IMAR Acquires New Kongsberg Maritime Multi-beam Package

Imar Survey Limited has announced the acquisition of its latest suite of shallow and medium depth multi-beam echo sounder systems from Kongsberg Maritime. The new suite includes EM 3002 dual transducer head multi-beam system with Seafloor Information System, EM 1002 and EA 400 SBES. The EM 3002 is an advanced multi-beam echo sounder with extremely high resolution and dynamically focused beams. It is suited for detailed seafloor mapping and inspection with water depths between 0.5 and 150 meters. Due to its electronic pitch compensation system and roll stabilized beams, the system performance is stable even in foul weather conditions. Typical applications of the multi-beam package include:

• mapping of harbours, inland waterways and shipping channels with critical keel clearance
  
• inspection of underwater infrastructure
  
• detection and mapping of debris and other underwater objects
  
• detailed surveys related to underwater construction work or dredging
  
• environmental seabed and habitat mapping
  
• mapping of biomass in the water column

Each of the new systems has been supplied with Kongsberg's Neptune, Triton and Poseidon post-processing packages. IMAR's hydrographic survey team continues to play a major role in the Irish National Seabed Survey. In association with Maritech Consultants Ltd, the team has recently returned to Seabed Survey to begin its third year surveying with the Irish Marine Institute, providing senior hydrographic personnel and expertise for the research vessels, Celtic Explorer and Celtic Voyager. Since 2003, the hydrographic and charting team has completed surveying more than 60,000 km in depths ranging from 50m – 200m and surveyed a number of estuarial and harbour areas using Kongsberg Maritime EM 3000 and EM 1002 multibeam systems to LINZ order 2/1 survey standard.