Multi-beam echo sounders (MBES) have gradually taken over a fair slice of the bathymetric survey cake. Nowadays, MBES is nowadays a common survey tool for offshore surveyors, civil authorities, dredgers and military users. It has proven to be an efficient alternative to single-beam systems, even in combination with side-scan sonar.

MBES have quickly proven their superior capabilities over previous systems used to provide complete coverage of a sea bottom. The unique capabilities of the MBES allow it to provide 100% coverage of the bottom, even exceeding IHO specifications. The fact that the MBES transducer is rigidly mounted to the hull enables the user to calculate its position as accurately as the positioning system in use, contrary to the ever-present small errors so well known with towed systems such as side-scan sonar.

In this product survey, we asked the manufacturers for systems that can be used at an operating range >500m. We have explicitly made a distinction between operating depth and operating range. In our opinion, the systems with an operating range >500 m are the MBES systems placed on a seaborne vessel that give information of these large water depths. For shallow water systems and, small MBES systems that can be used on underwater platforms such as an ROV (and thereby giving information onf water depths >500m), we will be compiling a separate product survey in our July/August issue.

The manufacturers have given us descriptions of a large number of MBES systems, providing a range of systems from each manufacturer. The complete overview of these systems can be found on our website. For this publication in Hydro International, we have selected the system for each manufacturer with the maximum operating range from each manufacturer.

Ronald Koomans, contributing editor, Hydro International