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Dampier Tug Haven Upgrade Integrated Marine Site Characterisation
How QOffshore supported GAIA Marine with hydrographic and geophysical survey delivery within a multidisciplinary port-upgrade investigation.
CLIENT
GAIA Marine
REGION
Dampier, Pilbara, WA
FIELDWORK
8-13 November 2025
QOFFSHORE ROLE
Specialist marine survey support
SERVICE
MBES, SBP & integrated
site data
SCALE
2 core survey areas / ~0.40
km² MBES
PLATFORMS
ASV + 2 crewed vessels
OUTPUTS
DTM, SBP, metocean &
benthic interfaces
The client issue
The practical question
How can high-resolution seabed and sub-surface information be captured safely and consistently across shallow, confined and operational port areas, then integrated into engineering-ready datasets?
The survey challenge
Shallow and confined access
The Tug Haven included shallow margins, berths, piles and restricted manoeuvring areas alongside active infrastructure.
Multi-platform integration
ASV MBES, crewed-vessel SBP, wave/current instruments and benthic imagery had to align to a consistent survey framework.
Live operational environment
Vessel movements, spring tides, shallow water and temporary structures required adaptive planning and infill coverage.
What QOffshore provided
Working for GAIA Marine, QOffshore supported the hydrographic and geophysical workstreams within a broader
multi-disciplinary programme. High-density MBES and SBP acquisition, careful calibration, tide and positioning
control, and integrated QA/QC produced a consistent technical record for the project team.
Plan and verify
Align survey extents, calibrations, geodetic control and daily operational constraints.
Map the seabed
Acquire 0.25 m-grid MBES from a Uni-Mini ASV, including shallow and confined areas.
Resolve the sub-surface
Use Innomar SBP to define seabed and shallow reflectors with crossline verification.
Integrate and deliver
Cross-check MBES and SBP, process surfaces and support the wider project data package.
~0.40 km²
CORE MBES COVERAGE
408 million
ACCEPTED SOUNDINGS
4
SURVEY DISCIPLINES
3
SURVEY PLATFORMS
DECISION-READY OUTPUTS
- 0.25 m DTM, XYZ and GeoTIFF bathymetry
- SBP reflector interpretation, isopach grids and contours
- Cross-verification, tide control and survey QA/QC
- Interfaces with wave/current monitoring and benthic datasets
- Consolidated technical reporting for engineering review
Outcome and client value
Full MBES coverage was achieved across both core areas with no data gaps, while the SBP programme
successfully resolved the seabed and shallow reflectors. The combined survey record gave GAIA Marine a
consistent technical basis for port-upgrade planning, engineering review and follow-on assessment.
THE SUCCESS STORY
QOffshore helped turn a complex, multi-platform port survey into a coherent sitecharacterisation package linking shallow-water bathymetry, sub-surface interpretation and disciplined QA/QC.
