Big Blue World
The Global Newsletter of the Society for Underwater Technology
Issue 3, April 2022
In this issue
Welcome from the SUT
Chair of Council
Annual Captain Don
Walsh Award for Ocean
Exploration Open for
Entries
Polar AUVs
Achieving Net Zero at Sea
The Scottish Marine
Environmental
Enhancement Fund
Low Impact Data
Collection for Sustainable
Use of Our Oceans
WaveRadar REX2 Systems
from RS Aqua
Reports and Photo
Gallery from Oceanology
International 2022
Oceans, Chennai 2022
Contents
Big Blue World
Big Blue World™ is the SUT’s members’ only publication with contributions from SUT
members, for SUT members.
Emily Boddy, Editor
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™.
Welcome from the SUT Chair of Council . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
SUT News, Welcome to our new Corporate Members . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
SUT+ Aberdeen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Panel on Underwater Robotics - Polar AUVs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
SUT US - Patricia Varela Recognised with Emerging Leader Award . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
SUT MTS Joint Venture Agreement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Upcoming SUT Events and Training . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Annual Captain Don Walsh Award for Ocean Exploration Open for Entries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12
UT2/Underwater Robotics Magazines . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .13
NOC - Achieving Net Zero at sea – reducing carbon emissions on UK
oceanographic research expeditions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
NOC equips RRS Discovery & RRS James Cook with WaveRadar REX2 systems
from RS Aqua . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .16
The Scottish Marine Environmental Enhancement Fund . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .18
XOCEAN Expands Leadership Team - new CTO Shepard Smith . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .19
XOCEAN - Low Impact Data Collection for Sustainable Use of Our Oceans . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
Professional Marine Accreditation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
Reports of Recent SUT Events and Photo Galleries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
The Royal Institution ‘Into the Abyss’ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
MCE - Deepwater Development London 2022 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
Defense SIG Panel at Oi 2022 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
OCEANS 2022, Chennai . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
Oi2022 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
The Underwater Technology Podcast . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
Next Issue . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
Welcome from the SUT Chair of Council
Hi and welcome to the March 2022 issue of Big Blue World from your
newly elected (and frst female) Chair of Council, Sue John. Tis is a
role that you most certainly learn ‘on the job’. March has been a busy
month for the SUT and myself as we kicked of this year’s Oceanology
International (Oi) 2022 with Te Royal Institution, London hosting an
evening with three eminent deep sea explorers, Patrick Lahey, Victor
Vescovo and retired U.S. Navy Captain Don Walsh. Tis was my frst
taste of Oi. It was three days of interviews, the Don Walsh Award, and
SUT-led panel sessions, but most importantly I had the chance to meet
our volunteers. You will read more about Oi 2022 later in this issue.
For now, I want to thank our members for their continued support
during the pandemic. Te SUT is a learned society; we exist to bring
together organisations and individuals with a common interest in
underwater technology, ocean science and ofshore engineering. We
rely on the expertise of our members to provide the information and understanding of the subsea
world for our webinars, training courses, podcasts, panel sessions, articles, and much, much more,
continuing our remit of knowledge dissmemination. Te podcasts and many of the webinars in
particular are freely in the public domain, allowing us to reach even more people, and, hopefully,
future members. Tank you all of you who represent the SUT on these platforms, who share our
news and activities on social media, who continue to support our endeavours, and who put us ‘out
there’, but also thank you to the SUT staf who work hard in the background, bringing it all together.
As we all now start to emerge from COVID restrictions, we will return to face-to-face social events,
evening meetings, conferences, and training courses. In May, the SUT will be at All-Energy in
Glasgow. You can fnd us at stand Q03. Also in May, SUT Perth, Australia, are running a face-to-face
Subsea Awareness Course, including two site visits. SUT-US are hosting a series of networking events
plus their Subsea Awareness Course.
Next year sees the return of the International Ofshore Site Investigation & Geotechnics (OSIG)
Conference on 12th-14th September 2023 in London. Te call for papers is now open - you can see
more information on the conference themes and the scientifc committee and fnd out how to submit
your abstract at www.osig2023.com. Te deadline for submissions is 31 May 2022.
With the support of one of our past presidents,
Ralph Rayner, we have been busy working in
conjunction with the Marine Technology Society
(MTS) to launch a suite of accreditations including
the Chartered Marine Technologist and the Chartered
Marine Scientist. Tese are globally recognised and
aimed at subsea professionals who have at least 5
years’ experience and who can demonstrate having
a high level of knowledge, understanding and
professional competence. Find out more about the
application process at sut.org/professional-marine-
registration.
As you can see this is going to be a very busy year,
and one that I am enjoying hugely so far.
I look forward to working with you all in the future.
Society for Underwater Technology
Sue John
Captain Don Walsh & Sue John at Oi 2022
SUT News
Big Blue World
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
iArchimedes
RBR
Gardline
FutureOn
Welcome to Suzanne Tien, a new addition to the Perth,
Australia branch of the SUT. Suzanne will be taking on the role
of Events & Marketing Assistant for the Perth Branch.
Suzanne comes from a technical background with more
than three years of experience in the digital marketing feld.
Suzanne’s role will be focused on managing SUT Perth Branch’s
social media platforms, maintaining website updates, compiling
email marketing campaigns as well as assisting the Marketing
Coordinator in events management.
Welcome to Suzanne Thien
Previous Big Blue World Issues
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
Grif�ths 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
bene�t! - Join the Marine
Technologist Register
SUT Event reports
The Underwater
Technology Podcast
UT2 and UV2 Magazines
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
Click the images to catch
up on previous issues of
Big Blue World with SUT
news and articles on:
What is Innovation?
Cable touch down
monitoring with a
diference
Sonomatic Subsea
Innovation
Nautical Archaeological
Society
and much more...
SUT+ Aberdeen
Society for Underwater Technology
Stepping into 2022, the SUT+ Aberdeen branch
has seen exponential growth in attendance to
our monthly Webinar series, and with Covid-19
restrictions slowly lifing, we have been able to host
our frst in-person events since the beginning of
the Pandemic. We have been foored by the amount
of interest and positivity shown by our members
during this challenging time, and we have achieved
an exciting backlog of upcoming Webinars and in-
person events that we very much look forward to
sharing.
Some highlights from the branch are:
• From 2021 to today, we have hosted 12 Webinars
on topics such as ‘Developing Scotland’s
Hydrogen Economy’, ‘Halo Subsea Battery
System’, ‘Subsea Umbilicals’ and more - which
are now regularly seeing over 100 attendees per
session from across the world!
• We presented a ‘Job Seeking Support Session’ for students and recent graduates.
• We have continued our successful SUT+ Newsletter which has been well-received by subscribers
and has aided in spreading local industry news.
• We have reached over 700 followers on LinkedIn!
Future events to look out for are: a Webinar on FLASC’s ‘Hydro-Pneumatic Energy Storage Solution’,
an upcoming Webinar from Seaway 7 on Ofshore Wind and our second-time presenting ‘Insights
into Tesis Preparation’. We will be posting more information about these events in the coming
months, so please follow our page for the latest updates: www.linkedin.com/company/sutplus
TechFest’s Mock COP 26 STEM event
Site visit to the National Decommissioning Centre
Big Blue World
SUT+ webinars
Click to catch up on these and more on the SUT YouTube channel - SUTMedia
Some recent SUT+ webinars include...
DC/FO™ Direct Current Fibre Optic Cable Technology
Subsea Acoustics
Subsea Umbilicals
Verlume Technology Overview: Halo Subsea Battery System
SUT+ Aberdeen is a subset of
the Society for Underwater
Technology (SUT) Aberdeen
Branch.
SUT+ Aberdeen is the ofcial group for
developing professional’s working in
underwater technology, ocean science
and subsea engineering.
SUT+ aims to increase newcomers’
appeal and understanding of the
underwater technology and related
markets. SUT+ provides a platform
to develop valuable industry knowledge outside the traditional ofce environment and provides a
programme of technical and social events throughout the year to promote and extend awareness of
the subsea industry.
Click here to fnd out more and join the SUT+ mailing list to receive news and event updates
from SUT+. To get in touch with one of the team email sutplus@sut.org
SUT Panel on Underwater Robotics - Polar AUVs
Society for Underwater Technology
In the 50 years of Autonomous Underwater Vehicle (AUV) deployments in Polar Regions never have
expectations been as high as in 2022. We, and generations to come, may be impacted by information
brought back from recent AUV missions to the so-called Doomsday (Twaites) Glacier. On the
other side of Antarctica, the Endurance 22 expedition’s AUV provided poignant pictures of Sir Ernest
Shackleton’s ice-crushed ship lying in the Weddell Sea’s depths.
But, despite modern communications, we do not,
today, know if all of those expeditions were successful.
Whatever the outcomes, it is more important than
ever for AUV users in the Polar Regions to share
technical and operational experiences openly. Te
good, the bad, the successes, and the failures and
mistakes, need to be learnt once and shared. Te SUT
provides a supportive environment for such sharing,
in part through its Polar AUV Best Practices website.
New contributions would be most welcome, to the
beneft of all.
Te images show sea ice in the Weddell Sea, 2001.
From under this ice the Autosub AUV travelled
over 400 km bringing back data that changed scientists’ understanding krill populations near the ice
edge. Equally important, the technical and operations lessons learnt are freely available.
RRS James Clark Ross entering the pack
RRS James Clark Ross moving in thicker pack
Useful Links
Polar AUV Guide
Polar AUV Guide 2001 Autosub
Weddell Sea expedition
Endurance 22 expedition
Doomsday (Thwaites)
Glacier expedition
Find out more about the
SUT’s Panel on
Underwater Robotics
Special Interest Group by
clicking here.
88
Big Blue World
SUT News - SUT US
Patricia Varela Recognised with
Emerging Leader Award
Patricia Varela, Ph.D. (Texas) received
the Emerging Leader Award from
the Offshore Technology Conference
(OTC) in Houston, Texas at the Young
Professionals Networking event
Young Professionals: Diversify Your
Network 2021.
Patricia Varela is a Project Professional based in Texas,
focused on geotechnical and geological surveys, risk
and reliability studies, geohazard investigations, and
integrated site characterisation. Patricia was also
highlighted in an article by Women Ofshore for her
work in the oil and gas industry.
Te Emerging Leader program, launched in 2021,
recognises one young professional from each of OTC’s
sponsoring, endorsing, and supporting organisations.
Emerging Leaders are individuals who are making
key technology and/or leadership contributions to the
ofshore energy sector in their feld of work, service to
the industry, innovation, or safety performance. Patricia
was nominated by Rodolfo Sancio, Ph.D., P.E. (Texas),
Senior Principal at Geosyntec.
Te OTC is where energy professionals meet to exchange ideas and opinions to advance scientifc
and technical knowledge for ofshore resources and environmental matters. Founded in 1969, OTC’s
fagship conference is held annually in Houston. OTC has expanded technically and globally with
the Arctic Technology Conference, OTC Brazil, and OTC Asia. OTC ranks among the largest 200
trade shows held annually in the United States and is among the ten largest meetings in terms of
attendance. OTC is sponsored by 13 industry organisations and societies who work cooperatively
to develop the program each year. OTC also has two endorsing organisations and ten supporting
organisations.
Click for more information...
About Ofshore Technology Conference
For consultation regarding ofshore and onshore site characterisation,
contact Patricia Varela at PVarela@Geosyntec.com
See Original article: Geosyntec Consultant
Patricia Varela is the Chair of
the SUT-US Young Professionals
Committee for Houston
99
SUT News & Member News
Society for Underwater Technology
Announcement to Society
Members on the Contractual
Joint Venture Agreement
Between MTS and SUT
Over the past few years SUT and MTS have begun
work to strengthen our collaboration with the goal of enhancing services and benefts to our
members. You’ve likely seen the early outcomes of that collaboration - shared publications between
the Societies, ofering of professional certifcations for marine technologists and marine scientists,
and launch of the joint Captain Don Walsh Award for Ocean Exploration.
To support further enhancement of services to the collective membership and to help secure greater
visibility for both Societies within the global marine science and technology community, MTS and
SUT have entered into a formal Contractual Joint Venture agreement. Te agreement solidifes
existing collaborations and sets a framework for continued collaboration and partnership, in concert
with the individual governance of both societies.
MTS and SUT have a common mission to facilitate the efective development and application
of ocean science, underwater technology, and ofshore engineering to support exploration,
understanding, and sustainable use of the ocean and its resources. Trough the collaboration
supported by this joint venture, the Societies look forward to continuing to deliver value, impact, and
support to our membership and the broader subsea, underwater and marine science, technology and
engineering communities.
AWS Waveswing gets shakedown at EMEC
Te initial shakedown testing at EMEC’s Scapa Flow test site in Orkney
involved ten signifcant lifing, marine or diving operations demonstrating
the practical deployment, operation and recovery of the Waveswing device. Te device has now been
recovered to shore for detailed inspection prior to being re-deployed at EMEC’s test site.
Tis important milestone in the development of the 16 kW Archimedes Waveswing follows
successful quayside testing and preparation at Copland’s Dock in Stromness since its arrival in
Orkney in late January. Since then several short weather windows have enabled deployment of
the anchor and anchor block, umbilical cable and EMEC’s test support buoy, as well as two trial
deployments of the Waveswing.
Quayside and marine operations have been carried out by the local Orkney supply chain: installation
and recovery operations were
completed by Green Marine using
the ‘Green Isle’ multicat vessel;
test support buoy and umbilical
deployments by Leask Marine;
and lif operations by Heddle
Construction.
Continue reading and watch the
video at www.emec.org.uk/aws-
waveswing-gets-shakedown-at-
emec/
10
Upcoming Events and Training
10
Big Blue World
APRIL 2022
SUT-US - Offshore Green Hydrogen
Production and Risk Management
26 April 2022
Webinar
SUT+ Webinar – FLASC Hydro-Pneumatic
Energy Storage Solution
27 April 2022
Webinar
Aberdeen – Gadgets and Widgets
27 April 2022
Holiday Inn, Westhill, Aberdeen
SUT+ Site Visit - Balmoral Subsea Test
Centre
28 April 2022
Aberdeen, UK
SUT-US - Accelerated Layout and Design
Decisions for Offshore Windfarms through
Integrated Geo-Data Management
28 April 2022
Webinar
SUT-US - Champagne & Conversation:
From Law to Leading the Strategic Growth
of Fugro in the Americas
28 April 2022
Memorial Wine Cellar, Houston, TX, US
MAY 2022
Perth Subsea Awareness Course
2-6 May 2022
Parmelia Hilton Perth, WA
Perth SUT Community Casual Catch-up
5 May 2022
Cheeky Sparrow, Perth, WA
SUT-US Networking Event
5 May 2022
Red Lion Pub, Houston, Texas, US