Harsh Environments News

SONARAY, manufacturer of lighting products used in marine applications, has introduced its new line of LED flood lighting marketed as the Velocity series.The Velocity Flood Light Series joins the company's high-powered flood light offering and brings contemporary looks along with a choice of models ranging from 200 to 500-watts. Durable die-cast aluminum housing, tough polycarbonate lens, exceptional IP65 and IK10 ratings along with anti-corrosive finish for harsh environments are just some of the features built-in to this series, SONARAY said.

Applied Satellite Technology (AST) has launched its Integrated Remote Asset Management System (IRAMS).IRAMS is designed to address the challenges faced by industries such as oil and gas, maritime, renewables and utilities, where maritime assets are in remote and often harsh environments. With IRAMS, users can remotely control and monitor assets. IRAMS brings together live asset performance data, predictive maintenance scheduling and environmental impact reporting onto one single platform.

SONARAY, a manufacturer of proprietary LED lighting products, announced PermaStar, a high efficacy, 500-watt LED Flood Light that comes with a limited lifetime warranty. The new flood light is durable with IP66 and IK10  ratings, and is available in a range of beam angles and produces up  to 67,000 lumens in the 45-degree angle model. The PermaStar is also UL 1598A listed so it can be used outside in damp or wet environments. The PermaStar is constructed with a durable die-cast…

Norwegian subsea services company DOF Subsea has secured more work for its Skandi Africa vessel.The client, which DOF Subsea did not name, has exercised an extension option for the subsea service vessel, with the new commitment now running until February 2025.DOF Subsea CEO, Mons S. Aase, said: "Skandi Africa is the most sophisticated vessel in our fleet, and we are looking forward to continuing the journey, delivering successful installation campaigns.”Skandi Africa is designed for harsh environments, deepwater subsea construction, and flexlay operations. The 160.9-meter-long vessel was built in 2015, when it began its five-year charter with Technip (now TechnipFMC).According to MarineTraffic.com…

Bourbon and Horizon Maritime have created a new joint venture that will offer marine services and operations in the North Sea and Canadian offshore markets.Incorporated in Norway, the new company is called Bourbon Horizon, and, according to a press release issued Thursday, it will become "a new leader in offshore operations in the harshest environments."It will be strategically positioned in Fosnavåg (Norway) and St. John’s (Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada), with a base fleet of "seven modern and capable offshore support vessels."The fleet includes five platform supply vessels…

Global oil companies are pumping billions of dollars into offshore drilling, reversing a long decline in spending on the decades-long projects, including some in the remote iceberg waters far off Canada's Atlantic coast.Surging oil prices are encouraging the investments, along with Europe's mounting energy demand as the Ukraine-Russia war drags on. Offshore production sites are more expensive to build than onshore shale, the last decade's investment darling. But once they are up and running…

Classification society and assurance provider DNV has awarded Odfjell Oceanwind an Approval in Principle (AiP) for its new Deepsea Semi floating wind foundation design. The Deepsea Semi floating wind foundation design has been developed for use in floating wind farms and for off-grid applications including temporary electrification of oil and gas installations in harsh environments.The Deepsea Semi foundation is dimensioned for up to 15MW wind turbine generators and has been developed for low-cost, industrial mass-production.

Vestdavit won its first order with the Finnish shipyard Rauma Marine Constructions (RMC) to supply davits for a series of the Finnish Navy’s four newbuild multi-role combat vessels.The Pohjanmaa-class corvettes are to be built at RMC’s shipyard in Rauma, Finland as part of the navy’s $1.36B Squadron 2020 project to replace seven ageing vessels and each will be equipped with two of Vestdavit’s davits.The warships measure 114 x 16m and have an ice-strengthened hull for work in ice-bound waters…

Norwegian davit supplier Vestdavit reports it has achieved record sales this year as it focuses on continuous product innovation to boost orders in both core and new markets.The company is on course for group-wide sales of more than Nkr200 million ($22 million) in 2021, a 20% increase on last year, to ensure a solid profit for the year and its fabrication facility in Poland is currently working at full capacity, according to managing director Rolf Andreas Wigand.“We have definitely…

OOS Group, a Dutch-based offshore services company, known to Offshore Engineer readers for its semi-submersible heavy lift crane and accommodation vessels, has developed a semi-submersible mussel farm (SMF) to grow mussels in the North Sea. The SMF will also feature solar panels, wind turbines, and tidal turbines."Mussels are traditionally grown in sheltered waters such as the Oosterschelde and the Waddenzee. However, due to a lack of nutrition in these waters, the production of mussels has declined enormously.

An unidentified "leading integrated oil and gas company" recently took delivery of an Unmanned Surface Vehicle (USV) from  L3Harris Technologies, a USV designed to help out during oil spill response operations.C-Tug 3 is an 11-ft. USV  outfitted with L3Harris' ASView control system,a system designed to enable USV remote operations from a land-based control station. C-Tug 3 is designed to execute pre-programmed mission plans and real-time teleoperation via a remote touch screen unit. Once deployed, the USV can tow an oil containment boom into position to prevent the spread of any contaminants.

Vestdavit has bolstered its presence in the European market with the launch of a new subsidiary in the Netherlands that positions it for business growth in one of the world’s major maritime hubs. The Norwegian davit supplier is now able to provide readily available resources and expertise for new and existing clients from its Vestdavit BV office located in Maastricht that opened on May 1.Headed by managing director Kai Gjerde, the office will function as a sales and service center located at the intersection of the Netherlands…

U.S. offshore wind developer Vineyard Wind has contracted Belgium-based DEME for the offshore transport and installation of the wind turbine generators for the first largescale offshore wind installation in the United States.DEME's U.S. arm DEME Offshore US LLC will  team up with American maritime services contractor FOSS Maritime Company LLC to help construct the Vineyard Wind 1 project off the coast of Massachusetts. FOSS will provide the Jones Act compliant feeder vessels,…

FPSO specialist Bluewater and classification company DNV GL have teamed up in a pilot project aimed at testing how hybrid digital twin technology can predict and analyze fatigue in the hull of an FPSO in the North Sea, increase safety, and reduce operational costs and time by optimizing inspections.The project aims to validate and quantify the benefits of creating a virtual replica of the FPSO to optimize the structural safety of the vessel and enhance risk-based inspection (RBI)…

As part of the European Union (EU) Recognized Organization (RO) Mutual Recognition Type Approval scheme, EIZO Corporation has been awarded type approval from Lloyd’s Register (LR) for its 19- and 25.5-inch maritime monitors for an Electronic Chart Display and Information System (ECDIS) with radar applications, the first European certificate for electrical equipment in Japan.The EU RO Mutual Recognition Type Approval scheme covers type approval certification on selected components…

Powerbox has announced the release of a new dual channel power supply for Marine engine control. Based on a ruggedized platform for use in harsh environments, the ENMA500D24/2x27-CC provides two 27V/20A isolated outputs and a total power of 540W. The power supply is housed in a robust IP56 case, it is mechanically designed for efficient conduction cooling, and it complies with DNV/GL standards.From local low power DC/DC converters powering sensors to high power DC generators powering the whole boat…

ABS, a classification services provider to the marine and offshore industries, will provide classification for a series of "highly innovative Self-Elevating Drilling Units (SEDU)" for Silver Eagle Global.Silver Eagle, of Manama, Bahrain, says the self-propelled design is capable of working at greater water depths and in harsh environments. According to Silver Eagle Global, the Silver Eagle SEDU 430WC-4 will have the industry’s largest deck area and deck load capacity, large accommodation…

Northrop Grumman Sperry Marine has announced the launch of NAVIGAT 2500 and 3500, its next generation high accuracy, maintenance-free Fiber Optic Gyro (FOG) compasses.Suitable for all types of vessels, the NAVIGAT family of compasses provide heading measurement in all kinds of dynamic conditions with compatibility to Sperry Marine CompassNet, the first networked heading management system.NAVIGAT 2500 and NAVIGAT 3500 are based on solid-state technology with no moving parts, offering compact size and low weight.

From their base deep within a former World War II U-boat pen, Norwegian outfit, OceanTech, is developing a set of robot tools that cling to offshore structures in order to effect inspection, maintenance and repair, or IMR. Old submarine anchorages are now subsea testing and training sites, but the North Sea is still the target. Hundreds of aging platforms and subsea structures require IMR that’s too costly, complex or hazardous for divers or remotely operated vehicles, or ROVs.As he walks us through Dora II…

The international offshore drilling contractor Seadrill Partners LLC announced that it has been notified by the New York Stock Exchange that trading in SeaDrill's common units on the exchange has been suspended and the procedure to delist the units has been initiated.According to the UK-based offshore deepwater drilling company, the NYSE's decision was the result of the company's low market capitalization.SeaDrill said its common units are expected to begin trading in the over the counter (OTC) market beginning September 6, under the symbol "SDLPF."The transition to the OTC market is not expected to affect business operations and the Company will continue to file periodic reports with the U.S.

While nothing lasts forever, the cruise industry – and particularly the ‘expedition’ cruise sector – remain on a historic run with no indication of a near-term slowdown.The leisure travel sector, of which expedition cruising is a part, offers numerous possibilities for delivering new “experiences” unlike industrial shipping businesses (or even conventional ferry and passenger transport), which can only grow as fast as the demand in a particular sector.Though there is no precise definition of “expedition”…

The deep-sea port and adjacent free zone in the Middle East, SOHAR Port and Freezone recently entered into a Service Level Agreement (SLA) with Sohar University and Qualies (the Organization for Quality and Innovation Strategies).The collaboration will see a tree planting initiative that will further the principle of ecological protection and management, alongside ensuring all the operations of SOHAR are in compliance with Oman’s sustainability objectives, said a press release.The signing ceremony took place on July 17 at the Sohar University, with Suwaid Al Shemaisi, Executive Manager of Corporate Affairs at SOHAR representing the Port and Freezone.

Russian maritime shipping company specializing in petroleum and LNG shipping Sovcomflot has chosen Orange Business Services to deploy an advanced Maritime VSAT solution on eight vessels.According to a press release from the the business services arm of Orange S.A., this initial rollout will keep the ships connected even when operating on the high seas, improving safety and optimizing navigation in challenging conditions.In addition, this solution will make it easier for crews to stay in touch with friends and family, which is essential to keep staff morale high.The first ships to receive the solution during this initial rollout phase are the Arctic shuttle tankers Mikhail Ulyanov and Kirill Lavrov, which are the largest oil tankers built in Russia.