Since beginning commercial operations in January 2001 for BP, C & C has completed over 5500 miles of AUV survey lines. The projects completed with the HUGIN AUV thus far have been site hazard and preliminary pipeline surveys. Although the majority of the 2001 AUV surveys were completed for oil and gas companies with deepwater projects in the Gulf of Mexico, the HUGIN did perform several government site hazard surveys to study the environmental effects of deepwater drilling. To date, C & C is still the only company in the world to offer commercial deepwater AUV survey services.

The HUGIN 3000 AUV is an untethered Autonomous Underwater Vehicle (AUV) equipped with multibeam swath high resolution bathymetry and imagery, chirp side-scan sonar and sub-bottom profiler, C-Nav™ differential GPS integrated with acoustic / inertial navigation and acoustic communications. The system also includes a proven high seas launch and retrieval system and is stored in two containers that can be air freighted worldwide. The AUV is deployed from the mother ship in a free-swimming mode (without umbilical) for up to 50 hours endurance. It surveys at four knots in water depths up to 3000 meters before surfacing for refueling of the Aluminum Oxygen fuel cell. The HUGIN collects seafloor and sub-bottom data on a predefined route, while sending sub-sampled data back to the mother ship for real-time QC/QA via "acoustic modem". On-board engineers analyze the real time data and route accessibility is determined. If the route must be altered, program commands can be sent to the AUV via the acoustic modem.

Over the past year, this innovative survey tool has provided clients with exceptionally accurate data. The improved quality, coupled with the time and cost savings, has given C & C's clients new options that were never feasible with conventional deeptow methods.

C & C Technologies employs over 160 employees and provides worldwide offshore and land surveying services. For more information on C & C Technologies' AUV services please contact Jay Northcutt at Tel: + 337-261-0660, visit their website at http://www.cctechnol.com, or send email to info@cctechnol.com.

The Cable Tracker 1 system has two parts, the Signal Injector and the Cable Tracker Probe. The Signal Injector is attached to an exposed part of the cable on land. A 25 or 1,024 Hz signal is induced into the cable. This signal is quickly and easily detected using the CT Probe. When searching for power cables it is not necessary to use the signal injector as the probe can also detect the 50 or 60 Hz frequency of an AC voltage line. The CT Probe displays its detection of the cable with both visual and audio outputs. As it approaches the buried cable, the signal gets stronger in the earphone. At the same time, the Probe’s LED bar graph is lighting up more segments indicating increasing proximity to the cable. When the diver is directly over the cable the signal will suddenly drop to near zero, called the null spot. If he goes past the cable, the signal will jump to pull scale again. This method allows the cable’s exact position to be very accurately pinpointed. The Cable Tracker 1 system is so effective at finding cables, in many cases the the cable can located and tracked from a boat on the surface. The system works equally well out of water and can be used to locate cables on land.

Priced at thousands less than similar systems being offered, the Cable Tracker 1 is a rugged reliable system backed by Fishers exclusive 2 year warranty. For more information on the this system or a color brochure on all of Fishers quality underwater search products, contact Christopher Combs at JW Fishers Mfg. Inc., 1953 County St., East Taunton, MA 02718, USA. Phone: (800) 822-4744 or (508) 822-7330. Fax: (508) 880-8949. E-mail to jwfishers@aol.com or check out the web site at http://www.jwfishers.com

COA and Fugro GEOS have installed an oceanographic mooring in 2000m of water on the Scotian Slope, about 150 miles south of Halifax, Nova Scotia. It comprises a suite of nine instruments (two RD Instruments' acoustic Doppler current profilers and seven Aanderaa recording current meters) measuring current speed and direction as well as sea temperature. The instruments are collecting data for nine months over the harshest period of the year in advance of proposed drilling operations.

When the first data from the mooring were recovered, COA's Bruce Batstone explained their significance: "The region is not well known and is expected to be oceanographically complex due to interaction between the Labrador Current, Gulf Stream eddies and the Denmark Overflow. Our preliminary analysis shows the instruments have captured several important phenomena, including the effects of Hurricane Karen which passed directly over the mooring."

The mooring was designed to complement concurrent Scotian Slope measurements undertaken by Canada's Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) about 120 miles to the east-north-east. The DFO mooring is the first to make measurements on the 'Halifax Line', an oceanographic survey line running south-east out from Halifax, have been extended into 2000m of water. Together, the two moorings will provide a unique dataset covering this dynamic area of the Scotian Slope.

The combination of COA and Fugro GEOS builds on both parties' strengths and expertise to provide a high-quality service tailored to meet the clients' needs offshore Nova Scotia. After collecting the data, the team will analyse them to develop extreme and normal operating criteria in support of Drilling Plan Applications for the neighbouring prospects.

COA is a Nova Scotian oceanographic company with extensive experience on the continental shelf of Atlantic Canada. As well as providing local logistical and procurement assistance to meet the rapid mobilisation requirement set by the clients, it supplies personnel for field operations and for the analysis and reporting of data.

Fugro GEOS has extensive experience in the design and deployment of moorings in deep and ultra-deep waters and is providing the mooring instrumentation as well as personnel for field operations. Fugro GEOS also works closely with COA on the data quality control and technical review aspects required by the project.

More information from Bruce Batstone, Coastal Ocean Associates, Nova Scotia, Tel: (1) 902 463 7677; Fax: (1) 902 463 5696 or Rob Smith, Fugro GEOS, Houston, Tel: (1) 713 346 3600; Fax: (1) 713 346 3605.

Captain "Francisco Ayarza Ordernes" and his motor vessel "Chonos" offers tourist excursions guided by diving experts to the many wrecks still existing in the waters of the Strait of Magellan. The 55 ft length Ketch "Chonos" has a steel hull,180 HP and 120 square meters of sails.

Captain "Francisco" is a successful local businessman with in-depth knowledge and decades of experience in the Strait of Magellan and Antarctic Territory. His experienced diving experts can supervise the exploration of British, German and French Steamers wrecked during the nineteenth and 20th centuries. Explore bays visited by Joshua Slocum ("Sailing Alone Around the WORLD") at 1896.

The "Chonos" accommodates 4 to 5 guests comfortably for Orca and Whale watching activities in addition to the superb once-in-a-lifetime diving experience. Charter Sailing Packages go for around U$ 1.500 per person for 5 days (max 5 people per trip). Diving Equipment is included (dry suits,ice regulator DACOR type,tanks,etc).

For more information and pictures of the "Chonos" and area, e-mail Captain "Francisco Ayarza Ordernes" francisco@e-pageads.com

CheckMate provides automatic, continuous real-time kinematic (RTK) integrity monitoring for 99.9% reliability in centimeter-level accuracy GPS surveying.

With CheckMate, the System 500 continually calculates two separate sets of RTK ambiguities. By comparing the two, the system ensures that the correct ambiguity solutions are always being applied. Whenever it detects a disagreement between the two ambiguity sets, it sounds an audible alarm, displays a visual message and automatically reverts to precise differential code positioning while it restarts the ambiguity search routine from the beginning.

"In operation, CheckMate resolves ambiguities on the fly twice, performs a statistical analysis, computes the coordinates of the rover and maintains 99.9% reliability for centimeter-level accuracy," said Hugh Baertlein, vice president for survey products in North America for Leica Geosystems. "And it does all this in less than ten seconds."

Baertlein said that Leica is offering special promotional programs to introduce System 500 with CheckMate to the North American market, including 2.99% financing with no payments and no interest for 12 months, a GPS receiver trade-in credit and a $2,500 discount on the purchase of a Leica TCRA1102 robotic total station when buying a System 500.

Since its initial introduction in 1999, Leica's System 500 has established the industry benchmark for high-precision GPS surveying. System 500 products provide efficient cost-effective single- and dual-frequency real-time solutions for a wide range of surveying applications.

Leica Geosystems, with worldwide headquarters in Heerbrugg, Switzerland, develops, manufactures and markets systems for surveying, mapping and position determination. The company, with 2,750 employees, has a turnover of over 600 million Swiss francs and is listed on the Swiss Exchange. It is structured in six divisions: Surveying and Engineering, GIS and Mapping, Industrial Measurement, Special Products, Consumer Products and New Businesses (Cyrax). Along with the Swiss facilities, the company also has development and production subsidiaries in America and Asia and is represented by 20 sales units and more than 100 representatives worldwide.

If you would like a high-resolution digital image or slide, please contact Mary Swetits at mswetits@rhodescomm.com

The vessel will conduct hydrographic, geophysical and ecological surveys to produce high resolution data in support of a wide range of activities, including port development, dredging, cable routes, pipeline landfalls and environmental studies.

Towed systems include EdgeTech sidescan sonar with Triton digital processor, sub-bottom profilers, video cameras and oceanographic data gatherers. Emu Surveyor is fitted with a hydrographic survey echo sounder, DGPS for positioning and navigation software and powered by 2 x 300 HP John Deer diesel engines giving a top speed of 20 knots.

Their hydrography /oceanography departments are currently looking for an office, CAD-based survey data processor. Contact maddy.lees@emulimited.com for additional information,or check out their website at http://www.emulimited.com