Taiwan Detains Ship after Undersea Cable Disconnected
Taiwan's coast guard said it detained a China-linked cargo ship on Tuesday after a nearby undersea cable to the Penghu Islands in the sensitive Taiwan Strait was disconnected.Taiwan, which China claims as its own territory, has repeatedly complained about "grey zone" Chinese activities around the island, designed to pressure it without direct confrontation, such as balloon overflights and sand dredging.Taipei was alarmed after a Chinese-linked ship was suspected of damaging another cable earlier this year, prompting the navy and other agencies to step up efforts to protect the undersea
Fincantieri, Edge ink deal to Develop Underwater Solutions
Fincantieri and Edge sign a MoU to develop underwater solutions through the MAESTRAL joint venture. The MAESTRAL JV will be in charge of the design, development and construction of underwater systemsThe official signing took place in Rome, as part of the state visit to Italy by the President of the United Arab Emirates, Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan.Fincantieri, one of the world's leading groups in highly complex shipbuilding, and EDGE, one of the world's leading advanced technology and defense groups, today announced the signing of a new Memorandum of Understanding (MoU)
Kongsberg Discovery’s Hugin AUV Passes US Navy Trials
.In the last year, the DIU team performed a technology assessment, culminating in quickly ordering and delivering a competent HUGIN AUV system.Kongsberg’s HUGIN Superior is an AUV system actively used by commercial and military customers since 2019.It provides immediate operational capability for Subsea and Seabed Warfare (SSW), Intelligence Preparation of the Operational Environment (IPoE), Mine Countermeasures (MCM), and inspection of critical undersea infrastructure at delivery with no required modifications
EDGE and Fincantieri Deepen Partnership for Underwater Protection Solutions
expertise and production resources to develop state-of-the-art products suitable for the challenging and complex environment of the underwater environment.“Through Maestral, EDGE and Fincantieri are advancing world-class underwater capabilities that will play a pivotal role in the future of subsea security and maritime defense.“This partnership marks a significant step in positioning the UAE at the forefront of this strategically important domain, strengthening its role as a regional pioneer with globally competitive expertise.“As underwater technologies become increasingly vital
Underwater Sabotage: A Baltic Sea Timeline
;s coordinates corresponded to the time and place of the breaches.China allowed representatives from Germany, Sweden, Finland and Denmark on December 21 to board the Yi Peng 3 along with Chinese investigators, after a month-long diplomatic standoff.OCTOBER 2023: BALTICCONNECTOR GAS PIPE AND CABLESA subsea gas pipeline, the Balticconnector, which links Finland and Estonia, was severed by what Finnish investigators determined was Chinese container vessel Newnew Polar Bear dragging its anchor early on October 8, 2023.Estonian police suspect the ship of also damaging telecoms cables connecting Estonia
Global Underwater Hub Forms Taskforce to Improve Subsea Cable Reliability and Performance
;published a white paper on its approach to tackling a crucial issue that could derail the UK’s clean energy ambitions. The trade and development body, representing the UK’s £ 9.2 billion underwater industry, has set out how it aims to improve the performance and reliability of subsea cable systems, critical elements of offshore wind infrastructure essential to transmitting electricity from offshore wind farms to the grid.Globally, over $ 800 billion of investment in offshore wind farms is anticipated by 2030, and for the world to hit net-zero emissions by 2050, the generating
“External impact” Damaged Russian Cable
An underwater Russian Baltic Sea telecoms cable was damaged by an "external impact," Russia's TASS news agency cited the country's state-owned Rostelecom company as saying on Saturday."Rostelecom's submarine cable was damaged in the Baltic Sea as a result of an external impact some time ago," TASS cited Rostelecom as saying.Restoration work is under way and the incident has had no impact on subscribers so far, Rostelecom added.Rostelecom did not provide further details and it was unclear when the damage occurred. Finland's coast guard said earlier on Saturday on
Baltic States Switch from Russian to European Power Grid
The Baltic states of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania completed a switch from Russia's electricity grid to the EU's system on Sunday, severing Soviet-era ties amid heightened security after the suspected sabotage of several subsea cables and pipelines.European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen hailed the move, years in the planning, as marking a new era of freedom for the region, in a speech at a ceremony in Vilnius alongside the leaders of the three countries and the Polish president."These chains of power lines linking you to hostile neighbours will be a thing of the past,"
Greensea IQ to Supply Crawler to U.S. Marine Corps
Subsea robotics company Greensea IQ has been awarded a $5.36 million contract through the Defense Logistics Agency (DLA) and Darley of Itasca, IL, for the delivery of a customized Bayonet 250 Amphibious Underwater Ground Vehicle for the U.S. Marine Corps’ Littoral Explosive Ordnance Neutralization (LEON) project.Designed for operations in both shallow water and surf zones, the Bayonet 250 provides autonomous capabilities for mine and explosive threat neutralization.The Bayonet 250 exceeds the stringent mission criteria of the LEON project, a critical component of the Marine Corps’ robotic
Baltic Sea Cable Break an Accident, says Sweden
Bad weather, bad equipment and poor seamanship ... the recipe for many at sea accidents ... was the culprit in a recent subsea cable break; not sabotage with Russia and China fingerprints.These are the findings of a Swedish prosecuter when discussing why the Maltese-flagged cargo ships Vezhen was released, because the did damage it did to the subsea cable linking Sweden and Latvia was an accident, not sabotage.The incident took place on Jan. 26 and was one of several in recent months, triggered a hunt for vessels suspected of involvement.The prosecutor said the Vezhen's anchor severed the
Cables Hold the Key to Quantum Communications
Speaking on Marine Technology TV this week, Dr Tim Gallaudet, Rear Admiral, U.S. Navy (ret) and CEO of Ocean STL Consulting, highlighted quantum communications as an important development in subsea technology. It may not happen in 2025 as the technology is still in its infancy, but it could be mainstream in the next decade, Gallaudet says.Today, sensitive data is typically encrypted and then sent across fiber optic cables together with digital “keys” that are needed to encrypt and decrypt the information. However, hackers can access the data (the string of 0 and 1 bits used by traditional
Royal Canadian Navy Vessel to Visit Antarctica
On January 10, the Royal Canadian Navy’s HMCS Margaret Brooke departed Halifax, Canada, on an historic mission - the first circumnavigation of South America and first visit to Antarctica by a Royal Canadian Navy vessel.As part of Operation PROJECTION – South America, the Harry DeWolf-class Arctic Offshore Patrol Vessel (AOPV) will visit ports across South America to strengthen international relationships in collaboration with Global Affairs Canada. While in Antarctica, the ship will support Canadian scientific research, hosting a team of government scientists on board.The Navy says
Fincantieri Acquires Leonardo's Armaments Business
Fincantieri has finalized the acquisition of Leonardo S.p.A.'s Underwater Armaments & Systems business line through the purchase of the entire share capital of the newly established company WASS Submarine Systems.The transaction reinforces Fincantieri Group's strategy focused on growth in the naval defence business and the development of the underwater domain.With this acquisition Fincantieri integrates unique expertise in underwater acoustic technologies and advanced weapons systems that open new prospects for growth in the military and civilian sectors, with a focus on critical infrastruct
NUWC Employee Shares Family Legacy with USS Fort Lauderdale
When the USS Fort Lauderdale (LPD 28) docked at Naval Station Newport in Rhode Island from Nov. 21-24, it was especially meaningful for a Naval Undersea Warfare Center (NUWC) Division Newport employee whose family name is linked to the ship’s name.John Lauderdale, a resident of New London, Connecticut, serves in Division Newport’s Undersea Warfare Electromagnetic Systems Department as principal for safety for electronic warfare, imaging and radar for PMS 435, visited the USS Fort Lauderdale to share his family’s legacy. The ship is named after the city in Florida, which is named
New Autonomous Subsea Survey System
A new partnership between EIVA and Tuco Marine is geared to provide integrated autonomous systems for inspecting subsea assets, such as cables transporting renewable energy.EIVA, a developer of software and equipment for surveying below the water’s surface and Tuco Marine, producers of unmanned surface vessels (USVs) have announced they are now working together to provide an integrated system solution.The ProZero 8m Naval Intelligence USV by Tuco Marine sails to an area of interest and launches the remotely operated towed vehicle (ROTV) ViperFish by EIVA. ViperFish is a sensor platform for
Estonia Launches Navy to Protect Baltic Sea Power Link After Baltic Sea Outages
2 undersea power cable which, like Estlink 1, connects Finland and Estonia, and that it also damaged four internet lines.Baltic Sea nations are on high alert for acts of sabotage following a string of outages of power cables, telecom links and gas pipelines since Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022, although subsea equipment is also subject to technical malfunction and accidents.Damage to subsea installations in the region has now become so frequent that it is difficult to believe this was caused merely by accident or poor seamanship, Tsahkna said on Thursday.Finnish investigators believe the seized ship -
Exail Picks ST Engineering's Manufacturing Base for Belgian-Dutch Navy Program
ST Engineering iDirect’s Manufacturing Competence Center (MCC) has been selected by Exail to deliver the electronics for the underwater drones of the joint Mine Counter Measure Program (MCM) of the Belgian and Dutch navies.ST Engineering iDirect’s MCC located in Erpe-Mere, Belgium, delivers electronic high-reliability assembly, testing and repair services.Its capabilities were awarded the esteemed Factory of the Future title four consecutive times since 2015.Factories of the Future invest in digitization, personnel, smart processes and products, as well as in world-class manufacturing.
Singapore Boosts Undersea Might with Two New Submarines
Singapore commissioned two new advanced submarines on Tuesday, vessels its navy says are meant to protect sea lines of communication, and which experts said would range beyond the waters of the tiny city-state to keep tabs on the region.The country's fifth and sixth submarines, the Invincible and the Impeccable, were ordered from Germany's ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems in 2013 in a 1-billion-euro deal, and join older Archer- and Challenger-class boats.They represent a technological step forward for Singapore's fleet, experts say, allowing the wealthy Southeast Asian nation to operate farther
OPT Bags $1M Contract from US Navy for Autonomous Maritime Tech
Ocean Power Technologies (OPT) been awarded a follow-on contract valued at $1 million to further advance the operational capability of its autonomous maritime technologies to support the U.S. military and its allies.OPT secured the follow-on contract as a subcontractor to EpiSci after the successful 12-month demonstration of its autonomous surface vehicle technologies during the Mission Autonomy Proving Grounds (MAPG) as part of Project Overmatch.With this award, OPT will continue to ruggedize and enhance its operational capability of its autonomous maritime technologies to support the U.S. military
February 2025
