Big Blue World
The Global Newsletter of the Society for Underwater Technology
Issue 2, December 2021
In this issue
Welcome from the CEO
Meet our new
SUT President and new
Chair of SUT Council
Annual Report 2020-2021
AGM 2021
The Nautical Archaeology
Society
Sonomatic Susbea
Innovation
Cable touch down
monitoring with a
difference
SPE Offshore Europe
Oceanology International
Events Reports & Galleries
SUT Member News
2021 Award and
Scholarship Winners
The Underwater
Technology Podcast
Contents
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 fnd
out about advertising and
sponsorship opportunities in
Big Blue World.
Big Blue World
Introducing Jade Melville
Jade joined the SUT Perth team in
Dec 2021, with over six years Events
and Marketing experience within
corporate organisations.
Her role will focus on the
administration, coordination and
marketing of Perth events as well as
updating the Perth Branch area of the
website.
Glad to have you on the team, Jade!
Welcome from the SUT CEO . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
A Message from the new SUT President . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
A Message from the new Chair of Council . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Welcome to our new Corporate Members! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Annual Report 2020-2021 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6
SUT News . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
New Of�cers and AGM Awards . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Virtual Courses for 2022 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9
Perth Scholarships . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Lennard-Senior Prize 2021 Winner . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Deadline Approaching for Gwyn Grif�ths Underwater Robotics Award . . . . 14
Forthcoming Events . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
The Nautical Archaeology Society . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
UT2/UV2/Subsea Videos . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
Sonomatic Susbea Innovation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .20
Cable touch down monitoring with a difference . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
SUT Member News . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .24
More Forthcoming Events . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .26
Reports of Recent SUT Events and Photo Galleries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
ADIPEC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .30
Perth Annual Dinner . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
Virtual Offshore Wind Course . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .32
Virtual OSIG Course . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .32
SUT AGM London . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .33
The Underwater Technology Podcast . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .34
Next Issue . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
Welcome from the SUT CEO
Cheryl Burgess, SUT CEO
As 2021 draws to a close and many of us are able to take a break
and enjoy the holiday season, it is a time to look back over the
year as well as ahead to 2022.
Despite of restrictions on travel, business and social gatherings
it has been a busy year for the SUT: online training being
delivered to a global audience, webinars, a face-to-face
seminar in Newcastle, Energy In Transition and the Impacts
for Site Investigation and Characterisation. Ocean Business
in Southampton provided an opportunity for SUT speakers
to participate in key note sessions, panel sessions, students on
careers as well as network with members and non-members with
new technology on show in the marquees and outside along the
quay. Internationally, the Perth, Houston and Middle East Branches have all had active programmes.
Singapore has held webinars as has the Brazil Branch. If you have not already had a chance to read
the SUT Annual Report I encourage you to read the review of the year and see what you missed.
Planning is underway for SUT presence at Oceanology International in London in March. But before
this, SPE’s Ofshore Europe Exhibition is due to take place in Aberdeen in February. We look forward
to seeing you there.
In the newsletter and on the SUT web pages for Events you will see that training courses are on the
calendar for subsea awareness, and ofshore wind in March 2022. Te OSIG committee have started
planning for their next seminar and another training course in the second-half of 2022, as well as
new and additional training courses in development.
I would like to thank our out-going Executive Committee: David Saul, Chair; Judith Patten,
President; Mick Cook, Honorary Treasurer; Dave Brookes, Honorary Secretary; and Ralph Rayner,
Past President, for all of their hard work over the year. Following the AGM we welcome the newly
elected Moya Crawford, President; Sue John, Chair; Iain Knight, Honorary Secretary and Nigel
Carey, Honorary Treasurer as the new Executive Committee and members of Council. Teir work
in the Exec and the work of the Council has and will continue to provide the support and strategic
delivery of the SUT’s objectives and keeping membership in the Society meaningful and benefcial.
To say thank you for your service to these individuals and all the volunteers who participate in
committees feels inadequate. Nonetheless, it is our volunteers who keep the SUT up-to-date, relevant
to our membership and are the foundations of the Society’s activities today. And thank you to my
colleagues: Jane, Jacqui and Emily for all of your hard work, your knowledge, and helping me learn
how the SUT functions.
Despite the uncertainties of Covid, we plan for the future. We aim to grow our membership, increase
our training and events ofering. Sustainability of the SUT requires growth. Growth of membership,
growth of income from events. As these initiatives and more come to fruition I hope the membership
will consider how they can make full-use of their membership and benefts of becoming active
participating members.
Please remember that the SUT ofce will be closed between Christmas and the New Year Bank
Holiday and staf will not be available to answer phone calls or email.
Season’s Greetings, Peace on Earth and Goodwill to All.
Cheryl Burgess
Society for Underwater Technology
A Message from our new SUT President
Moya Crawford, SUT President
‘Society’, ‘Underwater’, ‘Technology’
Tese three words directly mirror onto what the global marine salvage
industry seeks to save in ‘Life’, ‘Environment’, and ‘Property’ of the
global marine salvage industry and worldwide, classifcation ‘societies’
– that word, again – seek to protect. Giving me the confdence as the
new President of the SUT, who has actively worked for many years
across these two inter-linked communities, that principles-based
thinking as a means of rapidly assuring sustainable innovation is where
I should like to exercise my infuence.
Few would argue that these are challenging times, but they could be, and according to many
projections, will be worse, if millions of us in the human race do not alter our behaviour.
My experience of innovation over the decades has had highs and lows. Undertaking deep
water cargo recovery on ‘No Cure/No Pay’ was a very good preparation for the level of risk,
but nothing prepared me for the level of bureaucracy that stood in the way, or the outright
resistance to change that one met. So, as a frst step, and relying on my experience in
underwater demolition and remote cargo recovery, in which the goal is obvious to all, I would
like to action two initiatives.
Te frst is to ask members to get in touch with respect to what they mean by ‘sustainability’,
and the second is to suggest how they would describe the industry and discipline in which
they operate, respectively using just a verb and a noun. Tis latter technique called Functional
Analysis Systems Tinking, or ‘FAST’, for short was used successfully in WWII to come up
with diferent means of achieving the same end, when materials and labour were both short.
President@sut.org
My use has a diferent purpose. In the complicated and dynamic four-dimensional mosaic
that represents our use of the seas and oceans, we will only come to solutions that take into
account the ‘economics of biodiversity’, to borrow from the Dasgupta Review, if we treat
Anthropogenic Matter, Material, Objects, Structures and Substances (AMMOSS) and their
+/- Impact on the Marine Ecosystem, openly, transparently and consistently, using common
units, values and metrics – which necessitates, both using our heads and ofering a non-
partisan platform in which sensitive discussions can be had, based on trust, respect, practical
understanding and refective knowledge – a role that the SUT, as a learned society, needs to
occupy once more.
I am therefore delighted that one of our new CEO’s early ambitions is to revitalise the
Parliamentary Advisory Committee. When I frst knew this group it is was limited to the UK.
I sincerely hope that there will be keenness in spreading the net further. As an international,
multi-disciplinary body that has been linked by the seas and oceans for over fve decades, we
know that individual interests and mutual fates are ofen shared.
Moya Crawford
Big Blue World
A Message from our new Chair of Council
Sue John, Chair of Council
I feel very privileged to be the frst female elected Chair of the
Society. I frst became involved informally by arranging a Christmas
Lecture whilst working in the School for Earth and Ocean Sciences
at Cardif University, since then I have been hooked! I am a science
communicator, who grew up literally across the road from the sea, with
a father who was an engineer. What else would I be interested in?
It is said these days that no one has a job for life, and I think I’m a
classic example of that. I started of in banking transferring over to
the Inland Revenue, advanced into the volunteering sector, became a
mature student and never looked back since.
Tat is a very pared down version of my career path, which has always involved education
in one form or another. I have worked in every stage of the education sector from nursery
to post graduate studies. Twenty or so years ago I was delivering LEGO robotic sessions
in schools around Wales and the Southwest, training teachers to deliver this topic in the
classroom, while at the same time encouraging and supporting young women into the science
and engineering sectors. I was one of the very frst Science and Engineering Ambassadors.
I am very involved with volunteers, afer all, I am a volunteer Chair of the Society. I was a
volunteer committee member and Chair of the Education and Training Committee and
Council Member. I am a volunteer Apprentice Master, with the Worshipful Company of
Scientifc Instrument Makers, supporting an Arkwright Scholar and an A level student.
Our Society is based on volunteers who do the most amazing things, developing and
delivering training courses; organising conferences, award dinners, social events, quiz nights
and goodness knows what else all in the name of the Society for Underwater Technology.
Long may that continue - each idea from a volunteer is a way of constantly refreshing our
activities. If you have good ideas, please do let me know about them, and together we can see
our members and the Society beneft.
I am very much looking forward to working with members and external organisations to
ensure that the SUT fourishes and contributes to the sectors we serve in so many ways.
Society for Underwater Technology
Sue John
Welcome to our newest Corporate Members!
Click to �nd out how your organisation can join the SUT as a Corporate Member.
Welcome to our new Corporate Members
The Defence Science and
Technology Laboratory
Hugh Fraser Interna�onal
O�shore Energy UK Limited
SUT 2020-2021 Annual Report
Big Blue World
Click to see the latest Annual Report of the Society for Underwater Technology (2020-2021)
including reports from SUT Branches, Special Interest Groups and an update on the Educational
Support Fund, and click here to see the Society’s audited accounts for the year ending June 2021.
SUT News
All-change for SUT Elected Of�cers +
News of SUT Award Winners
Society for Underwater Technology
Tis month’s AGM of the Society for Underwater Technology marked the ofcial hand over to
new elected ofcers in all senior posts – President, Chair, Hon Secretary and Hon Treasurer; the
announcement of three new Fellows of the Learned Society; and of winners of three Awards, Te
President’s Award, the Lennard-Senior Award; and the Gwyn Grifths Award for Underwater
Robotics. Once all the formalities were concluded SUT members were treated to a fascinating talk on
‘eDNA: Te future of ocean biodiversity monitoring’ by Dr Katie Cruickshanks of NatureMetrics.
The new of�cers
SUT’s Cheryl Burgess explained:
“By coincidence our Chair, David Saul; our Hon
Secretary, Dave Brookes; and our Hon Treasurer,
Mick Cook had all reached the end of their
permitted terms of ofce at the same time; and
our President Judith Patten MBE has also stepped
down afer her year in ofce. We thank them all for
their sterling service during unprecedented times.
Both David Saul and Judith Patten will remain on
SUT’s Council.
“Moya Crawford is our new President; Sue John
our frst female Chair; Iain Knight takes on the
role of Hon Secretary and Nigel Carey becomes
Hon Treasurer – what a team!”
New Fellows of the SUT
Tree new SUT Fellows have been elected:
• Simon Hems for services to the London and
South of England Branch
• Steve Dufeld for services to the Perth (Australia) Branch and SUT’s International Committee
• Rex Hubbard for services to the Perth Branch
Awards
Te President’s Award 2021 was presented to
John Howes, publisher and editor of UT2, and UV2
at an auspicious time. UT2 has recently reached a
major milestone – 75 issues have been published
since 2006. As the citation states:
“Te President’s Award is made to John Howes, a
great friend of the Society, the respected journalist,
publisher and expert in the feld of underwater
technology in recognition of the years of service he
has performed with, and for the SUT, its members
and the wider industry.”
(L-R) Iain Knight, Sue John, Moya Crawford, Nigel Carey
Judith Pa�en MBE presents the SUT 2021 President’s
Award to John Howes
SUT News contd.
Big Blue World
UT2 was one of the frst magazines in
the world to be produced for online
publication and: “is not only a ‘go-to’
publication for its content, but visually
is in a class of its own”. UV2 focuses on
underwater vehicles and increasingly
has video embedded which can also be
found on the Subsea Video YouTube
channel. John Howes also publishes
old underwater-related photos on
LinkedIn, a service that has attracted
over 17,000 followers and a host of
comments which may in time lead to
history qualifcation looking at ‘Subsea
1960 to the present’.
Te Lennard-Senior Memorial Prize is
awarded annually in memory of two of
the original members of SUT’s Marine
Renewable Energies Committee
(MREC) – Don Lennard and Gordon
Senior. Tis year’s winner (nominated
by and voted for by members of
MREC) is Neil Kermode, Managing Director of the European Marine Energy Centre (EMEC) in
Orkney.
Neil won the inaugural award ten years ago in 2011 and “still – perhaps more than ever- deserves this
accolade today… EMEC has marine renewables at its core and has extended its reach, to great efect,
to encompass hydrogen and energy systems… Neil is a true champion of enabling the marine energy
sector”. His Award will be ofcially presented at All-Energy 2022 in Glasgow in May 2022.
Attendees at the AGM were also made aware of the winner of the inaugural Gwyn Grifths Award
for Underwater Robotics – Aleksandra Tomaszek, co-founder of 1CSI Ltd (see press release issued 8
November https://tinyurl.com/42y5t8wb)
Dr Ka�e Cruickshanks talks ‘eDNA: The future of ocean
biodiversity monitoring’.
(L-R) Renae Drew, Steve Du�eld, Fiona Allan
Rex Hubbard (L) receives his Fellowship from Mark Casey
SUT News contd.
Society for Underwater Technology
Dates Announced for SUT Virtual Courses
for Q1 2022
Feedback on the SUT’s Virtual Subsea Awareness Course and their Virtual Ofshore Wind
Renewable Energy Course proved so positive that the iterations of both are to be held in March
2022.
As SUT’s Chief Executive, Cheryl Burgess explained:
“Delegates attending from around the world, combined with very positive feedback from them,
has led to us planning our third version of both of these online courses
“VSAC is the virtual version of SUT’s highly successful in-person course which has been running
for over 20 years and attracted in excess of a thousand delegates. Te ofshore wind course,
developed in association with Cranfeld University, was developed specifcally for the virtual
world and really hit the proverbial spot.
“Both are introductory courses taking delegates back to basics, something that has been greatly
appreciated by all who have joined us.
“Presenter names will be announced early in 2022.”
Virtual Offshore Wind Renewable Energy
Course
Te Virtual Ofshore Wind Renewable Energy Course
will take place on 2nd and 3rd March over two online
interactive 4-hour morning sessions from 09:00-13:00GMT.
It will be delivered by Industry and academic experts, with
an emphasis on the practical applications and cover:
• Wind and the Net Zero Challenge inc Deepwater
Floating Potential
• Planning, Environmental Studies, and Approvals
• MetOcean/Weather: UK and NW Europe Focus
including Deepwater for Floating Technology
• Fixed Bottom Ofshore Structure Design and Integrity
• Ofshore Site Investigation and Seabed Site Foundations
• Construction
• Cables
• Floating Wind Structures
• Completion, Post Installation, and Ongoing Operation
• As well as an Introduction to SUT.
Te course is designed for professional non-engineers who would beneft from understanding
the ofshore wind energy industry; and engineers and technical staf who are new to this sector or
making the transition from another industry as part of the energy transition.
Click here for more information and to regsiter.
10
SUT News contd.
10
Big Blue World
Virtual Subsea Awareness Course
(VSAC)
VSAC, being held over fve mornings (15 hours
in total) from 28th March to 1st April from 10:00-
13:00GMT, is similarly aimed for specifc individuals
such as new entrants who are already technically
qualifed but just entering the ofshore energy industry
and/or the subsea sector; technically qualifed
experienced personnel undergoing a technology
transfer and conversion process into the subsea sector;
and non-technical personnel from legal or fnance
sectors who regularly deal with the subsea sector.
Sessions delivered by industry experts will cover:
• Subsea Production Equipment & Systems
• Flow Assurance
• Pipeline & Risers
• Constructions & Installation
• Metocean
• Renewables and Future Technology Trends
• Operation, Maintenance & Decommissioning
Click here for more information and to register.
Course fees – excluding VAT where applicable
Te fee for the Virtual Ofshore Wind Renewable Energy Course is £325 for SUT members; and £415
for non-members. Te fee for the Virtual Subsea awareness course is £715 for members and £845
for non-members. Members of EEEGR, OES, IMCA and EIC can enrol for either course at the SUT
membership fee.
Further information
Further information on both courses will be posted in the New Year on the training pages of the SUT
website at www.sut.org. Both courses are CPD approved.
SUT-US Marine Renewable Energy Committee
Tis committee has been moving forward positively over the last few months. We held our quarterly
committee meeting, with representatives from both Academia and Industry, not forgetting
participants from both the US and UK. Tis diversity helped provide a very interesting discussion.
In the last quarter, we have had presentations from; Carlos Aviva on the subject of analyzing the fow
of air around turbines with CFD, Zack Skelton of Subsea 7 talked about the supply chain issues of
ofshore wind on the east coast of the US and Michael Hughes from Siemens Gamesa discussed a US
NE ofshore wind subsea inspection program undertaken this summer.
Presentations on both Marine Renewables and the Energy Transition as it relates to ofshore have
been given to; the Society of Professional Women in Petroleum (SPWP), Society of Petroleum
Engineers, Texas A&M University and to a BOEM training course.
Te group is also broadening out to support a Gulf of Mexico Networking group, Network to
Network, Gulf of Mexico, see Network-to-Network for the Gulf of Mexico – N2N-GoM.
We also welcome new members of the Committee, and those interested should contact Steven
Johnson at renewables@sut-us.org.