From the National Societies

Australasian Hydrographic Society

AHS Education Award

The Australasian Hydrographic Society offers an Annual Education Award of
AUD2,500. The award is open to students studying or researching in maritime disciplines including:

- Hydrography - Nautical Charting - Surveying at Sea
- Coastal Studies - Coastal Zone Management
- Offshore Resource Surveys and Management
- Port Development and Maritime Engineering
- Law of the Sea
- Marine Cartography
- Environmental Studies
- Marine Geology and Geophysics

Closing Date - Thursday 9 December 2010

Application forms are available from the Australasian Hydrographic Society website.

East Australian Region
The East Australian Region is running a one-day seminar and dinner to be held at the Royal Automobile Club of Australia in Sydney on Monday 13 September 2010. Members will consider and vote on the adoption of an updated Constitution.
Further details can be found on the Hydrographic Society webpage: www.ahs.asn.au or direct queries to the treasurer: [email protected]

West Australia Region
The Western Australian Region of the AHS held a general technical meeting at The Melbourne Hotel, Perth on 24 August 2010. 28 members were in attendance to hear special guest speaker Dr Peter Ramsay - a director of Marine GeoSolutions and sponsor for the evening. Peter's presentation investigated the use of advanced acoustic and sediment sampling surveys to define the engineering properties of sediments, and to assess the stability of various engineering structures (within a port). The geophysical survey methods presented included multi-beam echo sounding (with complex backscatter processing), side-scan sonar mosaics and various innovative sub-bottom profiling techniques. The advanced interpretation and 3D modelling of these data is now beginning to emerge as an integral part of engineering design, dredging & construction tender documentation and Peter's overview was an excellent capability insight in that regard.

The Combined AHS/SUT AUV conference will be on 28 October 2010; and the AHS (WAR) has been honoured by the IFHS to host HYDRO11. This international hydrographic conference will be between 7 - 11 November 2011 at the Esplanade Hotel, Fremantle.

www.ahs.asn.au

Hydrographic surveying boring?
Corporate Member Bruttour International (BI) asks "Who said hydrographic surveying is just hard work and boring, making recruitment of youngsters into the industry difficult"? This is the latest addition to the BI fleet following successful trials during which this photo was taken. The kayak is fitted with CEEDUCER Pro, linked by WiFi to a Panasonic Toughbook computer in turn linked to a remote touch screen. This rig is intended for ‘low environmental impact' surveys. The kayak is powered by a MINN KOTA electric motor. With a single charged 98AH 12 volt high efficiency battery surveys of approximately 3.5 hours are possible. The small rig is very portable and makes access to even remote sites relatively easy leading to some ‘adventurous' surveys. Go deep, go shallow, have equipment, have kayak, have fun.

Search for Historic Dutch Shipwreck
The Australia on the Map Division of the Australasian Hydrographic Society is pleased to announce its intention to carry out a geophysical search for the remnants of a Dutch shipwreck from the period 1650 - 1750 just north of Busselton in Western Australia.

Rupert Gerritsen, chair of the Australia on the Map Division and project leader for the "Search for the Deadwater Wreck", said today: "This is really exciting. If we succeed in finding the wreck it will rank with the other historic Dutch shipwrecks found in Western Australia, such as the Batavia from 1629, the Vergulde Draeck from 1656, the Zuytdorp from 1712 and the Zeewijk from 1727."

Mr Gerritsen went on to say: "The Deadwater Wreck, as it has become known, is what allegedly remains of a wreck reported in the 19th century, which was twice subject to salvage claims, resulting in much of it being destroyed."

The search, funded by Lotterywest, and to be conducted on behalf of the Australia on the Map Division by archaeological consultants DIG International, will take place in March 2011.

"Our investigation is based on solid historical research," continued Mr Gerritsen, "and should we find evidence of this historic shipwreck, formal excavation will then be the handed over to the curators at the Western Australian Maritime Museum."

Media enquiries:
Mr Rupert Gerritsen  +61 (0)414 471-936
Email: [email protected]

Russian Hydrographic Society

On 19 June, parents, relatives and friends of graduates gathered on the quay of the Neva river in front of the St. Petersburg naval school building. At midday, a solemn graduation ceremony of young Russian naval officers took place here.

Among them there were also graduate hydrographers. The HSR president Nikolay Neronov took part in the ceremony. His task was to award honorary HSR diplomas to the best graduate hydrographers. Under loud applause he handed the ‘Professor A. P. Belobrov Diploma' to graduate Sultan Karibov (specialisation ‘hydrography') and the ‘Professor V.A. Snezhinsky Diploma' to graduate Roman Kalisnikov (specialisation ‘hydrometeorology'). Both these young men have shown devotion to their studies and presented excellent degree work.

On the next day, 20 June, 21 HSR members, commanders and officers of the Department of Navigation and Oceanography (DNO), heads of St. Petersburg hydrographic and industrial organisations, and veteran hydrographers gathered at the DNO assembly hall in connection with the World Hydrography Day (WHD) and the 85th anniversary of the Chief of Hydrographic service of the USSR (1985-1988), admiral Arkady Petrovich Mikhajlovsky. In addition, it had been decided to hold a presentation of the new book by the admiral Travel to a youth which had just been published. Unfortunately, the admiral himself could not be present because of his poor health.

Media representatives from two television stations were invited to cover this event.

The chief of the DNO rear admiral Sergey Kozlov opened the meeting. He emphasised the value of hydrography in the modern world and wished hydrographers success in their work. HSR president Nikolay Neronov conveyed a message about the WHD, reminding everyone that the initiator of the WHD was the HSR and the Russian Hydrographic service.

General director of publishing house Nauka (Science), where the book by admiral Mihajlovsky was published, HSR member Sergey Valchuk, talked about working with the author during the preparation of the book. He mentioned that in his book the admiral talks about the period of his life from 1985 until 1988, when he was the chief of the USSR Hydrographic service. In an easy to read manner the author tells about problems in navigation and hydrography that existed at that time.

At the end of the official part of the meeting there was a buffet and toasts were made to the further development of hydrography and to the health of admiral Arkady Mihajlovsky.

Hydrographic Society Benelux

 The Hydrographic Society Benelux and the Dutch division of the Central Dredging Association will be hosting a joint workshop on Thursday 23 September 2010 from 7 pm. Subject of the meeting is ‘Modern Survey Opportunities for the Dredging Industry'.

Geert Mosterdijk, general director of SeaDarQ, will address the participants on safer and cleaner seas, followed by Henk de Graaf, operations manager survey of Van Oord Dredging and Marine Contractors who will dig into modern survey techniques in the ‘wet construction'. With more emphasis on IT, Bob Hoogendoorn, head of Applied Geology and Geophysics of Deltares, will elaborate on new options for data fusion.

The workshop will take place in Rotterdam. Before the workshop, it is possible to join us for a meal from 6 pm (at a cost of EUR20). Delegates are requested to register at [email protected], before 20 September 2010. Additional information is available on the website.