OneSubsea Qualifies All-Electric Subsea Technology for Deepwater

OneSubsea has completed the Brazil All-Electric Joint Industry Project (JIP) with TotalEnergies, Equinor, BP and Chevron, qualifying fully electric subsea production technologies for applications in water depths of up to 3,000 meters.

The project combined electric subsea production equipment with SLB electric well completion technologies, topside controls and digital systems. Instead of the hydraulic pressure used to actuate valves and chokes in conventional subsea systems, all-electric equipment uses electric motors, removing the need for hydraulic fluids and associated distribution infrastructure.

The JIP qualified electric components and control systems and demonstrated interfaces with electric completion technologies. A purpose-built master control station links subsea equipment with topside controls and digital systems in an integrated architecture extending beyond the subsea tree. The work comprised qualification and demonstration, not installation of a complete all-electric production system at an operating offshore field.

TenneT Backs Frequensea’s Subsea Cable Recovery Tool

TenneT Germany has joined DEME and Subsea Cable Assets (SCA) as a development sponsor of Frequensea’s subsea cable decommissioning tool, designed to recover buried offshore power cables while reducing disturbance to the seabed.

The patented technology uses vibration-induced fluidisation to reduce soil resistance around buried cables, umbilicals and pipelines. The approach is intended to facilitate recovery using potentially smaller vessels and lower energy consumption, while preserving recovered materials for possible reuse.

Following successful testing at Deltares, TenneT Germany plans to evaluate the tool for future offshore cable decommissioning in the North Sea. The ongoing development program aims to qualify the system for offshore deployment. No deployment timetable has been specified.

Verlume’s Orah Subsea Battery for Offshore Wind Passes Key Test

Verlume has completed hyperbaric testing of the enclosure for its Orah subsea energy storage system, a qualification milestone ahead of planned deployment at the OranjeWind offshore wind farm in the Dutch North Sea.

The 10-tonne enclosure measures 7.2 meters long, 2.4 meters wide and 2.4 meters high. At JFD’s hyperbaric facility in Aberdeen, it underwent a controlled pressure profile representative of its intended subsea operating environment. Testing assessed pressure and depth qualification, enclosure integrity and functional performance under pressure, demonstrating that the enclosure could withstand the relevant external loads and maintain its pressure boundary.

Orah is a 500-kWh modular subsea energy storage system designed for autonomous grid support at offshore wind farms. It uses Verlume’s Axonn power management platform to manage generation, storage and demand. The complete Orah system is expected to weigh 85 tonnes; the reported qualification test covered its enclosure, not a completed offshore deployment.

Unity Introduces Ultra-Compact Qb Blowout Preventer

Well integrity specialist Unity has launched its Qb ultra-compact blowout preventer (BOP) valve for well intervention in space-constrained offshore environments where conventional BOP systems cannot be deployed.

The Qb is one-third the width of conventional systems and rated to 10,000 psi, twice the pressure rating of Unity’s existing compact shear valve while maintaining the same weight. Unlike conventional BOPs with opposing rams that travel in straight lines, the Qb uses rams that rotate around a central cartridge within its housing. Unity describes the arrangement as a hybrid between a conventional BOP and a ball valve.

Intended for wireline, slickline and coil tubing operations, the valve can be stacked in single, dual or triple configurations. Its smaller footprint is designed to provide BOP functionality in locations previously restricted to a Shear-Seal Ball Valve, while the higher pressure rating extends its potential application to higher-pressure wells.

Spinergie Adds Offshore Logistics to Operations Software

Spinergie has expanded its Intelligence & Operations software platform with a solution for planning, managing and optimizing personnel and cargo logistics for offshore oil and gas and wind operations, including transfers by vessels and helicopters.

The personnel management functions configure qualifications by role, synchronize required documents, support site inductions, validate readiness and apply qualification checks during manifesting. Transport planning covers personnel, cargo and work activities, with automatic constraint checks for simultaneous operations (SIMOPs), asset restrictions and personnel certifications.

Validated transport plans are published and automatically distributed to stakeholders. Real-time manifesting and map-based tracking allow coordinators, contractors and QHSE teams to view personnel locations and update statuses. Spinergie said the integrated platform has already been deployed by operators in both offshore wind and oil and gas.

Sonardyne Expands SPRINT-Nav Underwater Navigation Range

Sonardyne, a Kraken Robotics company, has expanded SPRINT-Nav into a scalable family of underwater navigation systems for marine robots, with a shared architecture across different vehicle sizes and mission requirements.

Each variant retains an integrated inertial navigation system (INS) and Doppler velocity log (DVL) in a factory-pre-calibrated instrument, alongside true-north-seeking heading, free-inertial capability and sensor fusion. The latest systems offer faster initialization, easier setup and reduced offshore configuration.

All new SPRINT-Nav form factors use a unified embedded software suite, including the same web user interface and application programming interface (API), allowing navigation units to be exchanged as mission requirements change. The systems also support survey operations through Sonardyne’s Fusion 2 software, including long baseline (LBL) range aiding and simultaneous localization and mapping (SLAM) calibration.

MacGregor Upgrades Horizon Gangway, Develops LCO2 Transfer System

MacGregor has added certified floating-to-floating personnel transfer capability to its Horizon motion-compensated gangway and developed a liquid carbon dioxide (LCO2) Bow Transfer System (BTS) for direct ship-to-well and ship-to-rig transfer.

The Horizon gangway received DNV certification under DNV-ST-0358 following a sea acceptance test. A purpose-designed flap at the gangway tip replaces the docking head used for fixed structures, while LiDAR-based relative-motion tracking feeds the motion-compensation system. The arrangement supports personnel transfers between independently moving vessels and can be retrofitted to existing Horizon units.

The LCO2 BTS builds on MacGregor’s Bow Loading System technology. The company said approximately 79% of the design is based on field-proven technology, with the balance modified or newly engineered for LCO2 handling. Seal materials have undergone SINTEF testing under rapid gas decompression and liquid CO2 conditions.

The system is designed for repeated pressure cycles, temperatures down to minus 57°C, wave heights of five to six meters and water depths of up to 150 meters. Four architectures cover pressures of 30–60 bar and 300 bar, including direct reservoir injection through seabed swivels or disconnectable turrets. DNV technology qualification is ongoing, with prototype testing and demonstration expected in mid-2027.