Survey operations 30 aug thru 18 sep by M/V hesperides towing 3000 meter long cable in area bound by 45-35N…
Bay of Biscay · HYDROLANT 1641/03
What this record establishes
Archived notice · 2003-09-19 00:00Z
This notice comes from the historical archive. Its archived status does not establish when or how the reported situation ended.
- Source and dates
- NGA MSI broadcast-warn JSON (archive, frozen 2024-05) · NAVAREA II 275/03 280850Z AUG 03. Issued 2003-08-28 10:50Z. First collected 2026-08-17 13:38Z; last seen in collection 2026-08-17 15:46Z. Collection dates record ingestion, not a new incident or a fresh field observation.
- Location covered
- Bay of Biscay. The map shows an area described by the warning; the listed coordinate is its representative center. Check the original wording for limits and qualifications.
Current notices and reporting history in the Bay of Biscay →
- issued
- 2003-08-28 10:50Z
- status
- Archived notice
- authority
- NAVAREA II 275/03 280850Z AUG 03
- NAVAREA
- NAVAREA II · named as the source of this relay
- sea
- Bay of Biscay
- position
- 44.459, -4.179
- vessel
- M/V HESPERIDES · 31 messages
- source
- NGA MSI broadcast-warn JSON (archive, frozen 2024-05) · first seen 2026-08-17 13:38Z
Original warning text
1. SURVEY OPERATIONS 30 AUG THRU 18 SEP BY M/V HESPERIDES TOWING 3000 METER LONG CABLE IN AREA BOUND BY 45-35N 004-30W, 44-55N 002-25W, 43-30N 002-25W, 43-45N 005-55W, 45-00N 006-00W. 2. CANCEL THIS MSG 19 SEP.
Reading this warning
- Survey operations
- A research or survey vessel is mapping the seabed or water column, often while towing equipment.
- Towed array / streamer
- Equipment towed a long way behind a vessel — sonar, a hydrophone cable, a sampling sled — invisible at the surface.
- Tow / towing
- A vessel towing another vessel, a barge or a structure — slow, hard to manoeuvre, and with a long line between.
- Area bound by
- Introduces a list of positions that are the corners of an area — the polygon the warning applies to.
- Position (degrees and minutes)
- How warnings write positions: degrees, a hyphen, then minutes, with N/S and E/W — 49-40.8N 003-43.8W.
- CANCEL THIS MSG
- The warning's own expiry: a line telling the reader when the message cancels itself.
Collected reports in this area · survey operations
91 within 180 nm since 2000 · 0 in the last 12 months · 0 listed in force now
Counts include repeat notices about the same situation. NGA archive coverage ends 2024-05; live collection began 2026-08-17. The period between them is incomplete. An empty year is not evidence that no hazards occurred.
- Scientific mooring established in 44-10.03N 002-10.21W2024-07-21
- Scientific moorings, marked by buoys, established in: a. 45-51.50N 002-02.00W2024-07-10
- Survey operations 19 apr thru 28 may by M/V thalassa along trackline joining 47-50.31N 004-08.86W, 43-22.95N…2024-04-17
- Survey operations 09 thru 13 oct by M/V minibex in area bound by 45-44.78N 001-55.27W, 45-53.86N 002-02.56W,…2023-10-06
- Survey operations in progress until 060001Z oct by M/V pourquoi pas in area bound by 47-17.05N 009-17.05W,…2023-09-25
- Survey operations in progress until 112200Z oct by M/V emma bardan in area bound by 48-00.00N 005-50.00W,…2023-08-16
Month of issue in the collected archive
All available years combined. Uneven collection and repeat bulletins affect these counts; this chart does not measure the seasonality or probability of incidents.
Nearby notices listed in force · within 120 nm
No other collected notice is currently listed in force within this radius. This does not establish safe conditions.
Worldwide in the collected sources
56 survey operations listed in force · see all
Record snapshot 2026-10-03 05:47Z; source collection times vary.
Surveys
Hydrographic and scientific survey vessels, often towing long arrays. All current survey operations →
Not for navigation. This is a re-rendering of an official navigational warning for awareness; mariners must use official NAVAREA broadcasts and their national MSI service.