View non-flash version
www,seadiscovery.com Marine Technology Reporter 39 bill - H.R. 5051 - is based largely on the Senate version that passed the Senate Commerce Committee in December led by Senators Ted Stevens (R-AK) and Daniel Inouye (D-HI). Gilchrest's bill contains sev- eral important conservation and eco- nomic reforms, including enhancing the role of science in decision-mak- ing, ending overfishing and strength- ening the regional councils. Representative Richard Pombo (R- CA) also introduced a bill - H.R. 5018 - to reauthorize the MSA. Pombo's bill helps align economic incentives with conservation goals. It also authorizes cooperative research with fishermen and scientists, and creates a funding mechanism for fish- eries observers who collect data for conservation and management. Lockheed Martin Delivers Radar for Navy's AUTEC Lockheed Martin delivered its Multi-Mission Surveillance Radar (MMSR) system to the U.S. Navy for use at its Atlantic Underwater Test and Evaluation Center (AUTEC). AUTEC is the U.S. Navy's undersea warfare systems test complex, located at Andros Island in the Bahamas. The new MMSR system will meas- ure the location of aircraft and surface ships in support of submarine testing at the AUTEC test range. This single MMSR radar replaces existing radars that were distributed along the test range coast. The MMSR system is designed to have mid-range surveillance capabili- ty - 50 nautical miles (approximately 57 statute miles) - and was produced at Lockheed Martin's facility in Syracuse, NY, following a $5.5m con- tract awarded by the Naval Underwater Warfare Center in 2002. Keppel Deliver KFELS B Class Jackup Keppel FELS Limited will deliver a jackup to a wholly-owned subsidiary of SeaDrill Management, the third KFELS B Class rig that Keppel has completed within the first four months of 2006. This is the first of four jackups that Keppel FELS is building for SeaDrill. Construction of the other three rigs is expected between mid 2007 and 2Q 2008. Keppel FELS secured the first jackup contract in March 2004 with Odfjell Drilling, which ordered a second rig in March 2005. In mid 2005, SeaDrill acquired Odfjell Invest Ltd., the holding company for the rigs. The right to exercise Odfjell's option to a third rig was then assigned to SeaDrill. The fourth jackup rig order was made by Seatankers Management Co. Ltd. HPS2006 Set for San Diego HPS2006, the west coast's only Human Powered Submarine design competition and race, is scheduled for Thursday July 19 through Sunday July 23. The racing will be held in the Offshore Model Basin in Escondido, Calif., where divers from the San Diego area will once again volunteer their time to ensure safety. The rules for HPS2006 are very sim- ilar to HPS2004. The biggest change in requirements is that all entrants must now submit a Design Description Document. This is intended to be the written documen- tation of the sub design that each team is submitting to the competi- tion. There are no format or length requirements. It is up to the teams to determine what to incorporate in the document. Researchers Propose Seafloor Mapping Project Researchers say a proposed $5.6m seafloor mapping project would benefit the region in a number of critical areas - including fisheries management, tsunami planning and the creation of marine reserves. The Oregon Ocean Policy Advisory Council unanimously endorsed the proposal and organizers now plan to take the idea to the State Land Board. Federal support also will be sought for the project. Researchers plan to use sophisticated sonar to pro- duce a highly detailed map of the three-mile wide strip of ocean floor along the Oregon coastline. About 95 percent of the Oregon territorial sea is known only by crude depth charts and contours, researchers say. They want a clear picture of a sea floor dominated by ridges, valleys, rockpiles and vari- ous marine habitats that are known for only a tiny fraction of the area that is regulated by the state. The project is being developed by Mark Hixon, an Oregon State University professor of zoology, and led by Chris Goldfinger, a professor of oceanic and atmospheric sciences, and Dawn Wright, professor of geosciences. The three are experts in seafloor mapping, habitat character- ization, and earthquakes and tsunamis. Costs could be kept down by using idled fishing vessels, supporters say, and advances in technology could yield maps of exceptional detail that would once have been too expensive to make. Scientists say that understanding the nature of Oregon's territorial sea is crit- ical to sustaining sport and commercial fisheries, coastal tourism, and the ocean ecosystem. MTR#4 (33-48).qxd 5/8/2006 10:10 AM Page 39
