Thanks to a generous donation from the Voice of the Ocean Foundation (VOTO) and funds from insurance, the University of Gothenburg are able to buy a new AUV from Kongsberg AS, with delivery expected in winter 2026/2027. The new vehicle, named Ran II, will have the same capacity as Ran, but will be equipped with more robust decision support for emergencies and improved navigation.

Subsea technology and services company SMD has officially opened SMD Tech Works, a £3m state-of-the-art innovation and manufacturing centre designed to power the development of world-leading equipment.

Exail, together with its partner Thesta, has delivered a DriX H-8 Uncrewed Surface Vessel (USV) to Orlen Petrobaltic. This marks the very first commercial deployment of DriX in Poland, where the complex maritime environment of the Baltic Sea demands innovative and resilient solutions for offshore operations.

A new marine science undergraduate Masters that prepares students for working in the blue economy has been rolled out by the Scottish Association for Marine Science (SAMS) in Oban, a partner of UHI.

Ocean services provider DeepOcean expands its service offering to the offshore renewables and oil and gas industries by entering into a time charter agreement for the multipurpose support vessel Glomar Supporter. DeepOcean will utilise the Glomar Supporter to enhance its offering in survey, inspection and light IMR (inspection, maintenance and repair) markets to developers and operators of offshore wind farms and in the oil and gas sector.

Oceaneering International, Inc. is pleased to announce the successful completion of a field trial of its patented Ocean Perception™ marine mammal and wildlife mitigation software solution in the Dutch sector of the North Sea. The trial was conducted aboard an offshore wind installation vessel in collaboration with client Van Oord.

C-Innovation (C-I), an affiliate of Edison Chouest Offshore (ECO) and its family of companies, has signed a contract with Shell for ROV services in the Gulf of America.

Kraken Robotics announces that a record number of participants used its synthetic aperture sonar (SAS) technology at the annual Robotic Experimentation and Prototyping with Maritime Unmanned Systems (REPMUS) exercise in Portugal. Seven international naval teams and three uncrewed underwater vehicle (UUV) manufacturers deployed Kraken SAS for maritime security exercise applications including mine countermeasure operations and critical underwater infrastructure inspection, demonstrating interoperability across platforms, nations, and mission objectives in the underwater domain.

Silicon Sensing Systems Ltd has announced the production of its 30 millionth inertial sensor. Since it was established in 1999, the company has supplied inertial sensors and systems to many markets worldwide, including robotics, industrial production, marine, aerospace, defence, transport and space. The company’s focus is on high-performance gyros, accelerometers, inertial measurement units and combi-sensors, all based on Silicon Sensing’s own unique, patented, micro electro-mechanical systems (MEMS) technology. Products include market-disrupting inertial measurement units (IMUs) and gyros offering the highest levels of performance and challenging far larger, heavier and less robust fibre optic (FOG) and dynamically tuned gyro (DTG) -based systems and sensors.

In a world-first for marine science and technology, Teledyne Marine in collaboration with Rutgers University-New Brunswick, will conduct a pioneering mission to circumnavigate the globe with an autonomous underwater glider.

With rapid technological advances changing the way maritime forces need to utilise and manage ISR capabilities across domains, Maritime and Littoral Reconnaissance and Surveillance systems and platforms have become a critical component of naval capability.

Blue Ocean Marine Tech Systems are excited to announce that the company is being acquired by Helsing, the leading European defence technology company, specialising in Artificial Intelligence (AI)-enabled mass and precision autonomous systems across all domains.

Seasats, a leading designer and manufacturer of unmanned surface vehicles (USVs), has been awarded an $89 million SBIR Phase 3 IDIQ contract by Naval Information Warfare Center Atlantic to support Marine Corps USV efforts. This award comes on the heels of a series of major milestones that highlight Seasats' growing role in advancing persistent maritime autonomy.

A joint team from HII (NYSE: HII), Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI), and the U.S. Navy’s Naval Undersea Warfare Center Division Newport (NUWC Division Newport) has successfully completed the first recovery of a second-generation REMUS 620 into a Virginia-class submarine torpedo tube and shutterway test fixture at Seneca Lake, New York.

Forssea Robotics announces a gentleman agreement with Deep Ocean Search (DOS) and its French sister company The Deep Company (TDC) to deploy survey-augmented ROV services globally.

Forum Energy Technologies (FET), a global leader in subsea robotics, has secured a contract with long-term client DOF for the delivery of a work-class remotely operated vehicle (ROV) and supporting tether management system. The order is scheduled for delivery in late 2025. The equipment will support DOF’s extensive subsea operations in Brazil.

Aker Solutions certification for unlimited beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) drone operations opens a new age of autonomous inspection for offshore platforms, onshore yards, process plants and industrial sites. Full BVLOS certification enables Aker Solutions to conduct autonomous operations alongside manned helicopters and aircraft, one of the most advanced and highest risk authorizations approved by European and national civil aviation authorities. This ensures zero interference with helideck operations, airports or controlled airspace.

The Hydrographic Society UK & Ireland (THS:UKI) will be hosting the international conference and exhibition, HYDRO 2025, on behalf of the International Federation of Hydrographic Societies (IFHS).