Aquaflow is designed to be lightweight as well as abrasion and kink resistant. Aquaflow is ideal for breathing gas supply pneumo and hot water service in both surface demand and bell excursion umbilicals.

Construction comprises an extruded high performance thermoplastic core tube, reinforcement of high strength yarn and a bonded outer cover. Both tube and cover are extruded from high performance thermoplastic polymers which are clean and free from strong odors often associated with conventional rubber hoses. Coupled with the wide operating temperature range this ensures breathing gas quality is maintained under all conditions from -20°C to +66°C.

Additionally, these materials do not deteriorate significantly with age and remain flexible, abrasion and kink resistant, therefore outlasting other products. The continuous manufacturing process used allows long unbroken lengths to be delivered, standard lengths are 1000 ft (330m) but longer lengths are available to order.

Flexflow is made for demanding applications and where higher pressures or greater safety factors are required, hoses from the Flexflow range are the solution.

Construction comprises a thermoplastic elastomer core tube, braided reinforcement of high strength yarn and a bonded polyurethane outer cover. The type and increased amount of reinforcement gives this product working pressures that meet or exceed the SAE 100R7 specifications, which in turn are over two times the pressure rating of the 100R3 specification typically used for traditional rubber dive hose.

Diveline, operates from dedicated facilities in Stafford within the Houston area. Diveline designs and builds integrated diving umbilicals for both the local and international commercial diving industry. In addition to diver's personal umbilicals a complete range of diving and life support umbilicals will be offered including those used on saturation bells, wet bells and sub sea habitats.

Diveline is guided by 20 year industry veteran Colin Zak who states that the company will focus on supplying quality products at fast lead times with reliable delivery dates. Contact Diveline by mail to 4007 Greenbriar Dr. Ste F, Stafford, Texas 77477 or Phone: + 281-240-5450, Fax: + 281-240-5473, e-mail: info@umbilicals.com or visit their web site at http://www.umbilicals.com

Back To Top

According to Bill Dalton, founder and President of Acoustikos and new President of FSI, "The two companies provide complimentary capabilities that serve to enhance one another. FSI brings to the table a core team of committed individuals, a strong technology base, and a substantial manufacturing facility. Acoustikos, in turn, will provide their leading edge product design and development capabilities to enhance and expand FSI’s current product offerings. This merger will drive both organizations to a new level of service and performance." Dalton brings with him a proven track record as the founder and President of Datasonics, Inc., a leading manufacturer of underwater acoustic instrumentation, purchased by Benthos, Inc in 1999.

Al Fougere, the founder of FSI, will become Chairman of the Board and Chief Technical Officer. Fougere adds "The increased business base and capabilities provide a better balance between engineering and product manufacturing, and achieves the critical mass and financial stability necessary to accomplish the company’s growth and service objectives." Selective staff increases are anticipated to ensure the proper growth and direction of the new organization.

For more information on the FSI/Acoustikos products, please contact Mary St. Germain at Tel. +1-508-564-7640, ext 112 or via e-mail at mstgerma@falmouth.com, or visit http://www.falmouth.com.

Back To Top

"These places are the result of generous sponsorship by BP and BG," said Jim Sommerville of Fugro Survey Ltd, Aberdeen, UK, chairman of the OSIG organising committee.

The places will be allocated by the committee based on a short letter of application endorsed by the student's tutor or supervisor. Applications to Jean Pritchard, Society for Underwater Technology, Innovation Centre, Offshore Technology Park, Bridge of Don, Aberdeen, AB23 8GX, UK. email: jeansut@sstg.demon.co.uk

"Students are also invited to take part in a BP-sponsored Poster competition with a prize of GB£500," said Jim Sommerville. "We're particularly keen to encourage posters that illustrate the application of innovative technology to marine site investigation." Abstracts to Jean Prtichard at the above address.

The OSIG conference has as its theme "Diversity and Sustainability" and features over 30 papers over three days, with keynote speakers Roger Lott of BP and Suzanne Lacasse of the Norwegian Geotechnical Institute.

The company’s Marine Division in Perth, Western Australia, has now appointed Mr Johannes Hanse as Geotechnical Engineering Manager. Mr Hanse has worked for Fugro Engineers in Holland since 1996 as site manager/geotechnical engineer for offshore and near-shore soil investigations and has extensive experience in offshore drilling, sampling and in-situ testing techniques, such as piston coring, hammer sampling, push sampling, piezo-cone testing, vane testing and SPT’s.

Also, he is experienced in executing, processing and interpretation of laboratory tests both offshore and onshore, and processing and interpreting in-situ test data. His engineering experience includes axial pile capacity (according to various codes), drivability of offshore piles, spudcan penetration for independent leg jack-up rigs, axial and lateral load deformation analyses and pile drivability / back analysis studies.

Mr Hanse will assist in the day-to-day commercial aspects of Fugro’s geotechnical site survey business, as well as continue to go offshore when required. Contact: Mr Grey Roughan, Fugro Managing Director: 61-8-9322 4955

 Back To Top

TSS (UK) Ltd and its division S G Brown are part of the Vosper Thornycroft Group of Companies.

Vosper Thornycroft is today a very diverse and successful organisation and the link to shipbuilding and the military is not acceptable with many companies that make up the Group structure. Indeed today over 50% of the turnover and profit from the Group comes from business operations which are unrelated to manufacturing. As a result of this the corporate image has been changed to reflect the broad-based businesses which form the company and has been brought about by their success.

As a result the Group has been renamed VT Group Plc and each subsidiary company name is being prefixed with the initials VT. Therefore with immediate effect TSS (UK) Ltd becomes VT TSS Ltd and this will be communicated throughout our new corporate branding.

TSS and S G Brown will remain as trade names of VT TSS Ltd and as such product branding will remain unchanged. Contact us at any of the divisional offices listed on the web site at http://www.tss-realworld.com

 Back To Top

The immediate availability of a new survey concept for extremely high definition seafloor inspection surveys has been announced by a consortium comprised of Maridan USA, Gulf Ocean Services, Cameron Offshore Boats, and H2i Group.

Contact any of the following organizations or personnel for more information:

 Back To Top

The design addressed numerous engineering challenges including accommodating the turret’s shape (9 ft. high, 21.5 ft. diameter) and 143-ton weight, the need to preserve the artifacts and human remains expected to be within it, the possibility that the two 8-ton each Dahlgren guns may shift during the recovery procedure, and diver safety issues. The latter were of paramount importance as Navy divers were tasked with operating the capture device to secure it to the turret, and rigging the system for lift to the sea surface.

The Phoenix recovery concept consisted of two mateable underwater structures. The first incorporated 8 hydraulically operated, stiff legged hooks that pivot on a wagon-wheel style frame. This primary unit, called the spider, was lowered over the turret. By individually manipulating each of the moveable legs, divers hooked the spider to the lower periphery of the turret, and locked it in place. This assembly was then lifted and placed on the second element of the recovery device, a support platform designed to minimize stress on the turret roof and prevent the loss of artifacts. Proper alignment of the spider and platform was achieved using two large guide pins located on the support platform. Diver operated turnbuckles securely locked the spider to the support platform allowing the entire assembly to be lifted to the surface as a single unit.

The spider was designed and all rigging sized to support the entire expected load with only four of the eight legs. Where possible, the rigging used synthetic slings to facilitate installation by the Navy divers. Kidder, Inc. of Morgan City, LA fabricated the recovery system, and Versabar, Inc. of Belle Chase, LA provided the spreader frame and hook slings. Manson Gulf LLC of Houma, LA provided its 300 ft. long derrick barge, DB WOTAN and 500-ton lift crane. Coordination among Phoenix, Manson, and Versabar resulted in a safe, workable rigging design that met all operational requirements.

Phoenix provides high quality manned and unmanned marine services to an international customer base from its facilities in Landover, MD and Morgan City, LA. Phoenix is the SUPSALV prime contractor responsible for providing the Navy with worldwide diving and diving related services in support of underwater ship repair and salvage activities.

For further information, contact Mike Kutzleb (mkutzleb@phnx-international.com) or Tim Janaitis (tjanaitis@phnxinternational.com) Tel: 301.341.7800; Fax: 301.341.9465, or view our web site at http://www.phnx-international.com

 Back To Top

At the UUVS exhibition in Southampton, UK 25-26 September, the MacArtney Group will show their latest development, the TRIAXUS, a 3D undulating towfish.

MacArtney will also be displaying the EdgeTech MP-X Multipulse Side Scan that represents a ground-breaking advancement in side scan sonars. You will find the MacArtney Group at stand Number 435.

Contact Birgitte Schierning, MA, Marketing Coordinator. MacArtney A/S Gl. Guldagervej 48 6710 Esbjerg V Denmark Phone: +45 7613 2000 Fax: +45 7511 7220 or e-mail: bis@macartney.com

 Back To Top

The new version 3.0, continues to provide a comprehensive development tool for rapidly building Electronic Navigational Chart (ENC) based spatial applications. This product allows users to incorporate various data formats into their applications, including S-57 ENC, BSB, CARIS files, VPF and GeoTIFF formats.

The toolkit also adds Shapefiles to the list of supported data formats. By supporting non-marine data formats, such as Shapefile, ENC-X allows developers to add land features to their applications, thus enhancing their appeal to a wider market.

Further, Mark MacKenzie, CARIS Solutions Specialist comments, "ENC-X 3.0 will also enable users to develop applications that display ENCs in their intended language "In order to better meet the needs of our Asian clients, explains Mark MacKenzie, CARIS Solutions Specialist, "ENC-X 3.0 will also allow users in that region to develop applications that display ENCs in their intended language."

CARIS ENC-X's open architecture provides application developers with the flexibility and power they need to develop powerful ENC based spatial applications in an efficient environment. ENC-X grants access to S-52 presentation standards like Safety Depth, Safety Contour, and Shallow/Deep water lines, while allowing for full GUI and application-specific functionality customization.

Established in 1979, CARIS is the leader in the Marine and Hydrographic Geomatics software industry, and was a member of the International Hydrographic Organization (IHO) committee that established the S-57 data specification. CARIS has developed close ties within the global marine community and uses these relationships to insure their products provide solutions for the latest trends. For more on CARIS and ENC-X, visit http://www.caris.com. Contact Sheri Flanagan - Communications Specialist Corporate Marketing CARIS, Tel: +1-506-458-8533 or Fax: +1-506-459-3849

 Back To Top

Gulf of Mexico Regional Director Chris Oynes praised the initial results that include the successful tagging of an exceptional number of whales, coupled with DNA samples and photo ID’s of the whales. "This research is a result of strong intergovernmental coordination between MMS, the Office of Naval Research, Texas A&M Research Foundation (TAMRF), and the International Association of Geophysical Contractors (IAGC). This coordinated research saves the American taxpayers’ dollars."

Past MMS-sponsored studies have shown that at least several hundred sperm whales live in northern Gulf waters and are most often sighted near 1000-meter water depths. As the offshore petroleum industry moves into deeper waters, the potential for interaction with sperm whales and other deep-water cetaceans increases.

The initial SWSS cruise, made on a Texas A&M University (TAMU) research vessel Gyre, left port last June 19th and returned July 9th. The main tasks of this cruise were:
• deploy satellite tags (S-tags)
• collect physical oceanographic data
• survey for sperm whales (by visual and acoustic means
• perform biopsies for DNA samples
• photograph sperm whale flukes (photo-ID)
• record surface behavior

The cruise enjoyed considerable success. Eighteen tags were placed on sperm whales. DNA samples were obtained from 16 of the tagged whales along with photographs of their flukes (tails). Altogether, 49 high quality photo-ID images were obtained of 32 different sperm whales. Physical oceanographic sampling was of equal success. Five CTD sampling stations were completed; 42 XBT’s were dropped to profile temperatures in the upper 760 meters of the water column, including supplemental sampling in the upper 200 meters; and continuous sampling was made for ocean current velocity, surface temperature/salinity, and chlorophyll fluorescence. Sample photographs of activity as part of the research cruise are attached.

The second SWSS cruise employed the TAMU vessel and an IAGC sponsored vessel, the Rylan T., equipped with Fairfield Industries seismic airguns. Despite tropical depressions and many days of marginal weather, the cruise deployed nearly 20 digital tags (D-tags). The highlights of the cruise were testing the behavioral response and measuring received sound levels for D-tagged sperm whales exposed to controlled approaches by the Rylan T.

Ultimately, SWSS results will be used by MMS to potentially evaluate what effects seismic surveys may have on sperm whales, whether some areas of the Gulf represent preferred use locations for whales, and what actions would mitigate adverse effects on these whales. Initial results of these cruises will be presented at the MMS Information Transfer Meeting in New Orleans in January 2003 with a final report on all matters by TAMRF scheduled in early 2005.

MMS is the federal agency in the U.S. Department of the Interior that manages the nation's oil, natural gas and other mineral resources on the outer continental shelf in federal offshore waters. The agency also collects, accounts for and disburses mineral revenues from federal and Indian leases. These revenues totaled nearly $10 billion in 2001 and more than $120 billion since the agency was created in 1982. Annually, nearly $1 billion from those revenues go into the Land and Water Conservation Fund for the acquisition and development of state and federal park and recreation lands. Visit MMS's Gulf of Mexico website at http://www.mms.gomr.gov

 Back To Top

The specially designed units are to be installed on REMUS Autonomous Underwater Vehicles (AUVs) and will provide ADCP data, as well as fast and precise vehicle navigation updates. The REMUS vehicles have been purchased by the U.S. Navy as part of a multi-year contract, and will be dispersed throughout the Fleet to conduct Very Shallow Water Mine Counter Measures (VSW-MCM) activities.

The recent Hydroid order consists of (18) eight beam (upward and downward looking) RDI Workhorse Navigator based DVL/ADCP’s. The RDI DVLs provide a powerful combination of sensors in a compact package for ROV, AUV, or towed fish navigation and control. RDI’s DVL/ADCP, designed specifically for the REMUS vehicle, provides acoustic Doppler current profiling (ADCP) capability, as well as measurement of 3-D bottom track, water-referenced vehicle velocity, and altitude.

RDI’s Doppler velocity logs are currently installed on the vast majority of the world’s AUV’s, and a steadily increasing number of ROV’s and towed bodies. For more information contact Graham Lester at Tel. +1-858-693-1178 or via e-mail at glester@rdinstruments.com, or visit RDI’s navigation website at http://www.dvlnav.com.

 Back To Top

The MGTS comprises two separate pipeline systems. The Proteus oil pipeline and the Okeanos gas gathering system in the eastern flank of the Mississippi Fan. The Caesar oil pipeline and Cleopatra gas gathering system are located south of the fan, running from the continental rise below the Sigsbee Escarpment to the continental slope. TDI-Brooks' component of the project involves: (1) establishing seabed and shallow sub seabed geotechnical and geological parameters, and (2) providing soil parameter measurements for seabed roughness analysis and mud mat supported structures.

The Phase II geotechnical core acquisition was undertaken using the company's research vessel, the R/V JW POWELL. The R/V JW POWELL is a 147-ft multi-use oceanographic research vessel outfitted specifically for deep water piston coring. Forty-nine (49) 20-ft, 2000-lb piston cores were acquired to bring the total number of cores acquired by TDI-Brooks for the Mardi Gras Transportation System project to about 150 cores. Additionally, nine (9) 4,500-lb, 4-inch, 40-ft Jumbo Piston Cores were acquired for deeper geotechnical information. Large 50-cm x 50-cm box cores were acquired at selected sites for detailed mudline studies. The routine geotechnical measurements for Phase II of the project are being conducted by TDI-Brooks' geotechnical laboratory in College Station. TDI-Brooks is subcontracting the engineering analysis component of the programs to Geoscience, Earth & Marine Services, Inc (GEMS) in Houston.

Additional details on the R/V JW POWELL or TDI-Brooks Int’l Inc. can be found at http://www.tdi-bi.com or by contacting Dr. James M. Brooks at Drjmbrooks@aol.com.

 Back To Top

Units now feature a tough, rotationally molded outer shell that dramatically increases impact and abrasion resistance. Customer logos and other user-supplied information can be permanently embossed into this shell at no additional cost. Versatility is increased by the inclusion of cast, polyurethane elastomer adapter rings--allowing collars to be fitted to both 5" & 7" OD pressure cases. As with all Flotec? syntactic foams, these collars contain no macrospheres that can collapse and effect reliability. Standard model is depth rated for 3000 meters, with 4000, 5000 and 6000m units also available.

Flotation Technologies is recognized as an established leader in the design and production of deepwater buoyancy products. For more information on Transponder Collar or other syntactic foam products, contact us at +1-713-557-1851 or visit http://www.flotec.com

 Back To Top

HOUSTON, Aug. 30, 2002 --- ConocoPhillips [NYSE:COP] has completed the merger of Conoco Inc. and Phillips Petroleum Company.

This follows clearance by the U.S. Federal Trade Commission on August 30. Shareholders of both companies and all U.S. and foreign regulatory authorities cleared the merger earlier this year.

ConocoPhillips is the third-largest integrated U.S. energy company. Contact Kristi DesJarlais at Tel: + 281-293-5089 or Carlton Adams at Tel: + 281-293-1043

 Back To Top

Kronos may be used with high resolution digital cameras, providing easy installation and clear imagery; Kronos is compatible with IEEE1394 digital camera interface and NMEA GPS data format.

In its simplest form, Kronos is installed on a laptop computer receiving camera and GPS input. Images are stored in real time on a local or external hard drive (.AVI or .JPG format) along with a GPS data file. These data may be readily processed for further analysis and extraction at the end of a survey or recording session.

Kronos user interface is simple and easy to use, providing data recording information as well as GPS data controls. Camera controls are built-in. Navigation using a GIS viewer is also available; location is shown in real time over a digital map. Kronos is compatible with Trident-3D (land-based) and Cyclop-3D (aerial) systems.

Geo-3D Inc. (http://www.geo-3d.com), a Montreal-based company (Canada), offers software solutions and services in the field of geomatics and geographic information technologies. The company’s multidisciplinary team has acquired experience and know-how which allows it to offer value-added services to its clients by encouraging the use of high technology. Its expertise also encompasses geomorphology, geology and multimedia. Geo-3D financial partners include Energy Capital Innovation (a subsidiary of Capitech/ Hydro-Quebec) as well as the Caisse de Dépôt et de Placement du Québec. Contact Josiane Lorange by e-mail at: jlorange@geo-3d.com

 Back To Top

Co-sponsors of the event, which will be formally opened by the Lord Mayor of Kiel, are the Canadian Hydrographic Service, FIG Commission 4, IALA, The Alfred Wegener Institute for Polar & Marine Research, the GEOMAR Research Centre for Marine Geoscience, and the GMT Society for Marine Technology. Official patrons are the City of Kiel and the Schleswig-Holstein State Government.

Following a keynote address by Prof Dr Bernd Rohwer, Schleswig-Holstein¹s Minister for Economic Affairs, Technology & Transport, there will be eight main conference sessions under the theme, Sounding the Future. The topics comprise Hydrographic Surveying & Marine Mapping, Marine Monitoring, Marine Sensing Processes, Multibeam Systems, Coastal Zone Management, Data Management & Quality Control, Positioning, and Navigation.

Proceedings are also being supported by a major exhibition of equipment and services featuring nearly 50 organisastions. Among those participating are Aanderaa, AMRS, Atlas Hydrographic, Caris bv, Dr Fahrentholz, Driesen & Kern Elektronik, EIVA, ELAC Nautik, Fugro UDI, Greiser & Partner, GSN, HydroSat/Thales, Innomar, Institute of Marine Engineering, Science & Technology (IMarEST), International Ocean Systems Design, IVS, Karl Schmidt, Leica Geosystems, Marimatech, MBT/MacArtney, Nautikaris, Nautilus, Nautronix, Octopus Marine, Ohmex, QPS, Reson, Seatronics, Simrad, Sonardyne, Spearhead Exhibitions, Subsea Protection Systems, VT TSS (UK), Trimble, UDI, Veers Elektronik, and Vermessungbüro Weigt.

Registration rates for Hydrographic Society and German Hydrographic Society members are 250 Euros for all three days or 110 Euros per day. Corresponding non-member rates are 350 Euros and 150 Euros; there are also special student rates of 40 Euros and 15 Euros for members, and 50 Euros and 20 Euros for non-members.

Further information and registration details are available from the Organising Committee, Hydro 2002, Wischhofstrasse 1, Geb.11, D-24148 Kiel, Germany (Tel: +49 431-7207 204 Fax: +49 431-7207 205 Email: info@hydro2002.org Web: http://www.hydro2002.org).

 Back To Top

It consists of a CPU board and Signal Processor board along with a Transmitter, three-channel Receiver and RS422 converter mounted in a pressure housing. It is used in conjunction with either the Model 4213B hydrophone or the deep water Model 4217A hydrophone.

Typical applications include:
• AUV Homing
• Tracking of Towfish and ROV’s
• Tracking of subsea transponders and targets
• Tracking of surface vessel.

Visit http://www.ore.com for more information..

• GIB-SAR: Set of GIB buoys dedicated to Search and Rescue operations at sea. This equipment has just been used with much success during NATO exercise "Sorbet Royal 2002".

• GIB-FT: portable tracking system for torpedo. The first GIB-FT system was delivered to the German BWB in February 2002. The GIB-FT system is the best tool available on the market today for:
  -  ASW Weapons development and commissioning,
  -  Crew training purposes, and
  -  Operational forces readiness assessment.

• GIB-DPS: portable tracking and alert transmission system for divers.

To receive an invitation by post from ACSA Underwater GPS giving access to the show, reply to news@underwater-gps.com

For those who cannot make it to the exhibition, a video presentation of GIB systems is available on CD-ROM. If you wish to receive this video, please e-mail news@underwater-gps.com or contact Camille BECHAZ,ACSA Underwater GPS. 9, Europarc Sainte Victoire. 13590 Meyreuil - France. Tel: +33 (0) 442 58 54 52 or Fax: +33 (0) 442 58 65 46

 Back To Top

Organisers Spearhead Exhibitions are delighted that 60% of the show floor is already booked. Craig Moyes, who heads up the OI team, said: "The take up on the large exhibition stands which form the core of the exhibition has been fantastic lately. Major exhibitors such as THALES Navigation, NASA and NOAA have taken huge stands and it’s clear that our message about New Orleans is really starting to hit home."

For Exhibition Sales Enquiries, contact Stuart Fraser, +44 (0) 20 8949 9822, or e-mail: stuart.fraser@spearhead.co.uk. For Sponsorship Sales, contact Craig Moyes, +44 (0) 20 8949 9840, e-mail: craig.moyes@spearhead.co.uk. For Conference Enquiries, contact Jennifer Ramarui, Tel: +1 301/251-7708, e-mail info@tos.org or visit the web site at http://www.tos.org

 Back To Top

HOUSTON, Sep 5, 2002 /PRNewswire-FirstCall via COMTEX/ -- Energy Resource Technology, Inc. (ERT), a wholly-owned subsidiary of Cal Dive International, Inc. (Nasdaq: CDIS), has completed the #1 well at East Cameron 374 as a single selected completion in three zones from a subsea tree in 425 feet of water.

With production commingled from the lower two zones the well is currently producing at 15.5 MMCFD and 75 BOPD. The well initially tested at a combined rate of 23 MMCFD from all three zones.

ERT acquired East Cameron 374 from Murphy Exploration & Production Company and Callon Petroleum Operating Company in a transaction which included the subsea wellhead and umbilicals (see April 15, 2002 Press Release). Because these long lead time items were on hand and much of the engineering had been completed, ERT was able to obtain pipeline permits while the drilling rig, the Rowan Midland semi-submersible, completed the well. As soon as the pipeline permits were obtained, two Cal Dive vessels swung into action: the Intrepid laid the flowline and umbilical and the Cal Diver I completed the hookup and installation.

Source: Cal Dive International, Inc., Contact: Jim Nelson, Vice Chairman of Cal Dive International, Inc., Tel: +1-281-618-0400

 Back To Top

 Back To Top