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As part of a monitoring programme that
covers the whole of the south west of
the UK – from Portland Bill on the
Dorset south coast to Sand Point on the
north Somerset coast – SM Pelorus were
awarded the Bathymetric Survey of
Section 5 as part of the Southwest
Strategic Regional Coastal Monitoring
Programme. This section which covers
Land's End to Trevose Head and totals
approximately 105 km of some of the UK's
most exposed coastline meant SM Pelorus
had to overcome a number of logistical
challenges, difficult conditions and
tight transit times in order to provide
sea bed levels for Teignbridge District
Council. The whole monitoring programme
incorporates 7 different survey
disciplines ranging from aerial surveys
to bathymetric and tidal surveys.
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The survey brief was to collect seabed
levels along predetermined profile lines at
up to 100 metre intervals which extended
approximately 1 km offshore from the Mean
Low Water Neaps level. The data collected is
to be used as part of the long term coastal
monitoring programme and to analyse coastal
processes to provide data for strategic
shoreline management.
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To provide the seabed
levels over this exposed section of the UK
coastline SM Pelorus utilised a combination
of survey vessels. The majority of the
programme was conducted from SM Pelorus' MV
Seacat, an 11 metre GRP vessel, with the
inshore shallow ends of the survey conducted
from a manoeuvrable Rigid Inflatable Boat
(RIB).
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Due to the transit distances between the
available harbours on this exposed coast and
the large survey area, SM Pelorus developed
a system to board the RIB onto the aft deck
of the MV Seacat. This allowed transit times
to be significantly reduced as the MV Seacat
was capable of transiting safely at over 25
Knots. |
The survey operations commenced in June
2007 and were suspended over the winter
months to await suitable weather and sea
conditions to allow the survey to be
conducted. The contract duration has been
recently extended as a result of the
unseasonable weather conditions that were
encountered over the summer of 2007. The
second phase of the survey is programmed for
the 2008 summer months when the weather and
sea conditions should again be suitable. |
