ALASKA -- Hydrographers working for TerraSond, Ltd. discovered the Korean freighter M/V Pan Nova in Unimak Pass, near Dutch Harbor, Alaska on Tuesday while mapping the seafloor for NOAA.  The 551’ Korean freighter carrying wheat sank in Unimak Pass after colliding with another Korean freight vessel in 1983 and was discovered on its side in approximately 300 feet of water.  Preliminary survey information indicates that the vessel broke apart during the sinking and is lying on its side.

Unimak Pass is the primary Aleutian Islands ship passage that connects the Bering Sea with the Pacific Ocean.  There are an estimated 2500 vessel trips through the Pass each year with fishing vessels accounted for 60% of the total trips.  Historical information regarding collisions in Unimak Pass indicated that few collisions have occurred there and that no human lives have been lost. Two collisions were reported in 1983, and were the result of pilot error or carelessness.  Poor visibility was considered a major factor that contributed to the vessels collision.

TerraSond hydrographers were mapping the seafloor onboard the M/V Kittiwake using a Reson Seabat 8101 multibeam sonar when they discovered the vessel.  TerraSond’s mapping project was funded by the National Ocean Services (NOS), a line office of the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), as part of their effort to modernize U.S. nautical charts and help ensure safe navigation in the U.S.  Hydrographic surveys are conducted primarily by ships using side scan and multibeam sonar technology to identify potential hazards and determine water depth. NOS and outside contractors like TerraSond complete 40 to 50 hydrographic surveys each year.

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