Exploration Equipment News

Sunk by Japanese torpedoes near the end of World War II, heavy cruiser USS Indianapolis disappeared to the darkest depths of the Philippine Sea, where it remained undiscovered for more than 70 years. Recently a team of civilian researchers led by Microsoft co-founder Paul G. Allen set out equipped with an arsenal of high-tech search equipment on a mission to locate the historic vessel last seen on July 30, 1945. The story of the USS Indianapolis is one of military might, heroism, tragedy, controversy and mystery.

At this week’s 12th Annual Ferry Shipping Conference sailing on board Romantika between Stockholm & Riga, Danish Naval Architects, Knud  E. Hansen A/S, were awarded the 2013 ShipPax Award. The award was presented in recognition of the efficient and innovative design of internal cargo arrangement of the Saudi-owned deep-sea Ro-Ro vessel, Bahri Abha. “For a RoRo cargo vessel, the most important design criteria after fuel consumption, is efficient layout as it reduces the time in port,” says Knud E. Hansen A/S Senior Naval Architect Christian Damsgaard.

Seattle-based Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering company Guido Perla & Associates, Inc. (GPA) reports that the launching ceremony of the AGOR 27 R/V Neil Armstrong was held at Dakota Creek Industries (DCI) in Anacortes, Wash., on February 22, 2014. Construction of the complex R/V Neil Armstrong and her sister vessel AGOR 28 R/V Sally Ride, also well under way at DCI, have progressed according to plan, meeting original schedule and cost baselines. Throughout the engineering and construction process of both vessels…

Mitcham Industries' marine equipment manufacturing unit, Seamap, has signed a manufacturing agreement with a subsidiary of Petroleum Geo-Services (PGS). Over the past several months, Seamap and PGS have collaborated to develop PGS SourceLink, a customized and proprietary marine energy source controller based on Seamap's GunLink 4000 system. Under the terms of the arrangement, Seamap will manufacture and sell the PGS SourceLink systems to PGS, as requested. Guy Malden, Executive Vice President of Marine Systems of Mitcham Industries, stated, "We are delighted to have established this new relationship with one of the leaders in the marine seismic business.

Braemar Adjusting appointed Pierre (Pete) Krouse as Regional Managing Director of the Americas, with effect from April 2, 2013. The selection follows the decision by Chris Dye to leave his current position after more than 13 years with the company and 33 years working as an independent Adjuster. Chris will remain with Braemar Adjusting until April 30 to ensure a seamless transition of his case load and management responsibilities before commencing his new role as Claims Director for Allianz in Houston. Welcoming Pete to his new position, Grant Smith, Braemar Adjusting Group Managing Director, said, “Pete has been with the company for 25 years and was one of the original directors of Steege Kingston.

Swire Oilfield Services (Swire), the global supplier of cargo carrying solutions, modular systems, offshore aviation services and fluid management has officially opened two new facilities in the Macaé region of Rio de Janeiro state, Brazil. The establishment of the new facilities in this key strategic hub for the oil and gas industry is part of the company’s long-term growth plan that will see Swire Oilfield Services expand its presence across South America. Located in Macaé,…

Wolfe appointed Technical Support Manager for Atlas Copco Geotechnical Drilling line. John Wolfe has been appointed to the position of Technical Support Manager for Atlas Copco’s Geotechnical Drilling and Exploration business line, effective January 1, 2012. In his new role, Wolfe will report directly to Scott Slater, Business Line Manager — GDE (Geotechnical Drilling & Exploration.) He will provide training, technical and product support for all Atlas Copco store branches in the United States.

In October 2011, the Seattle-based Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering firm Guido Perla & Associates, Inc. (GPA) was awarded a contract to deliver the Regulatory Design and Detail/Production Design for the T-AGOR-27 Ocean Class Research Vessel. The basic design was developed by GPA during a NAVSEA sponsored design competition while under contract with Dakota Creek Industries (DCI) and partnered with leading marine industry equipment vendors. The Navy-owned vessel will be operated by the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution of Massachusetts. A second vessel may be awarded at a later date.

Houghton Offshore has enabled the Transocean Sedco Forex to set a new world record for the deepest well drilled to date. The drillship Discoverer Spirit used a subsea blowout preventor (BOP), operating on a 2 percent mixture of Houghton Stack Magic 200 BOP fluid, as it drilled at 9,727 ft. below sea level in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico, surpassing the previous record of 9,687 ft. set earlier this year. "The previous world record had been set on that same drillship using Houghton's BOP fluid in June 2001," explains LeeRoy J. Patin, Global Offshore manager at Houghton Offshore, a division of Houghton International specializing in the manufacture and formulation of water-based fluids for oil and gas production and exploration equipment.

South Korean shipbuilders were overtaken by their Chinese rivals in new orders acquired in the first four months of the year, a London-based market researcher said on Wednesday. South Korean shipbuilders such as Hyundai Heavy Industries Co and Samsung Heavy Industries Co received a combined 6.9 million compensated gross tons (CGTs) in new orders in the January-April period, up 6.9% from a year ago, Clarkson Research Studies said. However, South Korea maintained its No 1 ranking in the global shipbuilding industry in terms of backlogs of orders and the volume of vessels built, the market researcher said. South Korean shipbuilders' combined backlogs of orders totaled 46.4 million CGTs as of the end of April…

Daewoo Shipbuilding Marine and Engineering Co. said it has received a combined $1.66b in new orders this month to build 16 vessels. The vessels won together with its Romanian subsidiary, Daewoo Mangalia Heavy Industries S.A., include four container vessels and one liquefied natural gas tanker, the shipbuilder said in a statement. South Korea, home to seven of the world's top 10 shipyards, clinched record-high orders last year on strong demand for crude carriers and offshore exploration equipment amid lofty oil prices. South Korean shipbuilders such as Hyundai Heavy Industries Co. and Samsung Heavy Industries Co. are expected to see their exports rise 18 per cent to $26 billion this year on the back of continuous demand for high-end ships and other products. (Source: Yonhap)

MAN B&W Diesel has added two new reference plants to the fourstroke order book. Complete twin-screw medium speed propulsion packages have been ordered for a twin set of 65 m offshore research vessels. The twins will each be specified and equipped for their very specific operational tasks, i.e. seismic sourcing and seismic recording. The vessels are designated as an OBC Source Vessel and an OBC Recorder Vessel, respectively. The OBC abbreviation refers to ‘Ocean Bottom Cable’ and the actual seismic exploration equipment applied. The design consulting company for this project is Dalian Shipbuilding Technology Research Center Co. Ltd., located in Dalian, China.

Complete twin-screw medium speed propulsion packages have been ordered from MAN B&W for a twin set of 65 m offshore research vessels. The twins will each be specified and equipped for specific operational tasks, i.e. seismic sourcing and seismic recording. The vessels are designated as an OBC Source Vessel and an OBC (Ocean Bottom Cable) Recorder Vessel, respectively. The design consulting company for this project is Dalian Shipbuilding Technology Research Center Co. Ltd., located in Dalian, China. Both vessels will be built by Liao Nan Shipyard, also located in Dalian, and the delivery of the first vessel is scheduled to the end of next year. Operator and owner is BGP/CNPC (China National Petroleum Corporation), with its fleet mainly based in Tanggu, Tianjin.