Big Blue World issue 1 - September/October 2021

Big Blue World The Global Newsletter of the Society for Underwater Technology Issue 1, September/October 2021

In this issue Messages from: the CEO, SUT President & Chair of SUT Council What is innovation?

Winners of the Gwyn Griffiths Underwater Robotics Award and Captain Don Walsh Award for Ocean Exploration SUT Global Branch News Updates from our Special Interest Groups Young Professionals International News from SUT Members New SUT Member benefit! - Join the Marine Technologist Register SUT Event reports The Underwater Technology Podcast UT2 and UV2 Magazines

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Contents Welcome from the SUT CEO. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 A Message from the Chair of SUT Council. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 A Message from the SUT President. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 Welcome to our new Corporate Members!. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 SUT News . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 Social Media. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 A Focus on Finance. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 The Last issue of the SUT Journal . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 What is innovation? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 SUT Member news . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 Forthcoming Events. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 The Gwyn Griffiths Underwater Robotics Award. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16 The Don Walsh Award for Ocean Exploration. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 Educational Support Fund. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20

UT2/UV2 Magazines. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21 Marine Technologist and Marine Science Registration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22 Global Branch updates. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24 Special Interest Groups . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30 Young Professionals International - SUT+, YES! and SUT-SES. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36 Reports of Recent SUT Events and Photo Galleries. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42 The Underwater Technology Podcast. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48 Next Issue. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50

Editor Emily Boddy emily.boddy@sut.org Contact Emily to submit an article, send in Corporate Member news, or member updates and photos, or to find out about advertising and sponsorship opportunities in Big Blue World.

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Introducing Laura Meyer Joining the team at SUT HQ from August through to October will be Laura Meyer as our SUT intern from Germany.

She will be helping the team with business development and member outreach. You can contact Laura at laura.meyer@sut.org.

Welcome from the SUT CEO Cheryl Burgess, SUT CEO Since joining the SUT at the beginning of 2021 it has been my pleasure to get to know the staff, the Exec, Council and members as well as become familiar with the administration of the Society and the interest and activities of the Branches and Special Interest Groups (SIG).

I have met members virtually at the SUT-organised webinars and committee meetings, and face-to-face at Ocean Business, and look forward to more in-person meetings in the future as vaccination programmes and changing Covid-19 restrictions enable us to meet in person.

Cheryl Burgess

I would like to say thank you to SUT members for choosing to retain their membership to the Society. I would also like to take this opportunity to encourage all members, corporate and individuals, to get actively involved in their Branch or SIG. And if you strongly feel that the SUT needs new and additional Special Interest Groups, I look forward to hearing from you.

The Energy in Transition and the Impacts for Site Investigation and Characterisation conference held in September 2021 was the return to SUT live events in the UK. The SUT had a stand at Ocean Business in October, W9, as well as speakers at this event. We look forward to seeing you at other events where the SUT will be present as speakers and exhibitors.

You will have taken note that training courses have become virtual online events from the UK and USA in order to meet the continued training interest. The Perth Branch has been able to offer face-to-face meetings, training and events. We are delighted with the interest in the new introductory offshore wind course. Our thanks to the SUT industry experts who are presenters on these courses.

Members now have the opportunity to enhance their professional accreditation on the Marine Technologist and Marine Science Registers via the SUT and route to being globally recognised certification as Chartered, Registered or MarTech. Following the pilot programme in 2020, you can now dive into the application process on www.sut.org/marine-technologyregistration/. Please contact us if you have any questions. I hope you check it out.

Listening to the both the membership and online conferences and webinars that have taken place over recent months and during the pandemic lockdown, it is clear there is much for the members to discuss and contribute in the SUT’s role as a learned society: climate change, meeting net zero targets, marine renewables and offshore wind, decarbonisation, carbon capture, transportation and storage, decommissioning & salvage, deep sea mining, reduction of our carbon footprint, the need for innovation, the role of subsea education, engineering and technology, delivering training for a sustainable skilled workforce in the future.

We live in interesting times, with challenges to be sure, but also with a role for the SUT and its members now and in the future.

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A Message from the Chair of Council David Saul, Chair of Council Welcome to issue one of the new SUT newsletter, Big Blue World.

I would like to start by paying tribute to Bil Loth who passed away in July this year. Until recently Bil was part of Council as a past President but had occupied numerous roles in the society over the last four decades. Bil also supported the IMarEST serving as their President in the early 2000s. Workwise, Bil was a founding subsea engineer working on both the industry-changing Exxon SPS and Shell UMC developments, before moving on to set up his own consultancy. Many will remember his training style as always thought-provoking but rounded off with amusing anecdotes. The Loth family have requested David Saul that any donations can be made to the SUT’s Educational Support Fund in Bil’s honour. If you would like to make a donation, the details are below.

This year saw a significant change to the Society with us relinquishing the Aberdeen and London offices to move to a fully remote working model. I would like to thank all the effort from CEO Cheryl and the other SUT staff to ensure this has taken place in an orderly manner. Going forward we will be using the HQS Wellington as a business address.

In the last annual report, I talked a little about the progress of our offer of professional recognition to members. I am pleased to say this is now live for people wanting to become accredited marine technologists, with marine scientists coming soon. Information on the application process can be found on the website under ‘education’.

From the UK there are new training courses for subsea awareness and offshore wind being offered online, together with the training courses run by SUT Branches in Houston and Perth. I would like to thank Jacqui Adams for her work keeping SUT events running in the virtual world.

With the second season of the SUT Underwater Technology Podcast complete, and the third season now underway, I would like to thank Emily Boddy and SUT Council member Andrew Connelly for all their work on this. At the time of writing, we had 16,954 downloads but most importantly we are building up an audio record of key people in the industry.

Bil Loth

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As the global subsea and marine community join Bil’s family in mourning his passing, the Loth family have requested donations to the SUT Education Fund.

Always an innovator in subsea engineering, the last stage of Bil’s career took him into an academic life at the National University of Singapore, then Newcastle, Robert Gordon and Cranfield Universities lecturing and inspiring generations of subsea engineers internationally.

Your donations will continue Bil’s legacy and contribute to supporting students in the fields of subsea engineering, science and marine technology. www.justgiving.com/fundraising/bil-loth

A Message from the SUT President Judith Patten MBE, SUT President What a great introduction this newsletter is, enabling the sharing of information at every level throughout the SUT and hopefully stirring up discussion and debate. Enjoy reading this first issue and don’t hold back. Let us know what you’re up to; what you’d like to share; what, where and how you’d like SUT to become more active... Use it as your own. It’s designed for two-way traffic.

Invited to become President last December mine has been a highly enjoyable and interesting baptism of fire. I’ve been a member of SUT’s Judith Patten Marine Renewable Energies Committee (MREC) since its creation early in the century; being on Council and in the presidential ‘hot seat’ has certainly provided insight into its aims and objectives.

Highlights? There have been (and continue to be) many: • Seeing professional accreditation get off the ground after last year’s pilot scheme and working jointly with MTS on this important step is a major milestone. Spread the word far and wide to those you work with and encourage them to dive into the online application process (and do it yourself if you are not already Chartered)!.

• Introducing the inaugural virtual courses – the introductory offshore wind course and the subsea awareness one (good to see so many women speaking) then staying online to soak up as much of the content as possible • As a long-time admirer of that indefatigable ocean explorer Don Walsh, being involved with the judging process for the Captain Don Walsh Award for Ocean Exploration (again jointly with MTS) has been illuminating. Who has won? All is revealed later in this issue. Look out for the nomination process for the next iteration, it is an award for those who not only have achieved great things but are doing it currently (rather than a lifetime achievement award). It is intended to capture the ‘Walsh spirit’.

• Marvelling at the time that very busy people give voluntarily to our learned society is humbling; and working alongside the four talented women Cheryl, Jane, Jacqui and Emily who work tirelessly for SUT is uplifting. I thank them for their patience with me as I ask often daft questions. There is no ‘how to be a president’ guidebook!

Regrets? Yes. I’d love to have met more members face-to-face but that of course just hasn’t yet been possible... Most of all I would have enjoyed meeting up with other Presidents for a ‘how to do it’ crash course. I have a copy of “Can a Lobster be an Archaeologist?” [you can buy the book here!] by my side as I write this (ready to give to my grandson with more copies on their way to me for children too young to appreciate it when it was first published) and remember Bil Loth, its champion and President at the time of its publication, telling me he’d been a flip-book fan when young and so insisted on a flip-book diver providing an element of fun in this fascinating book. Thank you, Bil. You are much missed, your flip-book diver is a constant reminder of you.

Can a Lobster be an Archaeologist?

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Welcome to our new Members Welcome to our newest Corporate Members!

Click to find out how your organisation can join the SUT as a Corporate Member.

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SUT News SUT HQ has a new location!

Following the implementation of COVID-19 lockdown restrictions in the UK in March 2020, the SUT HQ staff adapted to working from home. The SUT has taken the decision to enable all HQ staff to continue to be home-based as the SUT office leases in Aberdeen and London have come to term. SUT staff have provided continuous valuable services to members throughout the pandemic: engaging with members directly and through the Branches and Special Interest Groups, running webinars, and online training courses.

Like many organisations we have adjusted to working in the new normal. We have adapted with our online offering and virtual meetings, planning for the future and return to face-to-face meetings and events including international conferences and exhibitions. SUT’s new address, HQS Wellington, will be a postal address only. Please update our contact details. You can still write to us and send hard-copy communications to: Society for Underwater Technology, HQS Wellington, Victoria Embankment, London WC2R 2PN HQ Staff and other branch contact details can be found at www.sut.org/contact

HQS Wellington, London

New Marketing and Events Coordinator joins Perth branch Welcome to Kym Shepherd!

Kym has over 10 years’ experience in coordinating the implementation, promotion and evaluation of a wide range of events, predominantly in Local Government. Highly skilled in end-to-end Event and Project Management, Stakeholder Relations and Marketing, Kym’s role focuses on the administration, coordination, and marketing of all Perth branch events. Contact Kym at perthevents@sut.org.

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The SUT & Social Media in Numbers 13 Branches across 12 countries Members from 39 different countries Corporate Members

146

Individuals

1617 14 Hon. Fellows 107 Fellows 677 Full members 128 Students 691 Corporate Individuals

Follow SUT on social media Click the icons above to follow SUT HQ on social media. Join us on LinkedIn! www.linkedin.com/ company/sutuk/ Many of our branches and special interest groups also have social media accounts of their own.

Make sure you search for ‘Society for Underwater Technology’ across LinkedIn to follow accounts dedicated to these groups too.

If you’d like to particiapte in an episode of the Underwater Technology Podcast, email podcast@ sut.org to speak to our editor, Emily Boddy.

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YouTube 65 Videos 357 Subscribers 36,550 Video Views Twitter 1,894 Followers Instagram 508 Followers LinkedIn 1,414 Followers Facebook 1,354 Followers Podcast 69 Episodes 16,954 Downloads

A Focus on Finance Mick Cook, Honorary Treasurer As the SUT closes its financial year-end 2020-2021, I am pleased to report that SUT Council have set a prudent, balanced budget for 2021-2022.

Despite a difficult year, due to the impact of COVID-19, I am pleased to report that the work done by SUT Exec, Council, Centre and Branches to put finances on a firm footing in recent years means that we are looking forward to a brighter future.

New members and strong membership retention, the creation of online training courses and chargeable online events have helped limit the budget deficit to a minimal sum. In addition to income from the new online training courses, including Virtual Subsea Awareness and Offshore Wind, sponsorship Mick Cook income for webinars and podcasts has also contributed to SUT finances. Only the Perth Branch had the luxury of face-face meetings in the financial year 2020/21 and this, together with prudent cost constraints, resulted in a healthy surplus for the year in Australia.

The programme of membership engagement from Branches and Special Interest Groups has continued to provide meaningful value to members led to new members joining the Society. We look forward to face-to-face member events, including training with site visits, returning to the SUT calendar as Covid restrictions ease globally.

If you are interested in individual or corporate donations or sponsorship of the SUT events please contact myself (mick@mickcook.com) or Jacqui Adams (Jacqui.adams@sut.org) to discuss further.

The Final Issue of the SUT Journal Sadly, our peer-reviwed journal, Underwater Technology is no longer in production and we are not accepting submissions. Click on the image of the journal below to read the last published issue 38.1. Back issues of Underwater Technology are still available to view here. But please watch this space as Underwater Technology may yet return in the future.

In the meantime, however, we have joined forces with our friends at the Marine Technology Society (MTS) and SUT members will now be able to access and even submit papers to their journal.

The Marine Technology Society Journal publishes the following categories of submissions: • • • •

Technical/Scientific Paper Technical/Scientific Note Commentary Book Reviews

For more information about the MTS Journal and the paper submission process please click here.

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What is innovation?

David Kaye, Fellow SUT, Director, Rigid Pipeline and Installation Technologies, TechnipFMC

What is innovation?

There are many definitions available and easily found via David Kaye a Google search.

Probably the most widely applicable describes innovation as the introduction of new ideas or ways of doing something. Ask any member of the public about innovation and the first thought that come to mind may be the iPhone, an electric car – a Tesla maybe - or perhaps some Dyson product.

We all recognise innovation and can see it in our daily lives. However, ask the same member of the public where innovation comes from, and how we can obtain it, and the conversation changes gear. Innovation becomes a much more abstract concept, difficult to define, and difficult to access.

The oil and gas industry is traditionally conservative, and particularly the subsea sector in which I work. Subsea developments require

photo by: TechnipFMC

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high levels of investment and high risk. A new, innovative idea can reduce the level of investment – but also adds to the risk. A multimillion-dollar investment could be threatened by trying to save just a small percentage of the cost.

Consequently, our industry is often characterised by the rush to be second: Operators often let someone else take the risk of innovation first.

We have conflicting challenges. Our industry is mature, proven, with well-defined standards, and with cut-throat competition to reduce costs and win each contract. Clients consider widely available and proven technologies to leverage more competition from the supply chain. At the same time, however, each project pushes the boundaries just a little bit more: Higher pressure, higher temperature, longer tie-backs, more corrosion, and more challenging fluid conditions. We rarely see “run of the mill” developments, and if we did, the ever-present competition would make sure that they’re no longer run of the mill: We will try to do it at lower cost, faster, more efficiently.

Interestingly, the industry challenges of the last five years have created a much more enthusiastic

photo by: TechnipFMC

climate for innovation. The industry is under greater pressure than ever to challenge costs, and operators have been far more enthusiastic about new, disruptive solutions which can make field developments economically viable. Also, we are carefully watching the energy transition, looking for new opportunities to apply our skills and knowledge, while public opinion and investor pressure places great expectations on our industry to clean up its act. We are in a big period of change, adapting to the uncertain challenges of the future while relying on the stability of the past. It is one of the most exciting times this industry has faced.

I lead a large team developing new technologies in subsea pipelines and installation. Innovation is essential for my team, and it is essential that I foster innovation in my team. How do we encourage those ideas, and how do we bring them to fruition? The wider public has a common idea that innovation comes from a “eureka moment”. One day we didn’t have the electric car, and then Elon Musk had a great idea during his morning shower, and the next day the electric car was with us. Engineers know that this is not true. We have many ideas, some great, some not-so-great. We write them all down on a big whiteboard and we then

scrutinise them. We review, assess, analyse, and select. In the end, we identify the concept which we believe is most likely to lead to a profitable solution for our companies, and we develop and qualify it. Finally, after many months if not years, we have a product for the market, and we congratulate ourselves on our innovation. There is a well-known quote, from Thomas Edison, that innovation is 1% inspiration and 99% perspiration. It is true.

However, innovation is not just about eureka moments, inspiration, and perspiration.

Fundamentally, it’s about doing things differently.

It applies to everyone, and not just the whitecoated boffins of R&D. Innovation is about challenging the norm and identifying ways to do it differently, and to do it better. We must think about everything we do: Why are we doing this, is it the best way to do it, is there a better way to do it? This applies to everyone, from the chief engineer developing the new concept that will transform the industry, to the office worker taking the Friday bacon roll order for the team (and that seems a long time ago, before COVID-19!). A questioning culture creates the environment where we can innovate and progress. Think and challenge: Can we do it better? And we must foster the courage to do it.

If you have an article you’d like to write for Big Blue World on innovation or the blue economy please contact emily.boddy@sut.org.

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SUT Member News Underwater Inspection and Repair of Offshore Structures Professor John Sharp, chair of the Marine Renewable Energy committee, has recently had a book published by Wiley, entitled “Underwater Inspection and Repair of Offshore Structures”.

This is the first volume to include both inspection and repair and steel and concrete structures. It is aimed at oil and gas installations but is also relevant to the sub-structures of offshore wind turbines. His co-author is Gerhard Ersdal, a Visiting professor at Stavanger University and a principal engineer with the Petroleum Safety Authority in Norway.

Click here for more information and details on how to purchase this publication.

The TIGER project The TIGER project is a €45m project with the aim to accelerate deployment of tidal stream, energy in the UK and France.

As part of the project, the Offshore Renewable Energy Catapult are creating a volume manufacturing roadmap, to evaluate how the industry can transition from manufacturing single prototype devices to tens or hundreds of commercial devices per year.

They want to understand the current capabilities in the supply chain and what the current sentiment is towards the tidal stream industry. To do this, they have prepared a questionnaire for suppliers which should take about 10 minutes to fill in. Responses are greatly appreciated and will really help to improving understanding on how to support and strengthen the industry going forwards.

You can find the questionnaire by clicking here.

There are opportunities to get involved in the TIGER project, and the Catapult can notify you of these.

If you have news you’d like to share with SUT Members in Big Blue World, contact Emily Boddy emily.boddy@sut.org 12

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OI 22 - Call for papers United by the oceans, united by technology and science Oceanology international is bringing together the ocean science and tech community in March 2022 for the World’s leading ocean tech and science event.

The 2022 event will be special – not only the first ocean tech event in 2022, but also the first opportunity to meet face to face in 2022.

Oi is the event to meet your next collaborator, the event to meet existing and new clients, the event that is optimised for networking.

As a supporter of Oi the SMI will be at the event to provide support, meet members and network. We are excited about the prospect of attending and look forward to learning in the technical conferences, engaging with the dockside demonstrations and enjoying the opportunity to mix and mingle (safely) with the ocean tech community.

Be seen, be heard

The team at Oi are asking us to reach out to our members to ask….. ‘do you want to be part of the conference’. Do you or your organisation have a white paper to share, do you have a presentation you’d like to make? Do you want to be seen as a thought leader and bring your brand to life?

If the answer is yes, then please follow this link and be seen and be heard, or click here for the video.

Apollonia on my Mind The memoir of a paraplegic ocean scientist Written by SUT Member Nic Flemming The ocean conceals secrets, ancient, modern, and future.

Nic Flemming’s memoir recounts the life of a pioneer in ocean science. Each chapter describes a thread that structured his work: underwater cities, submerged Ice Age caverns dripping with stalactites, the limits to ocean exploitation, ocean climate change, prehistoric settlements on the continental shelf, ocean law, and safe scientific diving. Flemming is paralysed from the chest down and has used a wheelchair for the past 52 years; one chapter assesses how he has continued to work in rough conditions and at sea, visiting 60 countries since his accident.

The Film The original footage from the first expedition to Apollonia has recently been restored and contains some of the only existing documentation of the ruins as they stood in 1958. To watch the film and find more background information, please visit Nic Flemming’s website.

Click here for more information and details on how to buy this book.

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SUT Member News contd.

EMEC Press release: Major Scottish consortium confirms bid for Orkney and Caithness offshore wind project

Image by EMEC - Scapa Deep Water Quay artist impression

A consortium of Macquarie’s Green Investment Group, TotalEnergies and Scottish developer RIDG has announced their ScotWind bid for an offshore wind project at the ‘N1 site west of the Orkney Islands. The two-gigawatt proposal – named the West of Orkney Windfarm – has the potential to power more than two million homes and is currently being assessed by the Crown Estate Scotland. Click here to read more.

DNV: Ocean Stewardship 2030 A Roadmap to Deliver the Global Goals DNV was the lead author in a publication launched late last year on Ocean Stewardship. In this publication there are 10 ambitions and indeed recommendation to build a sustainable ocean business.

The ocean provides the primary means to conduct global trade and it is increasingly important for humanity’s dietary and energy needs. At the same time, ocean health is rapidly diminishing, and we need to address critical dimensions of public and private governance to accelerate sustainable oceanrelated solutions for the future we want. Click here to read more.

If you or your company has news or an update they’d like to share with SUT Members in Big Blue World contact emily.boddy@sut.org 14

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Upcoming Events and Courses OCTOBER 2021 Perth – Subsea Awareness Course

25-29 October 2021 Parmelia Hilton, Perth Oceans of Knowledge 2021: Climate Change and the Ocean

26-27 October 2021 Institute of Physics, Islington, London SUT+ Aberdeen Job Seeking Support Session

Perth – OSIGp GeoForum

10 November 2021 WA State Library, Perth Perth – The Life-Cycle of Flexible Risers & Flowlines Course

10-11 November 2021 Parmelia Hilton Perth An Introduction to Offshore Geophysics and Geotechnical Engineering

16, 18, 23, 25 November 2021 Online Course - 4 half-day sessions

27 October 2021 Webinar

NOVEMBER 2021 Smart Operations: Driving the Low Carbon Future

2-4 November 2021 Online Event ADIPEC

15-18 November 2021 Abu Dhabi, UAE

Perth – SUT Annual General Meeting

3 November 2021 Double Tree by Hilton, Elizabeth Quay, Perth SUT US – The First Source to Sink Measurements of Turbidity Currents: New Insights for Seafloor Infrastructure

4 November 2021 Webinar SUT+ Aberdeen - Our Approach to Wave Energy by Mocean Energy Ltd

9 November 2021 Webinar

Perth – Annual Dinner

26 November 2021 Ritz-Carlton, Perth

DECEMBER 2021 SUT AGM – London

6 December 2021 Trinity House, London For more information on SUT events go to www.sut.org/events Society for Underwater Technology

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Gwyn Griffiths Underwater Robotics A The Panel on Underwater Robotics is pleased to announce the winner of the Gwyn Griffiths Underwater Robotics Award 2021 as Alekasandra Tomaszek.

The SUT received high-calibre, international nominations for this prestigious award which challenged the judges with the notable entries.

Aleksandra Tomaszek, this year’s winner, is COO and Co-Founder of Aberdeen-based 1CSI (www.1csi.uk).

Aleksandra, who will soon feature in an SUT Podcast, was happy to share some thoughts on her career inspirations, activities, and robotics.

What inspired your interest in subsea engineering?

I find oil & gas industry and in particular the subsea environment fascinating. My subsea adventure began in 2013 with Balmoral Offshore Engineering, where I was overseeing the design and manufacture of deep-water products, and becoming very familiar with the Aleksandra Tomaszek challenges of the subsea environment.

I then moved to Oceaneering for three years where I met my business partner, Matthew Kennedy – who developed a subsea scanner in 2009. My role there involved the worldwide deployment of leadingedge subsea inspection technology using remote vehicles. I found this to be a surprisingly fascinating and exciting period which drew me in and made me wish to develop more methodical and effective approaches to the assessment of underwater assets.

How did you become involved in robotics?

It was a progression in my career. We were just finishing a project when the Operator in question approached us looking for an inspection solution for another of their assets. At the time there was nothing that could be done with the existing technology however, it was that situation that made me think – what if we had a clean sheet of paper, time and the resources required? How amazing would it be to create something new?

The opportunity arrived when we left Oceaneering and set up 1CSI Ltd in early 2017. Driven

by Operator demand and the desire to create applicational solutions we sought and received government grant funding to design and develop the TIAMAT.

What advice would you give to someone interested in a career in this field?

• Most importantly, believe in your vision and never give up! There are still a lot of subsea innovations that await discovery – so why not you!

• Don’t be afraid to think outside the box, have the courage to break the rules. Be different, be unusual.

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Award 2021 • Don’t be scared to innovate, everything starts with an idea! Failure is only part of the journey so don’t be disheartened if and when it happens.

Personally, I have found Winston Churchill’s words very inspiring, he said: ‘Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts!’

My thanks to the judging panel for honouring me as the winner of the GGUR Award 2021.

For more information on The Gwyn Griffiths Underwater Robotics Award 2022 and the nomination process see below or visit: www.sut.org/gwyn-griffiths-underwater-robotics-award-ggura/ Alekasandra Tomaszek will be joining us on an episode of the Underwater Technology Podcast later in the Autumn. Subscribe to the podcast here so you don’t miss out on future episodes!

About the Gwyn Griffiths Underwater Robotics Award (GGURA) SUT’s International Panel on Underwater Robotics is honoured to announce the creation of the Gwyn Griffiths Underwater Robotics Award (GGURA). The award recognises people in the early to mid-stages of their career (and under 40 years old) who have made outstanding contributions to their field in underwater robotics. The award may be for industry/commercial, research and/or creative activity in underwater robotics.

The winner will receive £500, a certificate and an engraved award.

Neil Bose, Chair of the Panel on Underwater Robotics stated: “Members of the Panel on Underwater Robotics were excited by Professor Gwyn Griffiths’ generosity in supporting this award and were especially enthusiastic that it should be an early to mid-career award to encourage the up-and-coming generation of underwater robotics workers in their careers.”

Gwyn Griffiths MBE, a Past President of the SUT added: “As a vibrant, forward-looking learned Society the SUT is at the forefront of encouraging and facilitating international cooperation in Underwater Robotics. From my own career I know that peer-recognition of achievements through an international Award can make a substantial and lasting difference. These have been times for reflection, and by enabling this new Underwater Robotics Award I am delighted to support the innovators of today and tomorrow.”

Nominations or applications for a GGURA must consist of the following documents.

• A letter of nomination or application that describes how the candidate meets the criteria.

• The letter should be no more than two pages in length. Supporter(s) of the nomination/ application may add their signature to this letter or supply an email that indicates their support for the candidate • A 100-word citation or appraisal of the candidate’s research describing their contributions in a way easily understandable to those outside the discipline • A curriculum vitae Applications for the 2022 award are now open and will close in February 2022 - www.sut.org/ about-the-sut/sut-awards/ Society for Underwater Technology

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Captain Don Walsh Award SUT and MTS Announce Winners of the 2021 Captain Don Walsh Award for Ocean Exploration Winners carried out the Five Deeps Expedition described by a distinguished member of The Explorer’s Club as “The most ambitious exploration expedition of the century” London UK, and Washington, DC, US — The Society for Underwater Technology (SUT) and The Marine Technology Society (MTS) are proud to announce that the 2021 Captain Don Walsh Award for Ocean Exploration has been won jointly by Commander Victor Vescovo, USN, Retired and Patrick Lahey for the 2019 Five Deeps Expedition and further dives of scientific or historical interest in subsequent years.

In 2015 Commander Victor Vescovo proposed a goal of finding and diving into the five deepest spots in the world’s ocean with dives taking place in the Atlantic, Southern, Indian, Pacific and Arctic oceans. This feat required not only a unique diving submersible but also fielding a specially equipped survey and support ship.

Victor Vescovo

Patrick Lahey and the team at Triton Submarines responded to Commander Vescovo’s project by creating a revolution in deep submergence capabilities. Patrick led a team of marine architects, designers, engineers and technicians to produce the Triton 36000/2, the first – and to date, only fully accredited (DNV/GL certified) human occupied deep submersible capable of routine exploration at full ocean depth. Commander Vescovo’s submersible of that design is the ‘Limiting Factor’. Lahey and the Triton Submarines team took the design from concept to build, testing, trials, shakedown, initial deployment and through to the successful completion of the Five Deeps Expedition.

Awarded jointly by the SUT and MTS, this esteemed award is named after American oceanographer, explorer, retired naval officer, and marine policy specialist Captain Don Walsh. Walsh and co-pilot Jacques Piccard were aboard the bathyscaph Trieste when it made its daunting record descent on 23 January 1960 into the deepest point of the world’s oceans – the Challenger Deep in the Mariana Trench.

The award recognises outstanding, sustained, international contribution to the development, application, and propagation of marine technology toward the advancement of ocean exploration.

Patrick Lahey

“It is a true honor to be recognized by the experts of the SUT and MTS, alongside my friend and colleague Patrick. I would have to emphasize that he and I were simply the leaders of an extraordinary team that enabled our success – and we certainly stood on the shoulders of giants like Captain Walsh and James Cameron who developed extraordinary, full ocean depth technologies before us,” said Commander Vescovo.

“I am honored and humbled to have been chosen as a co-recipient of this prestigious award by the MTS and SUT together with my client and friend Victor. Developing the Triton 36000/2 was the most challenging and rewarding undertaking of my professional life so far. I was incredibly fortunate to work with a remarkably diverse team of talented, creative, and resourceful people who pioneered

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Triton operations team after Challenger deep dives in 2019

a revolutionary new submersible that enabled the successful completion of the Five Deeps Expedition. To receive the award from Captain Don Walsh personally is particularly meaningful because Don is a friend, mentor and living legend,” said Lahey.

“The contributions of Commander Vescovo and Lahey to the advancement of ocean exploration are significant, and collectively SUT and MTS are honored to present them with this award in the name and legacy of Captain Don Walsh. It is exceptionally fitting to honor them both as a team as it is a true demonstration to how exploration and technology work in tandem to create ingenuity and progress,” said Zdenka Willis, MTS President.

Triton Submarine

“What excited the judging panel was that this brought together the perfect combination – an explorer with a zest for life and discovery and superb technology. Indeed, it would be unbalanced to nominate Commander Vescovo without acknowledging the revolutionary application of modern marine technology achieved by Lahey and the team at Triton. Technology lies not only at the heart of the names of both societies but is key to our ethos and our membership,” said Judith Patten MBE, President of the SUT.

Diving for historical and scientific purposes Following the well-documented Five Deeps Expedition dives https://fivedeeps.com/ in 2019, further dives have taken place. In 2020, Commander Vescovo partnered with the French Navy to dive on the wreck of the submarine Minerve, and with the International Hydrographic Bureau and the Monaco Blue Initiative to explore the deepest spot in the Mediterranean. He then partnered with the King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) in Saudi Arabia to conduct scientific dives to the unique brine lakes at the bottom of the Red Sea. Commander Vescovo has mapped over 1 million square kilometres of ocean floor and donated all his data to the Nippon Foundation General Bathymetric Chart of the Oceans (GEBCO) Seabed 2030 project.

After a second year of dives into the Challenger Deep, which included the first women to dive to the deepest depths, former astronaut Kathy Sullivan, the Pressure Drop surveyed the entire northern “Ring of Fire” from Guam to Alaska, discovering, mapping, and naming over 70 new underwater features. During PL Challenger Dive 2019 - Credit Tamara Stubbs the 2021 dives, Commander Vescovo marked a personal 12th dive into the Challenger Deep, and discovered the deepest wreck in history, the U.S. World War II destroyer Johnston off the Philippine Island of Samar.

For information or to nominate for the next Captain Walsh Award contact Cheryl.burgess@sut.org Society for Underwater Technology

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Educational Support Fund (ESF) 2021 The SUT is pleased to announce the winners of the 2021 Educational Support Fund sponsorship: Erin Nicholson and Vanda Czene.

The SUT received high calibre, global applications from students in record numbers which challenged the judging panel to shortlist and then select this year’s recipients. From an extremely competitive field, Sue John, Chair of the Education Committee said, ‘It has been a joy to see the diversity and enthusiasm of applicants for the SUT’s Education Support Fund this year. It bodes well for our industry now and in the future.’

Erin Nicholson

Vanda Czene

Erin is entering her second year of BSC Ecology and Conservation, University of St Andrews. Vanda, is at the start of her degree in Marine Biology with Oceanography at the University of Southampton, an integrated MSci course.

The SUT is also pleased to provide complimentary student membership to our winners for the length of their degree programme and support of the ESF.

About the Educational Support Fund Sponsorship for Gifted Students in Marine Science and Engineering to meet industry’s critical shortage of suitably qualified entrants.

The Society for Underwater Technology’s Educational Support Fund offers sponsorship awards to high calibre undergraduate and postgraduate students, either starting or continuing a degree which embraces at least one relevant component area of marine science, underwater technology or offshore engineering. The postgraduate award is only available to students taking one year taught MSc courses.

MRes course students are eligible to apply providing they are not being fully funded by an EPSRC grant. A letter from a supervisor at the University to the effect that they are not being fully funded should be supplied before a student can take up any offer of support from us.

The undergraduate scholarship award will continue throughout the entire period, or remaining part, of the degree course, subject to a satisfactory academic standard being maintained, which will be reviewed annually.

The grants are open to any student, irrespective of age or nationality – for study at any course in the world that is approved by the Society. This grant is not open for PhD studies For more information on the Educational Support Fund please visit: www.sut.org/educationalsupport-fund/ 20

Big Blue World

UT2/UV2 - The magazines of the SUT Recently in UT2...

ROTOTECH IRM Company RotoTech has entered into a collaboration with Resimac to apply a tubular coating facility into its multipurpose pile riser/tubular cleaning and inspection tool.

SUBSEA PUMPING Locating a chemical supply/pump on the seabed can result in cost savings in wells with step-out distances over 25km. Oceaneering is developing such a system DREDGING SEAJET Systems (SJS) has signed a manufacturing partnership with SMD to build a Controlled Flowed Excavation (CFE) tool.

CSEM Controlled source electromagnetic surveys can complement seismic survey in revealing the presence of hydrocarbon reserves

Click for past issues of UT2 and new Underwater Vehicles magazine UV2 Topics recently covered in UV2 include: • News - Compact Sonar; Torpedo Anchors; AspiROV; Sea Otter • AUVs - Modus AUV; Quadrion; AUV Docking; Argeo AUV; Searaptor 6000; Nemosens; MUM Phase 2 • Suspended ROVs - Fallpipe ROV; Atoll Trials • ROVs - Mesobot; Bluecomm

The UT2 and UV2 2021 Media Card is now available.

Please email Zinat at ut3subsea@gmail.com for your copy.

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Marine Technologist Registration - ne

Registration is a globally recognised professional credential.

The Marine Technologist Register is open to everyone who can demonstrate the required high-level knowledge, understanding, and professional competence. There are many routes that can be measured to meet this standard, including a combination of academic awards, vocational qualifications, and experiential learning through work. Competence includes the knowledge, understanding, and skills that underpin performance.

What is it?

• Registration is a globally recognised professional accreditation • It reflects best practice and is set at an internationally recognised benchmark level for those on the Registers

How does this benefit me?

• It identifies you as a professional at the forefront of your profession • It offers a passport to job mobility

How does this benefit my employer?

• It provides employers with additional assurance of the quality of their workforce • It ensures high and improving standards across all technological disciplines • Annual CPD requirement ensures active professional learning

How do I apply?

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

Gather evidence of your professional credentials, and identify an appropriate referee Complete the Professional Development Report Form Fill out and submit your Continuing Professional Development (CPD) Plan If you need to, fill out the Career Appraisal Route Form Submit your application online, including all attachments

What’s the application process?

1.

2.

3.

4.

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Submit your application form online Our registrars will review your application Professional review and interview Registration Panel conduct evaluation Successful candidates join the Marine Technology or Marine Science Register

For information on application fees and annual registration fees, please see the FAQ page.

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ew SUT Member benefit!

If you have earned...

...then you may qualify for...

Master’s Degree or Equivalent

CMarTech

Bachelor’s Degree or Equivalent

RMarTech

Foundation Degree, Higher National Qualification, Associate’s; or Equivalent

MarTech

Apply Now to the Marine Technologist Register Click to find out more and Apply Now! For more information contact registration@sut.org

Coming soon, CMarSci, RMarSci

Chartered Marine Scientists are professionals, who harness, exploit, manage, use or apply marine science in the pursuit of wealth creation and/or the provision of services in the marine sector.

Chartered Marine Scientists are characterized by their ability to deal with complex issues, both systematically and creatively and can make sound judgments in the absence of complete data to develop solutions to problems and communicate their conclusions clearly to specialist and nonspecialist audiences.

Registered Marine Scientists are engaged in technical and commercial management and possess effective interpersonal skills.

More information on how to apply coming to the SUT website soon.

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Global Branch updates Aberdeen Martin Harley The Aberdeen Branch has been adapting to virtual events and has been gradually getting the hang of presenting webinars and dealing with the amount of work that goes into them.

We had a successful series of ‘Life Cycle of a Decommissioning Project’ webinars which ran from February to June 2021 with presentations from Adnan Hossain, Genesis, Richard Cawthorne, Boskalis Subsea, Michael Jeffrey, Allseas, and Audrey Banner, OPRED. Thank you to David Warren and Kilian Palop for their hard work putting these events together.

Also earlier in the year was our ‘Aberdeen Business Breakfast’ event, usually held face-to-face but this year we adapted and made it virtual. We discussed ‘The Changing Times of the Energy Sector’ with presentations from Mike Beveridge, Simmons & Partners, Henning Bjørvik, Rystad Energy, and Martyn Tulloch, OGTC. This year we have lost two committee members: Gordon Drummond (of Subsea7) and Paul Benstead (of BP) both of whom took redundancy and are semi-retired now. Paul remains involved in the SUT Subsea Awareness Course but Gordon stepped down to focus on his tourism business. We welcome new committee members Calum Hayton (BP) and Paul Slorach (EC-OG).

Canada Paul Ryan

As elsewhere, Covid has knocked us about somewhat, but we have still managed to get some knowledge sharing sessions together for our members and prospects.

• 28 November 2019 - Networking Session and Industry Update at the Marine Institute Conference Centre. With guest speakers Trevor Sooley, Engineering Manager, TechnipFMC, and Neil Bose, Vice-President (Research) Memorial University.

• 21 October 2020 - Oceans of Opportunity (The Underwater World of Science and Tech) - an informative and dynamic session from the SUT hosted by the Marine Institute and OceansAdvance. With guest speakers and a Q&A session: Moya Cahill : PanGeo Subsea – We Find Bombs and Other Anomalies Buried Beneath the Seabed; and Igor Martin – Hydomea Optical wireless underwater communication.

• 15 April 2021 - Oceans of Opportunity Tech Talk - an informative and dynamic session from the SUT hosted by the Marine Institute and OceansAdvance. With guest speakers and a Q&A session: Jamie MacDonald, Operations Director for Xodus Group. Topic: Development of the offshore wind industry on the North East coast. Susan Caines, Instructor, School of Ocean Technology, Fisheries and Marine Institute of NL. Topic: Intelligent Marine Coatings Regarding the many Special Interest Groups offered by SUT, we have several major research foci that fit well with some of the current SUT SIGs. It is our aim to get our researchers involved with some of these SUT groups, such as Marine Environmental Science, Education, OSIG, Underwater Vehicles and Robotics, to name a few.

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Reports and updates from some of our Global Branches

China Frank Lim

The 9th International SUT (China) Technical Conference was successfully held in the city of Changsha on 6-8 January 2021. Close to 120 delegates attended the conference in person. There were a total of 64 presentations by domestic and international speakers, 20 of which were made online because the speakers’ travel plans were affected by COVID-19.

The 10th anniversary conference was held in the city of Dalian on 25-27 September 2021. Click here to read more information about this event.

London and South of England Richard Binks

After months of meeting online, the LSE branch committee finally had it’s first face-to-face meeting this September. The meeting was a hybrid with some members joining online, and was even followed by a social event. It almost felt like we were back to normal. The branch, in general, is in rebuild mode after the months of lockdown and social distancing. Although remote webinars, podcasts and distance learning are now all part of SUT’s remit for disseminating knowledge, another part is the social interaction between our members. We are now in the process of re-invigorating our face-toface events. Initially this will be through social events and will return to a schedule of presentations the new year.

The SUT+ London and South East group has also been active by holding webinars over the past year, including a Christmas online quiz in December 2020, an SUT+ Ambassador Launch Event and a Kick-Start Your Career Event in the summer.

We say goodbye to Mark Muraweicki who has sadly stepped down from the committee, a big loss.

Thank you for all your hard work and dedication to the branch.

There are plans for a one-day course in the making and more events hopefully coming in the new year, watch this space!

Middle East Adrian Phillips

This year has seen the Middle East branch’s first experience with virtual events. We’ve held webinars on Advanced Cable Lay Spreads, Offshore Conductor Status & Repair, Subsea Pipelines, Carbon Transition, Subsea Equpiment Insurance, and more. We’ve been thrilled at the amount of interest and large number of attendees we’ve had.

The much-anticipated ADIPEC event returns to Abu Dhabi in 2021. The preceding year demonstrated the power and reach of an online event, but the industry is again looking forward to Society for Underwater Technology

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Global Branch updates contd... a return to the value of pre-COVID norms. SUT in the Middle East will be present in the Offshore, Marine and Commercial Dive Zone where we look forward to hosting the popular X-Talks where we show case new and innovative subsea technology, but this year SUT will co-chair one of the SPE technical sessions on Subsea Technology and Underwater Engineering. SUT ME chairman will join session chair and SUT member Ibrahim Fahmy at 0930-1130 on Tuesday 16th November in the Capital Suite at the Exhibition Centre in Abu Dhabi. Papers will include Dolphin Energy, GALP Energia, ADNOC, DCN BV and ENPPI who will present papers on wide ranging topics from subsea repair for large diameter pipelines and power cables, subsea inspection and survey, hyperbaric welding, hydraulic power and multi-phase modelling.

North of England Martin Bingham

Sadly the impact of the pandemic, and my work overseas has meant that there has been limited activity at the North of England branch. The rest of the committee, however, did manage to participate in a joint event with RINA/IMAREST. The committee is looking forward to getting back into the swing of meetings and organising events again. More (and better) news hopefully soon.

Norway Nils Vågen

The Norway Branch in Bergen had been ‘closed’ since the pandemic started. Much like the rest of the world, we experienced lockdown and this meant activity was minimal for the branch.

During the summer months of 2020 we had hope for a slow opening but we were hit hard again by COVID in November. Since then almost everyone who had the opportunity has been working from home, Universities and high schools have been closed and are still not open in some regions. This has been the background for the lack of SUT activities in Bergen, Norway. We are now adjusting and moving to more ‘normal’ times. We hope this will mean the reopening of branch activities soon.

We had been working closely with GCE Ocean Technology, co-hosts of the UTC conference, which took place online in June 2021.

To keep up to date with current branch activities and events, or to find the SUT branch nearest to you go to www.sut.org or www.sut.org/events

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Reports and updates from some of our Global Branches

Perth

Steve Duffield The SUT Perth Branch has been extremely fortunate to hold regular face-to-face events in 2021. The highly-regarded Subsea Awareness course was held in May with 35 delegates in attendance. This course, run by leading industry experts, offers an excellent opportunity for those new to the subsea industry. The 5-day course included two site inspections with SUT corporate members, Oceaneering and TechnipFMC, taking delegates out of the classroom and into the real life subsea industry.

The Offshore Geohazards & Geotechnics course, run by the OSIG Special Interest Group (Offshore Site Investigation and Geotechnics) was also held in May. The delegates were taken on a tour of the world-leading National Geotechnical Centrifuge Facility at The University of Western Australia, where they were introduced to the principles of centrifuge (physical) modelling to investigate the behaviour of offshore foundations.

After being postponed in 2020, The Subsea Engineering Competency Framework was officially launched by SUT Perth and Engineers Australia on the 9th June 2021. This development has been a voluntary collaboration between individuals and companies involved in Subsea Engineering in Australia and abroad. The initial Framework has been developed to recognise Chartered Professional Engineers, CPEng (Subsea Engineering). The team are currently working on extending that Framework to encompass the entire career of all involved in Subsea, from students through to Subject Matter Experts including Engineering Technologists and Engineering Associates. We would once again like to thank those who generously contributed to the development of this framework, with a special mention to Ian Wilson for leading this successful project. Click here for more info.

The Evening Technical Meetings continue to be some of the most popular events on the Perth Calendar, providing attendees with a fantastic opportunity for learning and networking. 2021 topics have included; Advancements and Innovations in Subsea Pipeline Design, Operation & Maintenance, The Marine Environment & Renewable Energy, Innovations in Inspection, Maintenance & Repair, and Defence and Autonomous Systems. A special thanks to our 2021 ETM sponsors Blue Zone Group, Viper Innovations & Woodside Energy.

Singapore James Christie

Restrictions in Singapore have meant that we’ve been unable to hold face-to-face events. However, we were able to host a webinar in July 2021 on ‘Remote and Autonomous Operations’. We had three presenters - Dr Ioseba (Joe) Tena of Sonardyne, Richard Mills of Kongsberg, and Sam Forbes of Fugro. The event was a huge success with the webinar at maximum capacity.

The main goal for the SUT Singapore is to try and encourage more participation/interest in the organisation to enable us to build up our members base. The webinar was free to attend and we hope it will encourage more members, corporate and individual.

Due to the success of this event, we hope to hold a second webinar later in the year, and hopefully restrictions will relax meaning we can look to hold our first face-to-face, networking event. We hope will be back to some kind of normality in 2022.

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Global Branch updates contd...

US

Tricia Hill Networking Event & Quiz Night For the first of many planned events, as we begin to return to normal, SUT-US invited members and non-members to gather at the Memorial Wine Cellar in Houston, Texas for the first in-person networking event since the start of the pandemic. This Networking Event & Quiz Night was held on June 3, 2021 and counted with the participation of 15+ professionals from various backgrounds in the offshore energy industry.

Marine Autonomous Systems Conference (MAS) The virtual conference organized by the SUT-US Group on Environmental Forces (GEFUS) was led by Mr. Jan van Smirren, on March 31-April 1, 2021. The conference provided a twoday update on the history, status, uses and future of autonomous systems, sensors, and AI, in the offshore environment, closing with a panel discussion on future advances that are likely to be of value to the offshore energy industry. The conference program was delivered by Woods Hole L-R: Grethe Hill, Andy Hill, Margaret McPhail, and Christopher Curran at the SUT-US Networking Oceanographic Institution, Hefring Event & Quiz Night on June 3, 2021.

Engineering, Kongsberg Maritime, Saab Seaeye, C-Power, BP, Sonardyne Ltd, Fugro, BMT, Shell, Ocean Infinity, LK Geomatics LLC, and Ocean Sierra, and its attendance totaled 51 industry, research, and academia professionals.

Marine Renewable Energy Committee (MREC) The newly established MREC Committee is Chaired by Steven Johnson, Chevron Retired and SUT Fellow. Already active, MREC has a series of webinars organized for the rest of the year: • Offshore Wind in the US - Supply Chain Requirements for a Developing Market – August 3, 2021 9am (CST) • Floating Offshore Wind Turbines - Comparing Floater Types and Designing Mooring Systems – September 1, 2021 9am (CST) • Siemens’ Offshore survey of small windfarms currently operating off the US NE coast – October 19, 2021 More details about this group are found on page 35 of this issue.

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Reports and updates from some of our Global Branches Offshore Site Investigation and Geotechnics Committee (OSIG) OSIG’s Learning Seminars and Webinars Subcommittee led by Dr. Xiaoyan Long (Fugro) and Mr. Kerry Campbell (Fugro Retired), has been very active in the organization of webinars as far as 2021 goes. The next event on their schedule was a two-hour webinar titled “Sediment Mobility, Scour and Seabed Disturbance Consideration for Offshore Wind Development”, presented by Virginia Tech, Intecsea/Advisian, HR Wallingford, and University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.

Subsea Engineering and Operations Atlantic Committee (SEO Atlantic)

Dr. Jim Bellingham, Director of the Center for Marine Robotics, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution presenting plenary session during MAS Conference on March 31, 2021.

Newly founded in June 2021, we currently have 26 active members. More details about this committee can be found on page 34 of this issue.

Committee membership is still open, and expression of interest can be completed through the link: https://forms.gle/iW4uuyWa6NQoUuRMA

West Africa David Agazuma

The branch is currently looking at ways we can continue to deliver the signature subsea programmes without compromising health & safety.

We are also pushing very hard for the success of the education initiative we have supported to run in various universities.

Following the clarion call for governments and organisations seeking to reduce carbon emissions and around the world and work towards achieving ‘net zero’, the need for knowledgeable, highly trained, highly skilled managers and engineers in the energy sector has arguably never been greater.

To this regard, our local branch is working very closely with the industry and the universities to design a new MSc programme in renewable energy & clean mobility technology. The new programme will place individuals on the journey to making a global level contribution to the zerocarbon emission goal. The programme will be available in two options; management & engineering.

When fully developed, the programme will be domiciled to run in the Engineering faculties of the University of Nigeria Nsukka, Covenant University, Obafemi Awolowo University and The Federal University of Technology Owerri.

The programme will be supported by industry partners that will allow candidates work on real world problems and provide solutions to help meet net zero targets. More details on this coming soon.

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Special Interest Group updates Defence Nick Swift

Earlier in the year the Defence SIG held a meeting with the objective of encouraging new members. 16 people attended, all from different organisations. This ranged from large prime contractor (Thales) through to SMEs (SEA) and academics institutes (Plymouth and NOC). A questionnaire was circulated to the meeting attendees asking what they would like to see from the Group. Some of the main take-aways of this were that members would like the Defence SIG to develop and publish papers and reports, organise workshops and nurture career development by encouraging diversity in membership.

The future plans of the SIG include gaining more members, from the UK as well as Australia, US and Canada. We also hope to have our first face-to-face meeting soon! And there are ideas for workshop events in the making.

Diving & Manned Submersibles Martin Sayer

The Committee serves an extremely useful function in the framework of professional diving activities by providing a discussion forum for cross-sector activities that does not exist anywhere else in the industry. Over the years, the Committee has maintained representation from the Offshore, Inshore, Scientific, Media and Recreation diving sectors, the Military and Police.

In addition, the HSE’s Chief Inspector of Diving sits on the Committee.

A significant past achievement for the Committee was providing the main platform for debating a revision to the Diving at Work Regulations Approved Codes of Practice in 2014. Other benefits have resulted from an ongoing seminar series based on diving-based underwater technologies with particular emphasis on transfer between the industry sectors.

The D&MS has not met for the past 18 months because (a) COVID, and (b) the death of the group’s Chair, Dr John Bevan. There is no doubt that for 15-20 years, John was the predominant driving force behind the Committee and so there will be a need to revise and re-focus the group.

Environmental Forces (SUTGEF) Prof. Qingwei Ma

The SUT Group on Environmental Forces (SUTGEF) exists to advance and disseminate knowledge on the environmental forces that act on offshore structures. It is the aim of the group to encourage the advance and dissemination of knowledge in those aspects of the atmosphere and ocean which affect the design of offshore and underwater structures, or which affect offshore and underwater operations; also, the mechanisms by which these environmental factors produce forces on structures.

Adapting to the new normal, the SIG held one online meeting earlier in the year with two presentations on wave energy by international researchers (Sweden and Australia). This was well-received and attended by 76 people. The SIG hopes to have another meeting this year. We are focussed on issues related to offshore renewable energy, to be in line with Net Zero goal of UK and the world.

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Reports and updates from some of our Special Interest Groups

International Underwater Vehicles & Robotics Group Neil Bose

The SUT/ECOR Panel on Underwater Robotics continued our regular bi-annual online meetings through the pandemic. A meeting was held on 28 September 2020 alongside the virtual IEEE OES AUV 2020 hosted by Memorial University from 30 Sep - 2 Oct. The Chair, Dr. Mario Brito, CoChair, Dr. Neil Bose, and 16 attendees from the UK, USA, Canada, Norway, Australia, and Portugal met to discuss the advancement in AUV technology and the republishing of the Polar AUV Best Practices Guide. We recommended to SUT Council the first winner of the Gwyn Griffiths Underwater Robotics Award (GGURA), given to recognize people in the early to mid-stages of their career who have made outstanding contributions to their field in underwater robotics. (See page 16 for details on the GGURA winner for 2021).

Marine Environmental Science Katie Cross

The MES SIG was set up in early 2021 to provide a forum for professionals from industry, academia, and government to discuss and share ideas, technologies, applications, concepts, and policies for marine environmental science.

Marine Environmental Science is of relevance to a multitude of offshore applications and developments including offshore renewables and hydrocarbon energy resource exploitation, food resources (including aquaculture and wild fisheries), extraction of seafloor minerals, emplacement submarine cables and pipelines and other subsea structures, ports and harbours development, defence etc. Members include those working in and/or have qualifications in biological, chemical and physical marine environmental science.

In early 2021 the SIG held monthly meetings to generate momentum and kick-start the activities of the group. Meetings include fascinating presentations, with topics covered so far including: eDNA, Deep Seabed Mining, and Restoration of Estuarine and Coastal Habitat.

Three members of the SIG, Katie Cross, Lucy Shuff and Nathan Formosa, recently took part in an episode of the Underwater Technology Podcast. We learnt what work they do in their respective professional roles, and what the activities and goals are of the Group. about the group and the people behind it.

Click here to listen to the SUT’s Marine Environmental Science SIG’s Underwater Technology Podcast episode!

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Special Interest Group updates contd...

Marine Renewable Energies John Sharp

The SUT MREC has met four times this year virtually, the last meeting in October 2021 was the 7th Zoom meeting since April 2020; all have been very well-attended by members of the committee, and have allowed more of our international members to join the meetings too.

At the end of 2020, the committee responded to two government consultations - one being the BEIS letter looking for new technologies to be involved in the capacity market, and one being to the EAC on tidal range and tidal stream.

The committee is liaising with the newly formed Marine Renewable Energy Special Interest Group currently being set up in the US. The Action Plan for 2021 included: 1.

To hold at least four meetings of the Committee in 2020

2.

To arrange four presentations to the Committee on relevant topics

3.

To maintain awareness of UK, European and International developments (including research and standards) in marine renewable energy

4.

To maintain awareness of developments in the financial and insurance sector specific to marine energy and engage where possible

5.

To develop an understanding of the main risks affecting the marine energy sector and to assist in identifying factors which can de-risk the technology

6.

To maintain awareness of other UK Societies’ activities in the field of marine renewable energy

7.

Involvement in an SUT webinar or Podcast episode

8.

To contribute to and help organise the conference sessions on wave and tidal energy at “All-Energy” 2021

9.

To provide objective comment on relevant consultations affecting marine renewable energy

10. To liaise and share information (as appropriate) with other SUT committees and Branches on marine renewable energy topics 11. To organise the award of the LennardSenior prize for 2021, to be presented at All-Energy 12. To develop education and training information on marine renewables and to review the SUT website section on marine renewables 13. To note published lists of R&D items relevant to marine renewable energy and prepare an annual list from the committee 14. Two and possibly three meetings to be held virtually 32

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Reports and updates from some of our Special Interest Groups

OSIG – (Offshore Site Investigation and Geotechnics) and ECOSIGG Neil Morgan

Online meetings for the OSIG committee have continued to be well-attended (usually upwards of 40 or 50 attendees). A working group has been formed to develop a virtual offshore geotechnics and geophysics course drawing upon the experience from delivering 2-day in-person and online courses previously. It is hoped to develop a course that encourages interaction and also in the online format will allow attendance from further afield.

In September 2021, we held a face-to-face event in Newcastle on ‘Energy In Transition and the Impacts for Site Investigation and Characterisation’. Industry leaders presented on four key topics: Fixed offshore wind, Floating offshore wind, Carbon Capture & Storage, Decommissioning. A report on this event can be seen on page 44 of this issue.

Registration has now opened for our new 4-day virtual course ‘An Introduction to Offshore Geophysics and Geotechnical Engineering’ which will take place across 4 half-days in November.

The guidelines on Site Investigation for Renewables Developments are close to completion and will hopefully be published this year.

Finally, planning for the International OSIG 2023 Conference continues - save the date! 12-14 September 2023, at Imperial College, London, with conference dinner at the Natural History Museum.

UXO

Mick Cook The inaugural Unexploded Ordnance (UXO) Special Interest Group (SIG) was held virtually on 5th February 2021. The SIG was set up after approaches to Mick Cook from several personnel working in the offshore wind industry who expressed concern about the inconsistency in approach to UXO issues within this burgeoning sector. The primary intent of the SIG is to identify and to address such issues and to eventually seek to provide guidance and education to practitioners.

Initial membership has been confined to offshore windfarm developers and representation is provided by Orsted, Tennet, Shell, SSE, Vattenfall, Innogy (RWE), Energinet, Equinor, Scottish Power, Amprion, EDF, BT and Guernsey Electricity. At an appropriate point in the future, membership will be opened-up to all stakeholders.

The SIG is very much an international group including representatives from the UK, USA, Norway, Denmark, Germany, France and The Netherlands.

Since February 2021, we have held four very successful online meetings with 10-15 people in ‘attendance’. At each meeting we have had presentations from members on a range of topics and each meeting has had 2+ discussion topics.

We are currently in discussions with two other SUT SIGs - Defence and Decommissioning - about how we can share knowledge.

We have just begun planning a full-day workshop open to all that we hope to run in conjunction Oceanology International in March 2022.

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Special Interest Group updates contd...

International Committee Steve Hall

The SUT international committee met in March 2021 with former CEO Steve Hall taking on the duties of Chair, enabling Dr David Kirkley to stand down after over 20 years of service in the role. We thanked David, who continues to be a member of the committee, and welcomed Tricia Hill, new Chair of SUTUS and Steve Duffield Chair of Perth branch to the committee.

The committee members preferred to retain the name ‘International Committee’ rather than move to calling themselves Branch Development Committee as had been suggested by some members of Council, feeling that it reflected the heritage and role of the committee, but agreed that their remit does include ensuring that there is a consistent standard that Branches all over the world including the UKbased ones should follow, promoting the core science, engineering, technology, education and policy interests of the Society for Underwater Technology, in particular making sure that all Branches follow the highest standards of probity and ethical behaviour.

The Committee awaits a report from a sub-group of Council that is exploring how to fairly allocate resources and membership income across the global network, and supported the recommendation from Council Member Steve Johnson, and input from CEO Cheryl Burgess that we go ahead with the development of an Eastern Mediterranean Branch centred on Cyprus. We’ll continue to support the efforts of our members in Canada to set up a Branch there.

The Committee accepted reports from all of the current Branches, noting that some have not met for a year due to the global Covid-19 pandemic, and by the time of the next meeting we hope to have heard updates from those who had gone into hibernation awaiting a return to a more normal world.

The Committee is keenly watching developments between SUT and the Marine Technology Society to see how the relationship evolves, and will support Council and the membership in delivering whatever future pathway the Societies choose to follow, initially via the mutual awarding of Chartered Marine Technologist status licensed from IMarEST for those of our members who choose to pursue professional accreditation.

NEW Special Interest Group!

Subsea Engineering and Operations Atlantic New to the SUT is the SEO Atlantic group. Subsea Engineering and Operations so fundamental to SUT membership has brought together members from the UK, USA, Canada, Caribbean, Brazil, Europe and West Africa to meet, discuss, learn and engage internationally in the group while focused on the challenges, solutions and innovation taking place in SEO today and for the future.

Meeting online monthly, the committee’s standing agenda also include a presentation. In August Charles Reith, SeaFlow Consultancy Services provided a presentation on the importance of Digital Twins and latest technology. For more information on the SEO Atlantic Group please contact info@sut.org and communications@sut-us.org.

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Reports and updates from some of our Special Interest Groups

US Marine Renewable Energy The UK Marine Renewable Energy Committee has been active for many years. It is encouraging to see the US SUT committee start up a sub-committee on marine renewable energy this year, now having held two meetings. Steve Johnson, the chair of the US Committee, now joins the UK online meetings and John Sharp and John Griffiths (Members of the UK Committee) have both taken part in the online US meetings. The UK Committee has recognised for some time the need to widen its interests to the international stage as marine renewable energy takes off in many different countries. The close involvement with the US Committee is welcome in this respect. The US committee is now growing and actively supporting webinars and local discussion groups as well as meeting with interested companies and universities.

Current and Potential* SUT Special Interest Groups

Panel on Underwater Robotics

Hydrogen*

Defence

Marine Environmental Science

UXO (Unexploded Ordnance)

Environmental Forces

Marine Renewable Energy

Aquaculture*

Diving & Manned Submersibles

OSIG (Offshore Site Investigation Geotechnics)

Salvage & Decommissioning

Subsea Engineering

If you would like to join one of our Special Interest Groups contact info@sut.org.

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SUT+ Aberdeen SUT+ is a subset of the Society for Underwater Technology, a multidisciplinary learned society that brings together organisations and individuals with a common interest in underwater technology, ocean science and offshore engineering.

Target Group • Professionals who have recently taken up a position within the sector • Graduates who have recently joined the sector after finishing education • Students who are interested in the industry

Shruthi Sivadasan -

Events and Activities SUT+ Aberdeen Chair • Technical presentations on the latest technologies and issues relating to the underwater technology sector • Networking opportunities to meet fellow professionals and build relationships within the sector • Presentations relating to professional and personal development • Site visits

SUT+ with NASA in Aberdeen

SUT+ Webinar on Decarbonizing Hydrogen Production

With the pandemic ongoing, the SUT+ Aberdeen branch committee has focussed all our energy on engaging with our members virtually since early 2020. We are extremely pleased with the support we have received from both our young professional and student members during this difficult time.

Some of the highlights from the branch are: • We launched a newsletter in May 2020 which is published monthly and well-received by the subscribers.

• We hosted 8 webinars on topics like carbon capture & storage (CCS), offshore wind, decommissioning, unmanned surface vehicles (USVs), hydrogen, etc. to keep our members up to date with the latest developments in the industry. (Watch some of these presentations on the SUT YouTube channel).

• We developed 2 new events aimed at our student members. The first event, ‘Insights into Thesis Preparation’ webinar was held in June 2021 with a very healthy turnout of 35 attendees.

The second event was held in October and focussed on helping students search for graduate employment.

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• We held our first in-person event since the start of the pandemic! Our Annual Pub Quiz at Spin Bar in Aberdeen (photos below!)

• We reached over 400 followers on LinkedIn! In addition to the graduate employment webinar, keep an eye out for our webinar on offshore floating solar energy. We will be posting more information about these events in the coming months.

Join SUT+ SUT+ Aberdeen is the official group for developing professional’s working in underwater technology, ocean science and subsea engineering. We organise technical and social events in a range of formats, and promote underwater technology within society by supporting the education and career development of our members.

Joining SUT+ is a great way to find out more about underwater technology and can provide a number of benefits; whether you’re seeking chartership, looking for work or in the early stages of your career. SUT+ offers members numerous opportunities to develop their personal and professional skills (e.g. network, learn about our industry, lead teams, control budgets, organise events, etc).

Join our mailing list to receive news and event updates from SUT+. To get in touch with one of the team email sutplus@sut.org and follow SUT+ on LinkedIn. Society for Underwater Technology

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YES! (Young Engineers & Scientists) Australia

YES! Site Visit June 2021 - tour of Oceaneering, Baker Hughes & Australian Marine Complex

YES! (Young Engineers & Scientists) is a Special Interest Group of the SUT. With the support of the SUT Perth Branch, the purpose of YES! (Young Engineers & Scientists) initiatives and events are to: • Create awareness of the subsea/underwater industry amongst young engineers and scientists • Develop young engineers and scientists within the subsea/underwater industry • Provide networking opportunities to build relationships amongst young engineers and scientists within the subsea/underwater industry.

• Introduce education groups to SUT (high school and/or universities), encouraging them to join the subsea/underwater industry Contact Fiona Allen f.allan@sut.org if you’d like to learn more about YES! or click here for further information and follow YES! on LinkedIn.

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Subsea Engineering Society (SUT-SES) Houston Society of Underwater Technology – Subsea Engineering Society (SUTSES) is a growing body of individuals, engineers, technologists, and geotechnicians dedicated to promoting innovation and excellence within the subsea industry. Subsea Engineering is an inherently complex and unique multidisciplinary specialty within the oil and gas industry.

We want to serve the members of the Society by uniting the disciplines dealing with underwater technologies and establishing channels with industries related to this society. This would ensure cross-fertilization of ideas, experience, and information between professionals in subsea engineering, the energy industry, and academia. We always strive to p ​ romote economic and educational usage of SUT resources to benefit the student chapter members.

We strive to bring together industry professionals and students with common interests in Subsea engineering and underwater technology with the goal of facilitating knowledge sharing, technical development, and creating awareness of Subsea technology. We believe in making this industry green and sustainable.

University of Houston - Subsea Engineering: University of Houston has provided the nation’s first graduate program in Subsea Engineering. The program is producing the first generation of formally trained subsea engineers in the United States of America. The training encompasses an enhanced graduate curriculum including lectures on basic engineering sciences and the best practice used in subsea engineering.

We are based in the University of Houston, and are the student chapter of the Society for Underwater Technology. Membership is recommended for participation in events and involvement in society activities. If you have any questions about corporate sponsorship, membership, or society activities get in touch with us.

To become a member of SUT-SES of the Univesity of Houston Chapter - contact communications@sutses.org, or go to www.sutses.org, and follow SUT-SES on LinkedIn.

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Events & Training ADIPEC 15-18 November 2021, Abu Dhabi, UAE The much anticipated ADIPEC event returns to Abu Dhabi in 2021. The preceding year demonstrated the power and reach of an online event, but the industry is again looking forward to a return to the value of preCOVID norms. SUT in the Middle East will be present in the Offshore, Marine and Commercial Dive Zone where we look forward to hosting the popular X-Talks where we show case new and innovative subsea technology, but this year SUT will co-chair one of the SPE technical sessions on Subsea Technology and Underwater Engineering. SUT ME chairman will join session chair and SUT member Ibrahim Fahmy at 0930-1130 on Tuesday 16th November in the Capital Suite at the Exhibition Centre in Abu Dhabi. Papers will include Dolphin Energy, GALP Energia, ADNOC, DCN BV and ENPPI who will present papers on wide ranging topics from subsea repair for large diameter pipelines and power cables, subsea inspection and survey, hyperbaric welding, hydraulic power and multi-phase modelling.

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OCEANS 2022 IITM Research Park, Chennai, India

February 21 24, 2022

Inspire - Innovate - Sustain

Sustaining our Oceans . . . Sustaining our Future Oceans 2022, organized jointly by National Institute of Ocean Technology & Indian Institute of Technology Madras.

Venue - IITM Research Park, the gem of its facilities under the green cover of IIT Madras and warmth of Chennai.

Underwater Acoustics and Oceanography Remote Sensing Sonar signal / image processing & communication

Ocean Observing Platforms; systems & instrumentation

Ocean Data Visualization, Modelling & Info. Mgt.

OCEANS 22 will give you the insight on evolving technology and knowledge in the areas

Optics, Imaging, Vision and EM Systems Ocean Vehicles and Floating Structures Marine Law, Policy, Management & Education Marine Environment, Oceanography & Meteorology

Offshore Structures & Technology

Apart from above, focus will be given on emerging technologies. We expect about 500 international participants in the event. We intend to have about 10 parallel sessions at the venue. We shall have a large exhibition space to showcase high-tech products and services from the ocean engineering and marine technology industry.

Come, participate in Oceans2022 - feel Chennai, India – and its avor.

Special session on UN Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development (2021-2030)

For more details, visit chennai22.oceansconference.org

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Recent SUT Event Reports SUT-US

Annual Scholarship Awards Ceremony On September 16th 2021 the SUT-US held one of its most important events of the year, the Annual Scholarship Awards Ceremony.

The SUT-US 2021 scholarship recipients recognized as outstanding students in the field of underwater technology are: • Uchenna Nwankwo, PhD Student Geotechnical Engineering, The University of Southern Mississippi • Sameera Rednam, MSc Student Subsea Engineering, University of Houston • Samantha Longridge, MSc Student Oceanography, Texas A&M University • Olaoluwa Oderinde, MSc Student Hydrographic Science, The University of Southern Mississippi • Damilola Abe, MSc Student Subsea Engineering, University of Houston • Christena Hoelscher, MSc Student Oceanography, Texas A&M University In this Ceremony, the SUT-US also recognized its technical and non-technical committees that volunteer year-round to organize events for scholarship fundraising, its sponsors, and everyone that becomes a SUT member and participates in events as the proceeds are designated towards our annual scholarship fund.

Dr. Patricia Varela, Geohazards Project Professional from Geosyntec Consultants, was invited as a keynote lecturer for the eventwhere she shared her journey as a young professional and gave great pieces of advise that resonated with the entire audience. Dr. Varela was founder of the first SUTUS Student Chapter at Texas A&M University (SUT-TAMU), and upon graduation she became a member of the SUT and helped revamp the Young Professionals Group (YPs). She has been Chair of the YPs for 2 terms now. On August 18, 2021 she received the Emerging Leader Award from the Offshore Technology Conference (OTC) in Houston, Texas.

It is important to acknowledge the sponsorship of BP for this event. BP has been continuosly supporting SUT-US’ fundraising efforts.

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Perth Branch Golf Day The Society for Underwater Technology Perth Branch and the Society for Petroleum Engineers WA, held their 5th collaborative golf day and the industry’s Golf Season Opener on Friday 17th September 2021.

Held at the Maylands Peninsula Golf Course, the 90 attendees enjoyed the stunning city-scape views, and were challenged by the course’s fresh water lakes and gentle undulations.

It was a fantastic day of fun and networking on the course, with some very competitive and close final scores. The official winners from the day were Innovative Solutions Plus, followed closely by TD Solutions in 2nd place and Fugro taking out 3rd prize.

The SUT Perth branch would like to acknowledge and sincerely thank their Platinum Sponsor, SEA and Golf Partner Sponsor, Energy Agencies for their support in making this such a successful and enjoyable event for all those that attended.

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Recent SUT Event Reports contd.

SUT UK Virtual Subsea Awareness Course 24th September saw international students and delegates with backgrounds ranging from Operators to Insurance complete the second five-day virtual subsea awareness course (VSAC). Clearly the popularity of the course demonstrated that it is delivering benefit and value with numbers doubling from the first presentation. For those not aware, the VSAC provides an introduction to the subsea arena including hardware, development drivers, construction, metocean, decom, renewables, and future subsea technology trends. Feedback is still coming but so far is overwhelmingly positive.

A big thank you must go to the presenters, all volunteers. In order of appearance; Judith Pattern, David Saul, Dave Brookes, Graham Whitehead, Ila Glennie, Steve Hall, Paul Benstead, Deepti Misra, Michail Birdas, Alan Anderson, Bernadette Weber and Tony Laing.

Last but not least it is important to recognise the work of the SUT staff in supporting the course particularly Jacqui Adams our Events & Training Manager.

For more information on UK SUT training courses please contact events@sut.org

Energy In Transition and the Impacts for Site Investigation and Characterisation Conference The SUT OSIG Committee conference on Energy In Transition and the Impacts for Site Investigation and Characterisation Conference held in Newcastle was delivered to a full capacity audience at St James’ Park and was the first face-to-face event of 2021 for SUT in the UK. Opening the conference Karen Dalton, RPS Energy and Conference Chair touched on the vision of the subject of Energy in Transition and its impact on our industry now and in the future.

The four key topics for the event were: • • • •

Decommissioning Carbon Capture and Storage Fixed offshore wind Floating offshore wind

The challenges around energy in transition are the defining topic across industry today. Throughout this one- day conference speakers provided industry alongside academic perspectives on these challenges. Decommissioning was discussed in the context of climate change, engineering solutions to mitigation climate change – a holistic assessment, a need for data-led selection of ecologically optimal decommissioning options and simulation-led integrating sustainability, engineering and economic ecosystems to reconsider decommissioning in the context of ‘climate emergency’.

The Carbon Capture and Storage session included presentations on Digital Geoscience in Offshore Wind & CCS, Site Investigation for Site Characterisation and Initial Design of HDD Duct and Cable Landings, the “IOGP” Guidelines for seabed and Overburden Integrity Monitoring for Offshore CO2 Storage. Data was a running theme alongside the practical challenges.

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Fixed Offshore Wind and then Floating Wind formed the afternoon sessions of the event informed and updated the audience on the range of activities, issues, solutions and understanding required for this topical and booming sector of renewable energy production.

Throughout the day presenters spoke on safety, reliability, sustainability, and the challenges we are facing. The day finished with a thought piece around supply chain and effective resource management to get to where we need to be.

The panellists responded to questions on technical specifics as well as designing developing and delivering for the future and more; all within the Offshore Site Investigation Group’s remit.

‘It has been a fantastic day bringing together industry experts and academia. A huge thank you to the organizing committee, our speakers and sponsors. The one-day format works really well and we’d been keen to start planning a 2022 OSIG conference event.’ - Karen Dalton ‘Great event full of very relevant topical information. Fantastic to see everyone face-to-face again.

Suddenly industry innovation feels accessible again!’ - Toby Powell, Subsea7 “I had a brilliant amazing insightful day.” - Mohammed Gasmelseed, Partrac “Being part of the organising committee has been a real rollercoaster. However, thanks to Karen’s organisational skills, ably supported by some really hard work from Jacqui and other committee members, we have ended up with an excellent event. The intention was always to be one of the first face-to-face events which we felt was really important. So, to see over 100 attendees networking and engaging in discussions certainly made all the hard work worthwhile.” - Phil Durrant, MarineSpace We would like to thank our conference sponsors: RPS, res, Vysus Group, Bluefield Geoservices, Geotechnical Consulting Group, Cathie, geowynd, inosys, MarineSpace and PARTRAC. For more information on the OSIG committee and getting involved: www.sut.org/specialistinterest-group/osig-offshore-site-investigation-and-geotechnics/ Society for Underwater Technology

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Recent SUT Event Reports contd.

Singapore Branch The SUT Singapore Branch attracted a maximum capacity international audience for their webinar on 29th July on Remote and Autonomous Operations.

In a technically focused webinar, our featured speakers included: • Dr Ioseba (Joe) Tena, Global Business Manager for Robotics – Sonardyne Presenting: Sonardyne in Robotics and Autonomy • Richard Mills, Vice President Marine Robotics – Kongsberg Presenting: Shore to Shore Operations with Robotic Systems • Sam Forbes, Director SpAARC – Fugro Presenting: The future of Remote and Autonomous Operations James Christie, Chair of the Singapore SUT Branch, expressed his appreciation for the speakers who presented on topics that are obviously of great interest to the industry, as evidenced through the sheer volume of participants in the webinar. It demonstrated that there is a desire to engage with and understand more about the future of technology in the industry so we will endeavour to provide more of these kinds of opportunities to our members.

Please Contact singapore@sut.org for more information on the Singapore Branch and its committee, activities, events and sponsorship.

Thank you to our event sponsors:

Ocean Business 2021 - NOC, Southampton From 12-14 October 2021, the SUT had a stand at the National Oceanography Centre, Southampton for Ocean Business. This was the SUT’s first faceto-face exhibition since the pandemic. It felt great to get back to seeing our members and many other familiar faces in real life!

As well representing the SUT on our stand, CEO Cheryl Burgess gave a talk to students interested in marine careers, and Nick Swift, Chair of the SUT’s Defence Special Interest Group, gave a presentation on the activities of the SIG. Thank you to everyone who came to see us, and welcome to those new members who signed up during the event. We are very happy to have you with us!

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Nick Swift, Chair of SUT’s Defence SIG

SUT CEO, Cheryl Burgess talking to students

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The Underwater Technology Podcast

Andrew Connelly, Host

Emily Boddy, Editor

Since April 2020, the SUT has been prodciing weekly short podcasts featuring news and an interview with an expert on underwater technology, engineering, science, history & policy from across the international subsea world.

The podcast can be found online at https://sut.buzzsprout.com/ or via your favorite podcast provider.

Contact Emily Boddy if you would like to appear on a future episode of the Underwater Technology Podcast, or for details on how to sponsor an upcoming podcast.

Society for Underwater Technology Podcast Sponsorship • Weekly marine-themed podcast • Distrubuted directly to over 2000 marine professionals, available on the SUT website, and all major podcast providers • Listenership is global Podcast episode (approx 30 minutes) Pre-roll

Post-roll

20 seconds

20 seconds

Special sponsorship offer: £250 for both a 20-second pre-roll and 20-second post-roll ad.

Your ad should be provided to us as a script, which we will read out in the format of: Pre-roll “This week’s podcast sponsors are [your organisation/name]. [Your ad plus website details]”.

Post-roll “Thank you to [your organisation/name] for sponsoring this week’s podcast. [Your ad plus website details]”.

Terms & Conditions 1. SUT to have ultimate editing rights and the right not to use the podcast ad if considered to be controversial 2. Podcast ad is wholly independent and does not reflect any condonement from or views of the SUT 3. Podcast ads should not be damning or critical of any competitor company or organisation

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www.sut.org https://sut.buzzsprout.com/ contact emily.boddy@sut.org

A visualisation of where the Underwater Technology Podcast listeners are around the globe.

Click the images below to catch up on episodes you might have missed...

Pod 55 - Oliver Steeds of Nekton on Protecting Our Ocean to Protect the Planet

Oliver talks about what Nekton is doing to drive creation of ocean conservation areas, ensuring that local authorities are involved in conservation and research initiatives and how technology can play a part in the protection of the ocean.

Pod 50 - Anna Lambert of SubSea Craft on their revolutionary VICTA Class Diver Delivery Unit

Anna talks about SubSea Craft’s background and their current development of ‘VICTA’, a specialist submersible craft that delivers divers discreetly. She focuses on the building blocks of such a project’s development cycle and how students and younger people can be motivated to get involved in engineering.

Pod 26 - John Englander on Sea Level Rise

John explains the reality of sea level rise, emphasising that even if all human greenhouse emissions ended today, the momentum in the Air-Sea-Ice system means that we’ve already banked hundreds of years of inevitable rising seas.

Pod 57 - Teo van der Kammen of ORE Catapult on TIGER, the Tidal Stream Industry Energiser Project

Teo talks about his background in tidal energy developments and the work that ORE Catapult is doing with the TIGER project to promote the development of tidal energy technology.

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We Want to Hear From YOU! Big Blue World is for you, our members, and we want your input!

We’re looking for SUT member-written articles focussing on INNOVATION and on the BLUE ECONOMY. Additionally, if you are a corporate member and have a short update you’d like to include please contact Emily Boddy for details on how to get your company news included in the SUT newsletter.

Issues will be quarterly and will include: • • • • • • • • •

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Welcome from the CEO Welcome to new Corporate Members Global Branch updates Special Interest Groups Spotlight article(s) on innovation Spotlight article(s) on the blue economy SUT News SUT Member news Young Professionals International

Big Blue World

• • • • • • •

Corporate Member updates Photo Galleries Members’ Only advertising Events/Training/Podcast SUT Member Benefits Seasonal Features ...and much more!

We value our members and your contribution is very important to us at the SUT! If you would like to contribute to any of the above features, as an individual member or corporate member please contact Emily Boddy, SUT Communications & Publications Officer - emily.boddy@sut.org NEXT issue out December 2021 deadline for submissions will be Friday 12th November.