Payload Upgrade for Bibby Tethra
In addition to performing planned five-year vessel maintenance, Bibby HydroMap has also upgraded a number of key systems on the 27.5m DP1 catamaran, Bibby Tethra. The most notable is the installation of a dual-head Kongsberg EM2040 multibeam echosounder, providing superior sounding density along track at a reasonable vessel speed. The single transmitted, dual receiver system allows surveying of up to 10 times water depth, thus matching the capability of the dual head Teledyne Reson 7125 on Bibby Athena.
After being announced as the first buyers of Sonardyne's Mini-Ranger 2 USBL in April 2015, the high performance of the unit has led to the upgrade of Bibby Tethra's Sonardyne SCOUT USBL accordingly. The Mini-Ranger 2 utilises Sonardyne 6G and Wideband 2 digital signal technology to deliver a maximum 0.2% slant range accuracy, with the ability to simultaneously track up to 10 subsea targets at very fast update rates, again mirroring the capabilities of Bibby Athena.
The iXBlue OCTANS 3000 FOG has been fitted within the 2040 mounting arrangement and is being upgraded to a ROVINS INS, providing a heading accuracy of 0.05⁰ secant latitude, a roll and pitch accuracy of 0.01⁰ and a heave accuracy of 2.5cm/2.5%.
In addition to hardware upgrades, the survey interfacing has also undergone a full upgrade to bring it in line with Bibby Athena.
