Surveys

Survey operations in progress until 30 mar 19 by M/V kommandor stuart towing 500 meter long cables, M/V…

Bay of Biscay · HYDROLANT 3902/18

What this record establishes

Archived notice · 2019-01-25 09:48Z

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 495/18 141450Z DEC 18.. Issued 2018-12-14 16:47Z. 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 the reported line or operation extent; it is not a vessel track. Check the original wording for limits and qualifications.

Current notices and reporting history in the Bay of Biscay →

issued
2018-12-14 16:47Z
status
Archived notice
authority
NAVAREA II 495/18 141450Z DEC 18.
NAVAREA
NAVAREA II · named as the source of this relay
sea
Bay of Biscay
position
46.322, -5.383
vessels
M/V FUGRO DISCOVERY · 26 messagesM/V KOMMANDOR STUART · 3 messages
source
NGA MSI broadcast-warn JSON (archive, frozen 2024-05) · first seen 2026-08-17 13:38Z

Original warning text

EASTERN NORTH ATLANTIC.
BAY OF BISCAY.
FRANCE.
DNC 08.
1. SURVEY OPERATIONS IN PROGRESS UNTIL 30 MAR 19
   BY M/V KOMMANDOR STUART TOWING 500 METER LONG
   CABLES, M/V FUGRO DISCOVERY
   ALONG TRACKLINE BETWEEN
   46-43.7N 001-59.4W AND 45-55.0N 008-46.6W.
   WIDE BERTH REQUESTED.
2. CANCEL HYDROLANT 3782/18.
3. CANCEL THIS MSG 31 MAR 19.

Reading this warning

DNC (Digital Nautical Chart)
A reference to one of the regions of NGA's Digital Nautical Chart, used to tell the reader which charts a warning affects.
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.
Track line joining
Introduces a route through a series of positions — a cable route, a tow's track or a survey line.
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.
Wide berth requested
Keep well clear — or, when a distance is given ("TWO MILE BERTH REQUESTED"), at least that far away.
Cancellation reference
A line that cancels an earlier warning by its number, such as CANCEL HYDROLANT 1085/12.
HYDROLANT
The U.S. long-range warning series for Atlantic waters outside NAVAREA IV, including the eastern Atlantic, the Mediterranean and adjoining seas.
CANCEL THIS MSG
The warning's own expiry: a line telling the reader when the message cancels itself.

All warning terms →

Collected reports in this area · survey operations

292 within 180 nm since 1999 · 0 in the last 12 months · 0 listed in force now

99
00
05
10
15
20
24

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.

Month of issue in the collected archive

J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D

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

55 survey operations listed in force · see all

Record snapshot 2026-09-30 11:30Z; 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.