Ashtead Orders SPRINT-Nav Subsea Navigation Systems from Sonardyne

Global subsea equipment specialist, Ashtead Technology has selected acoustic and inertial navigation technology from Sonardyne International Ltd. to add to its rental fleet. The multiple SPRINT-Nav systems will be made available to support survey and construction projects using ROVs and AUVs in water depths down to 4,000 meters.

SPRINT-Nav makes optimal use of acoustic aiding from data sources including USBL, sparse LBL and DVL and pressure sensors to improve the accuracy, precision and reliability of subsea vehicle navigation. Its all-in-one design tightly couples Sonardyne’s SPRINT inertial and Syrinx Doppler technologies to enable marine robotic platforms to remain precisely on course over many kilometers travelled, even if one or two DVL beams become unavailable.

The compact design of SPRINT-Nav’s titanium subsea housing is considered to be one of the smallest instruments of its type on the market. This ensures rapid and simple mobilization on vehicles and an ideal choice for rental projects.

Speaking about the order, Ross MacLeod, Technical Director of Ashtead Technology said, “Our existing pool of acoustic and inertial navigation systems from Sonardyne have proven to be extremely popular with our customers and we have enhanced our rental fleet to meet their growing demands. This investment underlines our commitment to the subsea market, by offering the latest, most efficient technologies available and will see our clients experience a more cost-effective, reliable solution.”

Dan Zatezalo, Sales Manager with Sonardyne said, “We’re delighted that Ashtead is the latest organization to take delivery of SPRINT-Nav systems. We’re seeing more and more field development specifications around the world calling for our hybrid navigation solution which ultimately translates into projects being completed in less time and for less cost.”