Hydro 12 debut for WASSP multibeam system
WASSP of Auckland plans a first European showing of its new WASSP S multibeam sounder at the Hydro 12 international hydrographic symposium in Rotterdam this November.
Gareth Hodson, the New Zealand company’s CEO, says the system is specifically designed for dredgers and hydrographic surveyors who currently operate single-beam sonars but don’t have enough projects to warrant use of more costly multibeam versions.
Hodson adds that the system requires minimal installation and operator training and is fully compatible with Hypack and QINSY software as well as WASSP’s own application suite, Navigator. Essentially designed for small boat operators with a transducer suited for overside pole mounting, systems can also be used to track movements of sediment plumes from a dredger or monitor fish shoals. Either can be viewed in 3D from any angle within a given survey area.
Providing continuous 2D and 3D mapping and stabilised for heave, roll and pitch, a system typically provides 120° coverage from port to starboard over depths down to around 200m. A number of units have already been reportedly sold to Russian survey operators. The main UK distributor is Furuno UK in Aberdeen.
