UK dredging contractor acquires echosounder-equipped USV

UK civil engineering company Foyle Marine and Dredging has acquired a new unmanned surface vehicle (USV) built by local unmanned systems specialist HydroSurv.

The USV. which can also be remotely operated, is fitted with a WASSP multibeam echosounder system for bathymetric surveys in support of marine construction and dredging applications.

"We’ve seen growing demand from marine service operators outside of the survey supply chain for a solution that addresses the gap between single-beam echo sounder and high-end multibeam solutions," said David Hull, Founder and CEO of HydroSurv.

"Partnering with WASSP, we’ve been able to put a powerful tool into the hands of the team at Foyle Marine and Dredging that will drastically reduce the costs of repeated resurveys in their construction and dredging projects.ˮ

The multibeam echosounder's compact DRX transceiver delivers real-time data processing. Hosted from the USV, the solution provides a survey tool that reduces dependency on conventional vessels to meet evolving operational demands.

Foyle Marine and Dredging will begin using the platform in their projects within the coming weeks. The capability to obtain high-resolution bathymetric data in-stride with the company's operations will enable construction and dredging to be executed timely and efficiently, while maintaining cost control.