Unique Supports Hydrographic Project for Bayanat

A division of Unique Maritime Group (UMG), an integrated turnkey subsea and offshore solutions provider, Unique System FZE has recently supported a hydrographic project that included the installation of Kongsberg’s EM 2040 multibeam echo sounder units for Bayanat for Mapping & Surveying Services (Bayanat) in two different vessels at Abu Dhabi.

Bayanat is a wholly-owned Mubadala company that was born from the commercialization of the UAE Armed Forces Military Survey Department (MSD). Bayanat’s focus is to provide both a strategic capability for the UAE and to support our clients in both the government and commercial sectors with high quality national level geospatial products and services.

The project involved the installation and commissioning of the full systems on board two identical vessels having approximately 12 m by 3.5 m dimensions with powerful engines suitable for maneuvering and keeping straight survey lines. The auxiliary sensors, such as the motion sensor, gyro, GPS unit, etc., fixed on board the vessels helped facilitate the additional information required to carry out the surveys at different project sites.

The stability of the multibeam system and frequency choices (200-400 kHz) makes the unit suitable for working in this region. The pitch, roll and yaw stabilization options available with Kongsberg multibeam systems makes the data more reliable and acceptable. The physical and angular dimensions of the vessel and equipment were measured by a highly experienced land survey team using their sophisticated equipment while the system was dry docked, and reports were generated. The vessel draft was measured to be approximately 0.7 m below the waterline, which also helped the system to work in extremely shallow waters.

Commissioning of the vessels was carried out at Esnad Port in Abu Dhabi jointly by Unique and Kongsberg in the presence of the engineering and survey team of Bayanat. The Harbor Acceptance Tests (HATs) and Sea Acceptance Tests (SATs) were carried out at the site, and results were tabulated and verified by the team along with the data processing team at Bayanat. The system was found to be working satisfactorily. As a part of the HAT/SAT system, calibration was also done in order to ensure system performance. The data were verified successfully using Hypack/Hysweep software to check the quality of EM 2040 D system on board both vessels.

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