Marine Research News

Bellingham, Wash. shipbuilder All American Marine (AAM) announced it has been awarded a contract to build a new research vessel for the marine sciences program at  the California Polytechnical Institute at Humboldt (Cal Poly).The vessel is a 78’ x 26.7’ semi-displacement aluminum catamaran that was developed by Nic de Waal of Teknicraft Design in Auckland, New Zealand. The vessel will be inspected to U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) Subchapter T standards and will operate as a multipurpose research vessel in the Near Coastal Waters of Northern California and Oregon, as well as Offshore on Ocean Routes.

TDI-Brooks' latest dynamic positioning vessel, the RV Nautilus, has reached the shores of the East Coast of the United States ahead of work for offshore wind sector.After undergoing a six-month retrofit in Las Palmas, the 2000-built vessel will be put to work to provide support for offshore wind projects and various other subsea needs.With the length of 75-meters, the DP2 vessel is equipped with advanced technology, including a Geomil Manta-200 CPT that can be deployed through the mid-ship moonpool.The system can penetrate the soil up to 40-50 meters…

TDI-Brooks' newest vessel R/V Nautilus (formerly known as Nautical Geo) is ready to go to work following a 6-month retrofit period in Las Palmas.The DP2 vessel is currently enroute to the U.S. East Coast to provide support for offshore wind operations. It is expected to be fully prepared for the first offshore wind program by early March.Built in 2000, the 75-meter-long vessel is equipped with the newly-acquired Geomiil Manta-200 CPT, which can be deployed through the mid-ship moonpool.

Seattle shipyard Snow & Company has launched a new 15-meter hybrid catamaran research vessel that will be operated by the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory.The plug-in hybrid research vessel, Resilience, will be delivered to the Department of Energy's (DOE) PNNL-Sequim marine research facility in 2024.The Incat Crowther designed vessel, equipped with both standard diesel engines and electric motors, will be the first hybrid vessel in the DOE fleet. The vessel will be powered by an advanced parallel hybrid-electric propulsion system…

Woodside Energy last week announced it would start seismic testing for its Scarborough gas project off Australia’s west coast, before reversing the decision in the face of a legal challenge from Traditional Owners.Seismic testing is highly controversial in marine environments. Australia’s federal regulator (the National Offshore Petroleum Safety and Environmental Management Authority) is currently examining a proposal for seismic testing in the Otway Basin in Bass Strait, which conservationists say has attracted more than 30…

Port Angeles, Wash.-based Brix Marine has delivered the Pacific Whale Foundation's new research vessel Kaiao, custom-built to support marine research, conservation and education.Founded in 1980 and based in Maui, Hawaii, the PWF is a nongovernmental organization that has been at the forefront of whale research and public education, striving to safeguard the marine environment and prevent the destruction of Humpback whale populations and other aquatic species in the region.With an overall length of 30 feet and a beam of 11 feet…

TDI-Brooks increases its vessel capacity by adding a 75-meter DP2 vessel,  R/V NAUTILUS to its fleet, a ship that can offer a variety of offshore assistance with subsea services, construction aid, exploration, production, ROV and diving support, and scientific marine research and survey mapping, along with military support.This vessel is currently about 60% through its retrofit period in Las Palmas, scheduled to complete its shipyard period in late September 2023 and then transit to Trinidad for several geotechnical coring projects.

The Meyer Group's Neptun Werft officially laid the keel for the new German research vessel Meteor IV during a ceremony at the Rostock, Germany shipyard.The Meyer Group is building the research vessel together with the Lower Saxony shipyard Fassmer on behalf of the Federal Ministry of Education and Research."Only two months after the burning start, the assembly of the individual components for the Meteor IV is now beginning. At our shipyards in Rostock and Papenburg, and together with Fassmer Werft…

Samsung Heavy Industries (SHI) has tested technology to precisely analyze the radiated noise of ships underwater using sonar.The technique measures the intensity, direction, and distance, and SHI has used it to precisely analyze the cause of noise emitted from a 174,000cbm LNG carrier.SHI is using the technology to forecast noise depending on speed and draft and aims to expand it beyond propellers to include underwater radiated noise from engines and machinery.The IMO is considering regulations on underwater noise, as it can adversely affect animals such as whales.

The Australian Institute of Marine Science (AIMS) has selected a team of naval architecture and engineering firms to design its new state-of-the-art research vessel. The design team, led by U.S.-based Glosten, includes One2three Naval Architects from Sydney and Maritime Survey Australia (MSA) from Melbourne.The new vessel will be bigger and more capable than its predecessor, with a larger working deck, room for more scientists on board, and the ability to act as a multi-technology and sensor platform, coordinating a range of autonomous systems.

Snow & Company of Seattle started construction of a 50-ft. hybrid research vessel for the Department of Energy's Pacific Northwest National Laboratory.Dubbed RV Resilience, the boat is designed by Incat Crowther with propulsion integration provided by Pacific Power. Hybrid propulsion will be accomplished by joining twin Volvo Penta D8-510 (374kW) marine engines, and two Danfoss Editron 20kW motor-generators. Power is stored using a Spear Trident battery system. This combination allows the vessel to operate in a zero-emission “quiet” state…

The already endangered African penguin is being driven away from its natural habitat off the east coast of South Africa due to noise from ship refueling, a scientific study has found.The number of African penguins on St Croix island in Algoa Bay, once the world's largest breeding colony of the birds, has plummeted since South Africa started to allow ships in the area to refuel at sea, a process known as bunkering, six years ago, the study found.Situated in a busy shipping lane along South Africa's east coast…

Ireland's new research vessel, the RV Tom Crean, has arrived in Irish waters and is currently docked in the Port of Galway before embarking on its first survey towards the end of July and then making its way to Dingle in advance of its official commissioning due to take place in Autumn 2022. The vessel has been named the RV Tom Crean after the renowned seaman and explorer from Kerry, who undertook three ground-breaking expeditions to the Antarctic in the early years of the 20th Century.The RV Tom Crean…

King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) selected Glosten to design a new ship with advanced capabilities for Red Sea research.The new oceanographic research vessel (RV) will replace the existing RV Thuwal, designed to bring advanced research capabilities for work in both shallow reef and deepwater environments with a reconfigurable deck for multipurpose jobs and equipment and weather hardy traits for managing the unique conditions of the Red Sea.The existing ship for KAUST is nearly 22-years-old…

Yanmar announced it will launch a package including a main engine and selective catalytic reduction (SCR) system to help vessel owners and operators comply with IMO Tier 3 regulations.While engines and SCR systems have been available separately, Yanmar said that developing both in-house side-by-side provides advantages in terms of technology, emissions control and usage. The ready-to-install, factory-tested solution combining both engine and SCR system offers a favorable balance between high power/high performance (555-749kW)…

SHADOWCAT and Triton Submarines have collaborated to develop and introduce a new Launch and Recovery Craft (LARC) dubbed SHADOWLARK. Designed by Incat Crowther, SHADOWLARK is a package priced under $10m for delivery in less than 14 months, a package that includes a 24-m LARC designed to carry a Triton 3300/3 MKII submersible, a submersible designed to comfortably seats three people (pilot and two guests) and dive to depths as great as 1,000m (3,300 ft.) for up to 12 hours.“The submersible market targeting yachting was essentially created by Triton.

An American offshore services trade group is accusing Swiss-headquartered Geoquip Marine of violating the Jones Act, a U.S. law requiring seaborne cargo shipped between two U.S. points to be carried by American-built, -crewed and -owned vessels.A report published by the Offshore Marine Service Association (OMSA) alleges that Geoquip Marine's Geoquip Saentis—a Chinese-built, foreign-crewed and Bahamian-flagged vessel—transported subsoil samples from points on the U.S. Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) to U.S. ports for testing in support of an offshore wind project."U.S. wind power should mean U.S.

Highlighted in Marine Technology Reporter's MTR100 is the work and technology ongoing in the halls of academia. The most recent report released by the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change emphasized our warming planet, an expected announcement for many in the scientific community. Faced with the confirmation that human activities have caused an increase in global temperatures, research has turned to seeking answers in the planet’s natural systems. How does each part of the global carbon cycle work and how may it be impacted by the changing climate?

Authorities in Turkey and Cyprus are on alert for any potential pollution from a 'sheen' of fuel floating across the Mediterranean from a spill in Syria, officials said.Fuel which seeped into the sea from a thermal station off the coast of Syria on August 23 has been snaking across the Eastern Mediterranean, but any potential impact on Cyprus will depend on currents.The latest satellite images of the region provided by the European Maritime Safety Agency showed the oil sheen east of Cyprus breaking down and dissolving, the Cyprus Fisheries and Marine Research Department said.The eastern Cyprus coastline, largely unspoilt, falls within two opposing jurisdictions; an area controlled by the internationally recognized Greek Cypriot government and a Turkish Cypriot breakaway state recognized on

Modern space technology and artificial intelligence have combined to enhance the conservation of marine animals: the new service, “SPACEWHALE”, developed by a team of creative scientists in Germany and the UK, detects whales from space. Supported by funding from the European Space Agency (ESA) Space Solutions program, this research enables whales and other large marine megafauna to be surveyed at an unprecedented scale. Earth Observation from satellites is developing fast and within a few years, space technology companies aim to provide daily high-resolution images of the whole globe.

Melanie Olsen is harnessing 10 years of missile defense and electronic warfare systems expertise to drive rapid technological innovation in marine research and monitoring. Today, on International Women in Engineering Day, the AIMS Team Leader for Technology Development Engineering shares her unique journey.Growing up in a third-generation farming family near the small settlement of El Arish in north Queensland, Melanie Olsen thought engineers were train drivers.When a James Cook University engineering lecturer visited her small rural high school with a quad helicopter…

While the adoption of unmanned/uncrewed surfaces vessels (USVs) was initially in defence, use of these low footprint systems has spread into other sectors, not least survey, and now the race is on for greater capability, endurance and autonomy. Elaine Maslin reports.After starting small, in inland waterways, use of USVs for survey operations has moved into coastal and now offshore waters. Given the extensive amount of seabed and rapid growth in offshore wind, there’s plenty of work out there for them to do.With the travel restrictions posed by Covid and increasing awareness of climate change…

Norwegian maritime technology and equipment specialist Kongsberg Maritime will supply Norway’s Institute of Marine Research (IMR) with four autonomous vessels. The scope of supply includes two Kongsberg Maritime Sounder USVs (Unmanned Surface Vehicles) and two KONGSBERG AUVs (Autonomous Underwater Vehicles), which will form the practical basis of the institute’s long-term strategy to develop the monitoring and management of marine environments and resources.According to Kongsberg Maritime…