Airborne Hydrographic Survey Commissioned After NZ Earthquake
7.9 magnitude earthquake near Christchurch on November 14, 2016. At the request of the New Zealand Government, the Royal Australian Navy (RAN) Laser Airborne Depth Sounder (LADS) Flight is to conduct a rapid hydrographic survey of the seafloor in the coastal margins of the north east coast of the South Island. RAN LADS commanding officer, Flight Lieutenant Commander Susanna Hung, explained the mission. “We will fly over the area and collect hydrographic survey data, which will reveal what has happened below the waterline, and identify any shifts in the ocean floor which mariners need
NZ Navy Dive Team Receives ROV Training
are highly valued by the New Zealand Defence Force for the range of options they provide. Since its introduction into service, the Royal New Zealand Navy has utilized an observation class ROV to conduct operations ranging from hull inspections to deep recovery of helicopters in the alpine lakes of the South Island. “This wide variety of operating environments requires the ROV pilots to have a high standard of training, which The Underwater Center provided in a very professional, thorough manner. Thanks to The Underwater Center for the excellent training.”
New Zealand Mulls Ocean Floor Mining Proposal
a marine consent from New Zealand's Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The is the EPA's first test of regulating mining in the country's territorial waters. Its next is an application from Chatham Rock Phosphate Ltd, seeking to mine phosphate several hundred kilometres off the east coast of the South Island. (By Sonali Paul and Gyles Beckford
February 2024
