Salvage Divers Use Marine Electronics' 2001 3D Sonar To Monitor Their Progress

Oct. 5, 2010 - PRLog -- The team has been excavating the seabed at a wreck in European waters where the divers have been forced to rely upon instinct and touch to find their way around the site.  Despite these difficulties, the divers have been able to work effectively by employing a 2001 3D sonar from Marine Electronics Ltd (MEL) to scan the site before each session.

The eight-man dive team has been steadily removing the overburden of mud with an air-lift and their work is clearly visible on the MEL sonar images. These reveal the contours of the excavated hole in considerable detail and enable the divers to preserve a mental picture of the site before they descend to resume work.

Working at a depth of 24 metres, the dive team has excavated a hole some 20-metres in diameter and eight-metres deep. By referring to the images from the MEL 2001 sonar it has proved possible to work very efficiently and concentrate on specific areas that required attention.  Work is due to resume on the project soon after a break of several months. The team expects to find that considerable in-filling of the hole has occurred and the MEL 2001 will help with its removal before excavation can resume.

Project manager Matthew French explained; “We chose the MEL sonar because we thought it would be the one that gave the best result. In practice it made the divers’ lives much easier by being able to understand the shape and size of the hole they were creating.”

The MEL 3D Profiling Sonar System makes it possible to capture short range 3D bathymetry data at high resolution. The underwater sonar head was lowered on a pole to depths of around 5 to 6 metres from where the acoustic transducer would scan a horizontal swath. It would then be rotated by a small angle and another swath captured until a complete circular area underneath the sonar dome is covered in an operation that takes just 10-minutes.

The model MEL 2001 is available in either a cable-connected or self-contained logging version. The sonar may be fitted with optional conductivity, temperature, pressure, pitch and roll sensors. With the full complement of sensors the logging unit can process raw data to arrive at an ASCII “XYZ” file directly. The logging version has an internal Ethernet link that can be used to upload the stored data without opening the pressure housing.

Fathoms Ltd, has bases in Somerset and Caithness UK and its work includes the full range of marine sub-sea survey services including the specialised studies needed for the planning and execution of major construction and civil engineering projects.

Marine Electronics Ltd is based in Guernsey in the Channel Islands, UK and is a leading manufacturer of advanced and specialised sonar systems. The company has established a considerable reputation for its ability to work with customers in the development of unique sonar products to overcome difficult acoustic challenges and to meet specific marine or industrial applications.

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Business enquiries contact:
Brian Evans
Marine Electronics Ltd, Unit 10, Barras Lane Industrial Estate, Vale,
Guernsey, GY6 8EQ, United Kingdom
Tel: +44 (0)1481 253181 Email:  sales@marine-electronics.co.uk