloor, which showed changes covering an area of 8,000 square kilometres.
NIWA scientists recorded up to seven cubic kilometres of displaced material – the equivalent of 5 Wellington Harbours or 3 million Olympic-sized swimming pools – but there is likely more yet to be seen. Tonga’s domestic internet cable that was broken and cut off communication is buried under 30 metres of ash and sediment.
The voyage leader, NIWA marine geologist Kevin Mackay, says that he was completely taken aback by what they first saw.
“With an explosion that violent – the biggest ever recorded – you would expect that the whole volcano would have been obliterated, but it wasn’t. While the volcano appeared intact, the seafloor showed some dramatic effects from the eruption. There is fine sandy mud and deep ash ripples as far as 50 kilometres away from the volcano, with gouged valleys and huge piles of sediment.”
The team also studied impacts on the ecosystem. The volcano is devoid of biology, but remarkably there are features as close as 15 kilometres away that still have abundant and diverse populations of fish and other animals. Scientists speculate that they escaped impact by being out of the eruption flow’s pathway, or far enough away to avoid thick ash fall.
NIWA marine biologist Dr Malcolm Clark says that having healthy life close by is a positive sign.
“Although the seafloor on the volcano is largely barren, surrounding seamounts have pockets of normal biodiversity, such as corals, sponges, starfish, and mussels, indicating the resilience of such marine ecosystems and giving some hope for recovery. More work needs to be done before we can be confident of how the ecosystem will respond, but these surviving animal communities indicate what kind of life may repopulate HT-HH. The sites sampled during the voyage give us a baseline for monitoring recovery in the future.”
NIWA also tested the water column for physical and chemical characteristics, including temperature, nutrients, and oxygen concentration.
Preliminary data shows that the water column is still recovering, and some airborne ash is yet to completely settle on the seafloor. There is also evidence that the volcano may still be erupting, with a dense ash layer found in the upper water column near the volcano.
NIWA biogeochemist Dr Sarah Seabrook says the persistence of ash they saw in the water column has a myriad of impacts on the ocean ecosystem.
“In the immediate aftermath of an eruption, volcanic ash fertilises microscopic ocean algae thanks to the ash’s concentration of nutrients and trace metals - in this case, there was a bloom of life so big that we could see it from space.
“However, the unexpected persistence of the ash in the water column is creating prolonged impacts. For example, spikes in volcanic ash were coupled to the appearance of oxygen minimum zones – where oxygen levels in the water are at their lowest - which could have implications for important services provided by the ocean, such as food production and carbon sequestration.”
Scientists also collected hundreds of samples during their mission, including seabed cores, various corals and 250 kilograms of rock, some of which were newly formed from the eruption.
The TESMaP project provides a unique opportunity to study the effects of an undersea volcano, which has huge implications for nations and ecosystems that live near these natural wonders.
Fisheries are a vital part of Tonga’s economy and subsistence, with species such as snapper and tuna being key to the region. There has been a reduction in some of Tonga's fleet, with many boats damaged in the tsunami which followed the eruption. Rebuilding the fleet is the highest priority and it will be a while before it is fully understood how fisheries have been impacted.
The mission has also given important insight into the fate of the broken domestic internet cable, with strong indications that this will need to be fully replaced.
Tonga’s Deputy Secretary for Lands and Natural Resources Taaniela Kula says this work is vital for the recovery of Tonga.
“The eruption sent shockwaves around the world, but the effects were felt most keenly in Tonga. It was a miracle to lose so few lives (God rest their souls), but our streets, crops, air, and waters were devastated.
“We, along with other nations on the Pacific Ring of Fire, know only too well how at mercy we are to nature. By studying an unprecedented event like this in such detail, we will gain invaluable knowledge and experience so we can recover quickly and be prepared for the next time something like this happens.”
The Nippon Foundation’s Executive Director Mitsuyuki Unno mirrored Mr Kula’s words.
“The eruption of Tonga’s underwater volcano is not ‘fire on the opposite shore’ but is also of great relevance to us living in Japan. We enjoy the ocean’s rich blessings but are faced with the risk of natural disasters that come with being an island nation on the Pacific Rim.
“This project is being conducted in the hope that understanding the effects of the volcanic eruption will contribute to the recovery of Tonga, where the sea is an important resource, and to the disaster preparedness of many countries, including Japan.”
The second part of the TESMaP mission will see the caldera mapped by an uncrewed surface vessel (USV), which was built by SEA-KIT International and is currently being transported from the UK. The caldera was unable to be surveyed during NIWA’s voyage because of safety reasons.
CEO of SEA-KIT Mr Ben Simpson says their vessel will fill in the final pieces of the puzzle.
“Our USV Maxlimer will map the current shape of the caldera and measure environmental conditions of the water above it, which are things we don’t yet know. Maxlimer will be controlled remotely from Essex in the UK, which is 16,000km away! The unmanned vessel will also use an innovative winch and sensor deployment capability to map any new volcanic activity. This is a truly global effort to get the full picture of a globally significant event, and we’re delighted to play our part in it”.
The unmanned part of the research mission to study the caldera is expected to be completed in mid-July.
Three-dimensional map of the underwater Hunga volcano built from NIWA multibeam data
The Nippon Foundation-GEBCO Seabed 2030 Project has entered into a memorandum of understanding with the Ocean Research Project (ORP). The parties will work together to support the global effort in pursuit of mapping the world’s ocean floor, especially in polar regions through ORP’s upcoming expedition, GO-MARIE.
The GO-MARIE (Glacier-Oceans Mapping & Research Interdisciplinary Effort) program is a 2022 expedition which is also the motivation for the maiden voyage of the organization’s flagship, the RV Marie Tharp. A 22m Bruce Roberts steel schooner, the vessel is custom-built to navigate uncharted polar territory. There will be a base crew of ten including rotating ocean science experts joining legs of the voyage.
“We are delighted to partner with Ocean Research Project, and to support the launch of GO-MARIE,” commented Seabed 2030 Project Director, Jamie McMichael-Phillips.
“Throughout her voyage, RV Marie Tharp will no doubt play an invaluable role in helping us get closer to mapping the gaps and solving this puzzle – especially as she ventures into complex uncharted polar and sub-polar regions.”
Just under 80 per cent of the Earth’s seabed is yet to be mapped, including much of the coastline of the Greenland Ice Sheet. As the sea ice retreats, these coastal areas – which are critical spatial datasets required to improve global climate models – become accessible for bathymetric survey.
ORP’s Science Director Nicole Trenholm is coordinating the international science mission of higher latitudes for GO-MARIE. “It is essential that we extend mapping activities across the glacial impacted coastal oceans,” Nicole explains, “data from these regions will be used to enhance the accuracy of regional climate model estimates on glacial melt due to global warming.
“In addition to supporting the Seabed 2030 mission, this expedition will take action towards the United National Sustainable Development Goals relative to oceanographic research.”
Seabed 2030 is a collaborative project between The Nippon Foundation and GEBCO to inspire the complete mapping of the world's ocean by 2030, and to compile all bathymetric data into the freely available GEBCO Ocean Map. GEBCO is a joint programme of the International Hydrographic Organization (IHO) and the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC) and is the only organisation with a mandate to map the entire ocean floor. Seabed 2030 is a flagship programme of the Ocean Decade.
ORP is a non-profit organisation committed to eco-friendly ocean discovery. The organisation identifies expeditions which enable small, core teams of researchers to gather critical data from remote and sensitive areas worldwide – this information will better enable us to make decisive factors impacting the ocean’s health.
RV Marie Tharp will set sail in the summer for an extensive two-month mission in southern Greenland.
All data collected and shared with the Seabed 2030 Project is included in the GEBCO global grid, which is free and publicly available.
RBR, a global leader in oceanographic instruments, now guarantees to complete calibration of qualifying instruments in three weeks or less. The new Three or Free guarantee bucks current COVID-related trends towards longer lead times on products and services, at a time when global oceanographic research activity is picking up the pace.
"We want to get RBR users back in the water as fast as possible", says RBR President, Greg Johnson. "That's why we've invested heavily to expand our calibration lab and increase capacity. We're proud that we can offer a reliable three-week turnaround time and stand behind it with our new Three or Free guarantee."
The guarantee is simple. RBR will inspect, calibrate, and ship qualifying instruments within three weeks of receiving them or the calibration is free. Most instruments will qualify, with the exception of titanium instruments, instruments in cages, thermistor strings, non-RBR sensors, or instruments integrated into floats, gliders, or AUVs. "We'll even cover multiple instruments in one shipment, up to a total of 15 channels of calibration", says Mark Stacey, Technical Support Manager.
"If instruments don't qualify or we find they need repair, we will provide an expected completion date within a couple of business days", says Stacey. "We want to simplify deployment planning for our customers, so great communication is as important as fast, efficient service."
MacArtney, the world leader in underwater technology, has appointed 52-year-old Kevin Murray as the Managing Director of MacArtney UK, based in Aberdeen. Murray has held the position of Sales Director since joining the company in March 2021 and looks forward immensely to taking on a much broader role with the company.
"I'm delighted to be able to take over from Phil, even after such a relatively short time with MacArtney. We have worked closely together, and I have benefited enormously from the gradual transition combining our expertise and knowledge of the industry. At Group level, we have identified goals for the UK. With my background, I can put my efforts into further refining processes and efficiency and strengthen both sales and operations to achieve them. My aim now is to carry on growing MacArtney UK within the fields of offshore energy, ocean science and defence, marketing MacArtney's world-class products within connectivity, data systems and Launch and Recovery".
Murray gained a BA in Business Studies and the CIM Diploma in Marketing in 1992, working in fields such as media and hospitality before moving into the underwater technology field in 1999 with CDL. He made his first contact with MacArtney there, as CDL were a MacArtney agent at the time. He later moved to Ashtead Technology – another MacArtney agent at the time – where he spent a total of 10 years, rising to Sales Director. He takes over the position of Managing Director from Phil Middleton.
Business philosophy
Murray’s background in sales has ingrained a solid belief in building strong customer relationships on a one-to-one basis, something not made easy over the last couple of years of lockdown. Under his leadership, the sales team will keep focusing on meeting their customers and building personal relationships, trust, and confidence to provide input and further collaboration. Murray believes the result is long-term sustainability for MacArtney and for the customer. As he puts it: “The use of Teams, Zoom and the like during the pandemic has provided a good alternative, but I still firmly believe in primarily meeting the customer face-to-face and will continue to make that part of MacArtney UK’s philosophy.”
Challenges and opportunities
MacArtney’s UK operations are one of the Group’s largest outside of Denmark and offer the complete MacArtney range of underwater connectivity and technology products and solutions. This includes workshop facilities, where the focus is on the company’s core competencies, such as moulding cables and servicing the UK market with high-quality connectivity products. Opportunities for growth exist in the offshore sectors, including wind power, where the UK is a world leader in offshore wind farms. The UK government is funding transition to offshore wind, a sector in which MacArtney’s products are invaluable.
With Kevin Murray at the helm, the Group looks forward to continued growth and optimisation of the rich UK market potential. MacArtney CEO Niels Peter Christiansen rounds off:
“I am very happy to see an internal candidate ready to step up as Managing Director for MacArtney UK. Kevin will ensure continuity in the management team at a time of profitable growth”.
Irish based international ocean data company, XOCEAN, announced today that it has completed the acquisition of Geomara, a specialist hydrographic survey company, as part of its strategic global growth plan. The announcement follows the investment of €8m in September 2021 aimed to accelerate XOCEAN’s growth. Carbon-neutral XOCEAN is driving down emissions in the offshore industry and is delivering on its impact goal of displacing the emission of one million tons of carbon over the next 5 years.
For over 15 years, Geomara has been providing expert advice and services to a large variety of clients across the marine industry including Renewable Energy developers. It has prided itself on understanding their clients needs and delivering outstanding results which match the goals of the project. XOCEAN is transforming the way ocean data is collected using marine robotics known as Uncrewed Surface Vessels (USVs). Services provided by XOCEAN include seabed mapping, inspection of subsea assets and environmental monitoring.
Having tripled its revenue for two consecutive years, XOCEAN is developing a world-leading reputation within the ocean data market, and is accelerating this growth as the business scales. The company has tripled its headcount to 150 over the past 12 months and plans to grow it further to 300 over the next 18 months.
The company uses its proprietary marine robotic technology to collect ocean data sustainably across a range of industries including Offshore Wind. In just 3 years, XOCEAN has successfully delivered over 150 international projects accumulating over 45,000 hours of operation. The business continues to drive the development of new products with an ambitious technology roadmap, which integrates new capabilities whilst maximising the efficiency of the platform and pushing the boundaries of the technology to fulfil the growing demand for carbon-neutral data collection.
Geomara owner and Managing Director, Finn Delaney said “Both companies pride themselves on delivering high quality service to our clients, and it was obvious that there was great synergy, both in culture and in our vision. It is an exciting time to be in the industry and together we aim to continue to transform it.”
Commenting on the acquisition, James Ives, CEO, XOCEAN said “We’re delighted to welcome Finn and the team at Geomara. Combining XOCEAN’s innovative technology and Geomara’s strong industry expertise we look forward to further scaling XOCEAN as we continue to deliver low impact, carbon neutral ocean data to our clients.”
Through-water communications and subsea integrity specialist Aquatec is celebrating this week after winning OTC’s 2022 Spotlight on New Technology Award and ASME’s 2022 Albert Woelfel Best Mechanical Engineering Achievement Award.
Basingstoke-based Aquatec, announced earlier in February as the winner of Global Underwater Hub’s Subsea Expo Best Small Company Award, has now been honoured with two additional accolades while exhibiting at the Offshore Technology Conference 2022 in Houston.
On Monday 2nd May, Aquatec received the Small Business Spotlight on New Technology Award® for its KINEKtron® Retrofit Subsea Strain Measurement System, an innovative technology developed to measure and communicate strain levels on structural tubular members, pipelines, and other load-bearing infrastructure. The OTC-exclusive award recognises broad interest technologies that are innovative, marketplace-ready, and positively impact the industry.
Also, for its KINEKtron® system, on Tuesday 3rd May, the company received ASME’s (American Society of Mechanical Engineers) prestigious Woelfel Best Mechanical Engineering Achievement Award. The Woelfel BMEA Award recognises a company for a product, device, or system displayed at the OTC Conference that best reflects innovation and practical use of mechanical engineering in solving problems, improving design, or maximising performance.
Tony Mekky, Engineering Manager of Aquatec, commented: “With KINEKtron®, Aquatec has met a challenging customer requirement with a customised solution. It embodies an innovative technique for precise strain transfer. It combines that with our core technologies of high speed, extended endurance data logging, optical and acoustic comms, and innovations around attachment, installation and activation, all in one device. While this is one specific solution, the technologies developed and proven here can be applied to many future challenges.”
Agustín Riso, Marketing Manager of Aquatec, has said: “We are delighted to see that our most recent technology, which includes some of Aquatec’s time-proven and field-tested instrumentation, is having such positive feedback from the industry. Our KINEKtron® Retrofit Subsea Strain Measurement System has the potential to revolutionise the way we measure and communicate aspects that are critical for subsea structural integrity, and receiving these awards underlines the key role companies like ours will play in the years to come.”
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