University Of Edinburgh News

A maritime technology company based in Aberdeen has been awarded funding from Scottish Enterprise to support the development of an app-based version of its breakthrough draft survey technology. Tymor Marine’s DRFT MRKS software uses artificial intelligence with deep learning applied to video capture to provide an accurate measurement of the weight and load of a vessel.The grant funding from Scottish Enterprise will allow Tymor’s team to build on the operational capabilities of the software…

A European project, led by one of Scotland’s leading tidal developers, has demonstrated that the cost of tidal energy could potentially be reduced by as much as 40 percent, and has produced findings that could redefine the boundaries on what can be achieved by tidal power globally. The $22m EnFAIT (Enabling Future Arrays in Tidal) Horizon 2020 project, brought together  seven partners including Scottish tidal developer Nova Innovation, who manage the world’s first offshore tidal array - the Shetland Tidal Array…

Offshore installation services company Jan De Nul has ordered an extra-large cable-laying ship with an "unrivaled" cable-carrying capacity from China's CMHI Haimen shipyard.The vessel, to be named Fleeming Jenkin, will have a cable-carrying capacity of 28,000 tons, and will serve the renewable energy and subsea cable industry in installing cables over longer distances and in deeper waters. The vessel will be delivered in 2026. "Offshore wind farms go deeper and further offshore, and the interconnectivity between countries and regions become essential for the economy and energy security.

BP and EnBW are collaborating with research and development experts at the UK-based Offshore Renewable Energy (ORE) Catapult to investigate using zero- or low-emission support vessels at offshore wind farms.The two companies are jointly developing three offshore wind projects in two UK locations – ‘Morven’, a potential 2.9GW lease area off the east coast of Scotland, and ‘Morgan’ and ‘Mona’ within a 3GW area in the Irish Sea. The offshore wind farms will require maintenance support from Service Operation Vessels (SOVs) and Crew Transfer Vessels (CTVs).According to ORE Catapult…

Wave energy converter developer Bombora Wave Power (Bombora) has completed tank testing of a floating foundation system suitable for the InSPIRE solution, where Bombora's mWave technology is combined with a wind turbine onto a single floating offshore platform.An adapted version of the semi-submersible INSPIRE platform, developed in partnership with TechnipFMC, underwent tank testing evaluations to confirm the system loads and dynamics at the FloWave test facility at the University of Edinburgh.Head of Loads and Modelling at Bombora…

When Dutch boat captain and engineer Ernst-Jan de Groot applied to continue working in Britain after Brexit, he became ensnared in a bureaucratic nightmare because of an online glitch and says he is now likely to lose his job.Under new immigration rules coming into force, de Groot faces the prospect of losing the right to come to Britain to work unless he can successfully apply for a visa through a government website by the end of June.Following its departure from the European Union’s orbit at the end of December…

Golar LNG announced on Thursday it has appointed appointed Karl Fredrik Staubo as CEO, filling the void left by prior chief executive Iain Ross, who stepped down in April.Staubo has since May 2020 been the chief executive officer of Golar LNG Partners LP, recently sold to New Fortress Energy. Since September 2020 Staubo has also been acting as Golar's chief financial officer.Staubo's broad shipping/energy background includes time with Clarksons Platou Securities (2010-2018) and Magni Partners (2018-2020). He has a MA (Business Studies and Economics) from the University of Edinburgh.Golar has also appointed Eduardo Maranhao to take over Staubo's role as CFO.

The Equinor Board of Directors appointed Anders Opedal as its new president and CEO starting November 2, 2020. Eldar Sætre will retire after six years as CEO and more than 40 years in the company.Opedal ascends to the top spot coming from the position as Executive Vice President Technology, Projects and Drilling. He joined Equinor as a petroleum engineer in 1997, spent many years in Drilling and Well and served as Chief Procurement Officer. In 2011, he was chosen to lead Equinor’s approximately NOK 300 billion project portfolio.

A consortium of five universities, including Heriot-Watt University, working with 35 industrial and innovation partners, has unveiled the latest results from its research collaboration.The largest academic center in the world for research into robotics technology for offshore energy infrastructure, the ORCA Hub’s aim is to advance robotics and Artificial Intelligence technologies for the inspection, repair, maintenance and certification of offshore energy platforms and assets.Creating solutions to some of the most challenging, hard to reach and hazardous real-world problems in the energy sector, ORCA Hub was launched in October 2017.

ROVOP, the global subsea robotics specialist, is the latest company to join the ORCA (Offshore Robotics for Certification of Assets) Hub offshore robotics, artificial intelligence and autonomous systems development program. The ORCA Hub is a consortium of five universities – Heriot-Watt University, University of Edinburgh, University of Liverpool, University of Oxford and Imperial College London – that are working together to develop highly specialized robotics and AI technologies for the inspection, repair, maintenance and certification of offshore energy platforms and assets.The partnership will see ROVOP support the research the ORCA Hub is carrying out in the subsea domain.

CorPower and Sustainable Marine Energy join forces for a wave and tidal developer collaboration to develop and demonstrate generic foundation mooring solution to reduce cost and improve O&M methods.The 35-month UMACK (Universal Mooring, Anchor & Connectivity Kit Demonstration) project will address ocean energy affordability, survivability, reliability and installation through the demonstration of a generic anchor-foundation-mooring-connectivity system which aims to reduce capital and installation costs by up to 50%.UMACK is being funded by Scottish Enterprise and the Swedish Energy Agency with co-funding from the OCEANERA-NET COFUND (via the European Commission under Horizon 2020).UMACK brings together leading wave and tidal energy developers…

Boston-based developer of autonomous vessel technology Sea Machines Robotics has hired Chris Sotzing as director of engineering. Sotzing will be responsible for the development and deployment of the company’s Sea Machines 300 technology system, as well as managing the engineering team. He reports to COO Jim Daly from the Boston office. Sotzing joins Sea Machines from SeeByte, where he served as an engineering manager supporting unmanned vehicle technologies in Boston. Prior to relocating to Boston…

Alan Kelly, president of ExxonMobil Fuels, Lubricants & Specialties Marketing Company, has announced his intention to retire effective Aug. 1, 2016, after more than 34 years of service. It is anticipated that the board of directors of Exxon Mobil Corporation (NYSE:XOM) will appoint Bryan Milton as president of ExxonMobil Fuels, Lubricants & Specialties Marketing Company and elect him as a vice president of the corporation. Milton is currently president, ExxonMobil Global Services Company. Kelly, 59, was appointed president, ExxonMobil Lubricants & Petroleum Specialties Company, and elected as a vice president of the corporation effective December 1, 2007. Kelly began his career with the company in 1981.

Seatronics Ltd, an Acteon company and part of its survey, monitoring and data business, has promoted Derek Donaldson from vice president Asia Pacific to vice president global operations. Donaldson enters into a new position within the Seatronics Group management structure, reporting directly to the Seatronics Group managing director, Phil Middleton. Donaldson and Middleton will together support regional vice presidents in managing and developing the global Seatronics business. Donaldson will be based in Singapore and will continue to manage the regional office, whilst maintaining a global presence. Donaldson said, “I joined Seatronics because of the quality of the team.

Ana Zambelli, currently Managing Director for Subsea Operations at Transocean, will take up the role as Chief Commercial Officer (CCO) in Maersk Drilling. She will start 1 June 2015 reporting directly to CEO Claus V. Hemmingsen. Ana Zambelli will assume the position as CCO after Martin Fruergaard, who after 25 years in the Maersk Group, six of them as CCO for Maersk Drilling, will leave Maersk Drilling. “Martin has for more than 25 years served the Maersk Group in various positions, the last six years as CCO of Maersk Drilling, where he has been instrumental in our growth and has provided for increased customer relations as a large part of the recipe for our success.

Meet global warming's sister. Although global warming often makes headline news, acidic oceans can also have devastating effects on Earth's environment. They once triggered the "Great Dying," which was Earth's worst-ever mass extinction. Scientists said that CO2 released from massive volcanoes in Siberia turned the ocean acidic and wiped out most of Earth’s sea life during the world’s worst mass extinction event 252 million years ago. The new revelation shows dire similarities to modern climate change. The study has been published in the journal Science that reveals the first hard evidence that ocean acidification was behind the mass extinction of aquatic life on Earth.

Heriot-Watt University’s Edinburgh Campus, has confirmed the order of an ASV C-Enduro. The C-Enduro Unmanned Surface Vehicle (USV) will be used for research in persistent and long term autonomy with multiple remote and autonomous marine platforms. The vehicle’s primary application will be as a moving navigation and communication platform for AUV’s. Professor David Lane of Heriot-Watt said: “The vehicle will be available to students in the EPSRC Centre for Doctoral Training in Robotics and Autonomous Systems as a research facility.

MJM Group Chairman Brian McConville announced that he has bought Mivan out of administration. Established in 1983 by the McConville family, MJM Group refurbishes Cruise Liners, Ferries, Super Yachts, luxury hotel and leisure facilities, office and retail and private residential. Mivan, one of Northern Ireland's best known construction companies, was founded by Ivan McCabrey in 1975 and specialized in fitting out cruise ships and high-end commercial and residential developments. Earlier this week, Mivan announced that they have ceased trading, but this news means that the Mivan brand will continue. “There are obvious synergies between the two operations which will allow us great efficiencies and economies of scale.

The Energy Technologies Institute (ETI) and HR Wallingford launched a tidal energy modeling tool for use by tidal energy developers to identify the most efficient sites for tidal energy converters, tidal arrays or tidal barrage schemes around the U.K. and French coastlines. The computer program, SMARTtide (Simulated Marine Array Resource Testing), incorporates a 2D hydrodynamic model of the U.K.’s continental shelf and the north-west European coastline. The software will be available to the public from May 21 as a fee-for-service via a portal on HR Wallingford’s website.