WASSP Multibeam boards chinese dredging vessel

New Zealand marine company Electronic Navigation (ENL) has made its first export into China after signing a major deal with a Fortune 500 Chinese state engineering company to use its innovative seafloor profiling equipment.

The Kiwi innovation, called the Wassp Multibeam is making waves internationally for its remarkable ability to map the seafloor and water column for surveyors, marine professionals and commercial fishermen.

This is the first time the Wassp multibeam has been fitted to this type of dredging vessel, which is a 120 metre, 14 thousand tonne suction hopper dredger built in January 2010. The dredger is located on the Yangtze River delta in the Shanghai Harbour.

“Our technology is being used to track the sea floor in dirty silt laden water for dredging operations on the Yangtze River delta. So not only is this our first sale into China, it is also the first time the product has been successfully used for dredging purposes.

The market for surveying, dredging and marine construction in China holds great potential for increased Wassp sales. This is the first of more than 15 orders into China this year and follows a number of trips by our staff providing technology presentations and trial programmes to major Chinese corporations.”

China Communication Construction, which is listed on the Hong Kong stock exchange and participates in state level engineering construction projects, owns the vessel on the Yangtze. China Communication Construction was included in the “Global 500” by Fortune Magazine in July 2008.

It has been involved in the design and construction of a significant number of large and medium-sized ports and navigation channels along China’s coast and inland rivers as well as infrastructure construction projects such as major first-class expressways, mega bridges and tunnels in China.

The Wassp provides real time profiling of the dredging location at a wide 120-degree swath from port to starboard, accurately profiling the seafloor and water column. The swath is comprised of 112 dynamic beams, which are stabilised with the addition of a motion sensor.

The Wassp’s multibeam sonar is superior to conventional single beam sounders and can operate in turbid water caused by dredging activity, provide realtime 3D images of dredge scars and provides sea floor hardness identification.