telecom projects - peru

Ecuador

Mexico (Cabo San Jose, Mazatlan, Ixtapa, Lazaro Cardenas)

Papua New Guinea

Peru

Mancora, Peru

In January 2006 Global Remote Sensing was awarded a series of  inshore projects that required a geophysical marine survey in shallow water up to 20 meters water depth, an inshore dive survey, and topographic study in and around beach landing areas for preparation of a planned fiber-optic cable. 

GRS's international team was able to transition from a recent job and immediately mobilized for this project in less than two weeks time.  An agent, SMECS – Peru, was hired on to assist with logistics and customs issues.  Together, the SMECS representatives and the GRS team cleared equipment and transited to the remote location – Mancora, Peru, where the first leg of the fiber optic cable was to land.  The second leg of planned route was at Punta, Carnero, Ecuador.

Limited assets on this portion of coast in Peru forced GRS to utilize a local vessel of opportunity – a wooden Peruvian fishing vessel.  GRS surveyors mobilized this vessel and trained the boat captains on crude methods in driving the boat using Hypack Survey software.  Despite problems with the vessels engine and bulky fishing equipment, the geophysical survey was completed in two days.  The topographic survey was significantly more difficult.  Mancora, Peru is a seaside town with limited hardened structures and many obstacles that slowed the GRS real-time kinematic GPS survey down.  The benchmark was located 63 meters perched high near a tower on a cliff.  The journey up the mountain to establish a base point was precarious. SMECS assisted GRS surveyors with additional surveyors and equipment in order to adjust to these setbacks.

By far, one of the most difficult tasked the GRS diver experienced were the large-short breaking waves they encountered during their planned 5 dive lines in the inshore.  Usually, divers could "duck dive" under waves to layout and swim these planned lines.  However, the double sets of breaking waves were consistently over 2 meters high.  Coupled with zero-visibility, strong rip, cross-currents, and undertow, the conditions were perfect in making the dives extremely difficult to swim in.  Five 350 meter dives took GRS divers 3 days to complete.

Peru stretched GRS's capabilities in all aspects.  The SMECS team that was assigned to GRS performed at a level unexpected by anyone involved with this project. Together, the cooperation by the parties involved made what would have been a long and difficult project more manageable than was expected.  After a short transit by road the SMECS team's duties ended at the Peru/Ecuador border where their Ecuadorean counterparts took over for the second portion.

(Images: Overview of the planned cable routes for Peru (Yellow- South) and Equator (Blue – North).  Mancora, Peru.)

(Images: Vessel of opportunity.  The GRS team was forced to improvise and adapt to what was available since the nearest alternative was 650 miles away.  After modifications and alterations, the vessel on the left was used to conduct survey operations.  In most cases, vessels of this type are not used. Approach to Mancora, Peru from the north.  Coastal Peru is generally an arid desert with low-lying brush in January.)

(Images: GRS Team preparing for transit to Ecuador.  Processing in the field and writing reports with the client representative near the end of the survey day.)