Ocean Infinity

Last updated
Ocean Infinity
Company type Private
IndustryMarine Robotics
FoundedJuly 2017;7 years ago (2017-07)
Headquarters,
Key people
  • Oliver Plunkett
    (CEO)
Website oceaninfinity.com

Ocean Infinity is a marine robotics company based in Austin, Texas, United States and Southampton, United Kingdom and was founded in 2017. The company uses robots to obtain information from the ocean and seabed.

Contents

History

Ocean Infinity is based in Austin, Texas and Southampton, England, and was founded in July 2017. The company is led by CEO Oliver Plunkett and is a privately held company. [1] [2] Ocean Infinity was created after recognising the effectiveness of using marine robots in scale to acquire and analyse data from the oceans. [3]

Robots

Ocean Infinity operates two robotic fleets; the Armada fleet and the Infinity fleet. The Infinity fleet is made up of fourteen autonomous underwater vehicles that are currently operating in oceans globally and the Armada fleet will initially comprise fifteen robotic ships that will be operational by the end of 2020. The fleets are equipped with sensors and navigation technology and are capable of operating down to 6,000 meters depth. [4] [5] The company reported in May 2022 that the first of 23 Armada surface vessels had recently been launched in Vietnam. [6]

Projects

Ocean Infinity was involved in the search for Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 in early 2018, deploying Seabed Constructor between January and May without success. [7] In November of the same year, Seabed Constructor located the wreck of Argentine submarine ARA San Juan, which had disappeared a year earlier. [8] At the end of December 2018, Ocean Infinity was contracted by the South Korean government to search for the wreck of the sunken bulk carrier ship Stellar Daisy, which sank in March 2017 in the South Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Uruguay. [9] On 17 February 2019, the company announced that it believed it had found the ship's wreck, [10] and soon afterwards retrieved the voyage data recorder. [11]

In addition to the high-profile wreck searches, Ocean Infinity has also undertaken data acquisition support for Total E&P, Shell Mauritania, Norwegian Petroleum Directorate, Exxon Mobil, NOAA and Petrobras. [12] [13] [14] [15] [16]

In early 2019, the wreck of Grande America was localized by Island Pride, which arrived 30 March and started inspecting the wreck using remotely operated underwater vehicles. [17] In July 2019, the company found the French Navy submarine Minerve, 50 years after its disappearance. [18] In 2020, Ocean Infinity also worked with Search INC to locate the battleship USS Nevada. [19]

Ocean Infinity has also provided technical expertise and equipment to locate Ernest Shackleton's ship Endurance which sank 27 October 1915 after having been beset in ice of the Weddell Sea off Antarctica. The Falklands Maritime Heritage Trust's project Endurance22 was successful on 5 March 2022.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Oil platform</span> Offshore ocean structure with oil drilling and related facilities

An oil platform is a large structure with facilities to extract and process petroleum and natural gas that lie in rock formations beneath the seabed. Many oil platforms will also have facilities to accommodate the workers, although it is also common to have a separate accommodation platform linked by bridge to the production platform. Most commonly, oil platforms engage in activities on the continental shelf, though they can also be used in lakes, inshore waters, and inland seas. Depending on the circumstances, the platform may be fixed to the ocean floor, consist of an artificial island, or float. In some arrangements the main facility may have storage facilities for the processed oil. Remote subsea wells may also be connected to a platform by flow lines and by umbilical connections. These sub-sea facilities may include one or more subsea wells or manifold centres for multiple wells.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hydrographic survey</span> Science of measurement and description of features which affect maritime activities

Hydrographic survey is the science of measurement and description of features which affect maritime navigation, marine construction, dredging, offshore wind farms, offshore oil exploration and drilling and related activities. Surveys may also be conducted to determine the route of subsea cables such as telecommunications cables, cables associated with wind farms, and HVDC power cables. Strong emphasis is placed on soundings, shorelines, tides, currents, seabed and submerged obstructions that relate to the previously mentioned activities. The term hydrography is used synonymously to describe maritime cartography, which in the final stages of the hydrographic process uses the raw data collected through hydrographic survey into information usable by the end user.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Deep-submergence vehicle</span> Self-propelled deep-diving crewed submersible

A deep-submergence vehicle (DSV) is a deep-diving crewed submersible that is self-propelled. Several navies operate vehicles that can be accurately described as DSVs. DSVs are commonly divided into two types: research DSVs, which are used for exploration and surveying, and DSRVs, which are intended to be used for rescuing the crew of a sunken navy submarine, clandestine (espionage) missions, or both. DSRVs are equipped with docking chambers to allow personnel ingress and egress via a manhole.

Marine geology or geological oceanography is the study of the history and structure of the ocean floor. It involves geophysical, geochemical, sedimentological and paleontological investigations of the ocean floor and coastal zone. Marine geology has strong ties to geophysics and to physical oceanography.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Autonomous underwater vehicle</span> Uncrewed underwater vehicle with autonomous guidance system

An autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) is a robot that travels underwater without requiring continuous input from an operator. AUVs constitute part of a larger group of undersea systems known as unmanned underwater vehicles, a classification that includes non-autonomous remotely operated underwater vehicles (ROVs) – controlled and powered from the surface by an operator/pilot via an umbilical or using remote control. In military applications an AUV is more often referred to as an unmanned undersea vehicle (UUV). Underwater gliders are a subclass of AUVs.

French submarine <i>Minerve</i> (S647) Daphné-class patrol submarine, lost 1968

Minerve was a diesel–electric submarine in the French Navy, launched in 1961. The vessel was one of 11 of the Daphné class. In January 1968, Minerve was lost with all hands in bad weather while returning to her home port of Toulon.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Unmanned underwater vehicle</span> Submersible vehicles that can operate underwater without a human occupant

Unmanned underwater vehicles (UUV), also known as uncrewed underwater vehicles and underwater drones, are submersible vehicles that can operate underwater without a human occupant. These vehicles may be divided into two categories: remotely operated underwater vehicles (ROUVs) and autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs). ROUVs are remotely controlled by a human operator. AUVs are automated and operate independently of direct human input.

Subsea technology involves fully submerged ocean equipment, operations, or applications, especially when some distance offshore, in deep ocean waters, or on the seabed. The term subsea is frequently used in connection with oceanography, marine or ocean engineering, ocean exploration, remotely operated vehicle (ROVs) autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs), submarine communications or power cables, seafloor mineral mining, oil and gas, and offshore wind power.

ARA <i>San Juan</i> (S-42) Diesel electric attack submarine

ARA San Juan (S-42) was a TR-1700-class diesel-electric submarine in service with the Submarine Force of the Argentine Navy from 1985 to 2017. It was built in West Germany, entering service on 19 November 1985, and underwent a mid-life update from 2008 to 2013.

NOAAS <i>Whiting</i>

NOAAS Whiting, was an American survey ship that was in commission in the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) from 1970 to 2003. Previously, she had been in commission in the United States Coast and Geodetic Survey from 1963 to 1970 as USC&GS Whiting.

The disappearance of Malaysia Airlines Flight 370, a scheduled international passenger flight from Kuala Lumpur International Airport to Beijing Capital International Airport on 8 March 2014, prompted a large, multinational search in Asia and the southern Indian Ocean that became the most expensive search in aviation history. Analysis of communications between the aircraft and Inmarsat by multiple agencies has concluded that the flight ended in the southern Indian Ocean.

MV Stellar Daisy was a South Korean-owned very large ore carrier (VLOC) that sank on March 31, 2017 in the South Atlantic off the coast of Uruguay while on a voyage from Brazil to China. She was the largest ship, by a factor of nearly 2 on gross tonnage, to be lost at sea.

On 15 November 2017, the Argentine submarine ARA San Juan disappeared off the coast of Argentina while on a training exercise. After a search lasting 15 days, the Argentine Navy downgraded the operation from a rescue mission to a search for the submarine's wreck, implying they had given up any hope of finding survivors among its crew of 44. It was the worst submarine disaster since the accident on Chinese submarine 361 in 2003, and the second worst peacetime naval disaster in Argentina after the 1949 sinking of the minesweeper ARA Fournier.

RV <i>Petrel</i> Research ship

RV Petrel, or R/V Petrel, is a 76.45 m (250.8 ft) research vessel sailing under the UK flag and owned by the United States Navy and once owned by Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen. The ship is named after the petrel, a sea bird. The ship was completed by Brattvaag Skipsverft, Norway in 2003 as the deepwater offshore inspection vessel Seaway Petrel for service with Stolt Offshore. She was later renamed Acergy Petrel, then Seven Petrel with Subsea 7.

<i>Seabed Constructor</i> American vessel

Seabed Constructor is a multipurpose offshore vessel owned by Swire Seabed and contracted since December 2016 to British-owned hydrographic survey company Ocean Infinity, based in Houston, Texas, United States. Previously known as Olympic Athene and originally Olympic Boa, the ship was launched in 2013 and is flagged in Norway. The ship is designed to conduct geophysical and geotechnical surveys of the seabed, support the construction or demolition of underwater structures, conduct trenching and excavation operations, and serve as a ROV platform for the company's autonomous underwater vehicles and unmanned surface vehicles. The ship is 114 metres (374 ft) in length, with a 22 metres (72 ft) beam, a gross tonnage of 7,883, and deadweight tonnage of 6,480 metric tons. Its maximum speed is 14.1 knots.

<i>Grande America</i> Ro-ro cargo built in 1997

Grande America was a roll-on/roll-off cargo ship built by Fincantieri in 1997, owned and operated by Grimaldi Lines, a subsidiary of Grimaldi Group. It sank in the Bay of Biscay in March 2019.

USV Maxlimer is a semi-autonomous, remotely controlled unmanned surface vehicle (USV) owned and operated by the British company SEA-KIT International. She was the winning entry in the Shell Ocean Discovery X Prize competition, and subsequently has been used as a proof-of-concept vessel for uncrewed, over-the-horizon offshore operations.

Saildrone, Inc. is a United States company based in Alameda, California, that designs, manufacturers, and operates a fleet of unmanned/uncrewed surface vehicles (USVs), or ocean drones, known as "saildrones". The company was founded by engineer Richard Jenkins in 2012.

DSV <i>Limiting Factor</i> Crewed full ocean depth rated submersible

Limiting Factor, known as Bakunawa since its sale in 2022, is a crewed deep-submergence vehicle (DSV) manufactured by Triton Submarines and owned and operated since 2022 by Gabe Newell’s Inkfish ocean-exploration research organization. It currently holds the records for the deepest crewed dives in all five oceans. Limiting Factor was commissioned by Victor Vescovo for $37 million and operated by his marine research organization, Caladan Oceanic, between 2018-2022. It is commercially certified by DNV for dives to full ocean depth, and is operated by a pilot, with facilities for an observer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Underwater exploration</span> Investigating or traveling around underwater for the purpose of discovery

Underwater exploration is the exploration of any underwater environment, either by direct observation by the explorer, or by remote observation and measurement under the direction of the investigators. Systematic, targeted exploration is the most effective method to increase understanding of the ocean and other underwater regions, so they can be effectively managed, conserved, regulated, and their resources discovered, accessed, and used. Less than 10% of the ocean has been mapped in any detail, less has been visually observed, and the total diversity of life and distribution of populations is similarly obscure.

References

  1. Amos, Jonathan (February 10, 2020). "Ocean survey company goes for robot boats at scale". BBC News.
  2. "OCEAN INFINITY LIMITED - Overview (free company information from Companies House)". beta.companieshouse.gov.uk.
  3. "Ocean Infinity". Ocean Infinity.
  4. "Ocean Infinity unveils fleet of robot exploration vessels". Offshore Technology | Oil and Gas News and Market Analysis. February 5, 2020.
  5. Maritime, Baird (February 10, 2020). "Ocean Infinity to launch 15-vessel AUV fleet under new company".
  6. "Armada launches to sea". 2022-05-09. Retrieved 2023-07-07.
  7. "A Search for MH370, Missing Since 2014, Ends 'With a Heavy Heart'". The New York Times . 29 May 2018. Retrieved 18 November 2018.
  8. "Argentine Submarine San Juan Is Found". The Wall Street Journal . 17 November 2018. Retrieved 18 November 2018.
  9. "Ocean Infinity to Support South Korean Government in Search for Stellar Daisy". oceaninfinity.com. Archived from the original on 5 August 2019. Retrieved 23 July 2019.
  10. David Aaro (17 February 2019). "South Korean tanker Stellar Daisy found on ocean floor 2 years after it sank, explorers say". Fox News .
  11. Yonhap (18 February 2019). "Search ship retrieves voyage data recorder from sunken Stellar Daisy". The Korea Herald. Retrieved 23 July 2019.
  12. "Ocean Infinity wraps up offshore Angola survey project". Offshore Technology | Oil and Gas News and Market Analysis. March 5, 2020.
  13. Mishra, Baibhav (September 24, 2019). "Ocean Infinity completes data expedition for Norwegian Petroleum Directorate".
  14. "NOAA teams with Ocean Infinity to advance new tools for ocean exploration and mapping | National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration". www.noaa.gov. 9 January 2020.
  15. "Ocean Infinity to provide AUV surveys for Petrobras". January 16, 2019.
  16. "ExxonMobil picks Ocean Infinity for AUV data acquisition offshore Guyana". Offshore Technology | Oil and Gas News and Market Analysis. March 2, 2020.
  17. [ dead link ]
  18. Silvia Ayuso (22 July 2019). "Localizados los restos del 'Minerve', un submarino francés desaparecido en 1968". El País .
  19. "USS Nevada Located by SEARCH and Ocean Infinity" (Press release). Ocean Infinity via www.prnewswire.com.