Fugro OCEANOR Wins Contract for Malaysia’s Tsunami Detectino System
The tragic consequences of the tsunami that struck in the Indian Ocean on 26 December 2004 have acted as a major eye opener to countries vulnerable to similar disaster. As a result, urgent efforts are being made to establish early warning systems to reduce, or minimise, the impact of future tsunamis.
Accordingly, Malaysia has taken the initiative to implement a tsunami detection system comprising three buoys and a number of automatic tidal stations.
From a distance of about 200 km from the coastline, a seabed-mounted pressure sensor, will continuously communicate water pressure data to a surface anchored buoy through an acoustic transmission link. As a tsunami is detected an alarm will be activated and transmitted via satellite to the operational warning centre. This enables a warning to be communicated to the population well before the tsunami hits the coast.
In addition, a number of automatic tidal stations will be installed along the Malaysian coast to complement the newly installed buoy detection system.
Astronautic Technology Sdn Bhd, the appointed solution provider to the Malaysian Government, has been working closely with Fugro OCEANOR, part of Fugro Global Environmental and Ocean Services (GEOS), in establishing the tsunami detection system.
