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Sonar Equipment News

28 Feb 2024

Kraken Robotics Delivers Minehunting Systems to Royal Danish Navy

Kraken KATFISH on MSF drone vessels (Credit: Kraken Robotics)

Canadian company Kraken Robotics has completed deliveries and sea acceptance tests of all systems for its minehunting sonar equipment under the contract with Royal Danish Navy.The contract was signed in September 2020, following a competitive bidding process. Under the contract with the Danish Ministry of Defence Acquisition and Logistics Organization (DALO), Kraken has delivered four complete turnkey minehunting systems.Each system consists of a KATFISH towed Synthetic Aperture Sonar…

26 Nov 2020

Kongsberg to Deliver Fish-Finding Sonars for Artemis Trawler

Credit: Kongsberg

Norway's Kongsberg Maritime will supply SIMRAD sonar equipment for a new 75-meter Pelagic trawler, currently under construction at Karstensen’s Shipyard in Skagen, Denmark. Commissioned in partnership by Scottish fishing companies Northbay Fishing Co. Ltd and Wiseman Fishing Co. Ltd, the new vessel – to be called Artemis – will be based in Banff, Scotland.Pelagic trawlers target fish in the mid- and surface water, such as herring and mackerel, and the range of products to be fitted to Artemis reflects this mode of operation…

26 Apr 2019

Survey Vessel Joins Hunt for Lost F-35

© zapper/Adobe Stock

Japan expanded its search for a missing F-35 stealth fighter on  with a maritime survey vessel joining a navy ship and a U.S. Navy salvage team is expected in the area in coming days, a Japanese air force spokesman said.Only small pieces of the Japanese Air Self Defense Force aircraft's tail have been found since the advanced jet disappeared from radar screens during an exercise with three other F-35s over the Pacific, near northwest Japan, on April 9."The plane and the pilot are still missing," the air force spokesman said.

05 Dec 2018

Coast Guard, Agency Partners Locate Sunken Barge off Nahant

Coast Guard and local agency partners worked together to locate the sunken barge off Nahant. (USCG image)

The Coast Guard and partner agencies located the missing barge, Dredge 200, Wednesday after it capsized and sank earlier this week in Broad Sound approximately two miles southeast of Nahant.The barge's location was confirmed by a contracted company using multi-beam sonar just north of the North Channel, the major shipping lane into Boston Harbor, in approximately 100-feet of water.Close coordination with the Boston Harbor Pilots was crucial to ensure maritime commerce impacts…

02 Nov 2017

Tuco to Build Hydrographic Survey Boats for Denmark

(Image: Tuco Marine Group)

Tuco Marine Group said it has signed a contract with DALO (The Danish Defense Acquisition and Logistics Organization) to deliver two bespoke hydrographic survey boats to replace two existing survey vessels that have become obsolete. The new vessels, based on Tuco’s ProZero concept, have been designed to allow full use of the latest technology for hydrographic surveys. The boats are designed to accommodate two hydrography specialists in addition to a dedicated helmsman. The hull…

01 Aug 2017

Germany Orders LNG Fueled Research Ship

rendering of the Atair; first vessel in the BSH fleet with LNG technology  (Photo: Wärtsilä)

The Fassmer shipyard in Germany is currently cinstructing a new research vessel to be owned by Bundesamt für Seeschifffahrt und Hydrographie (BSH), the Federal Maritime and Hydrographic Agency. The new 75-meter-long ship, the Atair, will replace her 30 year old namesake, and will be the first German research vessel operating on liquefied natural gas (LNG) fuel. The engines for the new vessel will be supplied by Wärtsilä, who will also supply exhaust cleaning systems based on selective catalytic reduction (SCR) technology and the LNGPac system for complete fuel gas handling.

01 Mar 2016

INS to Help Manned Sub Explore Andrea Doria Wreck

Photo: OceanGate

OceanGate, a provider of manned submersible services, and iXBlue, a provider of navigation, positioning and imaging solutions, have partnered to expand the application and use of advanced marine navigation and sonar equipment to explore the world’s deep oceans. As part of the alliance, OceanGate has selected the iXBlue PHINS Inertial Navigation System for use aboard its fleet of Cyclops series manned submersibles. Reportedly a world first, the PHINS system has been installed on a manned submersible to deliver real-time navigational data directly to the pilot.

17 Nov 2015

NTSB: Sunken Cargo Ship El Faro "Black Box" Still Missing

El Faro (File photo: TOTE)

The video documentation of the cargo ship El Faro and the associated debris field has been completed but the vessel’s voyage data recorder was not located, according to the National Transportation Safety Board. “Over the years we’ve completed many investigations without the aid of recorders and other investigative tools,” said NTSB Chairman Christopher A. Hart. The 790-ft. ship went missing on Oct. 1 during Hurricane Joaquin and was located on Oct. 31 in about 15,000 feet of water in the vicinity of its last known position near Crooked Island, Bahamas.

02 Nov 2015

Wreckage Confirmed to Be El Faro

El Faro (File photo: TOTE)

Wreckage found on the ocean bottom off the Bahamas has been confirmed by the National Transportation Safety Board to be the lost cargo ship El Faro, which sank with 33 crew aboard October 1. Wreckage consistent with the 790-foot El Faro was discovered upright and intact by a U.S. Navy salvage team using side-scanning sonar equipment in the vicinity of the cargo ship’s last known position on October 31, according to NTSB. The wreck sits roughly 15,000 feet below the surface. A deep ocean remotely operated vehicle outfitted with a video camera was used to survey and identify the vessel…

02 Nov 2015

US Navy Salvage Team Seeks to Confirm El Faro Wreckage

El Faro (File photo: TOTE)

A U.S. Navy salvage team prepared on Sunday to launch a remotely operated submersible to confirm that wreckage discovered near the Bahamas was that of the cargo ship El Faro, lost in a hurricane last month along with its 33 crew members. The team's mission is to document the shipwreck and any debris field, and to retrieve the sunken vessel's voyage data recorder - similar to an airplane's black box - as part of an investigation into its loss, according to the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB).

01 Nov 2015

Wreckage of El Faro Believed Located

Wreckage believed to be of the cargo ship El Faro, which was lost in Hurricane Joaquin in a sinking that claimed the lives of its 33 crew members, was discovered on Saturday at a depth of 15,000 feet, U.S. officials said in a statement. A search team aboard the U.S. Naval Ship Apache discovered the wreckage using sonar equipment, the National Transportation Safety Board said in a statement. The statement said officials planned to send a deep ocean remotely operated vehicle to confirm the identity of the wreckage on Sunday. El Faro disappeared on Oct. 1 while en route from Jacksonville, Florida, to Puerto Rico. (Reporting by Alex Dobuzinskis in Los Angeles; Editing by James Dalgleish)

08 Sep 2015

Traffic Restrictions Lifted on Mississippi River

File photo: Thomas Rollins

The safety zone and traffic restrictions in place from markers 936 to 938 on the Mississippi River following a towboat collision and subsequent oil spill have been lifted, according to the U.S. Coast Guard. A section of the lower Mississippi River was closed to all traffic except response vessels last week after two towboats collided Wednesday at Mississippi River mile marker 937, rupturing the cargo tank of a barge carrying slurry oil which discharged approximately 150,000 gallons of oil into the river.

04 May 2015

USCG Establishes Diver Specialty

The Coast Guard announced Wednesday the establishment of the diver enlisted rating and corresponding chief warrant officer specialty. About 50 enlisted personnel and three chief warrant officers will initially transition to the Diver (DV) rating and Diving (DIV) specialty, respectively. The newly-minted divers received certificates signed by the commandant and the master chief petty officer of the Coast Guard at several locations throughout the service. Divers support a variety of Coast Guard missions by servicing aids to navigation, conducting subsurface search and recovery, inspecting and maintaining Coast Guard vessels, and providing technical expertise with remotely operated vehicles, sonar equipment, and underwater imagery.

10 Feb 2015

New Engines for Muir Milach

Muir Milach

Built in 1979 at the Mid Coast Marine shipyard, the 103 by 26-foot F/V Muir Milach has earned a fine reputation amongst the mid-water trawl fleet. An early adapter in the Alaska Pollock and cod quota fishery, the vessel has been a consistent producer. Currently an important component of the family-owned Aleutian Spray Fisheries fleet she has been well maintained. In January 2014 she was fitted with updated sonar equipment. In January 2015 an extensive repower of both main genset and main engines was completed.

15 Jan 2015

US Navy Ships Exit AirAsia Search

Littoral combat ship USS Fort Worth, guided missile destroyer USS Sampson and MH-60R Seahawk from Helicopter Maritime Strike Squadron (HSM) 35 operate together in the Java Sea while supporting the Indonesian-led search effort for AirAsia flight QZ8501. (U.S. Navy photo Brett Cote)

USS Sampson (DDG 102) and USS Fort Worth (LCS 3) concluded their assistance efforts January 15 after contributing more than 650 search hours to the Indonesian-led search effort for AirAsia flight QZ8501, The U.S. Navy reported. Working in coordination with the Government of Indonesia, the U.S. 7th Fleet assigned USS Sampson and USS Fort Worth to the mission shortly after the December 28 crash. USS Sampson departed from Singapore December 29 and arrived on station in the Java Sea December 30.

06 Jan 2015

Sunken Cargo Ship Cemfjord Wreck Found

The wreck of the cargo ship Cemfjord, which sank in the Pentland Firth with eight men on board, has been located on the seabed. The wreck of the cargo ship Cemfjord, which sank in the Pentland Firth with eight men on board who are presumed dead, was yesterday found on the seabed. It was discovered in the eastern approaches to the Firth by the lighthouse tender, Pharos, using sonar equipment. The upturned hull of the Cypriot-registered Cemfjord - which was carrying cement - was spotted by a passing ferry on Saturday and sank the following day. No trace was found of its crew despite a huge search operation. The seven Polish nationals and one Filipino who were on board did not have time to send out a distress signal.

22 Jan 2014

An Examination of USCG Sonar Expansion

A civilian contractor steadies a M18 Mod 2 Kingfish Unmanned Underwater Vehicle (UUV) as it is lifted with a crane onto the deck of an 11-meter rigid-hull inflatable boat. The Kingfish uses side scan sonar to search and discover objects of interest. This marks the first time these UUVs have been added to mine countermeasure operations in the U.S. 5th Fleet area of responsibility.  (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Blake Midnight/Released)

The U.S. Coast Guard is planning to widely use sonar to support its maritime security and marine environmental protection missions. The agency currently has limited capability to detect objects below the water’s surface and relies on others (such as the U.S. Navy or the commercial sector) when such detection is needed. Sonar is an acronym for Sound Navigation and Ranging. The principle is similar to radar, used in the atmosphere. While radar uses radio waves, sonar relies on sound waves, which propagate much better than radio waves do in water.

13 Feb 2013

F6F Hellcat WWII-Era Aircraft Discovered off Coast of Florida

OceanGate Inc. discovers Grumman F6F Hellcat off the coast of Miami using manned submersible, 2D and 3D sonar technologies. OceanGate discovered a World War II-era Grumman F6F Hellcat plane off the coast of Miami Beach. The plane was found during one of an ongoing series of dives in which OceanGate has been using its Teledyne BlueView high-frequency sonar and high-definition photo and video equipment to gather data pertaining to the artificial reefs in Miami-Dade County waters.

07 Jul 2013

Sunken Mississippi Tugboat Causes Cruise Ship to Divert

'Carnival Conquest': Photo courtesy of Carnival Cruises

Passengers aboard the 'Carnival Conquest' cruise ship returning from a 7-day Caribbean vacation got an unexpected detour to Mobile, Sunday, a diversion required by the closure of a 10-mile stretch of the Mississippi River, reports 'The Times-Picayune'. The US Coast Guard reports that they received a report Saturday at 12:10 p.m. from a passenger vessel near the 48-foot tug boat C-Pec that capsized and sank in the river at mile marker eight above Head of Passes near Venice. The U.S.

26 Nov 2013

Lost NZ Ferry Propeller Found 120m Down in Cook Strait

Ferry Aratere: Photo courtesy of Interislander

The propeller had been lost earlier this month from the Interislander ferry, the 'Aratere', which is expected to be out of service for 6 months as a result, but the propeller has now been found in Cook Strait by Seawork Salvage Co., contracted by KiwiRail, reports Radio New Zealand. The propeller was discovered about two nautical miles from Tory Channel, by using sonar equipment and an unmanned vehicle. Citing a Seawork spokesman, Radio NZ say that the company will probably use its survey vessel, the unmanned submarine [sic] and another ship to salvage the propellor.

12 Dec 2013

Ferry's Lost Propeller Recovered From Cook Strait

Propeller breaks the surface: Image courtesy of KiwiRail

KiwiRail confirms that salvors Seaworks have successfully recovered the ferry Aratere’s propeller, which was lost from the ship when the shaft fractured on November 5, 2013 outside the Tory Channel. “The propeller was retrieved from a depth of around 120 meters and approximately two nautical miles from Tory Channel using strops that were fitted around the blades of the propeller and part of the shaft via a remote controlled underwater vehicle. The propeller was then secured to…

03 Jan 2014

Tecton Acquires Endurance Exploration

Tecton Corporation (TTNC) has acquired Endurance Exploration Group, LLC,  a development stage company that specializes in subsea shipwreck research, search and survey, inspection and recovery projects, in a share exchange agreement. Established in 2009, Endurance has evaluated over 125,000 shipwreck database entries and other sources to develop a "High Interest" list of approximately 400 shipwrecks and a "Target List" consisting of about two-dozen potential shipwreck projects; and, two of these "Target List" shipwrecks have moved into operational phases, i.e. "Operational List". In 2011, Endurance began to purchase key mid-to-deep-water (500-2…

27 Nov 2012

WWII Era F6F Hellcat Discovered off Coast of Florida

Flight Deck Crew Swarm Over an F6F Hellcat - July 1944. (Photo: U.S. Navy’s National Museum of Naval Aviation, Pensacola, Fla.)

OceanGate Inc. OceanGate announced it has discovered a World War II-era Grumman F6F Hellcat plane off the coast of Miami Beach. The plane was found during one of an ongoing series of dives in which OceanGate has been using its Teledyne BlueView high-frequency sonar and high-definition photo and video equipment to gather data pertaining to the artificial reefs in Miami-Dade County waters. Recognizing the potential historical and military significance of the find, OceanGate contacted officials at both the Smithsonian Institution and the U.S.