Category: News and Notes

In a world first, WHOI (Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute) launched an AUV programmed to circumnavigate the globe, following a path similar to the Magellan Expedition of 1519.

The AUV is expected to take more than five years to complete the journey, covering roughly 73,000 km (~45,000 miles) at an average speed of 0.75 knots.

Full article at: IFL Science 10oct25

Italian marine biologists joined the One Ocean Foundation to deploy an ROV and explore the Caprera Canyon off the coast of Sardinia in the Mediterranean Sea, at a depth of >1,00m (3,281 feet). Teaming with life, the creatures there are struggling to survive tangled in plastic or choked by discarded fishing gear.

One Ocean Foundation hopes that imagery captured will help to strengthen the case for designating the canyon a Marine Protected Area (MPA), safeguarding it from overfishing and pollution.

Full article at: CNN Science 17nov25

This interesting application of AI identifies underwater rubbish in marine waterways and uses a robotic manipulator to remove the items for recycling.

The Smart Grapple was developed by the Technical University of Munich (TUM), as part of the EU-funded project SeaClear 2.0

Full article at Yahoo News 24nov25

“The Story of The Day the Tail Was Bitten”, an SBS variety program, aired footage in Episode 200 of the wreck of Korea Coast Guard Patrol Boat No 72, lost in January 1980.

An underwater ROV was used in August and September this year at the site of the sinking and eventually positively sited and identified the hull of No 72.

Full article at: Maeil Business Newspaper 21nov25

Blue Marine Foundation and the Royal Navy recently used an ROV to capture footage confirming the successful reconstruction of a native oyster reef in the River Hamble.

The Solent Seascape Project created the reef in 2023 to bring back native oyster reefs to the Solent area, to reverse the loss of local oyster fisheries due to pollution, invasive species and over-harvesting.

Full article at: BBC News 10nov25