World-leading seabed sampling experts Ocean Scientific International Limited (OSIL) are reporting very strong sales for their multiple corer range, with current sales for 2022 already surpassing the total number of shipments for the previous 3 years combined.
The OSIL Multiple Corers are an exceptionally popular sediment sampling method owing to their ability to overcome the traditional difficulties associated with benthic sampling and collect truly undisturbed sediment samples. The incredible delicacy of sampling of these corers has meant that their use is required in the specifications of a number of Environmental Impact Assessment studies, such as the Exploration and Exploitation Licensing procedures for marine mineral extraction, in addition to academic studies of the microbiology and flora/fauna of shelf and deep-sea sediments & analysis of the associated processes.
The multiple corers land on the seabed at very slow speed which, in combination with the minimal footprint of the corer, prevents a bow wave from forming and driving away the delicate flocculant material that forms on the surface layer of the seabed. The penetration speed is then controlled by a hydrostatically damped piston & central weight system which enables up to 12 core tubes to be slowly driven into the seabed at a consistent rate.
The core tubes are automatically sealed top and bottom as soon as the recovery process is started (using a hydrostatic seal at the top, and a mechanical seal at the bottom), capturing a pristine sediment sample together with the overlying supernatant water, and allowing the corer and samples to be rapidly recovered to the vessel without compromising the integrity of the sample. The transparent cast acrylic core tubes are removed individually and can be subsampled immediately or treated/preserved for later study.
The Multiple Corers can be configured to accommodate varying numbers of core tubes and equipped with pressure activated camera systems to display seabed conditions, and delivery times for the corers and spares are kept low by OSIL, meaning even last-minute cruises are well supported, with systems remaining in constant use for many years.
OSIL have an abundance of global experience in the construction and operation of a wide range of sediment coring equipment, including the industry standard Multi Corer and the unique Giant Piston Corer which is capable of achieving cores up to 60m in length. OSIL also offer a full design, build and implementation service for all of their heavy offshore equipment.
