Loading a helical conveyor for underwater seismic exploration

A method for deploying ocean bottom seismic (“OBS”) units, comprising:

• providing a case;
• providing a first conveyor having a helix structure and provided within the case, the first conveyor configured to support one or more OBS units, the case comprising a first opening at a first end of the first conveyor and a second opening at a second end of the first conveyor;
• providing a base to hold the case in a substantially vertical position;
• providing a second conveyor positioned external to the case and configured to support the one or more OBS units;
• loading, via the second conveyor, a first OBS unit of the one or more OBS units into the case via the first opening at the first end of the first conveyor;
• directing, via the first conveyor, the first OBS unit received from the second conveyor towards the second opening at the second end of the first conveyor;
• providing a third conveyor having a second helix structure within the case, the third conveyor configured to support a second one or more OBS units;
• and
• providing a support structure configured to extend through a central axis of the first helix structure of the first conveyor and the second helix structure of the third conveyor.