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Tuesday, January 4 2005
13:51 Hrs (IST)
"Has Tsunami altered the map?
Navy to conduct survey."
Port Blair: The Indian Navy has sent a huge ship
to carry out hydrographic survey to see if there is any
change in sea topography in the wake of the Tsunami disaster, which was
triggered by massive undersea
earthquake on December 26.
I N S Darshak, Captain of the ship, who came to the Naval jetty in Port
Blair with 50 tonnes of relief
materials from Vishakhapatnam, said today that the survey would check
if there has been any change in
the coastline as well.
"The ship can do multi-purpose
work including carrying out relief. But
after unloading relief we intend
to carry out hydrographic survey, particularly the 'check survey' to
ascertain whether any channel
is blocked after Tsunami or there has been some change in depth,"
Captain P Jayapal said.
He said that the ship carried out a survey in the area two months back.
Asked whether they were noticing any apparent change in the two-month
gap, the Captain said that
there was no drastic change as such. "But there
is very strong current, which is
unprecedented in this area".
Source - here.
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"Navy vessel to make
hydrographic chart of Tsunami-hit Andaman."
The largest
hydrographic survey vessel of the Indian Navy -- "INS Darshak" -- was
anchored here today
to prepare a new hydrographic chart of the Andaman and Nicobar
archipelago in the aftermath of
December 26 massive underwater tremor.
The vessel will make a clear picture of the underwater rubble in and
around the worst affected
island like Car Nicobar, Hut Bay and Campbell Bay and clear them to
make the navigational channel
free from all underwater obstruction, said Captain P Jaipal of "INS
Darshak".
Talking on board the state-of-the-art ship, commissioned into the
Indian Navy in 2001 and based
at Vishakapatnam under the Eastern Naval Command, Captain Jaipal said
they had also witnessed
on their way to Port Blair a phenomenal change in the flow of water
current in the sea unlike
the average speed of 0.8 knots.
"We observed that the current
was flowing at more than 2.5 knots which was quite
abnormal under the present circumstances," he said, adding that
they were awaiting the green
signal from the Naval Command here to sail for the worst affected areas
and immediately start the
underwater survey.
"Though it is too premature to presume
that there may be some hydrographic shift in
the island following the tremor, we will leave no stone unturned to get
a clear picture within the
next few days," he said.
Incidentally, the Centre has asked the Andaman and Nicobar
administration to prepare an action
plan for the rehabilitation of the quake and tsunami affected people in
the islands and submit
its report by January 15.
Source - here.
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India has declined help as their survey units are
intact and are actively surveying.
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Indian Navy renders Lankan harbours usable - See Sri Lankain entry below.
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30th January, 2005 22:40PM
"Tsunami affected depth of straits of Malacca"
PETALING JAYA, Jan
30 : The Dec 26 tsunami has affected the depth in
certain areas of
the Straits of Malacca, according to the Royal Malaysian Navy (RMN).
Assistant Chief of Staff (plans and operations) Laksamana Pertama Ahmad
Kamarulzaman Ahmad
Badaruddin, however, said the straits were safe for navigation as the
changes were "insignificant".
"In certain areas, the change is
just 0.2m while in the deep areas where the depth
is about 100m, the difference is between one to two metres.
"A ship normally has a draft (depth of a ship's hull) of six metres and
there is normally
30m below that draft.
So, there is no possibility that a ship will run aground," he
said when contacted Sunday.
Laksamana Ahmad Kamarulzaman said this was based on the results from
hydrographic surveys
conducted by RMN in two separate areas in the straits following the
tsunami disaster.
The surveys, he added were carried out in two areas - the northern
channel approaching
the Penang port and the strategic "choke point" off One Fathom Bank.
"Even though the initial results
did highlight changes in depth in some areas, the
difference is insignificant to cause any concerns.
Positions of navigational aids such as buoys, navigational beacons and
even underwater
wrecks within the surveyed areas have not changed," he said,
adding that the study was
RMN's commitment to ensure the safety of navigation in the busy
waterways.
Laksamana Ahmad Kamarulzaman, who said the study would continue for a
few months, added that
the surveys were currently concentrated within areas considered most
critical in terms of
density of shipping, exposure to the tsunami, depth coverage and
strategic perspective.
He said the data from the surveys were compared to navigational charts
produced by
the Navy Hydrographic Department, bathymetric and hydrographic
databases compiled
during the last four-nation joint survey in 1997 that involved
Malaysia,
Indonesia, Singapore and Japan.
He said that detailed analysis on tidal ranges in Langkawi, Lumut and
Port Klang had not shown any abnormalities.
"Checks with the Malaysian
Department of Mapping and Survey also confirmed no change in
the mean sea levels off the affected coastal areas in Malaysia,"
he said.
Laksamana Ahmad Kamarulzaman said that the RMN hydrographic survey
vessel KD Perantau, with its
multi-beam echo sounder, would be carrying out surveys in news areas
off the northern approach to
One Fathom Bank and the vicinity of Tanjung Gabang, both of which are
in waters off Port Klang.
"The Navy Hydrographic
Department will continue to conduct surveys in other areas along
the straits and maritime communities will be informed if there are
significant
changes that may endanger the safety of navigation," he added.
Source - here.
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Malaysian hydrographers are surveying the ferry
routes with side-scan sonar.
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The survey vessel of Sri Lanka was lost in the
tsunami.
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Indian Navy renders Lankan
harbours usable.
The Indian Navy's hydrographic
survey teams and clearing crews are
enabling Sri Lanka to operationalise
harbours, which were hit by the tsunami on December 26.
An Indian High Commission official told Hindustan Times on Wednesday,
that the task of making hydrographic
maps of all the affected harbours and clearing them for use, would be
completed within the next two weeks.
Soundings, which help find the depth at various places, were being done.
The harbours in Galle, Trincomalee and Colombo had been surveyed and
the maps handed over to the Sri
Lankan authorities, the official said. Tangalle, Hambantota, and
Kankesanthurai would be taken up soon,
to complete the entire task within the next two weeks.
Some harbours like Colombo were not damaged, but had got silted. Galle
harbour, on the other hand,
had to be cleared of debris. Boats, which had run aground and were
blocking the passage had to be cut
and removed by Indian and Sri Lankan naval diving crews.
Trincomalee was surveyed and it was found that it was clear.
The port, as such, was intact also.
Kankesanthurai, Jaffna's major port, will be taken up next, the
official said.
In fact, all the harbours in the affected coastline, except those,
which are in the LTTE-controlled areas,
will be surveyed and cleared.
Source - here.
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The UK
Hydrographic Office is sending a survey unit onboard a relief vessel to
support the opening of ports - more. |
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2nd February 2005
The U.S.A. has had two Fleet Survey Teams working along the west coast
of Sumatra.
They have conducted baseline/reconnaissance surveys at Banda Aceh,
Lamno, Lho Kruet, Laguen,
Calang, Krueng Tenom, Lhok Bubon and Meulaboh.
The USNS MCDONNELL is conducting a full hydrographic survey of
Meulaboh.
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2nd February 2005 12:25:00
PM
"Navy Ship Surveys Tsunami-affected Waters"
From Military Sealift Command Public Affairs.
WASHINGTON (NNS) -- Military Sealift Command hydrographic survey ship
USNS John McDonnell
(T-AGS 51) is in her second week of operation supporting the United
States' humanitarian relief
efforts in Southeast Asia following the Dec. 26 tsunami that devastated
coastlines throughout the region.
One of 11 MSC ships currently involved in Operation Unified Assistance,
McDonnell has been
conducting hydrographic surveys off the coast of Indonesia for most of
January, near the epicenter
of the 9.0 earthquake that triggered one of the largest natural
disasters in recent history.
Equipped with a multibeam sonar system used to chart the ocean floor,
McDonnell is working to map
harbors and coastal channels in the area in order to identify
navigational hazards and potential
obstacles left by the tsunami. Once collected, survey data will be
distributed to relief ships
and involved countries to ensure the safe delivery of badly needed
supplies and personnel
throughout the region.
MSC's seven hydrographic and oceanographic survey ships are used to
study the earth's oceans,
collect data and chart three-fourths of the world's coastlines.
"MSC special mission ships like
USNS John McDonnell have a proud history of responding to
crises around the world," said Vice Adm. David L. Brewer III,
commander of Military Sealift Command. "The
oceanographic data that is
collected will help ensure safe passage for ships that
transit the area."
Twenty-three mariners employed by a ship operating company under
contract to MSC operate
the 208-foot McDonnell, while nine scientists from the U.S. Naval
Oceanographic Office operate the
ship's survey equipment.
The ship is expected to stay in the region for nearly two months.
Today, MSC is operating 140 noncombatant, civilian-crewed ships around
the world, with many of
them supporting the global war on terrorism.
MSC ships replenish Navy ships at sea, chart ocean bottoms, conduct
undersea surveillance,
strategically preposition combat cargo at sea around the world and move
95 percent of
military equipment and supplies used by deployed U.S. forces.
For related news on Navy tsunami relief operations, visit the Focus on
Tsunami Relief Operations
page - here.
Source - here.
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11th January 2005
Two US ships the USNS John McDonnell and the USNS Mary Sears are being
operated by the US Naval Oceanographic Office.
One ship is to investigate two shoal soundings reported in deep water
of the Strait of Malacca.
The other ship is picking up small boats which will be needed for
opening up ports.
The US Navy has yet to task the two ships with areas of work.
Permission is being sought from coastal states.
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