Page 12: of Marine Technology Magazine (April 2017)

Voices

Photo: Liquid Robotics, a Boeing Company

Sean

Halpin

Senior Director, Global Energy

Market Business Development & Sales, Liquid Robotics

From a sunken ship on Penobscot Bay to working with the world’s top oil and gas com- panies, Sean Halpin has always had a love of the ocean. Learn about his start and his perspectives on the role autonomous systems play for the future of offshore operations.

From a sunken boat to becoming a geoscientist? Manager for DOF Subsea and was responsible for spear head- I have always loved the ocean. My parents have pictures of ing high tech subsea developments for the company and for me as a kid on a beach in Florida with a wild look in my eyes building the AUV business. as I stared at the crashing waves. To this day, the ocean still has an incredible effect on me. What are the market conditions driving demand for au- My ? rst overnight boat trip was when I was 18. Our job tonomous systems?

was to map Penobscot Bay, Maine with an old EG&G 272 si- It may sound counterintuitive, but market conditions have descan sonar. The weather was awful, the boat stunk, and I ran caused an increase in demand for autonomous systems and for the tow? sh into the seabed, but I absolutely loved it! I knew Wave Gliders, Liquid Robotics’ long duration Unmanned Sur- then that I wanted to work on, in, or near the ocean for the rest face Vehicles (USVs). This is for good reason. In order for the of my life. I went to sea for about eight years as a hydrographer Oil and Gas industry to adopt new technologies there must be a and a marine geoscientist for a defense contractor and oil and very compelling reason to do so. Unfortunately, the compelling gas companies. During this time, I was exposed to autonomous reason was to survive the oil and gas market depression that underwater vehicles (AUVs) as a tool for deep-water mapping. forced companies to slash operational budgets and cut thou-

Just prior to joining the Liquid Robotics, I was the Global AUV sands of jobs. But the work remained for green? eld and brown- April 2017 12 MTR

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