Sonardyne delivers Mini-Ranger 2 to Deep BV

Sonardyne International has delivered two Mini-Ranger 2 Ultra-Short BaseLine (USBL) tracking systems and WSM 6+ mini transponders to Deep BV to support its inshore, harbour, coastal and offshore activities.

Mini-Ranger 2 is designed for underwater operations such as unexploded ordnance (UXO) surveys which require high accuracy positioning but without the cost and complexity associated with a deep water USBL solution. It can simultaneously track ten targets and can be quickly installed on small vessels. The system has a tracking range of 995m which can be extended to 4,000m.

For its first project with Mini-Ranger 2, Deep BV installed one of the systems onboard a15m, twin hull research vessel and configured it to track a WSM 6+ transponder mounted on a remotely operated towed vehicle named Iron Lady. Accurate positioning is vital for the Iron Lady’s control software in order to fly the six metre-wide, gradiometer UXO set-up just two metres above the seabed.

Klaas Visser, chief technology expert at Deep BV, said: ‘We have been a user of Sonardyne’s pre-generation Scout USBL system for several years and pleased with the results it’s delivered. However, now was the right time to replace these systems and upgrade to Sonardyne’s 6G product family with all of its attractive features and performance gains.’