Dutch survey company Geoplus BV. is one of the first customers to order Kongsberg Maritime’s cutting-edge 4th generation multibeam echosounder, the EM2040. The EM 2040 is the world’s only true wide band high resolution multibeam.
The order was taken by Kongsberg Maritime’s Dutch subsidiary Kongsberg Maritime BV.
The new multibeam is designed for shallow water mapping and survey inspection, and is due to be installed aboard Geoplus BV’s survey vessel BNR 1640 in September 2010. The vessel is currently under construction and is being built under Lloyd’s Class, which will enable the vessel to operate in the Antarctic and tropical areas.
The EM 2040 will be configured with a 0.5 x1 degree dual head array. The EM 2040 dual head system provides a wide swath of 200 degrees and a frequency range of 200 to 400 kHz. It is available in 0.5 x 1, 1 x 1 and 1 x 2 degrees transducer array. Geoplus BV will use the EM 2040 for survey activities such as bathymetry and pipe line inspection on shallow waters, but due to its wide frequency range deep water survey is also possible.
The EM 2040 improves on the already popular EM 3002 with several new, advanced functions, such as: dual swath per ping to allow twice the survey speed, FM chirp to achieve a much longer range capability, complete roll, pitch and yaw stabilization, and nearfield focusing both during transmit and receive.
