Mohican ROV for Geophysical Survey
MMT, headquartered in Sweden, has conducted seabed surveys for BKK Nett AS, Norway. This was the first time MMT used its Mohican ROV fully equipped for geophysical survey to produce a detailed design for the submarine cable route between Modalen and Kollsnes via Mongstad.
BKK Nett AS contracted MMT for seabed surveys that were conducted in October and November 2012. The 420kV link between Modalen and Kollsnes is planned to be in operation within a few years with new subsea cables and overhead lines. The result from these surveys will assist BKK´s development of the final route planning. The seabed survey was conducted in three Western Fjords in Norway: Hjeltefjorden, Lurefjord and Fensfjorden.
MMT used its 40 metre long survey vessel IceBeam for this operation. An extremely detailed 200 metre wide corridor for the cable was mapped. The steep fjords and high trafficked area presented no complications for MMT´s crew and survey team.
This was the first time that MMT used its fully equipped Mohican ROV for detailed geophysical mapping and investigation. The Mohican ROV, a remote-controlled underwater vehicle, was equipped with multibeam, side scan sonar, sub-bottom profilers and video cameras. In addition, MMT took geotechnical samples along the route with a vibrocorer. Based on the collected data MMT presented charts with seabed features and topography. The charts are used for planning and laying of the submarine cable.
The fully equipped Mohican ROV that was used for this survey was a success. The result was the same as using the equipment on a large work class ROV, but this turned out to be a much more cost effective solution for the client.
