Claimed to be ideal for expedition cruise ships, Sonardyne International has introduced a collision avoidance capability.
The new Vigilant forward looking sonar (FLS) provides live and past vessel track, detailed 3D bathymetry out to 600 m and automated warnings of unseen collision hazards on and beneath the waterline to a range of 1.5 km.
Sonardyne said that Vigilant is suitable for vessels of all sizes, including expedition cruise ships.
While a vessel is underway, it provides the crew with an early warning of hazards, from rocks and wrecks to sand banks and hidden, below-the-surface obstacles, over a 90 deg field of vision.
Vigilant provides two operational modes: 3D and Sonar, which the helmsmen can toggle between. Sonar mode detects obstacles in the water out to more than 1,500 m giving large vessels in particular, valuable time to react. In addition, the system’s configurable alarms ensure hazards are not overlooked during periods of high operator workload.
Derek Lynch, Sonardyne’s Marine Vessel Systems Global Business Manager, said: “Every day, we hear of ships of all types and all over the world running aground or colliding with unseen submerged objects, sadly including endangered mammals and ecosystems. The costs and consequences in all respects can be enormous.
“These incidents occur for many different reasons, some human, some technical, but in every case, there is a lack of subsurface situational awareness. Vigilant is the most capable (longest range, highest area coverage, highest resolution) commercially-available forward looking sonar on the market and it is an invaluable tool to help mariners avoid these situations,” he claimed.
