BSH kompakt 
29 
EXACT 
Hydrographic surveys and wreck search 
Wrackfund der WEGA 
Wreck detected by WEGA 
Hydrographic surveys are a prerequi 
site to safe navigation. They also 
provide basic data for environmental 
protection, coastal defence, and 
hydraulic engineering. The seabed 
in our waters is changing continually 
due to current-induced sediment 
transports, so that survey data have to 
be updated at regular intervals. 
WEGA - which are among the most 
modern vessels of this type world 
wide - routinely provide updates on 
changes in the German waters in the 
North and Baltic Seas. The area sur 
veyed by the BSH is about 57,000 km 2 , 
corresponding to one sixth of the total 
land area of Germany. 
To ensure absolute reliability of the 
BSH’s topographic and hydrographic 
data, which constitute source data 
for the official navigational charts, 
the BSH’s five survey vessels ATAIR, 
CAPELLA, DENEB, KOMET, and 
Kompressionskammer für Taucher 
auf der ATAIR 
Hyperbaric chamber for divers on board ATAIR 
2007 
Re-surveys covering a sea area 
of some 5,000 km 2 (North Sea 
4,000 km 2 , Baltic Sea 1,000 km 2 ), 
including the complete coast of 
North Friesland extending to the 
Danish boundary; 
The survey vessels covered about 
39,500 km (21,300 nm): 25,500 
km (13,800 nm) in the North Sea, 
and 14,000 km (7,500 nm) in the 
Baltic Sea; 
Checking of 137 wreck positions; 
Discovery of 41 previously unknown 
underwater obstructions, e. g. 
containers, anchors, small ship 
wrecks, and parts of wreckage.