New UIS for Rijkswaterstaat

Purchased through its agent, Nautikaris BV, RWS has already scheduled a full program of survey and inspection work for its UIS, which incorporates the Echoscope Real-Time 3D sonar. The delivery included commissioning, sea acceptance tests, and training onboard the survey vessel MV Houtvliet.

Data ICT Dienst, the RWS division which purchased the system, previously performed an extensive trial and evaluation of the high definition Echoscope before making its final decision. Dealing mainly with inshore rivers and canals, it now plans to put the new UIS to a diverse range of marine applications, including lock and dam inspections and canal floor debris evaluation work.

Another critical application for RWS is to exploit the unique characteristics of the Echoscope 3D sonar for performing minimum clearance investigations above shipwrecks sited around shipping channels. Unlike conventional sonars, the Echoscope will hit very small targets, like protruding shipwreck masts or objects on the seafloor, with a claimed 20 or 30 more pings than any other multibeam sonar, giving thousands of returns at hundreds of different bearing angles. Whereas other sonars may remove these objects as noise, the Echoscope will clearly show them as targets and, as such, potential shipping hazards. Not only will this reduce running costs for RWS by minimising mechanical ‘bar-sweeping’ above wrecks, it will provide it with added confidence and a repeatable solution for this necessary scope of work.

Stephen Auld, managing director of CodaOctopus said, “Given the vast number of shipping channels, lock gates and canals that RWS has to deal with, it had to be absolutely sure the system would perform to its exacting standards. After only a few days of operation it is already finding new subsea objects which really does endorse and vindicate the purchasing decision. Thanks must also go to Nautikaris BV for their dedication and expertise, without which this could not have happened.”