Enhanced suite of environmental data collection services furthers Alpine Ocean Seismic Survey's effort to become premier data acquisition services provider for U.S. marine and offshore alternative energy projects

Norwood, New Jersey — August 19, 2011 — Alpine Ocean Seismic Survey has expanded its portfolio of environmental data collection services with the addition of a new suite of underwater video camera and sediment sampling technologies. Strengthening its status as a premier provider of geophysical, hydrographic, oceanographic, geotechnical, environmental, and positioning services, Alpine‘s expanded offerings now allow clients to take advantage of the latest environmental data collection technology on the market.

"With our team now handling everything from geophysical mapping to environmental data collection, we offer one-stop, turn-key services throughout North America and beyond," says Robert Mecarini, president of Alpine. As part of the UK-based Gardline Marine Sciences Group, Alpine can now leverage both its own record compiled over more than 50 years in the offshore survey industry, and Gardline's extensive resources and innovative technologies.

Superior Data-Collection Capabilities for Environmental Projects

Alpine's data collection services apply to the entire offshore project lifecycle, from pre-consenting baseline characterization and impact assessment, through regular monitoring and post-construction surveying. Its market approach also makes Alpine an ideal partner for environmental consulting firms by complementing their offerings and/or supplementing their existing data collection capacity for such services as:

• Environmental baseline surveys
• Post-development surveys
• Habitat mapping
• Benthic surveys
• Deepwater surveys

As part of the expansion of its environmental services, Alpine is introducing to the US market a suite of innovative underwater camera systems that offers an impressive array of configurations and deployment options in a cost-efficient package. Developed by Gardline, the cameras can record real-time video footage of the seabed as well as capturing digital stills on demand or at preset intervals. They offer options for shallow (0-250m) and deepwater (0-3,000m) operation, and can accommodate auxiliary sensors, including high-definition video cameras, CTDs, fluorometers, altimeters, laser scale bars, and profiling/imaging sonars.

A key component in the suite is Gardline's innovative freshwater lens camera, whose specially designed lens enables images to be collected in highly turbid environments where traditional underwater video and photography would be ineffective. This system allows scientists to overcome the challenges associated with high concentrations of suspended particulate matter, while still enabling relatively unintrusive sampling and habitat mapping.

"We've designed the camera with a distilled water lens, dedicated flash, and adjustable lighting to optimize results dependent on the level of turbidity," says Jon Spink, environmental scientist with Alpine. "With projects in shallow waters there's often poor visibility due to suspended solids, but our camera system's lens creates the clarity needed to capture seabed images in these environments without reducing the visual footprint."

Alpine is also introducing a suite of highly effective environmental grab samplers that are widely deployed in European markets but are not yet commonly used in the US. The grabs have been designed to gather high-quality samples across the range of nearshore and offshore marine environments. The samplers include:

• The 0.1m2 Modified Day grab – designed to be safer and more efficient than many of its counterparts
• The 0.1m2 Hamon grab — designed to recover samples in inherently difficult-to-sample coarse-grained sediments such as gravel areas
• The Multicorer – the premier sampler for truly undisturbed environmental sediment core recovery. Gardline is one of the few companies in the world with experience using these units.

In addition to introducing the samplers detailed above , Alpine will also offer a modified 0.25m2 USNEL box corer for deepwater surveys.

Although Alpine's scientists can work from a variety of vessels, its clients can now benefit from its newly commissioned state-of-the-art research vessel, the Shearwater, which provides an ideal platform for offshore environmental data collection. This highly maneuverable 110' twin hull survey platform has an azimuth thruster propulsion system, allowing it to conduct most sampling operations without the need to anchor. The vessel also features a laboratory with onboard data processing capabilities, two equipment moon pools, a two-ton stern hydraulic A-frame, a five-ton starboard fixed A-frame and a 14-ton (two-ton at 38' extension) crane.

About Alpine Ocean Seismic Survey

Alpine Ocean Seismic Survey provides marine surveying and data collection services, including geophysical, hydrographic, oceanographic, geotechnical, environmental, and positioning services, for offshore, coastal, inshore, and inland marine and freshwater projects. Founded in 1957 and now part of the Gardline Marine Sciences Group, Alpine has completed thousands of projects for public and private sector clients all over the world. With a variety of research vessels and professional services, the company delivers turnkey data collection for a wide range of industry sectors, including offshore renewable energy, civil engineering, shoreline protection, submarine pipeline and cable, and oil and natural gas. For more information, call 201.768.8000 or visit http://www.alpineocean.com.

Contact

Alison Harris or Kym Gilhooly, Harris Media Services
alison@harrismediaservices.com / kym@harrismediaservices.com
207.829.4500