The government this week announced an investment of over £19 million into NOC platforms and sensor development through the Industrial Strategy Challenge Fund (ISCF).

Aquaterra Energy, a leading global offshore engineering solutions provider, has appointed Nick Hawkes as its new Financial Director as the company gears up for service expansion. Based at the company’s headquarters in Norwich, Mr Hawkes will be responsible for providing effective financial leadership and support to the business.

North east-based subsea engineering specialist Soil Machine Dynamics Ltd (SMD) is urging university students to apply to its Graduate scheme. The two-year intensive training and development programme aims to cultivate young engineers in a variety of disciplines to work across SMD sites in North East England.

Trelleborg’s offshore operation has signed a strategic alliance agreement with Safe Marine Transfer, LLC, to collaboratively mature and commercialize Safe Marine Transfer’s subsea chemical storage and injection system.

Subsea Technology & Rentals Ltd (STR) are delighted to announce that they will be exhibiting at Hydro17 that is taking place in Rotterdam, The Netherlands, 14-16 November 2017.

Call for abstracts MCE Deepwater Development invites you to be a part of one of the industry’s most respected technical programs; submit your technical abstract today! No formal paper is due, simply fill out the information required and include a brief description of your topic. MCE Deepwater Development 2018 celebrates it’s 15th annual edition in Milan, Italy from 9-11 April, 2018! Open until 1 December, 2017

A new DP2 vessel joins Atlantic Marine! The DP2 MPSV Atlantic Supporter (ex DP Reel) has joined the Atlantic Marine fleet. The ship arrived under Atlantic Marine management yesterday is now located in Tilbury following a series of successful offshore performance and DP trials over the past few days.

ROV Planet Magazine Issue 13: The magazine of choice for Subsea Construction and ROV Professionals. Featuring ROV Technology Advances Through Global Oceaneering Mission Support Centers – Pulling Their Weight: Why Active Heave Compensation is Crucial for Today's ROV Operations – Contain-A-LARS: An All In One Plug&Play ROV Deployment Solution – Female American Students Explore Future of Robotics – Seadrone Introduces Inspector 2.0 – Poster – DWTek I-90 ROV Demo – 3U Technologies Supporting the USS Indianapolis Project – Big Winners at 2017 International MATE Underwater Competition – Seismic Acquisition Using Autonomous Vehicles – iXBlue DriX: Safer Stronger Versatile – The International Ocean Science and Technology Industry Association (IOSTIA) Launches.

UK subsea company Rovco has been awarded a three-year contract to support one of the world’s largest offshore windfarms, Gwynt y Môr, which lies eight miles off the coast of North Wales in the UK. Rovco will be providing its ground breaking underwater ROV 3D visual survey solution, alongside traditional video, blueview sonar and cathodic protection analysis techniques.

Deep BV takes delivery of Sonardyne Mini-Ranger 2 positioning equipment to support UXO surveys Deep BV, a Dutch survey company specialising in hydrography, marine geophysics and oceanography, has purchased underwater acoustic technology supplied by Sonardyne International, UK, to support its inshore, harbour, coastal and offshore activities.

Media colleagues are invited to attend the National Oceanography Centre’s (NOC) 2017 Marine Autonomy and Technology (MAT) Showcase which runs from Monday 13 to Wednesday 18 November at the NOC’s waterfront site in Southampton.

Scientists return on Schmidt Ocean Institute’s research vessel Falkor after conducting underwater robotic dives in never before visited waters in the Phoenix Islands Protected Area (PIPA). Seventeen underwater robotic dives have been made using ROV SuBastian, completing the first expedition of the islands and eastern seamounts of the Phoenix Islands Protected Area (PIPA) in the nation of Kiribati. This follows an initial exploration of the western seamounts by the NOAA Ship Okeanos Explorer. “This journey was in the tradition of the grand research expeditions of the past,” said Chief Scientist Dr. Erik Cordes from Temple University. “We traveled nearly 3,000 miles across the Pacific Ocean and explored a part of the world that has remained entirely hidden from view until now.”

As one of the most unmissable events in the ocean technology calendar, exhibit space at Ocean Business is already 80% sold. With still more than 18 months until the show is due to take place at the National Oceanography Centre, in Southampton UK, the organisers have been overwhelmed by how quickly re-bookings have been flooding in; “Never before have we had such an incredible response to re-booking exhibition space. Exhibitors see Ocean Business as the perfect platform to seek out new opportunities for a relatively low cost. Such a rapid and positive response has been astounding!” exclaimed Cheri Arvonio, event manager.

The Emerging Company membership will help support early-stage companies focused on innovations to advance the Blue Economy. IOSTIA (IO-sha), the International Ocean Science and Technology Industry Association http://www.iostia.org, a 501(c)(6) industry association representing ocean or “blue” technology companies providing products and services to various maritime sectors, announced today a new category of membership to help support early-stage companies focused on innovations to advance the Blue Economy. The Emerging Company membership category is designed to give young and innovative blue tech companies a more manageable point of entry to take advantage of the wide array of business-oriented programs, workshops and networking opportunities offered through IOSTIA membership. The category is open to privately held and private-public partnership organizations developing disruptive technologies that advance the economic impact of the marine industry.

Have you ever wondered how the first metal detector was invented? On July 2, 1881, U.S. President James Garfield was shot in the back. While he managed to survive the assassination attempt, a problem arose in that doctors could not locate the bullet. Alexander Graham Bell (then 34 years old) learned of this unfortunate instance and set out to build a device that could detect the bullet lodged in President Garfield’s chest. Although the machine worked properly, Bell deemed it a failure because it was unable to locate the bullet and resulted in the untimely death of President Garfield. What Bell did not know was that the President’s mattress was filled with metal springs that interfered with the magnetic field surrounding the search area. While Bell’s detector didn’t manage to save President Garfield’s life, the technology was a precursor to modern metal detectors. Jack Fisher (1941-2015) expanded upon Bell’s legacy in 1968 by founding JW Fishers’ manufacturing and its complete line of underwater search equipment. Both Bell and Fisher’s legacies live on with daily search and recovery operations across the globe leading to countless lives saved, livelihoods secured, and historical treasures found.

Arctic Rays, LLC has released Anglerfish to the wider market - a proven robust miniature self-contained deep-sea LED flasher designed to aid in vehicle recovery. The 380 lumen LED with its 360 degree collimating optic can be seen from a distance as far away as 5 nmi from any direction. Its built-in daylight sensor prevents operation during daylight. Standard output is a double burst every 2 seconds, customizable upon request The Anglerfish easily mounts to vehicle masts and connects to power and control via a standard three pin connector.

Industry experiences and upcoming opportunities will be shared at a lunch and learn event with INEOS, one of the world’s largest manufacturers of chemicals and oil products, in Aberdeen next week. Organised by industry body Subsea UK, attendees will be given an insight into why INEOS decided to move into the offshore sector and, as a new player in the field, its own observations about the supply chain process.

DeepOcean AS, a subsidiary of DeepOcean Group Holding BV (DeepOcean), today announced that it has been awarded a long term subsea inspection, maintenance and repair (IMR) Frame Agreement by Aker BP ASA.