Multibeam echosounder (MBES) data recorded during RV METEOR cruise M142 between 04.11.2017 and 09.12.2017 in the Black Sea. The expedition aimed to determine the gas hydrate stability zone and the distribution of methane hydrates in deposits of the Danube fan. By using the drill rig MeBo 200 shallow sediments were investigated for hints of gas hydrate formation. CI Citation: Paul Wintersteller (seafloor-imaging@marum.de) as responsible party for bathymetry raw data ingest and approval. Description of data source: During the RV METEOR cruise M142 the hull-mounted Kongsberg EM122 multibeam echosounder with a nominal sounding frequency of 12 kHz was utilized. 288 beams with an acoustical footprint of 1°(Tx)/2°(Rx) are formed for each ping. For further information consult https://www.km.kongsberg.com/. During this cruise the swath width was mainly at 120° and did not exceed 130°. The use of the high-density equidistant and the dual-swath mode of the EM122 resulted in up to 864 soundings per ping. Bathymetric surveys were usually conducted with a vessel speed of maximum 10 kn. The EM122 system was only operating when the water depth exceeds about 600 m and for short dedicated surveys to achieve EM122 backscatter information. Responsible person during this cruise / PI: Paul Wintersteller (seafloor-imaging@marum.de) & Stefanie Gaide Chief Scientist: G. Bohrmann (gbohrmann@marum.de) CR: not yet available CSR: https://www2.bsh.de/aktdat/dod/fahrtergebnis/2017/20170254.htm A special thanks goes to the watch keeper during M142: Anna Katharina Bachmann, Stefanie Gaide, Michael Riedel, Atanas Vasilev