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Marine

Automated wind propulsion gains momentum as Maersk Tankers expands suction sail rollout

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Maersk Tankers has completed the second installation in an ongoing rollout of automated wind-assisted propulsion systems across its medium-range tanker fleet, as shipping companies increasingly turn to hybrid automation and renewable energy technologies to reduce fuel consumption and emissions.

The latest installation saw four 24-meter automated suction sails fitted to the tanker Maersk Tahiti at Chengxi Shipyard in Jiangyin, China.

The systems were supplied by Spanish wind propulsion specialist bound4blue, which is deploying a total of 20 suction sails across five Maersk Tankers vessels under the companies’ current agreement. [Read more…] about Automated wind propulsion gains momentum as Maersk Tankers expands suction sail rollout

Fugro strengthens offshore safety with new ROV test pool facility in Singapore

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Fugro has successfully commissioned its new remotely operated vehicle (ROV) test pool in Singapore. This strengthens the company’s in‑house capability to undertake controlled testing, verification and validation of equipment, systems and operational methodologies.

The facility represents a key milestone in improving technical assurance and reducing execution risk across marine and offshore projects.

The test pool provides a controlled environment for functional testing, system integration, calibration and pre-deployment before field deployment. [Read more…] about Fugro strengthens offshore safety with new ROV test pool facility in Singapore

How to Choose a Reliable Broker for Yacht Charter in Cannes

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Every summer Cannes fills up with yachts. Dozens of vessels berth in the old port, from modest sailing boats to gleaming white superyachts with helicopter pads. The city has long been one of the main hubs for Mediterranean chartering, and the sheer number of options on offer is enough to make anyone’s head spin.

The trouble is, finding a decent broker among all this turns out to be harder than it looks. You want someone you can trust with your money and your holiday, and that person isn’t always the first one in the search results. Some people end up dealing with resellers.

Others sign contracts without reading the fine print and are surprised later by hidden surcharges. Anyone planning a yacht charter in this region for the first time will benefit from a few practical reference points. And experienced renters won’t lose anything by running through the checklist again before they rent a motorboat in Cannes for a new season. [Read more…] about How to Choose a Reliable Broker for Yacht Charter in Cannes

Bubble Robotics raises $5 million to build ‘the ocean’s autonomous workforce’

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Bubble Robotics, has announced a $5 million pre-seed round led by Episode 1 Ventures, Asterion Ventures, and Norrsken Evolve, following its launch out of Entrepreneurs First.

Founded in 2025 by former robotics engineers from NASA and ETH Zürich, Bubble is building the ocean’s autonomous workforce: a fleet of intelligent robotic systems capable of operating continuously at sea for months, without the need for human intervention. [Read more…] about Bubble Robotics raises $5 million to build ‘the ocean’s autonomous workforce’

Saildrone and Woolpert deploy autonomous surface vessel for NOAA seafloor mapping

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Woolpert and Saildrone have partnered to acquire and process bathymetric survey data for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)’s Ocean Exploration and Office of Coast Survey in support of safe navigation and national ocean mapping initiatives, including the National Strategy for Mapping, Exploring, and Characterizing the United States Exclusive Economic Zone and Seabed 2030 initiative.

The Mariana Islands’ strategic location and vast marine ecosystems make it a critical region for monitoring and analysis. The data will be used by NOAA to help enhance its understanding of sensitive habitats, marine geohazards, oceanographic conditions, seafloor composition, and ecosystem management within the US exclusive economic zone in the vicinity of the Mariana Islands. It will also help expand taxonomic reference libraries for understudied marine organisms.

Woolpert, a leading provider of lidar and sonar bathymetry data, was selected by NOAA to map the seafloor off the eastern coast of the Mariana Islands. The firm partnered with Saildrone, which will use a 20-meter Saildrone Surveyor uncrewed surface vehicle designed for persistent maritime intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance, and deep-ocean mapping. [Read more…] about Saildrone and Woolpert deploy autonomous surface vessel for NOAA seafloor mapping

Saildrone adds seabed imaging capability to autonomous Voyager ocean drones

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Saildrone, a specialist in autonomous ocean exploration, says it has successfully integrated and operated a sub-bottom profiler (SBP) on a Saildrone Voyager unmanned surface vehicle (USV).

The capability was first used in the Baltic Sea to monitor critical infrastructure and survey the seabed while supporting the Danish Ministry of Defence Acquisition and Logistics Organisation (DALO).

The Innomar Medium USV SBP is a parametric, high-resolution system designed to acquire full-waveform acoustic data that reveals the structure, layering, and composition of the seafloor and sub-seafloor. [Read more…] about Saildrone adds seabed imaging capability to autonomous Voyager ocean drones

Mirai Robotics raises $4.2 million to build autonomous and intelligent maritime systems to ‘master every sea’

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The sea is one of the most critical infrastructures on the planet. Over 80 percent of global trade moves by sea, more than 90 percent of Europe’s foreign trade depends on maritime routes, and around 95 percent of international internet traffic flows through subsea cables.

Today, the global blue economy is worth more than $2.5 trillion and, according to international estimates, is expected to exceed $4 trillion by 2030.

Despite its economic and geopolitical centrality, the maritime domain remains one of the most complex and least digitized environments in the world: high operational costs, limited continuous observability, significant exposure to risk, and a strong reliance on human operators. [Read more…] about Mirai Robotics raises $4.2 million to build autonomous and intelligent maritime systems to ‘master every sea’

HD Hyundai selects Siemens Xcelerator for integrated digital shipbuilding platform

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Europe’s largest engineering company, Siemens, has been selected by HD Korea Shipbuilding & Offshore Engineering (HD KSOE), the intermediary holding company of HD Hyundai, as a preferred partner to establish an integrated platform to manage the entire shipbuilding process as a single data flow to help ensure consistency across all its global shipyard facilities.

The planned platform will form the core foundation of HD Hyundai’s “Future of Shipyard” project, a future-oriented shipyard that it aims to complete by 2030.

The project forms part of HD Hyundai’s ongoing efforts to address data discontinuities that have existed across ship design and production processes and to establish a more structured, digitally enabled shipbuilding environment. [Read more…] about HD Hyundai selects Siemens Xcelerator for integrated digital shipbuilding platform

Automated port and terminal operations: Robots moving global trade

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Autonomous straddle carriers, cranes, and internal terminal vehicles

Ports are among the most automated industrial environments in the world – yet they remain largely invisible in discussions about robotics and autonomy.

While factories and warehouses dominate headlines, container terminals quietly operate as vast cyber-physical systems, coordinating fleets of machines that move the physical foundations of global trade.

A modern container port is not a single robot or even a fleet of robots. It is an integrated system of cranes, vehicles, sensors, software platforms, and human supervision, operating continuously under intense economic and political pressure. When ports fail, supply chains fracture. When they perform well, global commerce flows with little notice. [Read more…] about Automated port and terminal operations: Robots moving global trade

SMD strengthens position in emerging Asian offshore wind market

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Subsea technology and services company SMD has strengthened its position as a key player in the emerging Asian offshore wind market, following a multi-vehicle contract win.

The agreement includes the delivery of one of SMD’s bespoke multi-tool hard ground trenchers and work-class ROV, the Quantum EV. This is the first electric work-class ROV purchased in this region, representing a milestone investment in the emerging market.

Matthew Woodward, business development manager at SMD, says: “SMD has operated in the offshore wind industry from the first commercial projects, and supported the construction of countless wind farms around the UK and Europe. [Read more…] about SMD strengthens position in emerging Asian offshore wind market