HELMS Expands Offshore Survey Fleet with Long-Term Charter of Masindra Hawk

Kuala Lumpur, 9 April 2026 – Helms Geomarine Sdn Bhd (HELMS) is pleased to announce the long-term charter of Masindra Hawk, a 60m x 16m Malaysian-flagged offshore survey vessel from EW Group, further strengthening the company’s offshore survey and site investigation capabilities across Malaysia and the wider Southeast Asian region.

Currently based in Port Klang, Masindra Hawk is powered by 4,200 bhp and accommodates up to 47 personnel. The vessel is scheduled to undergo dry docking at Muhibbah Shipyard for renewal of its five-year class certification with Bureau Veritas, with completion targeted by June 2026.

Following the dry docking works, the vessel will be fitted with a comprehensive suite of analogue and digital survey systems to support hydrographic, geophysical and offshore site investigation operations.

Among the key systems being installed is the Teledyne RESON SeaBat T50-Dual, a dual-head multibeam echosounder integrated with an SBG Systems GNSS/IMU motion reference system. Operating between 190 kHz and 420 kHz, the system is capable of delivering up to 2,048 beams for high-density seabed mapping at survey speeds of up to 10 knots. Its dual-head configuration enhances swath coverage and survey efficiency, while the integrated GNSS/IMU provides precise real-time positioning and motion compensation to ensure consistent survey-grade data quality.

The vessel will also be equipped with a large stern A-frame to support light geotechnical and subsea survey operations, including seabed sampling, cone penetration testing (CPT) and piston drop coring activities.

Commenting on the development, Managing Director Dato’ Ir. Mohamad Helmi Zulkawi said,

“The addition of Masindra Hawk strengthens our ability to support offshore survey and site investigation campaigns with greater operational flexibility and integrated technical capability across Malaysia and the region.”

With two DP2 geotechnical vessels, Keyfield Helms 1 and Keyfield Itqan, a soon-to-be launched 4-point mooring soil boring vessel, and now a dedicated geophysical survey vessel, HELMS continues to expand its integrated offshore geotechnical and survey capabilities, including for deepwater developments.

This latest fleet expansion reflects HELMS’ continued commitment towards strengthening Malaysian offshore technical capabilities while supporting the evolving requirements of the offshore oil & gas and renewable energy sectors in the region.