Major Contract Win For OTAQ with Unique Maritime Group
World class marine technology company, OTAQ Offshore, has announced a significant contract award and exclusive supply agreement with Unique Group to supply a number of seabed landers.
The Aberdeen based company, a subsidiary of OTAQ PLC, with offices in Lancaster, Ulverston and Puerto Montt in Chile, will design and build the observation platforms in collaboration with Unique Group.
Commonly used to record physical, chemical and biological activity, OTAQ Offshore will fit the seabed lander systems with inspection products, such as very high-resolution stills cameras, Eagle IP video cameras, OceanSENSE leak detection system and Dragonfish laser measurement systems. The systems will also be configured to carry other third-party supplied inspection and monitoring equipment.
Two models are in line to be produced; a shallow-water version rated to 300m and a deep-water version rated to 4000 metres, available for rental and sale exclusively through Unique Group’s worldwide office network. Independently owned with global reach, Unique Group leads the way in providing engineering, expertise, sales and rental equipment, as well as the developing and implementing the latest technology for the marine, diving, pipeline and subsea market sectors. The two models will allow clients to use the landers in a range of applications using their existing cables and winches.
Phil Newby, Chief Executive Officer, OTAQ plc said: “We are thrilled Unique Group chose OTAQ Offshore to support them with this project. We have an exceptional team of engineers, whose skills are uniquely suited to this type of activity. Having Unique Group as our exclusive partner for sales and rentals will open new doors for us, as well as strengthen our position as a world class marine technology company.”
Chief Operating Officer at Unique Group, Sahil Gandhi, said: “We are excited to be able to further our partnership with OTAQ Offshore by collaborating on the development of seabed landers. Through this launch, we reiterate our commitment to offering exceptional products and solutions to our customers globally, and look forward to future innovations with OTAQ.”
Unique’s 500 strong team work worldwide through Unique Group’s six multi-site divisions; Survey Equipment, Autonomous Survey Vessels, Marine & Subsea, Diving & Life Support, Buoyancy & Ballast and Medical Technology.
For further information please visit www.otaq.com.
ROMOR Ocean Solutions unveils two NEW Wave Gliders for Dalhousie University
ROMOR Ocean Solutions has announced the arrival of two new Liquid Robotics Wave Gliders for Dalhousie University in Nova Scotia, Canada.
The two gliders are an addition to the suite of ocean monitoring tool used by Dalhousie-based Ocean Tracking Network (OTN), the Ocean Frontier Institute (OFI) and the Marine Environmental Observation Prediction and Response (MEOPAR) network. These two new vehicles will be used to support critical marine research in the Northwest Atlantic and will be housed at the Centre for Ocean Ventures and Entrepreneurship (COVE) in Dartmouth, NS. Dalhousie, under the auspices of the Coastal Environmental Observation Technology and Research (CEOTR) group, operates the largest glider monitoring program in Canada.
“Liquid Robotics has worked with ROMOR to deliver Wave Gliders to Canadian research institutes like the team at Dalhousie University for a number of years, but this year presented some unexpected challenges, as we all know,” said Jimmy Board, Senior Manager of Business Development at Liquid Robotics. “Darrin’s understanding of the Canadian market has always been impressive and extremely valuable. This year he went above and beyond, navigating the challenges of 2020 to make sure we could deliver for the customer, and culminating in the delivery of new SV3 v300 Wave Gliders to expand our footprint in Canada.”
The gliders—also known as marine autonomous vehicles— exploit the difference between wave energy at the surface and the energy at depth to generate forward propulsion. Equipped with solar panels and satellite communications, these gliders can recharge, reposition and relay critical information for months at time.
“ROMOR is delighted to see the latest in Wave Glider technology joining OTN’s fleet at the Cove. Two years of project work with the team at Dalhousie’s CEOTR glider team with Liquid Robotics has led to some innovative developments, including customized integration for the Wave Glider by Liquid Robotics and the development of a CTD profiling winch. We look forward to continued involvement on this exciting project,” says Darrin Verge, CEO of ROMOR Ocean Solutions.
These two new vehicles will be used to support Dalhousie University glider operations under the Development of Autonomous Marine Observation Systems (DAMOS) program, funded by the Canada Foundation for Innovation and OFI. The vehicles will be used in the Northwest Atlantic Ocean to support CEOTR by offloading data from bottom-mounted acoustic receivers that listen for acoustically tagged animals. The gliders can also detect tagged animals, such as snow crab and lobster, and routinely patrol the Scotian Shelf monitoring for these animals to help researchers gain knowledge about the movements and life histories of these commercially important species. During these missions, the gliders collect meteorological and oceanographic data that are made available to stakeholders across industry and research sectors.
ROMOR congratulates Dalhousie University for continuing its leadership role in the deployment of ocean technology for innovative ocean research. A huge thanks goes out to the team at Liquid Robotics for designing a great product and providing superior technical support. This is another big win for the ocean technology industry in Atlantic Canada.
More info: romor.ca
SeeByte deliver step change in linking underwater autonomy and communications
SeeByte, a global leader in developing smart software solutions for unmanned maritime systems, have successfully linked autonomy and communications to maximise the information that can be transferred in communications-limited scenarios.
SeeByte was awarded the work under the Defence and Security Accelerator (DASA) Autonomy in Challenging Environments Phase 1. The aim of the project, coined CARUSO, was to deliver a step change in autonomy systems, integrating communication and sensing performance directly into the autonomy problem.
The need for Autonomous Underwater Vehicles (AUV’s) to operate in highly complex, variable, and comms-limited environments requires effective autonomy and high performance underwater communications standards. Developing behaviours that can exploit an increased level of real-time environmental awareness will allow robots to maximise their in-field persistence and operational effectiveness.
Strengthening the bond between human and machine, robots will optimise the use of underwater communications, prioritising what information to report to command and control to support important decision making.
"CARUSO demonstrated that the integration of communications performance directly into the autonomy problem is key for the next generation of marine autonomy: robots can make decisions to maximise operator awareness and to ensure quick human-robot re-synchronisation when communications falter." said Andrea Munafo, Engineering Manager at SeeByte.
SeeByte’s Commercial Manager, Alastair Cormack added, “this project has enabled SeeByte to extend its autonomy capability; integrating CARUSO technology with our proven mission-level autonomy software, Neptune, has opened up new opportunities for our technology and commercial applications”.
More info: www.seebyte.com
HydroSurv received investment from Katapult Ocean
HydroSurv Unmanned Survey (UK) Ltd is one out of 10 international ocean startups that have received investment from Katapult Ocean this autumn. Katapult Ocean invests in and supports startups with a positive impact on our ocean. In the selection process Katapult Ocean has screened and interviewed a pipeline with more than 1,500 startups.
“As a company, we’re delighted that Katapult Ocean has decided to invest in HydroSurv - its the best demonstration that our vision to offer carbon neutral hydrographic and environmental surveys by 2025 using our unmanned survey vessels is resonating with international investors, who recognise that a sustainable future for our oceans can also be a profitable one.” said David Hull, CEO HydroSurv. “We really believe in the vision of HydroSurv of making economic hydrographic and environmental surveys and analytics as a great progress towards unlocking and understanding the potential of our oceans.” , said Jonas Skattum Svegaarden, CEO Katapult Ocean.
The next three months HydroSurv Unmanned Survey (UK) Ltd will take part in a fully digital accelerator program, designed to help startups grow faster and better. The program brings together founders from six different countries and across the ocean industry sectors.
"We are excited to see the synergies develop between the founders and the rest of our portfolio”, said Jonas Skattum Svegaarden, CEO of Katapult Ocean. “It is also encouraging to see that COVID-19 has not stopped passionate founders. There is no shortage of talent and innovation in the ocean impact space”
The 10 ocean startups that received investment from Katapult Ocean this autumn are:
- Aquammodate (Sweden): Aquammodate - Accommodating the world’s need for clean water
- Desolenator (UK/Netherlands): Desolenator is fighting our global water crisis through 100% solar ocean-safe desalination
- ecoSpears (US): ecoSpears is a cleantech remediation company that is ushering in the carbonless future of environmental cleanup
- Fortuna Cools (US): Fortuna makes coolers from coconuts: designed to last years, not millennia
- Hooked (Sweden): Hooked leads the transition to a more harmless seafood consumption by offering tasty plant-based seafood that is good for the planet and good for your health
- HydroSurv (UK): HydroSurv delivers economic, low-impact hydrographic and environmental surveying and interpretive analytics using our advanced Unmanned Surface Vehicles (USVs)
- Matter (UK): Matter is an innovation company, pioneering plastic capture for the good of the planet
- Ocean Rainforest (Faroe Islands): Ocean Rainforest grows premium quality seaweed for the food, feed and health market
- Paralenz (Denmark): Paralenz cameras empower divers to easily capture and share both their underwater footage and ocean data with the world and dedicated scientific communities
- SolarDuck (Netherland): SolarDuck transforms the world with affordable offshore floating solar energy
About Katapult Ocean
Katapult Ocean invests in and supports startups with a positive impact on our ocean. Since 2018, Katapult Ocean has made 32 investments in exciting ocean impact companies from all over the world (17 countries, 4 continents). The companies participate in a 3-month long accelerator program to support growth and impact. A global network of more than 100 mentors and partners support the companies together with a team based in Oslo, Norway. To learn about the companies Katapult Ocean has invested in, visit the website.
About HydroSurv
HydroSurv is an innovative constructor and operator of Unmanned Surface Vehicles for hydrographic, geophysical and environmental survey. As a company, their mission is to disrupt the market for waterborne data acquisition and processing across a range of industries including utilities, ports and harbours, hydrography and the renewable energy sector replacing the work of conventional ships with unmanned vessels operated from land-based operations centres.
Chief Executive of National Oceanography Centre receives CBE
The National Oceanography Centre’s Chief Executive, Prof Ed Hill, has been awarded a CBE in the Queen’s Birthday Honours 2020 list, published today, in recognition of his services to ocean and environmental sciences. Ed is a world-leading authority on ocean science and is dedicated to raising awareness of ocean issues and advancing the science and technology to understand our seas. Having been part of the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) for over 20 years, he has recently led the National Oceanography Centre (NOC) into an independent charity, using its freedom and scientific expertise to drive forward greater innovation and influence. Commenting, Ed Hill, said, “I am delighted and honoured to receive this award, which I feel is also recognition of the tremendous journey the National Oceanography Centre has been taking as a force for good all over the world. I am grateful for the help and support of my family, friends and colleagues throughout my career and remain dedicated to raising the profile of the vital role the ocean plays in our world. The importance of the ocean and the science needed to understand it has moved centre stage, as awareness has grown of its crucial role for human wellbeing and prosperity, and that this depends on the heath of marine ecosystems under increasing threat. I believe that, enabled by new technologies, oceanography in the 21st century is undergoing a radical transformation into truly big science and now needs the global infrastructure of a full ocean observing system to continually monitor and make sense of the world’s rapidly changing seas.” Born in the city of Coventry, about as far from the sea possible in Britain, Ed was brought up in South Australia right by the coast and returned to the UK at nearly 8 years old on a four-week passage by ship to Southampton, where he believes the seeds were sown for his passion for the ocean. Ed spent many years as a leading researcher and chief scientist undertaking over 20 expeditions at sea studying water circulation on continental shelves. He has served on numerous national and international advisory bodies and is a key source of expertise to the UK government. He was appointed OBE in 2010 for services to environmental sciences. NOC Board of Trustees Chairman, John Hirst CBE, commented “It is great to see Ed’s contribution recognised in this way, and we feel very lucky to have him leading NOC. His passion and dedication are unquestionable, and he has been a key figurehead in the recent advances at NOC.” The National Oceanography Centre is a world leading organisation providing the UK’s national capability in large scale oceanographic sciences. The ocean impacts our climate; energy sources; food; technology and wellbeing. The NOC’s mission is to make sense of changing seas, so humankind can thrive.
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Ocean Business Celebrates International Success with Almost Half its Visitors from Abroad
Ocean Business 2019, which took place at the NOC in Southampton from 9-11 April, has broken attendance records again with the greatest number of exhibitors, visitors and international representation yet. The show has become a landmark international event with a staggering 41% of all visitors coming from outside the UK.
Ocean Business’ Event Director, Cheri Arvonio, comments, “We are delighted with the success of this year’s show. With such a great representation from international exhibitors and visitors, the show really has been recognised as the global ocean technology event of the year. We had some outstanding training and demonstrations, with autonomous vehicles being a particular highlight. To accommodate all of these vehicles, we fitted an extra pontoon this year and this proved an essential feature with so much dockside activity. Once again, show on show, we are inundated with positive feedback from both exhibitors and visitors.”
With over 360 international exhibitors, this was the biggest exhibition at Ocean Business yet. This growth was matched by the number of visitors which was up 5% on the previous show, with 4674 attendees across the 3 days. These visitors came from 69 different countries around the world - further demonstrating the show’s international success.
Ocean Business certainly did not disappoint when it came to networking and co-located events, with Phil Johnston, BD at Autonaut saying, “Ocean Business is not only the best event in our calendar, but also the most enjoyable! A great balance of clients, collaborators, suppliers and everybody with a keen interest in ocean technology.” Highlights of the co-located events programme included Enterprise Europe’s B2B business matchmaking event, the ATLAS workshop, Marine South East’s innovation-focused event, and a number of sessions presented by the NOC.
The sixth Offshore Survey conference also received much praise from delegates, with Vivian R. A. Mason, MD at Geomatics Engineering & Surveying Solutions, commenting, “This was my first time at an Ocean Business conference, and most definitely will not be my last.”
As well as the many high profile meetings and associated events, Ocean Business hosted a special reception to celebrate the 70th anniversary of the date that the UK’s National Institute of Oceanography (NIO) came in to being. The NIO was later absorbed in to the Institute of Oceanographic Sciences which became the National Oceanography Centre. Versha Carter, Group Director of Ocean Business stated ‘It was our honour to host a number of prestigious guests who were at the forefront of oceanographic research many years ago. It was particularly touching to witness the respect that these scientists and researchers still hold with some of today’s esteemed professionals.’ A special thank you to Ed Hill who made a special address to the delegation and assisted with the official cake cutting ceremony’
Ocean Careers once again proved a valuable opportunity for students seeking a career in marine technologies, with workshops and one-to-one sessions providing the chance to explore careers in detail.
Several companies have already requested to book their stand for the next Ocean Business show, taking place in 2021. Full details about dates and stand availability will be released in the next few weeks.
Local Companies Lead Innovation at Ocean Business 2019 with Advanced Unmanned Sea Vehicles
Ocean Business 2019, the world's biggest ocean technology event this year, will be taking place in Southampton next week from 9-11 April. The show is a global stage for the latest sea technology innovations and we are delighted to announce that two of the most exciting product demonstrations will be coming from local Hampshire companies.
Cheri Arvoni, Ocean Business Event Manager explains, "There is no doubt that sea technology this year is dominated by unmanned boats and underwater vehicles. In fact, we had to build an extra floating pontoon to accommodate all these products at the show! But of great excitement to us is the fact that two local companies, Sonardyne and L3 Technologies, will be demonstrating a world-first combination of Autonomous Surface Vehicle (ASV) and Remotely Operated Vehicle (ROV) technology on the dockside."
With over 5000 visitors expected at the show, from more than 65 countries, Portchester based L3 Technologies and Yately based Sonardyne have worked together to present one of the most advanced combinations of ASV and ROV technologies in the world. Their futuristic products offer a solution for underwater inspection in the most dangerous coastal or offshore environments such as hazardous oil and gas surveys, environmentally challenging scientific missions, or for military and security purposes.
The companies will be offering dockside demonstrations to show how missions can be conducted entirely by remote control. L3's unmanned surface boat, a C-Worker 7 ASV, will demonstrate how it can deploy and operate an ROV to carry out underwater inspections and measurements. In this case, the demo will show a vertical and horizontal subsea inspection of the Empress Dock in Southampton. Sonardyne will be showcasing their sophisticated tracking and telemetry control software, as well as solutions for navigation and data recovery in unmanned over-the-horizon operations.
With its pioneering subsea communications technology, BlueComm, Sonardyne recently streamed the world’s first live broadcast direct to global audiences from underwater submersibles in the Seychelles. This was broadcast by Associated Press, Sky News and Sky Atlantic, in effect enabling the general public to join the scientists in a mission to explore the least known areas of the Indian Ocean as part of the Nekton Deep Ocean Research Institute’s First Descent expedition.
With over 360 exhibitors at Ocean Business this year, there are a multitude of other exciting demos of unmanned surface and underwater vehicles from international companies including: Kongsberg Maritime who will be showcasing their GeoPulse Sub-Bottom Profiler Unmanned Surface Vehicle (USV), designed to map the geology of oceans; and dotOcean with their Cloud linked Autonomous Surface Vehicle technology to control multiple ASVs (forming ASV 'swarms').
Ms Arvonio continued, “Visually, there will be non-stop action at the show, especially on the dockside. As a landmark international event, we feel we are presenting the very best globally, and will be expecting around 65 countries to be represented at the show.”
Ocean Business promises to be an incredible global show offering the very latest technologies, water-based demonstrations and learning opportunities, as well as Offshore Survey conference, Ocean Careers, and high profile international associated industry events. Ocean Business will take place from 9-11 April 2019 at the National Oceanography Centre, Southampton, UK.
Ocean Business Announces High-Profile Speakers for Opening Session
Ocean Business 2019, taking place at the National Oceanography Centre in Southampton from 9-11 April 2019, has just revealed a high profile line up of industry experts to present speeches in the opening session of Ocean Business.
Ocean Business 2019 is one of the biggest marine technology events across the globe. Its opening session reflects this with the address being delivered by Claire Jolly, Head of IPSO Unit Ocean Economy Group, OECD, presenting a keynote speech about the scope of the economy in 2030. These presentations will provide an exciting insight into current trends and emerging markets for ocean science and technology products and services.
The session will then delve into business opportunities for the ocean technology community in a growing ocean economy, with presentations from industry experts - including Ralph Rayner, President, Society for Underwater Technology (SUT); Rick Spinrad, President, Marine Technology Society (MTS); and David Loosley, Chief Executive of the Institute of Marine Engineering, Science and Technology (IMarEST). For those eager to hear more, there will then be a panel discussion and a Q&A session.
“What better way to open Ocean Business than with a showcase of opportunities for the industry followed by lively debate from some of the most respected people in the business? This perfectly represents the energy and optimism at Ocean Business this year and we are delighted to have such influential leaders to open the show,” comments Cheri Arvonio, Ocean Business’ event manager.
Ocean Business promises to be an incredible global show with over 330 exhibitors offering the very latest technologies, water-based demonstrations and learning opportunities, as well as Offshore Survey, Ocean Careers, key international associated industry events and an amazing line-up of social opportunities for networking.
For more information on the opening session taking place on day one of the Ocean Business event on 9 April 2019, please visit https://testv2.divcomstaging.co.uk/opening-session/.
To attend Ocean Business 2019, register for free online at: www.oceanbusiness.com. The show will take place from 9-11 April 2019 at the National Oceanography Centre, Southampton, UK.
Offshore Survey 2019 Announces Keynote Speakers
Offshore Survey, which takes place alongside Ocean Business at the National Oceanography Centre in Southampton UK, from 10-11 April 2019, is delighted to confirm two high profile speakers to deliver keynote presentations on each day of the conference.
Cheri Arvonio, Offshore Survey’s Event Manager commented, “We’re excited to announce that Rear Admiral Tim Lowe CBE, who is the Acting Chief Executive of the UK Hydrographic Office, will be delivering one of the keynote presentations and John Pinder, who recently retired from his position as Port Hydrographer at the Port of London Authority will also be presenting a keynote. Both offer a vast resource of knowledge working at the forefront of the industry.”
Rear Admiral Tim Lowe CBE is Acting Chief Executive at the UK Hydrographic Office (UKHO) and UK National Hydrographer. As hydrographic and marine geospatial data experts, the UKHO works to support maritime navigation, safety and security, and marine development around the UK and worldwide. In doing so, they support government initiatives to aid growth and prosperity, in the UK and internationally. This has included the UK government’s Commonwealth Marine Economies Programme, where the UKHO works with partners to support sustainable, growing marine economies that create jobs, drive national economic growth, reduce poverty, ensure food security and build resilience against forces of nature. Rear Admiral Lowe’s keynote presentation will provide a fascinating insight into the work of this organisation and the value marine geospatial data holds.
The keynote for the first day of the conference will be delivered by John Pinder, who having recently retired, has a lifetime of knowledge working in the hydrographic industry. John’s career started in 1975 when he went to sea - after a variety of roles afloat and ashore, he joined the Port of London Authority and served as Port Hydrographer for 18 years there. John has contributed widely to the offshore community, most notably on the Council of the Hydrographic Society and as an advisor to the UK Civil Hydrography Programme. John’s keynote aims to set the scene for the two days of the conference from the perspective of an outsider looking in. He will explore the relationships between the equipment manufacturers, legislators, customers and users and how this in turn relates to the equipment, standards, specifications and education respectively. There is a lot of talk on emerging technologies, remote sensing, autonomous vehicles and the like.
With an action-packed programme, Offshore Survey will deliver a further 35 top quality presentations from industry leaders and emerging technology companies, as well as world renowned academic and industry organisations.
Offshore Survey runs alongside Ocean Business, which provides a high calibre three-day exhibition of technology and services, with a full programme of hands-on training and demonstration workshops, providing an unrivalled opportunity to learn at the same time as trying the latest technologies. Ocean Careers will also run over the three days to provide advice on career opportunities within the ocean technology, marine science and offshore industries. As always, the combined events bring a lively social programme for networking with colleagues old and new.
For full details about Offshore Survey 2019 visit: www.oceanbusiness.com/conferences-meetings/offshore-survey-programme/
Calling All Students! Ocean Careers 2019 Launches Inspiring Programme
Ocean Careers held alongside Ocean Business 2019, at the National Oceanography Centre in Southampton from 9-11 April 2019, is providing an unmissable opportunity for students to discover job opportunities in the ocean technology sector and get careers advice from key industry professionals at its FREE Ocean Careers event. Running for the three days of the show, Ocean Careers’ programme has just been launched online at: www.oceanbusiness.com.
This year’s Ocean Careers promises to deliver even more than before, with 16 workshops hosted by some of the biggest names in the industry, such as Fugro and Teledyne. These presentations will provide information on careers in ocean technology, marine science and the offshore industries, and different study options and routes into careers. As well as this, there will be one-to-one sessions for students offering the chance to explore careers in depth with a choice of 20 industry professionals, all from different career backgrounds.
A special attraction of Ocean Careers 2019 will be the RBR Ocean Science Slam, which is a competition open to early career scientists, with a £500 prize. The competition offers the chance for graduate students to share their research to potential employers in a creative, engaging and non-traditional presentation. The audience will form the jury and vote on the winner. The RBR Ocean Science Slam is intended for graduate students engaged in ocean science and technology and the event will connect early career scientists with prospective employers, a leading research faculty, and innovative ocean technology companies. Full details of entry criteria are available online at www.oceanbusiness.com in the Ocean Careers section. The closing date for entries is Monday 25th March 2019.
Eric Siegel, Sales Director at RBR, explains why RBR introduced the competition: ”Advances in ocean science are enabled by great measurement tools and effective science communication to a wide audience. The RBR Ocean Science Slam develops engagement across scientists, funding agencies, media, and the public. Early career scientists can use the platform to capture the attention of global researchers, prospective employers, and innovative ocean technology companies."
Visitors to Ocean Careers will also benefit from the full range of activities at Ocean Business with over 330 international exhibitors and FREE back-to-back training and demonstration sessions in a programme that runs to 184 hours. This provides an outstanding opportunity to see the latest technologies in action on the dockside, in a test tank or onboard vessels. A range of social events also enables students to network with potential employers throughout the show.
To attend Ocean Careers 2019, register for FREE online at: www.oceanbusiness.com. The event will take place from 9-11 April 2019 at the National Oceanography Centre, Southampton, UK.