A survey vessel is any type of ship or boat that is used for

underwater survey An underwater survey is a survey performed in an underwater environment or conducted remotely on an underwater object or region. Survey can have several meanings. The word originates in Medieval Latin with meanings of ''looking over'' and ''detai ...

s, usually to collect data for mapping or planning

underwater construction Underwater construction is industrial construction in an underwater environment. There is often, but not necessarily, a significant component of commercial diving involved. It is a part of the marine construction industry. Scope and applicati ...

or mineral extraction. It is a type of

research vessel A research vessel (RV or R/V) is a ship or boat designed, modified, or equipped to carry out research at sea. Research vessels carry out a number of roles. Some of these roles can be combined into a single vessel but others require a dedicated ...

, 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 ancient Greek, βένθος (bénthos), meaning "t ...

, 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 and ocean science, is the scientific study of the oceans. It is an Earth science, which covers a wide range of topics, including ecosystem dynamics; ocean currents, waves, and geophysical fluid dyna ...

, the scientific study of the oceans, * mapping of

marine habitats Marine habitats are habitats that support marine life. Marine life depends in some way on the saltwater that is in the sea (the term ''marine'' comes from the Latin ''mare'', meaning sea or ocean). A habitat is an ecological or environmen ...

as part of the process of assessing the state of the ecology, * measurement of

environmental impact Environmental issues are effects of human activity on the biophysical environment, most often of which are harmful effects that cause environmental degradation. Environmental protection is the practice of protecting the natural environment on t ...

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, re-floating a vessel, or effecting repairs to a ship. Today, protecting the coastal environment from s ...

, 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 da ...

, the excavation of material from underwater, to recover materials or to alter the bottom profile, usually for navigational of construction purposes, *

, 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 hydrodynamic impact of especially waves, tides, storm sur ...

, 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, s ...

, 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 was formed through the mixture of plants, algae, and sediments in shallow seas under high pressure. Petroleum is mostly recovered from oil dri ...

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 geo-spatial positioning. It allows satellite navigation devices to determine their location (longitude, latitude, and altitude/elevation) to high pr ...

to provide autonomous geo-spatial positioning, * Single beam sonar for the measurement of underwater physical and biological components, *

Multibeam sonar A multibeam echosounder (MBES) is a type of sonar that is used to map the seabed. It emits acoustic waves in a fan shape beneath its transceiver. The time it takes for the sound waves to reflect off the seabed and return to the receiver is use ...

to accurately and efficiently map the seabed *

Side-scan sonar Side-scan sonar (also sometimes called side scan sonar, sidescan sonar, side imaging sonar, side-imaging sonar and bottom classification sonar) is a category of sonar system that is used to efficiently create an image of large areas of the sea ...

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 reflected seismic waves. The method requires a controlled sei ...

equipment for subsurface profiling.

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

s include air guns, sparkers and boomers. * Bottom sampling equipment such as Van Veen grab sampler, Box corer, Epibenthic sled or other core sampling 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 of the body, using a combination of accelerometers, gyroscopes, and sometimes magnetomete ...

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 (COLREGs) are published by the International Maritime Organization (IMO) and set out, among other things, the "rules of the road" or navigation rules to be followed by ships an ...

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 input from an operator. AUVs constitute part of a larger group of undersea systems known as unmanned underwater vehicles, a classification that includes ...

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 buoys, but far cheaper than the equivalent weather ships and

research vessels A research vessel (RV or R/V) is a ship or boat designed, modified, or equipped to carry out research at sea. Research vessels carry out a number of roles. Some of these roles can be combined into a single vessel but others require a dedicated ...

, 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 oil exploration/ offshore oil drilling and related activities. Strong emphasis is placed ...

. 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 , s2cid=115280769 {{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