Sonardyne's New Forward Looking Sonar Supports Collision Avoidance

A new forward looking sonar (FLS) from marine technology company Sonardyne International Ltd. supports collision avoidance capability for vessels.

Vigilant FLS offers mariners subsurface situational awareness, providing live and past vessel track, detailed 3D bathymetry out to 600 meters and automated warnings of unseen collision hazards on and beneath the waterline out to 1.5 kilometers.

Compact in size and with mounting options for both new build and retrofit, Vigilant is suitable for naval, commercial, passenger and private vessels of all sizes and types. When underway, it provides crew with an early warning of hazards, from rocks and wrecks to sand banks and otherwise hidden, below-the-surface obstacles, over a 90 degree field of view. This makes Vigilant  ideal for both day-to-day operations in busy commercial waters as well as more remote off-chart excursions or operations in dynamic environments, for example, approaching a harbour following a natural disaster.

Vigilant is also unmanned surface vessel (USV)-ready, with its output able to be utilized by autopilots for remote control and autonomous over-the-horizon operations.

Vigilant provides two operational modes: 3D and Sonar, which helmsman and vehicle pilots can toggle between. Sonar mode detects obstacles in the water out to more than 1,500 meters giving large vessels in particular, valuable time to react. The system’s configurable alarms ensure hazards are not overlooked during periods of high operator workload.

In 3D mode, users are able to view an easy to interpret, real-time generated three-dimensional color map of the bathymetry out to 600 meters, clearly identifying between safe and unsafe areas, while sonar mode continues in the background, at the selected range. Users are also able to view a profile display, showing the depth of any obstacles on the vessel’s heading or a specific bearing.

Vigilant offers multiple mounting and integration options including permanent, through-hull deployment and interfacing with third-party command and control systems or electronic charting displays and is suitable for both new builds and already commissioned vessels.

Derek Lynch, Sonardyne’s Global Business Manager for Marine Vessel Systems, 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.”