New Underwater Survey Tools

C & C Technologies, a Lafayette (Louisiana) based survey company responds to customers’ needs with technological innovations and expertise. In addition to its own array of hydrographic and geophysical survey systems C & C has been working with Simrad for the last eight months to refine and develop the Hugin AUV rated for working in water depths up to 3000 meters. This new survey tool is targeted for the oil & gas industry and is expected to finish sea trials in the summer of 2000.

It has a Simrad EM2000 multibeam, inertial positioning system, underwater acoustic modems for data transfer, and an Edgetech chirp sub-bottom and side-scan sonar. Simrad’s HiPAP acoustic positioning is used for tracking the Hugin from the launch ship. It is powered by aluminum oxygen fuel cells and capable of running for 40 hours at 4 knots before resurfacing for fuel. The major advantage of using the AUV over conventional two boat surveys is that line turn times are drastically reduced and the cost for the second boat eliminated. Any of the systems mentioned above can be air freighted worldwide for quick mobilization.

For more information: C & C Technologies, Mike Dupuis