The Port of S\u00e3o Francisco do Sul will start this week a bathymetry service that will cover the entire access channel in Babitonga Bay and the port’s seven berths. The service aims to map the depths of the port area and survey the underwater topography. This information is crucial to ensure the safety of the vessels, as it detects possible silted areas.<\/p>\n
The results will also serve as a reference for dredging the channel and the berths, a service expected to be contracted in the next months, depending on the current depths identified during the process. Bathymetry is done using a device called an echobathymeter, which measures the depth by emitting acoustic signals.<\/p>\n
The device is placed inside a vessel that crosses the entire waterway access and mooring berths for three days. With the data collected, maps are produced in which different colors represent different depths.<\/p>\n
The contract, worth R$ 2 million, entails a recurrent bathymetry service to be done every three months for two years, with the possibility of extending it for up to five years. The payment is made after the service has been performed at the end of the bathymetry campaign.<\/p>\n
According to Volnei Batista, the Maritime Support manager, hiring this service shows the port authority’s concern for its customers. “We are ensuring that ships can enter and leave the Port safely and efficiently,” he said, noting that this is the first time that S\u00e3o Francisco do Sul<\/strong><\/a> has a permanent bathymetry contract. “The survey will support the development of the periodic dredging<\/strong> <\/a>program, one of the priorities of the current management, and whose hiring should be done after identifying needs and planning priorities.”<\/p>\n The bathymetric survey will be done by a certified company that must strictly follow the procedures determined by the Board of Hydrography and Navigation, an organization of the Brazilian Navy responsible for navigation and projects related to the Brazilian maritime and river area.<\/p>\n