.png)
.png)
4 December 2014
In April 2014, Atlas was awarded a tender to provide a Surveyor in Charge for the Secretariat of the Pacific Community (SPC) and conduct a hydrographic survey around Vanuatu. The survey showed how the SPC could benefit the local communities and ensure that the residents are educated in how they can use their resources for their economic development.
The island of Vanuatu is a regular hotspot for the tourist trade however as the seabed had not been surveyed since the mid 20th century, this made it difficult for cruise liners to enter the island’s ports. This was a major project for Hydrographic Surveyor Kristoffer Eberle who knew that this was a big opportunity. “I remember I got a call from Alex Meeks to see if I would be interested in this role. I was speechless; I was really happy that I was chosen for this opportunity and before I knew it I was in Fiji two weeks later.”
This resulted in Kristoffer signing a 154 day contract, “Kris was the reason why Atlas was able to sign the contract with the SPC,” says Newquay Operations Manager Alex Meeks, “myself and Account Manager Gemma Tiffin agreed on Kris due to his expertise and experience in the field. Kris worked on the project for 133 days assessing the critical areas of Luganville, Champagne Bay on Espiritu Santo and the islands of Wala, Malekula, Homo Bay and Pentecost.” The project started as a response to a hydrographic risk assessment that was carried out on the area. The SPC gathered the team to carry out the survey, “It was a good opportunity for the SPC,” says Kristoffer, “as it showed how the organisation could really benefit the community.”
Kristoffer’s previous experience as a land surveyor helped him in the planning process, “The most important aspect on a job such as this is to have good communication with everybody involved and a lot of patience. In a location like Vanuatu it’s a lot more difficult to find a quick solution to something. For instance if the equipment breaks, it can be time consuming waiting for the part to be shipped from Australia. You always have to be prepared for whatever may come your way.”
On a project of this size Kristoffer worked on a 12m police boat operated by the Government of Vanuatu, “I was quite happy working on a boat that size as the conditions were a lot tougher than expected. This was because we were mainly working in shallow depths, sometimes up to 1m of water depth, the boat was more accessible to confined areas and this allowed us to create a more detailed map.”
Surprisingly there was little difference between the charts that were issued during the Second World War and the new maps created by Kristoffer, “I was very impressed on how accurate the charts were already,” says Kris, “there were only a few changes that we identified such as deeper shoals and we also found some shipwrecks. The digital charts will allow cruise liners to establish these dangers in the future. All of that data was forwarded to the UK Hydrographic Office so that they can update them accordingly.”
Overall the experience was an unforgettable one for Kristoffer, “living with the locals and enjoying their food, culture and lifestyle I got to see things that don’t occur every day. They welcomed us as they knew that this was also a big opportunity for them. It was definitely an adventure and one of the best experiences I’ve had as a surveyor.”
