Big Blue World
The Global Newsletter of the Society for Underwater Technology
Issue 12, December 2024
Contents
Big Blue World™
Editor: Emily Boddy
emily.boddy@sut.org
Contact Emily to submit an article,
send in Corporate Member news,
member updates and photos, or to
find out about advertising and
sponsorship opportunities in Big
Blue World™.
www.sut.org
facebook.com/SUT.org
linkedin.com/company/sutuk
buzzsprout.com/1000288
instagram.com/societyforunderwater
twitter.com/SUT_news
youtube.com/SUTMedia
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04
05
06
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08
16
20
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Welcome from the new SUT Chair of
Council
Mike Fearn
New Corporate Members
Publications
UT2, Underwater Robotics, Big Blue World
Events & Training Diary
SUT News
08 | AGM, Award Winners and Fellows
10 | Jonas Wüst - Winner of the Gwyn
Grif�ths Underwater Robotics Award
12 | SUT Perth Annual Dinner
13 | SUT Perth Scholarship Winners
14 | SUT-US - A Year of Achievements
Spotlight on Special Interest Groups
16 | Offshore Geoscience - What a
Difference 45 Years Makes - Mick Cook
18 | Marine Rewewable Energy -
A Call to Young Innovators
19 | Marine Renewable Energy - Floating
Solar - John Sharp
SUT Member News
20 | RS Aqua
21 | Consub
22 | Fugro
24 | Blue Abyss
25 | TDI-Brooks
26 | TSC Subsea
27 | SEA Global
28 | Castrol
Events Reports
The Underwater Technology Podcast
Next Issue
On the Cover - Tethys ONE, from
Tethys Robotics, dual-functionality
robot, capable of operating both via
drone pilot control (ROV) and in full
autonomous mode (AUV). From our
2024 Gwyn Griffiths Award Winner
Jonas Wüst (page 10).
Society for Underwater Technology
Welcome
Welcome
ENERGY TRANSITION IS A MINDSET
It is with great pleasure that I write to you as the newly elected Chair for the SUT Council. In truth, my appointment
came as quite a shock given the high calibre of the other candidates in the running. I am genuinely honoured and
would like to take this opportunity to thank Sue John, the outgoing Chair, for her hard work and dedication over
the last three years.
For those who don’t yet know me, I’ve been working in the subsea industry for nearly three decades now, with a
strong focus on geotechnical site investigation on both ofshore and onshore jobs across Europe, Africa, and the
Americas.
Throughout my career, the SUT has played an instrumental role in my professional development, whether that has
meant attending one of the many insightful SUT training courses on ofer, attending important industry events, or,
more recently, working as part of SUT’s Ofshore Site Investigation and Geotechnics (OSIG) committee.
A constant theme of discussion among ocean professionals over the past few years has been the so-called energy
transition. Challenges as broad and far-reaching as how to sustainably decarbonize ofshore practices while, at the
same time, actively championing a new wave of ofshore renewable energy investment and prepping developers
for an inevitable spike in decommissioning eforts, have triggered reflection on my part.
Energy transition, in all its many guises, might be the most tangible goal in terms of output but in truth we are
talking about an ongoing transition of mindset. I appreciate that I am more seasoned than most in the ofshore
community - but I don’t feel that way. In my post as SUT Chair, I want to plant the seed of transition among our
many stakeholders and audiences. I want this to be an underlying theme that engages everyone from curious
students to our captains of industry. I want us to canvass opinions from all corners, so that we can learn from
each other and set reasonable and realistic expectations among a set of fully engaged stakeholders of all ages and
stages of professional development. This is how, I believe, we protect the future of our industry.
I look forward to connecting with you all at the upcoming events and conferences in 2025; be sure to visit the SUT
stand seek out myself or any member of the wonderful SUT team.
With December upon us, I wish you all a very happy and safe holiday season and a highly prosperous new year.
Mike Fearn
SUT Chair of Council
44
Big Blue World
New Members
Click here to �nd out how your organisation can join the SUT as a
Corporate Member and the bene�ts it can bring.
Welcome to our new Corporate Members
The Society offers enhanced communication with other companies, government, organisations and
individuals working in the area of underwater technology in specialist disciplines.
Follow SUT on Social Media
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Society for Underwater Technology
Publications
UT2/Underwater Robotics - The magazines of the SUT
Click to read the latest issues
Big Blue World - The global newsletter of the SUT
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Editor: John Howes John@ut-2.com | Commercial: Zinat Hassan ut3subsea@gmail.com
Big Blue World
The Global Newsletter of the Society for Underwater Technology
Issue 10, July 2024
6 6
Big Blue World
Events & Training Diary
2025
JANUARY
SUT-US Networking Event
9 January 2025
Houston, TX, USA
Aberdeen AGM and Pub Quiz
23 January 2025
Aberdeen, UK
London and South of England Branch –
Floating Wind Talks
29 January 2025
Lloyd Warwick International (London) Ltd, UK
Aberdeen Subsea Awareness Course
3-7 February 2025
Palm Court, Aberdeen, UK
FEBRUARY
Aberdeen Evening Meeting -
Diving – Research, Practice and Safety
12 February 2025
Aberdeenshire Cricket Club, Aberdeen, UK
Subsea Expo
18-20 February 2025
P&J Live, Aberdeen, UK
Perth – February Evening Technical
Meeting: Decommissioning
19 February 2025
Parmelia Hilton Perth, WA
MARCH
SUT-US Subsea Tieback
4-6 March 2025
Houston, TX, USA
Perth – Positioning and Survey Course
19-20 March 2025
Perth - WA
SUT-US Subsea Awareness Course
24-27 March 2025
Houston, TX, USA
APRIL
Ocean Business
8-10 April 2025
National Oceanography Centre,
Southampton, UK
Perth – April Evening Technical Meeting
9 April 2025
Parmelia Hilton Perth, WA
Ofshore Wind Renewable Energy Course
29 April - 1 May 2025
Royal Station Hotel, Newcastle, UK
MAY
Perth – Subsea Awareness Course
5-9 May 2025
Parmelia Hilton Perth, WA
All-Energy
14-15 May 2025
SEC, Glasgow, UK
An Introduction to Ofshore Geophysics &
Geotechnical Engineering
20-21 May 2025
University of Southampton, UK
JUNE
Aberdeen Subsea Awareness Course
2-6 June, 2025
Palm Court, Aberdeen, UK
Perth Subsea Production Systems Course
4 June, 2025
Perth, WA
Perth - June Evening Technical Meeting
11 June, 2025
Parmelia Hilton Perth, WA
Find more information on SUT
events and training online at
www.sut.org/events
Industry Events
Events & Training Diary
All-Energy 2025 needs
your input!
All-Energy 2025 (Glasgow’s SEC, 14 and 15 May) needs your thoughts
on cutting-edge technology, innovative sofware, AI, and a diverse
range of solutions. The Call for Speakers for the seven show floor theatres is open (deadline 10 January).
Technology, technology and yet more technology will form the basis of the programme, along with compelling
case histories and ‘lessons learned’ sessions in both the ‘Marine Renewables and FLOW’ show floor theatre and in
the Ofshore Wind theatre (shared for half of each day with onshore wind).
If you are involved with hydrogen, energy storage, or want to talk about ‘Future Talent’ or the ‘Future Grid’ there
are ‘homes’ for your thoughts (and abstracts) and the Insight Theatre aims to cover a wide range of topics.
There is no call for speakers for the main conference where keynote addresses and panel discussions are held, but
if you have good ideas for themes or topics, the All-Energy conference team, headed as ever by project director,
Judith Patten an SUT Past President, is always eager to hear from you at www.all-energy.co.uk/en-gb/forms/
customer-service-form.html
The All-Energy team at RX is looking forward to a great show following on from the record-breaking All-Energy and
Dcarbonise 2024 which attracted 270 exhibiting companies, total attendance of 11,736 with 13,458 badges being
scanned at entrances to the conference room and halls and show floor theatres.
So, get writing and submit your conference ideas here www.all-energy.co.uk/en-gb/conference/call-for-papers.html
G Meet 360+ world leading manufacturers
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Big Blue World
SUT Awards
New Of�cers and Fellows Announced at
SUT AGM Along with Award Winners
The well-attended recent SUT AGM of saw the
announcement of newly appointed SUT Oficers for the
Learned Society; notification of elected Fellows from
the UK, Australia, and the USA; and awards presented
both in the year under review and the prestigious
President’s Award announced at the AGM. The meeting
was followed by a stimulating talk on ‘The Crown
Estate Marine Delivery Routemap’ by Alex Thompson,
Strategic Delivery Senior Manager at The Crown Estate.
SUT’s Chief Executive, Cheryl Burgess, explained:
“With Benj Sykes, Country Manager of Ørsted, now in
his second year as President, Mike Fearn of Bluefield
Geoservices Limited becomes Chair; the Honorary
Secretary is Dave Brookes of St Jules; and Gehrig Schulz
of EPI is now the SUT’s Honorary Treasurer.
“The SUT’s new Fellows are Karen Seath,
Decommissioning and Salvage SIG (UK); Paul Upjohn,
Perth Branch (Australia); and three Members from the
Houston, Texas Branch: Colin Johnston, Luz Zarate, and
Patricia Varela. Having both completed terms on Council
afer serving as President, Judith Patten and Ralph
Rayner are now Honorary Fellows.”
The winner of the President’s Award, announced at
the AGM, is Professor John Sharp. Unable to attend
the meeting, Professor Sharp said: “I was honoured to
receive the 2024 SUT President’s Award for my work with
the SUT Marine Renewable Energies Committee as its
chairman, a role I have held for a number of years.
“The Committee has continued to thrive with regular
presentations and has recently expanded its scope
to include floating wind and, more recently, floating
solar, as both have common technologies with ofshore
renewables such as wave and tidal energy. I have
particularly welcomed the opportunity to support the
newly formed SUT marine renewable energy committees
in the USA and Perth, Australia. As a Visiting Professor
at Cranfield University, I have been able to contribute to
training young students who have gone on to careers in
the marine renewable energy industry.”
AGM attendees were reminded of SUT Award winners
during the year under review:
• Professor Peter Girguis won the Captain Don Walsh
Award for Exploration, a joint award with MTS.
• Professor Deborah Greaves, University of Plymouth
and SuperGen, won the Lennard-Senior Prize.
• Dr Philippe Jeanjean, BP, won the Mick Cook
Award for Significant Contribution to Marine Site
Investigation and Characterisation.
• Jonas Wüst of Tethys Robotics was the winner of the
Gwyn Grifiths Underwater Robotics Award.
Comments from some of the
Comments from some of the
2023-24 Award Winners
2023-24 Award Winners
Mick Cook Award for Significant Contribution to
Marine Site Investigation and Characterisation
Dr Philippe Jeanjean, Senior Advisor, Geotechnical
Engineering at BP, said “What a great surprise and
privilege! This is a great and truly unexpected honour.
Thank you very much to the committee for selecting me.”
A distinguished expert with over 30 years at BP/
Amoco, Philippe has significantly advanced ofshore
foundations and geotechnical engineering through
leadership in professional organisations and over 60
technical publications.
L-R John Sharp; Andy Hill (L) presents award to Philippe Jeanjean; Jonas W
L-R John Sharp; Andy Hill (L) presents award to Philippe Jeanjean; Jonas Wüstst
Society for Underwater Technology
SUT Awards
Joint Meeting of OSIG/UXO/MES/ECOSIGG
Special Interest Groups
This year, the AGM was preceded by an innovative event that brought together three of its most active Special
Interest Groups (SIGs). OSIG (Ofshore Site Investigation and Geotechnics), MES (Marine Environmental Science),
and UXO (Unexploded Ordnance), along with ECOSIGG (Early Careers Ofshore Site Investigation Geoscience and
Geotechnics), collaborated for an afernoon of presentations and discussions. Introductions were given by Karen
Dalton, Katie Cross, Mick Cook, and Tom Perry, respectively.
The event featured a range of engaging talks, including Benj Sykes discussing sustainability in ofshore wind,
Richard Jardine exploring the contributions of ofshore geotechnics research, Dorthe Erbs-Hansen providing an
update on UXO risk mitigation for renewable energy, and Tom Perry presenting ECOSIGG’s mission and vision.
The hybrid format ensured a strong turnout both in-person and online, making the event a resounding success.
Attendees praised the initiative, and there is great enthusiasm to repeat similar gatherings in the future.
Gwyn Grifiths Underwater Robotics Award Winner
Jonas Wüst of Tethys Robotics said “Thank you so much
– this truly honours me and reflects what we as a team
have achieved over the past few years (and we’re just
getting started!).”
Terry Sloane, Managing Director of Planet Ocean and
ecoSUB Robotics, commented “Anyone who can get an
AUV to navigate in a river deserves an award!”
Gwyn Grifiths added “Jonas and Tethys Robotics –
what audacity! Not content with facing and overcoming
challenges in underwater robotics for fast-flowing
rivers, their innovations in autonomous navigation
and real-time mapping also allow operation in
minimal visibility. I commend Jonas and Tethys on their
exemplary originality and strategic vision so early in their
underwater vehicle venture.”
Members of the SUT UXO Special Interest Group
Members of the SUT UXO Special Interest Group
SUT President, Benj Sykes
SUT President, Benj Sykes
SUT Members at the AGM and Joint SIG Event
SUT Members at the AGM and Joint SIG Event
Alex Thompson, The Crown Estate, speaks at the AGM
Alex Thompson, The Crown Estate, speaks at the AGM
10
Big Blue World
SUT Awards
SUT’s Gwyn Grif�ths Award
for Underwater Robotics
Winner - Jonas Wüst
Congratulations to the 2024 winner of the Gwyn Griffiths
Award for Underwater Robotics, Jonas Wüst of Tethy’s
Robotics. We spoke to Jonas about his journey into
underwater robotics.
What inspired your interest in subsea engineering?
Growing up in a landlocked country like Switzerland, I was still surrounded by significant energy infrastructure,
particularly in the form of hydropower dams and underwater components essential to our national energy supply.
Realizing that these systems require regular inspection and maintenance to operate safely and eficiently sparked
my early fascination with energy production. This interest soon expanded to include ofshore energy, such as
wind power, which led me to take on a school project focused on wind energy production. My passion for subsea
engineering grew from this foundation - a commitment to creating safe, reliable, and sustainable energy solutions
that can drive a cleaner future.
How did you become involved in robotics?
I pursued a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering at ETH Zurich, where the robotics field is exceptionally
advanced. Professors like Roland Siegwart and Marco Hutter have fostered startups such as Voliro, Wingtra and
ANYbotics, which apply robotics to real-world challenges. This combination of entrepreneurship and state-of-the-
art robotics inspired me to specialize in robotics during my master’s, a choice that continues to guide me in my
current role as CEO of Tethys Robotics.