The National Center for Wildlife (NCW) has launched new research vessels at Bay La Sun Beach, in King Abdullah Economic City, to facilitate vital environmental research along the Kingdom's coastlines.
The research will focus on protecting ecosystems and biodiversity in Saudi Arabia's territorial waters, to ensure their sustainability.
NCW's research fleet now counts eight vessels, including two 15-meter boats. It also has a fleet of 42 inspection boats. Further expansion is planned for upcoming phases.
The newly launched vessels boast cutting-edge equipment and technologies, including multibeam echosounders, which utilize sound waves to map the seafloor and surrounding features at depths of up to 1,500 meters, Remotely Operated Vehicles (ROVs) for capturing underwater imagery, and Autonomous Underwater Vehicles (AUVs) for operating side-scan sonar and other remotely controlled functions.
The research boats, outfitted with a suite of environmental sensors, including the Conductivity, Temperature, and Depth (CTD) sensor and the Acoustic Doppler Current Profiler (ADCP), will collect crucial data on water quality parameters like temperature, salinity, and density at various depths, along with water current speed and direction.
This advanced suite of equipment promises to significantly enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of NCW’s marine research.
