Ocean Robotics Planet Magazine Issue 30: Events Calendar & Welcome to Ocean Robotics Planet - Improving Subsea Inspection Costs & Safety Through ROV Deployed Remote Robotic Solutions - Making the Case for Safe & Robust Remote Operations - Nauticus Robotics to Go Public via SPAC Merger - World’s First Sea-To-Air Drone Redefines Offshore Operations - Oceanology International Prepares to Reopen its Doors - SEA-KIT and Fugro Ink Contract for Next Generation 18m XL USV - Poster: iXblue DriX - Discovery of WWII Italian Submarine Wreck Jantina in Greece - iXblue Launches New ROTV to Enhance Autonomous Survey Solutions - Powerful IT Infrastructure for Autonomous Underwater Maintenance with AUV - Neutralizing “Weapons That Wait” - With Manufacturers Focused on Improving Tomorrow, Who Is Concerned with Improving Today? - Demo of The Hydrogen Powered Subsea Hydraulic Power Unit (SHPU) in Norway - Defence Corner: Undersea Teamwork and Undersea Warfare Trends

Neptune Energy and RWE today announced the signing of a Joint Development Agreement to develop the offshore green hydrogen project "H2opZee" ahead of 2030. H2opZee is a demonstration project which aims to build 300-500 megawatts (MW) electrolyser capacity in the North Sea to produce green hydrogen using offshore wind. The hydrogen will then be transported to land through an existing pipeline.

Fugro has accepted an invitation from the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (IOC-UNESCO) to join the Ocean Decade Alliance (the ‘Alliance’). Comprising an eminent network of global leaders and institutions, the Alliance aims to catalyse support for the United Nations Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development 2021‑2030 (the ‘Ocean Decade’) through targeted resource mobilization, networking and influence.

THE Sustainable Aquaculture Innovation Centre (SAIC) has appointed Chris Hyde, chief technology officer of Aberdeen-based marine technology specialist OTAQ, to its board of directors.

Marine technology company, Sonardyne, is aiming to improve the safety and efficiency of unexploded ordnance (UXO) clearance during offshore energy projects with the introduction of a secure, wireless underwater initiation capability. The company’s new Initiation Transponder 6 (IT 6) is designed to be connected directly to a remotely deployed, non-electric mine neutralisation device, such as a Viper MDS from ECS Special Projects.

When a powerful Remotely Operated Vehicle ROV has to face tough offshore conditions, it has to be connected with the proper reliable umbilical cable. This is why Copenhagen Subsea addressed NOVACAVI for its Gorilla ROV new cable solution and NOVACAVI developed a custom neutrally buoyant fiber optic data umbilical cable for fast and noise immune transfer of data.

1CSI Ltd, a subsea inspection business is on course to launch a brand new technology that will result in significant savings for underwater asset operators, after the business owner received support and advice from Business Gateway.

Greater collaboration between the offshore energy and defence sectors could open up lucrative opportunities for the underwater industry, according to the Global Underwater Hub. The organisers of Subsea Expo will be highlighting how advanced underwater technology could solve key challenges facing both sectors on the first day of the flagship event on 22nd of February at P&J Live.

Two Saab Sabertooth robots will go under the Antarctic ice in the hunt for the wreck of the Endurance, sunk during Shackleton’s ill-fated expedition in 1915. Lowered by helicopter, the Sabertooths will be sent through a prepared hole cut in the ice to embark on a 160km search mission to find, survey and film the wreck, believed to be 3000m (nearly two miles) underwater, its precise location unknown.

Today, Canada’s Ocean Supercluster announced five new projects with a total value of nearly $29 million, including the Autonomous Remote Offshore Wind Inspection, Navigation and Deployment (AROWIND) Project. This Ontario-led project will develop an uncrewed surface vessel (USV) based subsea inspection solution for offshore windfarms.

Hydromea successfully trialed EXRAY, its wireless underwater ROV system, within a full ballast water tank on one of TotalEnergies’ North Sea floating production, storage and offloading (FPSO) vessels during November 2021. EXRAY was deployed to collect visual inspection data, validating system performance including wireless navigation and wireless communication.

Jan De Nul Group has ordered Maritime Robotic's well-proven and hybrid Mariner Unmanned Surface Vehicle (USV) as the first step towards unmanned and autonomous offshore survey operations. Named Beluga 01, this vessel will sail under the Luxembourg flag and be deployed for worldwide hydrographical and environmental surveys on marine and offshore construction projects. Jan De Nul is herewith the first dredging contractor to deploy an unmanned survey vehicle in marine and offshore conditions.

Defense technology company Anduril Industries today announced it has acquired Boston-based start-up Dive Technologies, a pioneer in autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs). This acquisition expands Anduril’s suite of autonomous systems, extends its unmanned capabilities to the undersea domain, and significantly accelerates the company’s strategic growth.

Offshore Innovators (Guyana) Inc. (OIG), the first indigenous provider of specialized Subsea Personnel, is celebrating its 5-year anniversary of operations in Guyana. OIG commemorated the occasion by facilitating the first-ever Remotely Operated Vehicle (ROV) Induction training to be held in Guyana, for eleven (11) local recruits, at the Pegasus Hotel this January.

FIFISH V6 EXPERT, first debuted in late 2021, is a professional-class underwater robot and productivity solution. Equipped with all-new multi-attachable tooling capabilities, V6 EXPERT is the latest iteration of the award-winning V6 series by underwater robotics company QYSEA Technology.

Fugro is building a remote operations centre (ROC) in the company’s St. John’s office, located in the province of Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. The ultra-modern communications hub is scheduled for completion in Q4 2022 and will complement Fugro’s global network of ROCs, which make it possible to complete offshore operations onshore via remote and autonomous technologies. For Fugro’s clients in eastern Canada, this will mean safer, more efficient and more sustainable delivery of marine Geo-data and related services.

REV Ocean’s advanced, three-person submersible is nearing official launch, with sea trials scheduled for February and March 2022. While we wait for the REV Ocean research vessel to be delivered, the new sub will be used to champion ocean solutions with our partners and network. Keeping with tradition for naming submersibles, REV Ocean is sponsoring a public naming competition until March 1st, 2022.

Global marine contractor Van Oord recently deployed iXblue new LBL subsea positioning solution to conduct the installation of 190 offshore wind farm piles in the Bay of Saint-Brieuc (France). Already used on major Oil&Gas and Renewables projects, iXblue Canopus transponders, Ramses transceivers and Delph Subsea Positioning Software have been used by Van Oord to conduct metrology operations. Those aimed to ensure the laid-out piles had been positioned as per the requested specifications.