SUCCESSES IN SE ASIA A NEW SURVEY VESSEL... AN AUV... AND A CONTRACT AWARD Investments in new technology, upgraded vessels and modern support infrastructure continue to pay off for Fugro Survey in South East Asia. By matching equipment resources and technical expertise, to the developing needs of the local market, regional offices compete successfully for important contracts. MULTI-ROLE VESSEL ENTERS SERVICE... Fugro Gemini, a new multi-role survey vessel, has recently been introduced to the market in SE Asia, targeting a wide range of offshore geophysical and hydrographic survey activities throughout the region. Originally built at the Stocznia Wisla yard in the Polish port of Gdansk, for shallow water research in support of Russian oil exploration, the ship has been completely overhauled and refitted prior to entering service with Fugro. Fugro Gemini ...AUV TECHNOLOGY ADDED "The crowning glory is our decision to equip the vessel to conduct surveys using the latest autonomous underwater vehicle or AUV technology," Yeo Kok Hwa continued. Echo Surveyor III, a Kongsberg Maritime Hugin 1000 AUV, rated to 3,000 metres operating depth, recently completed customer acceptance tests with Fugro, offshore Sabah, Malaysia. Echo Surveyor III's launch and recovery container can be mobilised quickly on board Fugro Gemini. AUV technology offers the ideal solution for integrated data acquisition on deep water field development surveys. The survey vehicle operates close to the seabed (typically at 30 metres altitude), isolated from the ambient noise detected near the sea surface and decoupled from vessel pitch and roll. As a result, AUV survey sensors return data of the highest quality. Moreover, Echo Surveyor III's extended endurance enables huge areas to be covered cost-effectively in a short time. High Resolution Sensors Echo Surveyor III's sensor package includes a Simrad EM2000 high-frequency multibeam echo sounder, an Edgetech full spectrum dual frequency side scan sonar and a chirp subbottom profiler. Its inertial navigation system integrates with Fugro Gemini's HiPAP 500 acoustic positioning system to accurately determine the position of all the data acquired, even in the deepest water areas. Echo Surveyor III Measuring 49 metres in overall length, with a beam of 18 metres, the catamaran-hulled vessel provides a spacious and stable working platform - suitable for survey projects commissioned by oil and gas clients, the submarine cable sector and government agencies throughout South East Asia. Fugro Gemini has been equipped with state-of-the-art Fugro Starfix navigation and positioning equipment, together with high frequency digital seismic acquisition systems and an onboard geophysical data processing suite. Newly installed sub-bottom profilers, a 30 kilohertz multi beam echo sounder, a selection of side scan sonar sensors, and a HiPAP500 high precision tow-fish tracking system, complete the heart of the scientific equipment spread. Fugro Gemini offers all-round survey capability in water depths well in excess of 2,000 metres. Onboard Reporting Multiple off-line data-processing workstations facilitate quality control analysis and enable final reports to be produced onboard. All data can be assembled, analysed and interpreted in a fully integrated manner. "We expect to realise much greater operational efficiency," said Yeo Kok Hwa, Commercial Director with Fugro Survey in Singapore. "The Fugro Gemini spread can tackle the full range of surveys, including analogue geophysical surveys in shallow and deep water, multi-channel seismic rigsite surveys, pipeline and cable route investigations and swathe bathymetry projects." The system on board Fugro Gemini includes the full range of Fugro processing software, enabling data integration and full survey reporting to be completed onboard. "This is a huge benefit," explained Yeo Kok Hwa. "We can immediately modify data acquisition parameters and survey line plans, to acquire greater detail in tricky areas, or expand the survey scope to investigate alternative routes or locations." Echo Surveyor III and Fugro Gemini are set to spearhead Fugro's deepwater survey capabilities in South East Asia. 4