The industry's recognized authority for design, engineering and application of equipment and services in the global ocean community
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editorial Aileen Torres-Bennett, Managing Editor, Sea Technology Magazine www.sea-technology.com July 2014 / st 7 SEA TECHNOLOGY® I N C L U D I N G U N D E RS EA TEC H N O L O G Y The Industry's Recognized Authority for Design, Engineering and Application of Equipment and Services in the Global Ocean Community Charles H. Bussmann Founder and Publisher 1924-1999 publisher C. Amos Bussmann managing editor Aileen Torres-Bennett assistant editor Alaina Monismith editorial consultant Charles W. Covey production manager Russell S. Conward assistant design/ Joshua Ortega website manager advertising Susan M. Ingle Owen service manager ADVERTISING REPRESENTATIVES: HEADQUARTERS C. Amos Bussmann 1600 Wilson Blvd., Suite 1010 Arlington, VA 22209 Tel: (703) 524-3136 • FAX: (703) 841-0852 e-mail: seatechads@sea-technology.com NORTH AMERICA EAST COAST Clive Bullard Bullard Communications 107 Lane Gate Road Cold Spring, NY 10516 Tel: (845) 231-0846 • FAX: (845) 265-9695 e-mail: cbullards@cs.com NORTH AMERICA WEST COAST John Sabo Barbara Sabo John Sabo Associates 447 Herondo St. #305 Hermosa Beach, CA 90254 Tel: (310) 379-8455 • FAX: (310) 798-1394 e-mail: jsabo@jsaboassoc.com EUROPE John Gold John F. Gold & Associates "Highview" 18a Aultone Way Sutton, Surrey, SM1 3LE, England Phone/FAX Nat'l: 020-8641-7717 Int'l: +44-20-8641-7717 e-mail: johnfgold@gmail.com Sea Technology back issues available on microform. Contact: NA Publishing, Inc. P.O. Box 998, Ann Arbor, MI 48106-0998 1-800-420-6272 COMPASS PUBLICATIONS, INC. 1600 Wilson Blvd., Suite 1010 Arlington, VA 22209-2510 Tel: (703) 524-3136 FAX: (703) 841-0852 oceanbiz@sea-technology.com www.sea-technology.com publishers of: Sea Technology Commercial Fisheries News Fish Farming News Commercial Marine Directory Fish Farmers Phone Book/Directory Sea Technology Buyers Guide/Directory Sea Tech e-News Celebrating more than 50 years of serving the global ocean community - Since 1963 - Marine Technology Makes Headlines M arine technology is a highly specialized feld, but it has widespread applications for society. Sadly, this becomes evident particularly during tragic events that become big news stories. Nevertheless, such instances highlight the importance of our industry in the modern world. When Malaysia Airlines fight MH370 disappeared over the ocean on March 8 on the way to Beijing from Kuala Lumpur, no one knew what had caused the plane to vanish. The 239 passengers and crew on board left barely a trace, leaving their loved ones at frst shocked by the disappearance, then anguished over the lack of information. Technology was called in to hunt for the wreckage. Underwater hydrophones were used to try to pick up signals from the plane's black box, and the Bluefn-21 AUV, depth rated to 4,500 meters, was brought onto the scene to search for wreck- age. In another tragedy that made international headlines, a South Korean ferry sank while full of schoolchildren on what was supposed to be a routine trip between Incheon and Jeju. Of approximately 476 passengers and crew on board, only some 170 survived. The passengers were mainly high-school kids, who were told to remain in their cabins and wait for orders from the crew. As they waited, the ship continued to sink, and word of what to do never came because the crew, including the captain, abandoned ship. Contributing to the accident was an overloading and improper storage of car- go. The ferry had been carrying more than three times what was considered a safe amount, causing an overbalance that led to the sinking of the vessel. Divers were dispatched to look for bodies from the wreckage. Two divers have died so far during the recovery effort. South Korean President Park Geun Hye, expressing collective an- ger, said she will dissolve the country's Coast Guard for its failure to conduct effective rescue operations. The ferry captain has been charged with homicide, and a shuffe in top government personnel is inevitable as the process of accountability unfolds. While the recovery efforts for Flight 370 are an example of how marine technol- ogy can beneft humanity by potentially providing much needed answers to the ques- tions surrounding the fate of the passengers, the South Korean ferry incident shows how human shortcomings can lead to fatal technological failure. Technology is meant to help us, but sometimes things go awry, whether through human or technical faults, or simply the laws of nature. Nereus, the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution's (WHOI) hybrid ROV, was confrmed lost on May 10 at 9,990 meters deep in the Kermadec Trench northeast of New Zealand. It was built in 2008 to perform high-risk, high-reward research in the deepest parts of the ocean. This was incredibly risky because the atmospheric pressure on the vehicle could have been as much as 16,000 pounds per square inch. Indeed, scientists believe Nereus imploded under such pressure during what was to be its last mission. Previously, it had explored the Marianas Trench and the world's deepest known hydrothermal vents along the Cayman Rise in the Caribbean Sea. Nereus was able to bring back previously unknown animal specimens and seafoor sediment for studying what shapes the ecosystems of ocean trenches. Nereus was pushing the limits of exploration, helping us study the ocean's hadal region from 6,000 to 11,000 meters deep, and it was lost to a worthy cause. Fortu- nately, no loss of life accompanied the loss of the vehicle, but there is sadness in the ocean research community. As flmmaker and ocean explorer James Cameron put it, WHOI has "not only lost a child, they've lost a great opportunity to explore one of the ocean's deep trenches—the last great frontier for exploration on our planet." WHOI hasn't given up, though. It vows to build more advanced vehicles to carry on the task of understanding what is just beyond our reach. The spirit of Nereus will live on. n