Hydrographic Survey Equipment News

L3 ASV has announced the successful delivery of a long-endurance autonomous vessel known as the C-Enduro to the Royal Navy. The C-Enduro will be used for military data gathering trials by the Mine countermeasures and Hydrographic Capability (MHC) program as the Navy seeks to exploit autonomous technology.The 4.8-meter autonomous vessel is equipped with 10 sensors combining scientific and hydrographic survey equipment. The vessel operates using L3 ASV’s proprietary control system…

U.S. shipbuilder Metal Shark has joined forces with autonomous vessel technology developer ASV Global to introduce a range of high-tech autonomous vessels.The Louisiana based shipbuilder said it is now offering autonomous technology called Sharktech on its entire portfolio of custom configurable vessels for military, law enforcement, fire rescue and the full spectrum of applicable commercial markets, which range from 16’ to over 300’ in aluminum, steel and composite.“The industry has watched and waited as autonomous technology has matured from its fledgling stages…

MacGregor, part of Cargotec, has signed a contract to supply oceanographic winches and Triplex deck handling systems to a new research vessel being built by the Fassmer shipyard in Berne, Germany. The order was booked into Cargotec's second quarter 2017 order intake. MacGregor equipment deliveries are planned for completion by the end of the first quarter of 2019. The new dual-fuel (LNG) 74m vessel, Atair II, is under construction for the German Federal Maritime and Hydrographic Agency (BSH).

A double digit multi-million Euro contract was signed by Kongsberg Maritime and Fassmer Werft on April 4th, 2017, following the German Federal Maritime and Hydrographic Agency’s (BSH) approval of Kongsberg to deliver a unique technical solution based on its ground-breaking Integrated Vessel Concepts for the newbuild research vessel Atair II, which will be built at the Fassmer yard in Berne. Kongsberg's Integrated Research Vessel concept will unite operational hydrographic and energy functions on board…

Technology Associates, Inc. (TAI) of New Orleans, La., announced that two derivatives of vessels built from TAI’s EnviroMax designs were both launched this week. Another EnviroMax OSV built from its design was also delivered a week earlier. Thoma-Sea Shipbuilders, has launched the Regulus, a DP 2, FiFi I Offshore Supply Vessel from its Houma, La. shipyard on May 27. The 272' OSV was built to service deep water oil and gas exploration. The vessel has two 2,000 kW Z-drives and two 850kw bow thrusters powered by a total installed power of 7.35 MW.

Mumbai-based Unique Hydrographic Systems (UHS) contracted to supply Seaflex air liftbags to Leighton Welspun. The total value of the project is INR 37,35,066 (approx. US$ 70,000). Seaflex is a specialist in marine air lift buoyancy bags and water load test weights. They provide products for two major areas: Air Lift Bags (ALBs) and Inflatable Buoyancy Units (IBUs) for the recovery of underwater objects and to provide underwater pipeline buoyancy and cable floatation. Leighton…

Survey Equipment Services (SES), part owned by Hydroquip, has added Sonardyne 6G equipment to its rental pool in Katy, Texas. 6G products utilise Sonardyne’s ultra-wideband width, digital ranging and telemetry protocols developed to increase the precision, speed and reliability of acoustic positioning and aided inertial navigation operations. The platform has been proven to deliver significant operational savings, allowing multi-user subsea construction survey tasks to be completed in less time than was previously possible. With 30 years’ experience working with the oil and gas industry, SES specialises in the supply of marine navigation and hydrographic survey equipment.

Five separate episodes of heroism and bravery on the high seas were recognized at the 42nd annual United Seamen's Service Admiral of the Ocean Sea (AOTOS) dinner. The AOTOS event itself honored James L. Henry, Chairman and President of the Transportation Institute; General Duncan J. McNabb, USAF, former Commander, U.S. Transportation Command; and Robert D. Somerville, Chairman of ABS (formerly the American Bureau of Shipping). The maritime industry's most prestigious awards since…

Two Western Australian companies have cooperated to set new design and construction standards for multi-million dollar high speed vessels built specifically for the Australian offshore market. Fremantle maritime support solutions company Samson Maritime ordered two 131.2 ft fast utility vessels from Henderson-based Strategic Marine last July, with the first of the vessels launched early this week at Strategic’s Singapore yard. The vessel, named the Samson Supporter, has a top speed in excess of 25 knots…

Kongsberg Maritime has completed the mid-life refit of the hydrographic survey equipment onboard the (Oceanographic Research Vessel) ‘B.I.O Hesperides’. The vessel, originally commissioned in 1991 and based in the Antarctic seas for 6 months a year, was one of the first large survey equipment installations for KONGSBERG. Likewise, this is the first full mid-life refit of survey equipment carried out by the company. The survey package supplied and installed by Kongsberg Maritime was based on the EM120 1°x2° multibeam echosounder. The EM120 is a tried and tested multibeam sounder for deep water mapping with the 12 kHz operating frequency being the optimum choice in order to achieve efficient mapping of larger ocean areas.

Damen Shipyards Gorinchem recently completed the research vessel Celtic Explorer for the Irish Marine Institute of Dublin. This 65 m ship was constructed by Damen in partnership with the Vlissingen yard of Royal Schelde and follows two other important vessels previously delivered to Ireland, the research vessel “Celtic Voyager” and the buoy maintenance ship Granuaille. The work to be carried out by this new vessel will include a National Seabed Survey in Irish waters, perform a vital role in monitoring and recording fish stocks, oceanographic tasks, and wide range of other maritime duties. The new vessel is only the third of its kind in Europe and represents a significant milestone in Irish marine research. The vessel will be named on April 11, 2003 in Galway, Ireland.

Damen Shipyards Gorinchem has completed the research vessel Celtic Explorer for the Irish Marine Institute of Dublin. This outstanding 215-ft. (65-m) ship was constructed by Damen in partnership with the Vlissingen yard of Royal Schelde and follows two other important vessels previously delivered to Ireland, the research vessel "Celtic Voyager" and the buoy maintenance ship "Granuaille". The work to be carried out by this new vessel will include a National Seabed Survey in Irish waters, performing a vital role in monitoring and recording fish stocks, oceanographic tasks, and wide range of other maritime duties. The new vessel, which will be named on April 11, 2003 in Galway, Ireland, is only the third of its kind in Europe and represents a significant milestone in Irish marine research.

Less than two weeks after Katrina made landfall, ports along the Gulf coast and channels on the Mississippi River are once again navigational and safe for ship traffic. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the federal agency responsible for providing the nation’s nautical charts, has played a key role in a major interagency effort to ensure that navigational areas affected by Hurricane Katrina are clear of obstructions and debris. NOAA led the surveying effort to open the region’s ports and shipping channels as soon as possible, and anticipates all needed surveys will be completed by Saturday. NOAA has survey teams in the Mid-Atlantic pre-positioned to survey shipping channels immediately after Hurricane Ophelia passes.

Less than two weeks after Katrina made landfall, ports along the Gulf coast and channels on the Mississippi River are once again navigational and safe for ship traffic. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the federal agency responsible for providing the nation’s nautical charts, has played a key role in a major interagency effort to ensure that navigational areas affected by Hurricane Katrina are clear of obstructions and debris. NOAA led the surveying effort to open the region’s ports and shipping channels as soon as possible, and anticipates all needed surveys will be completed by Saturday. NOAA has survey teams in the Mid-Atlantic pre-positioned to survey shipping channels immediately after Hurricane Ophelia passes.