Sensor Systems News

Energy services firm EnerMech has signed a multi-year global collaboration agreement with Norway-based technology company Optilift to expand technology-enabled crane and lifting operations across the offshore energy sector.The agreement combines Optilift’s digital lifting technologies and smart sensor systems with EnerMech’s global lifting services and offshore support network spanning 26 locations worldwide.The partnership will allow EnerMech to offer technology-enhanced crane and cargo handling services across offshore and onshore energy projects…

Sparton DeLeon Springs, LLC, a leader in and manufacturer of maritime defense solutions, is honoring its 125th anniversary this year. Founded in 1900 as The Withington Company, Sparton has grown from a small Michigan manufacturer into a defense contractor specializing in sonobuoys, advanced undersea warfare technologies, and beyond. Sparton was acquired by Elbit Systems of America, LLC in 2021.Sparton specializes in the production of high-quality sonobuoys critical to the nation’s undersea and anti-submarine warfare.

Oslo-listed offshore service company Argeo said Friday it would upgrade its subsea vessel, Argeo Searcher, to expand its capabilities for the oil and gas subsea market and marine minerals seabed exploration."The vessel upgrade will be carried out at Fjellstrand, a company with a solid track record and experience in this type of projects. The work will be carried out in October 2023 and is fully financed by the vessel owner. After completion, the Argeo Searcher will be a true multipurpose inspection…

Korean Register (KR) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with ship management company KLCSM and shipbuilder Samsung Heavy Industries (SHI) to jointly research and approve the application of autonomous navigation systems for mid- to large-sized vessels.The agreement, which was signed on June 23 at this year’s Korea Ocean Expo in Incheon, Korea, aims to accelerate the commercialization and international competitiveness of domestic autonomous ship equipment and technology…

The UK National Oceanography Centre (NOC) has secured funding from the UK Natural Environment Research Council (NERC), which will take robot submarine ‘Boaty McBoatface’ around end-of-life oil and gas fields. The Autonomous Techniques for infraStructure Ecological Assessment (AT-SEA) project, led by the NOC will trial the concept of using submarines like Boaty for high-tech, low-impact monitoring to pick up any potential environmental impacts at these sites, NOC said.The NOC has received £670…

Ocean explorer and scientist Dr. Robert D. Ballard opens up on his personal life and his world-famous ocean discoveries like never before in his new book, “Into the Deep.” Best known as ‘the man who found the Titanic,’ Marine Technology Reporter had the opportunity to interview Ballard on the contents of the book, a book released yesterday with a follow-up National Geographic television special scheduled for June 14, 2021, taking a deep dive into his dyslexia, the importance of his family throughout his career…

Industrial conglomerate Teledyne Technologies Inc said on Monday it will acquire thermal imaging camera supplier FLIR Systems Inc in a $8 billion cash-and-stock deal to beef up its portfolio of imaging sensor technology.FLIR shareholders will receive $28 in cash and 0.0718 shares of Teledyne common stock for each share held, the companies said.That implies a purchase price of $56.14 based on Teledyne’s last close, and represents a premium of 28.1% for FLIR shareholders to the stock’s Thursday close.Teledyne and FLIR sell cameras and sensor systems.“Our technologies and products are uniquely co

Maritime navigational safety near two U.S. Navy installations in Kings Bay, Ga., and Portsmouth, N.H. has been improved thanks to new Physical Oceanographic Real-Time Systems, also known as PORTS, installed by NOAA and the U.S. Navy. They are the first new PORTS in two years, and the 34th and 35th in the nationwide network.The system near Naval Submarine Base Kings Bay, the East Coast home to America’s Ohio-class submarines, is an integrated series of sensors which will provide critical real-time information on oceanographic and meteorological conditions.

Press coverage of early commercial marine autonomy projects is remarkably broad given the small number of marine industry professionals engaged in bringing these projects to market. The much larger assembly of industry stakeholders are left wondering what marine autonomy means for them. Regulatory, cost, and technical challenges stand in the way of fielding today’s autonomy technologies for most existing fleets and vessel missions. Autonomy is coming whether you’re prepared or not.

Research scientist and entrepreneur Sverre Dokken believes laser-based remote sensing has big potential in the maritime domain. But what is LADAR, who’s it for and what are the key benefits?“Our mission is to be the world leader in innovative maritime sensor products that enhance the safety and security of shipping and all manner of offshore activity,” says Ladar Ltd (LDR) principal Sverre Dokken.In the sensor vanguardEssentially a laser-based navigational aid, LADAR (Laser Detection and Ranging) combines long-distance object detection with high-accuracy measurement…

Designed to meet challenges of long range autonomous ops, the ‘Pentamaran’ design has been optimized to reduce fuel consumption and increase flexibilityBMT recently released details of its next generation ‘Pentamaran’ platform for autonomous applications, vessels that can be custom configured for military, patrol, intelligence surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR), anti-submarine warfare (ASW) and hydrographic survey work.The Pentamaran has been designed to reduce drag as much…

The U.S. Navy launched its newest Freedom-variant littoral combat ship (LCS), the future USS Cooperstown (LCS 23), on January 19 and then christened the new warship during a ceremony on February 29, in Marinette, Wis."The christening of the future USS Cooperstown marks an important step toward this great ship's entry into the fleet," said Acting Secretary of the Navy Thomas Modly. “The dedication and skilled work of everyone involved in the building of this ship has ensured that…

Austal USA hosted the christening of the future USS Oakland (LCS 24). This is the first of three U.S. Navy ships to be christened at Austal’s state-of-the-art ship manufacturing facility in 2019.Oakland is the 12th of 19 Independence-variant littoral combat ships (LCSs) Austal USA has under contract with the U.S. Navy. The ship’s sponsor, Kate Brandt, a recipient of the Distinguished Public Service Award, the highest award the U.S. Navy can give to a civilian, headlined the group of officials…

Mathias Rusch, Director of the Marine business unit at SKF explains what trends are currently shaping the industry, what future challenges are emerging and how operators can manage the flood of data that is coming out of the digitalization revolution.Two major trends that shipowners and operators are currently dealing with are persistently low freight rates, which have been significantly depressing shipowners’ earnings for a number of years and the requirements concerning emissions into both air and water that continue to grow.

The technology group Wärtsilä has successfully completed sea trials of its SceneScan system, the world’s first ‘targetless’ dynamic positioning (DP) laser sensor. This state-of-the-art technology requires no reflector target to be deployed, thereby increasing both safety and operational uptime. The technology has been developed by Guidance Marine, a Wärtsilä company.The tests were carried out onboard the Topaz Citadel, a vessel owned by Topaz Energy and Marine, a leading international…

No two oil spill response operations are the same. Each can present new and even tougher challenges for spill responders as they detect, contain and recover spilled oil. Diverse aspects affecting oil spill response operations can be the physical environment, spill monitoring, use of chemical dispersants, and the availability of proper technology for the situation.Some challenges have been met through research and technology development of techniques for dealing with spills. However…

One of the U.S. Navy’s newest Freedom variant littoral combat ships (LCS) completed its final significant milestone before its scheduled summer delivery with the conclusion of acceptance trials at the end of May.On May 25, the future USS Sioux City (LCS 11) wrapped up a series of graded in-port and underway demonstrations on the Great Lakes for the Navy's Board of Inspection and Survey. During the trial, the Navy conducted comprehensive tests intended to demonstrate the performance of the propulsion plant…

Florida Atlantic University’s College of Engineering and Computer Science has been awarded a $1.25 million grant by the United States Office of Naval Research (ONR) to undertake research in support of autonomous unmanned marine vehicle platforms for coastal surveillance, coastal surveys, target tracking and protection of at-sea assets. The five-year project will entail developing unmanned surface vehicles that serve as “motherships” for unmanned underwater vehicles and aerial drones…

The Navy will christen its newest Independence-variant littoral combat ship, the future USS Cincinnati (LCS 20), during a 10 a.m. CDT ceremony May 5 in Mobile, Alabama. The principal speaker will be Cincinnati Councilmember David Mann, also a former member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Ohio. Former Secretary of Commerce Penny Pritzker will serve as the ship's sponsor. In a time-honored Navy tradition, she will christen the ship by breaking a bottle of sparkling wine across the bow. "The future USS Cincinnati is a symbol of the strong connection between the people of Cincinnati and the Navy and Marine Corps team," said Secretary of the Navy Richard V. Spencer. The future USS Cincinnati is the fifth U.S. Navy ship to honor Ohio's third largest city.

Research vessel (R/V) Thomas G. Thompson (AGOR-23) has gained a new lease on life following a recently completed 18-month upgrade to improve operating systems, bolster its research capabilities and extend its working life for the U.S. Navy and scientific organizations.The Navy-owned vessel has been operated and maintained University of Washington since 1991, under a charter lease agreement with the Office of Naval Research (ONR)-which manages the ship on behalf of the service.The $52 million refit…

Defense and security company Saab said it has received a $16.8 million order from the U.S. Navy to provide the Sea Giraffe Agile Multi Beam (AMB), Multi-Mode Radar (MMR) – a 3D, electronically scanned phased array radar – to be deployed on the U.S. Coast Guard’s (USCG) Offshore Patrol Cutter (OPC). The MMR provides high radiated power, selectable waveforms, and modern signal processing to consistently achieve high performance across various marine environments. The initial order covers the procurement of two systems with options for additional radars providing a total potential contract value of up to $118.5 million. “The U.S. Coast Guard is increasingly called upon to support an array of critical missions in the most challenging conditions.

The United States Navy will commission its newest Independence-variant littoral combat ship (LCS), the future USS Omaha (LCS 12), during a 10 a.m. PST ceremony Saturday, Feb. 3, at the Broadway pier in San Diego. The future USS Omaha, designated LCS 12, is the 11th littoral combat ship to enter the fleet and the sixth of the Independence-variant design. It is the fourth warship named for the Nebraska city. The first ship was a propeller-driven sloop-of-war. The second ship was a light cruiser and the third Omaha was an attack submarine. Former U.S. Senator from Nebraska, 35th Governor of Nebraska and Medal of Honor recipient, the Honorable Bob Kerrey will deliver the ceremony's principal address. Mrs.

The US Navy will christen its newest Freedom-variant littoral combat ship, USS Indianapolis (LCS 17), during a 10 a.m. CDT ceremony Saturday, April 14, in Marinette, Wisconsin. The future USS Indianapolis, designated LCS-17, honors Indianapolis, Indiana's state capital. She will be the fourth ship to bear the name. The principal speaker will be former U.S. Senator Richard Lugar of Indiana. Mrs. Jill Donnelly, wife of U.S. Senator Joe Donnelly of Indiana, will serve as the ship's sponsor. In a time-honored Navy tradition, she will christen the ship by breaking a bottle of sparkling wine across the bow. "The future USS Indianapolis honors more than a city…