Hard-Earned Marine Equipment ! Launch and Recovery System for Ocean Survey

Posted by Allison Smith on June 11th, 2021

If you are a marine or ocean survey scientist, then you know how important a launch and recovery system is to the success of your operation. When you deploy your operation, there are a number of devices that you have to launch in order for the entire operation to go in a way that will enable success. For example, when you are trying to survey the ocean, you may need the help of an acoustic doppler current profiler, a piece of equipment that con both confer data on immediate current patterns, as well as predict the currents in the water up to minutes, and in some cases hours, ahead of time. However, the hydroacoustic current meter (another word for a doppler current radar), must actually be lowered into the water. If you are trying to add another layer to your process, then you may think about how you want to use an ROV (roving underwater vehicle) and an ultra short baseline positioning system to be able to keep track of your ROV when it is submerged and potentially on the seafloor.

The most important part of a marine and ocean science operation and/or deployment is not just the data-collection, it is the recovery process too!

Once the equipment is lowered into the water, especially in deep waters, a science team on the ocean needs a reliable and controllable way to bring the hydroacoustic current meter or acoustic doppler current profiler back up to the surface of the water. This is where a launch and recovery apparatus will come in and save the day. Having a high quality one from a vendor you trust is going to be an absolute must as you come to deal with the back end of your ocean data collection operation.

Ocean Survey Equipment and the Flexibility to Get What You Need from Your Investments in Ocean Survey Science

If you are in the market to rent or buy ocean survey equipment, then chances are you also have the organizational bandwidth to handle the planning necessary to get the equipment onto your ship and then, if you have rented the equipment, back to the place where you originally received the equipment. Yes, it will take a little bit of work to navigate and coordinate the more logistic elements of your operation, but your investments will certainly not be unfruitful if you have dedicated the right resources to the big picture issues surrounding ocean and ocean science equipment. Thankfully, there are multiple teams that you can engage on the road to making your operation a success in both the short and the long terms. 

Science is not the only consideration for when you have to conduct an offshore deployment – planning, coordination and logistics are key as well!

If you want to balance your budget and your team well, then planning beforehand will be exactly what you need. You may need to cut your budget a little bit at the margins in order to shore up and stay conservative about your costs when it comes to the equipment that you buy or rent, but thankfully an ocean science consultant can get you sorted out. Whether you need an ultra short baseline system or a launch and recovery apparatus, the best ocean science rental and consulting firms can have you covered.