MT MITCHELL PRESS RELEASE

For Immediate Release:

Mt. Mitchell - Hydrographic Survey

April 1st, 2008

GLOBAL SEAS, LLC, the operators of the Seattle, Washington based R/V MT. MITCHELL is pleased to announce the vessel has just been outfitted with a Kongsberg EM 120 and EM 710 High Resolution Multibeam Mapping System capable of meeting all relevant survey standards including those of the International Hydrographic Organization (IHO) With these new systems, the MT. MITCHELL is able to map the deepest oceans in the world, surveying in waters to 11,000 meters. For shallow water surveying, in less than 11 meters, the MT. MITCHELL deploys a 34 foot, twin diesel engine launch. In addition the MT. MITCHELL has been outfitted with both an anti-roll tank as well as upsized anti-roll chocks. These additions will eliminate much of the boat’s natural roll and provide prime conditions for more precise mapping. A 20 inch hull bottom sea chest has been installed to accommodate a Kongsberg High Precision Acoustic Position System (HiPAP) for tracking towed side scan, ROV and AUV. Other through hull sensors for scientific work can be deployed. This exciting development makes the R/V MT. MITCHELL one of the best privately owned vessels with state-of-the-art capability to perform seabed mapping to full ocean depth with an unrivaled resolution, coverage and accuracy.

The MT. MITCHELL will be operating this summer collecting data for Terrasond Surveys of Palmer Alaska, conducting nautical charting surveys of the Cook Inlet. Her sister ships, the FAIRWEATHER and RAINIER continue operations in the NOAA fleet. These ships have been commended as extremely efficient platforms for conducting coastal hydrographic survey operations.

The MT. MITCHELL is also expected to work with UTEC Survey, Inc., a Houston corporation, mapping a cable route along the West Coast of the United States.

MT. MITCHELL, commissioned in 1968, had been in service as a Hydrographic Survey Ship with the NOAA. She was completely refurbished and updated by GLOBAL SEAS and put back into service in 2004. This significant modernization to the highest SOLAS, ABS and USCG standards provides an unmatched habitability standard for crew and scientific compliment. During this most recent dry dock, the MT. MITCHELL completed a rigorous five year ABS special survey. This unique, state of the art vessel boasts comfortable berthing for up to 47 non-crew personnel, a large galley with a 38-seat mess hall, a comfortable lounge, multiple computer and lab spaces with high-speed data connections, among other amenities. There are over 3,000 sq feet of working deck space accessible by a 15-ton pedestal crane, a 32ft. launch, and an articulating A frame.

For more information and charter opportunities, please contact Global Seas LLC, at 206-770-7801

MT. MITCHELL – Fisheries Research Capabilities

April 11, 2008

GLOBAL SEAS LLC, the operators of the Seattle, Washington based R/V MT. MITCHELL announced last week that new capabilities were recently installed on the ship. <http://www.rvmtmitchell.com/news.html> The installations included a Kongsburg EM 120 Multibeam Echo Sounder and EM 710 High Resolution Seabed Mapping System as well as survey launch capability and ROV and AUV HiPAP tracking capability.

The R/V MT MITCHELL is a 231 foot ship formerly operated by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. She was purchased by a partnership between Aleutian Spray Fisheries and Nina Fisheries and is managed by GLOBAL SEAS LLC, a vessel management company headquartered in Seattle. Principals in these companies, Mr. Cary Swasand and Mr. Robert Desautel have been committed to outfitting the R/V MT MITCHELL with state-of-the-art research instruments providing the best possible data gathering platform for a variety of applications. The Aleutian Spray/Nina partnership brings together over 100 years of fishing industry and vessel management experience in creating a comfortable work platform with multi-mission capabilities and integrating the most modern work and living spaces. The vessel has seen duty in both the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans in a variety of oceanographic support and survey roles including an environmental and biological assessment of the Persian Gulf in the environmental aftermath of the Gulf War.

Sparing little expense in the workmanship and components of the newly outfitted vessel, the owners proudly offer the R/V MT MITCHELL for charter to various organizations that include the government, commercial, and scientific communities. The Mt. Mitchell’s recent installation of hydro-acoustic equipment provides not only hydrographic survey capabilities but the option of collecting water column data. Data collected from both multi-beam systems which range in frequency at 12 kHz and 70 kHz to 100 kHz will provide unique acoustics acquisition and post processing capabilities. This robust suite of equipment found only on this privately owned vessel will provide metrics for habitat mapping as well as bottom backscattering. The systems have the ability to output data for visualization of biomass within the water column. These additional capabilities will allow the R/V MT MITCHELL to provide contributions to fisheries science and management.

The new Kongsburg EM710 suite of equipment has many fisheries and fisheries related capabilities and features. A real time display window is available to view water column backscatter data. This backscatter data will allow real time estimates of biomass and provide other quantitative information. This backscatter data can be logged and stored on memory devices for later reference. Integrated seabed acoustical imaging capability is standard for the EM710 and the software can automatically make bottom classifications for habitat mapping and thus contribute to essential habitat scientific management decisions.

Please contact GLOBAL SEAS in Seattle at 206 770 7801 for more information.

Or go to: www.globalseas.com

Contact: Greg Shuey
info@rvmtmitchell.com
2001 6th Avenue Ste 3420
Seattle, WA 98121
Office: 206-770-7801

Vessel Managed By Global Seas, LLC