A survey vessel is any type of ship or boat that is used for underwater surveys, usually to collect data for mapping or planning underwater construction or mineral extraction. It is a type of research vessel, and may be designed for the purpose, modified for the purpose or temporarily put into the service as a vessel of opportunity, and may be crewed, remotely operated, or autonomous. The size and equipment vary to suit the task and availability.

Role

The task of survey vessels is to map the bottom, and measure the characteristics of the

benthic zone The benthic zone is the ecological region at the lowest level of a body of water such as an ocean, lake, or stream, including the sediment surface and some sub-surface layers. The name comes from the Ancient Greek word (), meaning "the depths". ...

, full water column, and surface for the purpose of: *

hydrography Hydrography is the branch of applied sciences which deals with the measurement and description of the physical features of oceans, seas, coastal areas, lakes and rivers, as well as with the prediction of their change over time, for the primary ...

, the measurement and description of the physical features of oceans and other natural bodies of water, and the prediction of their change over time, for the primary purpose of safety of navigation and in support of other activities associated with those bodies of water, * general

oceanography Oceanography (), also known as oceanology, sea science, ocean science, and marine science, is the scientific study of the ocean, including its physics, chemistry, biology, and geology. It is an Earth science, which covers a wide range of to ...

, the scientific study of the oceans, * mapping of marine habitats as part of the process of assessing the state of the ecology, * measurement of

environmental impact Environmental issues are disruptions in the usual function of ecosystems. Further, these issues can be caused by humans ( human impact on the environment) or they can be natural. These issues are considered serious when the ecosystem cannot reco ...

of natural and anthropogenic changes, * planning of

marine salvage Marine salvage is the process of recovering a ship and its cargo after a shipwreck or other maritime casualty. Salvage may encompass towing, lifting a vessel, or effecting repairs to a ship. Salvors are normally paid for their efforts. Howev ...

, the process of recovering a ship and its cargo after a shipwreck or other maritime casualty, *

dredging Dredging is the excavation of material from a water environment. Possible reasons for dredging include improving existing water features; reshaping land and water features to alter drainage, navigability, and commercial use; constructing d ...

, the excavation of material from underwater, to recover materials or to alter the bottom profile, usually for navigational of construction purposes, * underwater construction, which is industrial construction in an underwater environment, *

coastal engineering Coastal engineering is a branch of civil engineering concerned with the specific demands posed by constructing at or near the coast, as well as the development of the coast itself. The fluid dynamics, hydrodynamic impact of especially wind wave, ...

, the branch of civil engineering concerned with construction at or near the coast, and the development of the coast itself, *

maritime archaeology Maritime archaeology (also known as marine archaeology) is a discipline within archaeology as a whole that specifically studies human interaction with the sea, lakes and rivers through the study of associated physical remains, be they vessels, sh ...

, the study of human interaction with the sea, lakes and rivers through the study of associated physical remains, * underwater mining and

extraction of petroleum Petroleum is a fossil fuel that can be drawn from beneath the Earth's surface. Reservoirs of petroleum are formed through the mixture of plants, algae, and sediments in shallow seas under high pressure. Petroleum is mostly recovered from oil ...

Survey equipment

Typically, modern survey vessels are equipped with one or more of the following equipment: *

Satellite navigation A satellite navigation or satnav system is a system that uses satellites to provide autonomous geopositioning. A satellite navigation system with global coverage is termed global navigation satellite system (GNSS). , four global systems are ope ...

to provide autonomous geo-spatial positioning, * Single beam sonar for the measurement of underwater physical and biological components, * Multibeam sonar to accurately and efficiently map the seabed * Side-scan sonar to efficiently create relief images of large areas of the sea floor. * Towed magnetometer for measuring the Earth's magnetic field, in geophysical surveys, to detect magnetic anomalies, *

Reflection seismology Reflection seismology (or seismic reflection) is a method of exploration geophysics that uses the principles of seismology to estimate the properties of the Earth's subsurface from reflection (physics), reflected seismic waves. The method requir ...

equipment for subsurface profiling.

Seismic source A seismic source is a device that generates controlled seismic energy used to perform both reflection seismology, reflection and seismic refraction, refraction seismic surveys. A seismic source can be simple, such as dynamite, or it can use more ...

s include

air guns An air gun or airgun is a gun that uses energy from compressed air or other gases that are mechanically pressurized and then released to propel and accelerate projectiles, similar to the principle of the primitive blowgun. This is in contrast ...

, sparkers and boomers. * Bottom sampling equipment such as Van Veen grab sampler, Box corer,

Epibenthic sled An epibenthic sled (or ''epibenthos sled/sledge'') is an instrument designed to collect benthic and benthopelagic faunas from the deep sea. The sled is made from a steel frame consisting of two skids and stabilizing planes to keep it from sinkin ...

or other

core sampling A core sample is a cylindrical section of (usually) a naturally-occurring substance. Most core samples are obtained by drilling with special drills into the substance, such as sediment or rock, with a hollow steel tube, called a core drill. The ...

equipment. * CTD sondes to measure the electrical conductivity, temperature, and pressure of seawater *

Inertial measurement unit An inertial measurement unit (IMU) is an electronic device that measures and reports a body's specific force, angular rate, and sometimes the Orientation (geometry), orientation of the body, using a combination of accelerometers, gyroscopes, an ...

Unmanned and autonomous survey vessels

Unmanned surface vehicles (USVs; also known as unmanned surface vessels or in some cases autonomous surface vehicles (ASVs), uncrewed surface vessels, or colloquially, drone ships) are boats or ships that operate on the surface of the water without a crew. USVs operate with various levels of autonomy, from simple remote control, to autonomous

COLREGs The International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea 1972, also known as ''Collision Regulations'' (''COLREGs''), are published by the International Maritime Organization (IMO) and set out, among other things, the "rules of the road" o ...

compliant navigation. An autonomous survey vessel is an unmanned vessel fitted with survey equipment and capable of operating without human supervision while performing survey work, either uploading the data in real time, or at pre-programmed stages, or on a remote command.

Autonomous underwater vehicle An autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) is a robot that travels underwater without requiring continuous input from an operator. AUVs constitute part of a larger group of undersea systems known as unmanned underwater vehicles, a classification tha ...

s set up for survey work are a subclass of autonomous survey vessels that operate underwater. unmanned survey vessels are usually relatively small and therefore economical to acquire and operate, and can be sent to areas too hazardous for a larger or crewed vessel, as well as for extensive and time-consuming but routine surveys. USVs are valuable in

, as they are more capable than moored or drifting

weather buoy Weather buoys are instruments which collect weather and ocean data within the world's oceans, as well as aid during emergency response to chemical spills, legal proceedings, and engineering design. Moored buoys have been in use since 1951, whil ...

s, but far cheaper than the equivalent weather ships and research vessels, and more flexible than commercial-ship contributions, and, with solar cells to power their electronics, can have months of marine persistence. Powered USVs are a powerful tool for use in

hydrographic survey Hydrographic survey is the science of measurement and description of features which affect maritime navigation, marine construction, dredging, offshore wind farms, offshore oil exploration and drilling and related activities. Surveys may als ...

. Using a small USV in parallel to traditional survey vessels as a 'force-multiplier' can double survey coverage and reduce time on-site.

History

References

{{Reflist, refs= {{cite web , title=L3Harris ASView Control System , url=https://www.l3harris.com/all-capabilities/asview-control-system , publisher=L3Harris , access-date=14 July 2021 {{cite journal , last1=Yan , first1=Ru-jian , first2= Shuo, last2= Pang, first3= Han-bing, last3= Sun , first4= Yong-jie , last4=Pang , date=2010 , title=Development and missions of unmanned surface vehicle , journal=Journal of Marine Science and Application , volume=9 , issue=4 , pages=451–457 , doi=10.1007/s11804-010-1033-2 , bibcode=2010JMSA....9..451Y , s2cid=109174151 {{cite journal , last1=Manley , first1=Justin E. , title=Unmanned Surface Vehicles, 15 Years of Development , url= https://www.ieeeoes.org/history/080515-175.pdf, journal= IEEE Oceanic Engineering Society , date=2008, access-date=14 Oct 2019 {{Cite web, last=Mizokami, first=Kyle, date=2019-01-15, title=The U.S. Navy's Big Push Into Drone Ships Will Lead to Unmanned Vessels Carrying Weapons, url=https://www.popularmechanics.com/military/navy-ships/a25907713/us-navy-drone-ship/, access-date=2020-08-19, website=Popular Mechanics, language=en-US {{Cite journal , last1=Niu , first1=Hanlin , last2=Lu , first2=Yu , last3=Savvaris , first3=Al , last4=Tsourdos , first4=Antonios , date=2018 , title=An energy-efficient path planning algorithm for unmanned surface vehicles , url=https://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S0029801818300258 , journal=Ocean Engineering , volume=161 , pages=308–321 , doi=10.1016/j.oceaneng.2018.01.025 , bibcode=2018OcEng.161..308N , hdl=1826/13249 , s2cid=115280769, hdl-access=free {{Cite web, url=https://www.nauticalcharts.noaa.gov/hsrp/meetings/webinar-march-april-2021/March%203/01_Directors/04_Mayer-HSRP_MARCH_2021-1.pdf, title=Uncrewed Surface Vessel Research and Development Program at the NOAA – UNH Joint Hydrographic Center/Center for Coastal and Ocean Mapping {{cite web, author=Andrew Orthmann , url=https://www.hydro-international.com/content/article/bering-sea-asv-force-multiplier , title=Bering Sea ASV Force Multiplier , publisher=Hydro-international.com , date=2016-11-22 , access-date=2018-05-10 {{cite web , title=SM200 Wireless Remote-Helm Control System , date=11 December 2020 , url=https://sea-machines.com/sm200 , publisher=Sea Machines , access-date=14 July 2021 Stevens Institute of Technology student USV
{{webarchive, url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100811002903/http://www.ece.stevens-tech.edu/sd/archive/07F-08S/websites/grp14/documents/Grp14_Brochure.pdf , date=2010-08-11 {{cite magazine, url=https://www.wired.com/gadgetlab/2012/05/wave-glider-crosses-pacific/all/1/, title=Robot Boats Survive Epic Voyage Across the Pacific — So Far, date=23 May 2012, magazine=WIRED, access-date=24 February 2016

Role

Survey equipment

Unmanned and autonomous survey vessels

History

References

See also