Multibeam echo sounder for EEZ mapping

This paper describes a new 30 kHz multibeam echo sounder specifically designed for EEZ mapping and the deep ocean requirements of the oil industry. It has a depth range of 10-5000 m, a swath width of more than 5 km or 6 times water depth, and a system accuracy of typically better than 0.2% RMS. It is the first multibeam echo sounder to compensate for vessel yaw which is required to achieve 100% bottom coverage at large depths. It is a modular system allowing the transducer size and thus beamwidth to be taylored to particular vessel requirements. The resolution may be very high with 135 beams and 1° beamwidth on both receive and transmit, interferometric bottom detection and seabed imaging are standard features of the system