Category: News and Notes

British, American and Australian personnel have trialled underwater ROVs which could be used during Exercise Talisman Sabre, from mid-July 2025.

Talisman Sabre is intended in part to demonstrate how ROV, AUV and other technologies can be used to protect sea cables and destroy mines. Commodore Marcus Rose, Deputy Director Underwater Battlespace Capability, said: “The exercise facilitated close collaboration in the use of Remotely Operated Vehicles (ROV) and Autonomous Underwater Vehicles (AUV), with the aim of developing interchangeable seabed warfare capabilities at pace.”

2025 will be the first time HMAS Prince of Wales visits Australia.

Full article at: Portsmouth News 20jan25

Schmidt Ocean Institute researchers used sonar mapping, bathymetric surveys and methane concentration data to map four submarine canyons and 20 methane seeps off the coast of Chile.

Full article at: Discover Wildlife 17jan25

Finland has finished repairing two undersea telecommunications cables that were damaged in the Baltic Sea on 25 December 2024. The Eagle S tanker carrying Russian oil has been seized on suspicion that it damaged the Finnish-Estonian Estlink 2 power line and four telecoms cables on Christmas Day by dragging its anchor dozens of kilometers along the seabed floor.

Full article at: Khaleej Times 06jan25

Defence technology company, BlueHalo, recently announced its acquisition of VideoRay, developer and manufacturer of ROVs. The new VideoRay unit gives BlueHalo a presence in the unmanned maritime market.

Press Release at: VideoRay.com

More and more scientists are using underwater ROVs to observe marine habitats and collect samples for testing and DNA sequencing. The Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology (OIST) Marine Genomics Unit is only one such example, partnering with Japanese telecommunications company NTT Communications to identify a genera of mesophotic (“middle light”) corals.

Full article at: Science Daily 15feb24

Research paper at: Springer Nature 25nov24