Sonar Research and Development, or SRD, has completed an upgrade of systems used by De Beers Marine in their offshore diamond mining process. SRD’s latest SVS 3 sonar systems are now fully operational in DeBeers Marine exploration activities on their survey and sampling platforms, providing geologists with vital information about the diamond bearing strata on the ocean floor. The systems are being used off the west coast of Africa, in the Orange River Basin, South Namibia. De Beers Marine will be working closely with SRD to further develop applications of the technology for use in their wider diamond mining activities. SRD’s system is designed to provide De Beers Marine a bathymetric data set from which to examine mining efficiency, as well as its environmental impacts. The latest SVS3 technology provides a data set for the user, from the size of the mining sample hole to the topography of the surrounding seabed. The system can be used to take readings and measurements on-line using
new software tools provided within SRD’s in-house software package.