Provision of a Side Scan Sonar System

Tender description

Since 2010, BIM has incorporated using a side scan sonar system in its annual seabed surveys providing the aquaculture and inshore fishing industries, as well as relevant authorities, with high quality data. The system is mainly used to locate and map benthic shellfish populations such as mussel beds in the inshore coastal waters around the Republic of Ireland in an effort to provide accurate quantitative estimations to ensure the sustainability of the fishery. The system is usually used from the 10 meter BIM inshore survey boat M.V. T.BURKE, but it has been used in waters as shallow as 1 meter depth on smaller vessels. The system will be deployed in depths from 1 to 30 m in strong tidal current conditions with high turbidity. The normal survey period is around 70 to 85 days actual vessel time in a season so a durable system with easy maintenance and back up service is required.