ADUS acquires new sonar system...
ADUS are pleased to have acquired a new sonar system from Reson, with whom we have had a long standing relationship, having using used their systems almost exclusively over the last few years. The SeaBat 8125-H combines the 8125’s celebrated sonar head with an advanced data processor. The system also incorporates the new beam forming modes – in particular Flexmode – where an operator configurable centre sector is formed using very high density equi-angle beams and an underlying set of equi-distant beams provides coverage across the entire sector, allowing us to acquire more dense data over areas of particular interest on wrecks and other subsea structures such as offshore wind turbines.
ADUS at EWEA 2011 in Amsterdam...
ADUS have a stand at EWEA 2011 here in Amsterdam for the next three days – please come and see us in Hall 10 on the Scottish Development International stand 10030. On the stand we have the latest sub-sea imagery of the bases of offshore wind turbines and substations available in our interactive 3D software.
ADUS at EWEA 2011
ADUS prepares for survey in South Atlantic...
ADUS is currently preparing to undertake a survey of the wreck of the 75,300 tonne bulk carrier MS Oliva,
which ran aground at Spinners Point on Nightingale Island, Tristan da Cunha,
on 16th March 2011, whilst en route from Santos to Singapore with a cargo of whole raw soya beans. http://youtu.be/OY03gERUULQ.
Tristan da Cunha is a remote volcanic group of islands in the South Atlantic Ocean and is the most remote inhabited archipelago in the world, lying 2,816 kilometres from the nearest land, South Africa, and 3,360 kilometres from South America.
Leaked fuel oil from the wreck of the Oliva washed ashore and impacted both protected wildlife, including colonies of Rockhopper Penguins, and the fisheries on which the islands’ economy relies. The wreck is now the subject of continuing salvage operations. More information about the wreck & its impact on the Islands, and the ongoing salvage, can be found here: http://www.tristandc.com/newsmsoliva.php.
ADUS presenting at the UNESCO Remote Access to World Heritage Sites Conference in Edinburgh...
Mark Lawrence and Chris Rowland of ADUS will be presenting a paper entitled ‘Visualising Our Underwater Heritage’ at the Remote Access to World Heritage Sites Conference, which is being held at the Edinburgh Informatics Forum on the 23rd & 24th November. Full details of the Conference and the programme of speakers can be seen here and here.
This two-day international conference will focus on the potential for new technologies to create high-quality, remote-access visitor experiences for World Heritage Sites and other sites of cultural, historical and natural significance where remote access is necessary. The aims of this Conference are to showcase some of the new technologies available (3D/4D scanning, mobile technologies, GPS/GIS, satellite technologies, apps and social media) & discuss their applications; to debate policy issues linked to the benefits and challenges these new technologies present for sites preservation, conservation, and interpretation worldwide; and to encourage site managers worldwide to consider the benefits & impact the new technologies could have for their own sites as well as allow them to investigate those further.
ADUS secures new Non Exec Director to the board...
ADUS is delighted to welcome Bart Heijermans to the board as a non executive Director. Bart was the former Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer for the Helix Energy Solutions Group, and is currently member of the Board of Directors at Medical Bridges Inc., and DeepOcean, and Managing Director at Mountain Offshore Ventures LLC. Bart’s experience will be of enormous value to ADUS as it moves into the renewables and oil & gas sectors to apply its technology.
ADUS trial survey of offshore wind farm turbines..
ADUS has recently been surveying offshore wind farm installations in association with REDS Ltd as part of a trial to see what level of detail can be visualised of the bases of turbines and substations, and the scour patterns and cable routes associated with them. A series of 3D animated visualisations and imagery was generated by ADUS, some stills of which can be seen here:
Report on the wreck of the B Oceania delivered
The Oceania lost power and steering in the straits of Malacca in late July and was reportedly hit twice by an overtaking vessel before it sank.
Following their survey at the end of August ADUS produced a 3D interactive visualisation of the B Oceania in WreckSight software and yesterday delivered a written report to the client. It included a forensic analysis of the multibeam data visualisation which identified the collision points, the current condition of the vessel on the seabed and the level of cargo in six of the seven holds.
ADUS finishes survey of the B Oceania
Despite problems in getting equipment through customs during an extended national holiday in Malaysia, Mark and Martin successfully completed the survey of the iro ore carrier sunk in the southern end of the Straits of Malacca.
One ship had already hit the wreck whose upper works are just exposed at low water and while we were on site a freighter traveling at a healthy speed, entered the restricted zone and missed the wreck by about 20m. It is little wonder that the wreck is to be removed as soon as possible.
ADUS to survey a bulk carrier off Malaysia
ADUS is about to survey the MV B Oceania, a bulk iron ore carrier which sank earlier this month in 30m of water in the Straits of Malacca. The survey data will be visualised to assist with the planning of urgent salvage operations as the wreck has already been hit by another vessel. An ADUS team and half a ton of equipment are expected to arrive in Malaysia on 25th.
ADUS trial survey of wind turbines
ADUS has just finished a trial survey looking at the bases of wind turbines off the east coast of England. It is hoped that the impressive results will alert offshore wind generating companies to the advantages of having higher resolution sonar images of their assets than has previously been provided.
SUT Gadgets & Widgets....
Managing Director of ADUS, Martin Dean, will be presenting a paper entitled ‘Maximising the Potential of High Resolution Multibeam Sonar Data in the Study of Man-Made Objects on the Seabed’ at the SUT’s Subsea Gadgets & Widgets event to be held on Wednesday 31st August at the Hilton Treetops Hotel, Springfield Rd, Aberdeen….
http://events.sut.org.uk/
Battle of the Atlantic wreck survey
On June 28th the ADUS team began high resolution multibeam surveys of wrecks from the Battle of the Atlantic off the Outer Banks of North Carolina. This is part of a NOAA project run by Joe Hoyt from the National Marine Sanctuaries.
Davie Firth of Firth Solutions is providing ADUS with additional technical expertise during this phase of the project, which is scheduled to end on 8th July. The multibeam system is a new Reson SeaBat 8125-H, essentially an 8125 sonar head with a 7125 style topside processor which allows 512 beams to be generated within a variable swathe angle. This was close coupled to an Applanix POS MV Inertial Navigation System with the IMU mounted sub surface in an IP68 waterproof housing on ADUS’ mounting device on the stern of NOAA’s SRVx.
ADUS multibeam deployment system
So far eight WW2 wrecks have been surveyed, including three German U-boats, the U-85, U-701 and U-352, together with some of the tankers and freighters they sank.
ADUS survey for the US Navy Historical Centre
On 27th June the ADUS team of Martin Dean and technical wizard Davie Firth surveyed two Civil War wrecks, the USS Cumberland and the CSS Florida, in Hampton Roads for the Naval Historical Centre of the US Navy’s Heritage Command. The wrecks survive as low mounds on a muddy bottom close to dockside installations in the James River. The survey was conducted from the NOAA vessel SRVx.
NOAA's SRVx open day in Norfolk, Virginia
Britains Secret Seas - BBC TWO
ADUS visualisations of the wreck of the SS Breda were shown as a way of helping to preserve our maritime past 40 minutes into the second episode of the series which was shown in the UK.
Divewise Conference, Durham
Mark Lawrence presented a lecture at the conference on the wrecks of Scapa Flow and the Sound of Mull, many of which have been imaged by ADUS.
Survey in deep water off the US
ADUS has recently surveyed a very large wreck a mile beneath the surface in international waters off the southern United States but details cannot be released because of the sensitivity of the site. ADUS was supported during the operation by Reson and Harvey Lynch staff.
Entrepreneurial Development Program, MIT, Boston
Mark Lawrence attended the 2011 MIT EDP program on behalf of ADUS offered by MIT’s Sloan School of Executive Management.
Salvage and Wreck Removal Conference, London
Martin Dean presented a paper on Sonar imaging in support of wreck assessments: recent case studies