Seismic survey in progress until further notice by M/V geco beta towing three mile long cable in area bound…
Bass Strait · HYDROPAC 933/02
What this record establishes
Archived notice · 2002-05-23 15:17Z
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) · AUSCOAST 153/02 192104Z MAY 02. Issued 2002-05-20 00:34Z. 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
- Bass Strait. The map shows an area described by the warning; the listed coordinate is its representative center. Check the original wording for limits and qualifications.
Related notices and cancellation links
- issued
- 2002-05-20 00:34Z
- status
- Archived notice
- authority
- AUSCOAST 153/02 192104Z MAY 02
- issued by
- AUSCOAST
- sea
- Bass Strait
- position
- -38.735, 146.887
- vessel
- M/V GECO BETA · 82 messages
- source
- NGA MSI broadcast-warn JSON (archive, frozen 2024-05) · first seen 2026-08-17 13:38Z
Original warning text
SEISMIC SURVEY IN PROGRESS UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE BY M/V GECO BETA TOWING THREE MILE LONG CABLE IN AREA BOUND BY 38-33S 147-09E, 38-39S 147-17E, 38-51S 146-43E, 38-58S 146-17E. WIDE BERTH REQUESTED.
Reading this warning
- Seismic survey
- A survey that maps the rock beneath the seabed with sound pulses from air guns, recorded on streamers kilometres long.
- Until further notice
- The operation or danger has no scheduled end; the warning stays in force until a later message cancels it.
- 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.
- Wide berth requested
- Keep well clear — or, when a distance is given ("TWO MILE BERTH REQUESTED"), at least that far away.
Collected reports in this area · cable & pipeline work
51 within 180 nm since 2000 · 3 in the last 12 months · 1 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.
- Great australian bight2026-05-30
- Great australian bight2026-04-16
- Cable operations in progress until further notice by cableship ile d' yeu along trackline joining 38-37.00S…2026-01-07
- Pipeline operations in progress until further notice by M/V mma coral with submersible along trackline…2024-02-22
- Pipeline operations in progress until further notice by M/V mma coral with submersible in area bound by…2024-02-19
- Cable laying operations in progress until further notice by cableship ile de re in 40-13.1S 146-52.3E2016-06-08
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
Worldwide in the collected sources
23 cable & pipeline work listed in force · see all
Record snapshot 2026-10-02 15:07Z; source collection times vary.
Cable ops
Cable laying, pipeline and seismic operations. All current cable & pipeline work →
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.