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Aberdeen-based integrity, inspection and corrosion specialist iicorr has strengthened ties between industry and academia having been invited to contribute to the Subsea Engineering MSc course by the University of Aberdeen.

With the industrial training side of its operations growing at a rapid pace, the Cardiff-based South West School of NDT has announced that Meurig Davies, known to many in the industry, has joined the training team.

The Applus RTD Group has announced the acquisition of two companies specialising in inspection and non-destructive testing: Quality Inspection Services (QISI), headquartered in the American state of New York, and Staveley, located in Ontario province, Canada. These operations, together with the acquisition of JanX (United States) in 2008 and of Technico (Canada) in 2009, reinforce the company's commitment to the North American market where it has been present for two decades with a large workforce.

Ether NDE Ltd, the company founded on 1 January this year by Mike Reilly and John Hansen, is up and running and taking enquiries and orders for eddy current probes.

AGR Sales & Marketing Manager Jackie Berry and Applications Advisor Mark Nel visited Dubai in February. AGR and local distributor Turgen hosted a one-day seminar on phased arrays and TOFD and their application in the field for delegates from across the region. Delegates were given an insight into the latest TD advanced ultrasonic software and its many improvements.

A research team comprising partners from Bristol, Dundee, Southampton and Glasgow universities has recently gained large-scale interest from the media for its development of a microscopic ultrasonic tweezer-like device that could be used to help homeland security officials to detect deadly biological weapons such as anthrax. The team believes that its technology could have a variety of applications beyond homeland security and foresee it being used in everything from tissue engineering to stem-cell research.

BP and Oceaneering engineering personnel working together at BP Wytch Farm in Dorset (UK) have achieved significant cost benefits by the application of advanced NDT technology. The ability to carry out the inspections whilst the plant remained in production are estimated to have generated cost benefits in the region of £12 million.

A new state-of-the-art diver-operated subsea inspection system from AGR Field Operations is said to make the inspection of pipelines better, simpler, more effective and more affordable than it is at present. The tool, named Trident, is a potent addition to AGR Field Operations' line of advanced tools for the oil and gas industry.

The World Expo 2010 will be held in Shanghai from 1 May to 31 October 2010 with the theme 'Better City – Better Life', signifying Shanghai's new status as a major economic and cultural centre. With 70 million visitors expected from all over the world it will be one of the largest expositions in the history of world fairs.

With the introduction of mandatory training hours for EN 473 Level 3 examinations, TWI has introduced a course that provides preparation for basic and main method examinations, which is available at TWI's training facilities in Abington and Middlesbrough, UK. The training objective is to provide candidates with the foundation knowledge required to take basic and main method examinations. It is aimed at experienced senior inspection personnel who wish to attempt EN 473 Level 3 certification.