STING MkII Seabed Penetrometer
The STING (Seabed Terminal Impact Newton Gradiometer) is a unique, easy-to-use free-falling penetrometer for rapid seabed composition analysis. Deployable from vessels as small as a dinghy, the STING provides detailed sediment profiling data for marine surveys, offshore construction planning, geotechnical investigations, and more.
Applications
Harbor & Port Surveys: Assess seabed conditions for salvage and dredging operations, berth construction, and harbor expansion projects. Identify soft sediment layers that affect foundation stability and dredge volume estimates.
Subsea Cable & Pipeline Route Selection: Profile seabed bearing strength along proposed routes to identify burial depth requirements, unstable sediment zones, and optimal installation corridors. Rapid survey coverage reduces route survey costs.
Offshore Wind Farm Site Assessment: Characterize seabed sediments for foundation design and installation planning. Identify sediment layering that affects monopile or jacket foundation performance.
Environmental Impact Studies: Document baseline seabed conditions for environmental assessments. Track sediment changes from dredging, construction, or natural processes over time.
Specifications
Depth measurements
| Measurement depth range | 0m to 200m |
| Max operational depth | 300m |
| Depth resolution | 0.05m (12 bits) |
Acceleration measurements
| Measurement range | 0G to +10G |
| Resolution | 0.0025G (12 bits) |
| Load bearing strength measurement range | 0kPa to 950kPa |
Physical specs
| Weight | 10kg w/ standard 1m shaft +3kg for each 1m shaft extension |
| Materials | 304 stainless steel body Anodized aluminum end cap PVC tail cone |
| Power | Rechargable internal battery |
| Recommended retrieval tether | 4.8mm type SC-6 braid |
Applications
Harbor & Port Surveys: Assess seabed conditions for salvage and dredging operations, berth construction, and harbor expansion projects. Identify soft sediment layers that affect foundation stability and dredge volume estimates.
Subsea Cable & Pipeline Route Selection: Profile seabed bearing strength along proposed routes to identify burial depth requirements, unstable sediment zones, and optimal installation corridors. Rapid survey coverage reduces route survey costs.
Offshore Wind Farm Site Assessment: Characterize seabed sediments for foundation design and installation planning. Identify sediment layering that affects monopile or jacket foundation performance.
Environmental Impact Studies: Document baseline seabed conditions for environmental assessments. Track sediment changes from dredging, construction, or natural processes over time.
Specifications
Depth measurements
| Measurement depth range | 0m to 200m |
| Max operational depth | 300m |
| Depth resolution | 0.05m (12 bits) |
Acceleration measurements
| Measurement range | 0G to +10G |
| Resolution | 0.0025G (12 bits) |
| Load bearing strength measurement range | 0kPa to 950kPa |
Physical specs
| Weight | 10kg w/ standard 1m shaft +3kg for each 1m shaft extension |
| Materials | 304 stainless steel body Anodized aluminum end cap PVC tail cone |
| Power | Rechargable internal battery |
| Recommended retrieval tether | 4.8mm type SC-6 braid |
How to use the STING
1. Deploy
At just 10kg (with standard 1m shaft), the STING can be easily deployed even from small dinghies. Its fully self-contained electronics include data-logging and a power supply, meaning it can be deployed with just a simple fiber rope without any topside connectivity requirements during deployment.
2. Impact
Continuous 2kHz deceleration sampling captures fine resolution sediment layering and transitions that single-measurement bearing strength profile penetrometers miss.
3. Adjust
Pull the STING up enough to dislodge its impact leg and perform additional drops in a single deployment. The STING’s streamlined body makes it easy to deploy and recover by hand. No heavy recovery equipment required.
Full recovery is not necessary between subsequent impacts, as long as the STING is at least pulled up enough to clear the surface of the seafloor.
4. Re-deploy
Perform multiple drops per single deployment to collect a good sampling of the seafloor at a drop site and account for anomaly impacts like the STING hitting a rock.
5. Analyze
Recover the STING back to surface and connect it to a PC with the STING’s Windows-compatible software installed.
The STING software automatically calculates bearing strength profiles and sediment strata from raw acceleration data. Graphs show penetration depth vs. bearing strength without any specialized interpretation skills required.