NSW OEH announces seafloor bathymetry contract

Fugro has won a contract to collect seafloor data for the Office of Environment and Heritage (OEH), on behalf of the New South Wales Government.

The project will deliver data as part of OEH’s Seabed NSW programme, announced earlier this year, and involves the collection of high resolution, seamless bathymetry across the New South Wales coastal and marine environment.

The data will assist in mapping the seafloor and sediment compartments along the NSW coast. This information will enable councils, scientists and government agencies to better understand nearshore processes and allow them to model coastal hazards at a local scale with greater accuracy than traditional marine survey methods.

The bathymetric data will also shed light on the structure and range of habitats on the seafloor off NSW beaches which will assist in the management of the marine estate into the future.

Fugro is utilising airborne lidar bathymetry (ALB) sensors to conduct the work, capturing data along the shore to depths of around 30 metres. The ALB systems enable safe and efficient survey without impacting the environment or disrupting activities on the ground or water. The specialised technology was developed in Australia and is supported by ongoing research and development programmes.