Ulstein designs Korean seismic research vessel

June 2, 2021
The Korea Institute of Geoscience and Mineral Resources has selected the ULSTEIN SX134 design for its new 3D/4D seismic vessel.

Offshore staff

ULSTEINVIK, Norway – The Korea Institute of Geoscience and Mineral Resources (KIGAM) has selected the ULSTEIN SX134 design for its new 3D/4D seismic vessel.

Hanjin Heavy Industries & Construction Co. is building the 92-m (302-ft) long and 21-m (102-ft) wide vessel in South Korea.

The vessel will function as a base for up to 30 researchers and accommodate a crew of up to 20.

According to Ulstein, the vessel has been designed to include a variety of installed equipment, such as a 3D/4D seismic eight-streamer system, high-resolution 2D/3D seismic P-cable system, a multicomponent ocean bottom node acquisition system, a marine gravity and magnetic system, multibeam and single beam echosounders, and auxiliary equipment for in sea acoustic sounding systems.

It also incorporates a deep-sea chirp sub-bottom profiler, an acoustic doppler current profiler, and an underwater positioning system. Sediment samplers and geochemical analysis equipment are available for the onboard researchers.

The X-BOW hull line design is said to lead to reduction in slamming and vibrations. This design increases the operability of the vessel, reduces speed loss, and will have an improved effect on recording of data when in operation, the company claimed. The design with its modern technology is said to ensure efficient operations with less fuel consumption and environmental footprint.

06/02/2021