Current and wave monitoring trial for floating offshore wind operations.

Imagine survey-grade navigation, now quite literally in the palm of your hand. SPRINT-Nav U, the revolutionary compact hybrid navigator, is here to transform your operations. But how do we guarantee its precision? By subjecting it to the most demanding tests imaginable. Journey with us as we reveal the meticulous process that ensures SPRINT-Nav U delivers […]

In addition to the industry standard PD0 data format, Origin ADCPs also log high-fidelity proprietary data formats, A-gram and B-gram. In this blog, we introduce and explain the core content of the B-gram data format produced by Origin ADCPs. Most of the time, we focus on the water velocity measurements that an ADCP makes and […]

Origin ADCPs face many challenges whilst recording current and wave data, but a category three cyclone really puts them to the test.

As autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs) achieve higher levels of autonomy, travel further and go deeper, it’s important that they maintain the ability to accurately determine their position, velocity and orientation without surface assistance.

“This demonstration provided essential information to show operators how Sonardyne acoustic positioning and communications can provide a truthing of cable behaviour by determining absolute measurements from both cable and environment. At the same time, learnings from the demonstration will assist with the development of long-life monitoring solutions for this exciting new sector. A big thank […]

As we discussed in our first blog in this series, supporting education and academia is an important part of our business here at Sonardyne. Championing research in ocean science and the marine environment through the sponsorship of PhD programmes and the use of our products within them plays an important part in the future of […]

In our first two blogs, we explored the importance of subsea monitoring for offshore carbon capture and storage (CCS) projects and the key parameters that need to be measured. In this, our final blog, we’ll delve into how our innovative technology is transforming the landscape of CCS monitoring, making it more efficient, cost-effective and environmentally […]

As we discussed in our first blog, offshore carbon capture and storage (CCS) has emerged as a promising technology to help reduce carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions in an effort to combat climate change. Offshore CCS offers great potential for storing large quantities of CO2 in redundant oil and gas wells or saline aquifers deep beneath […]

Climate change, driven primarily by the excessive emission of greenhouse gases, poses a significant threat to our planet’s ecosystems and human well-being. To mitigate this crisis, it is imperative to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and explore innovative solutions. One such solution gaining prominence is carbon capture and storage (CCS). In this first of three blogs, […]

Welcome to our blog! At Sonardyne, we only use true north seeking gyrocompasses, not magnetic sensors, in our SPRINT-Nav range of hybrid-navigation products. Today we’re going to discuss why this is important for your subsea navigational needs. The choice of inertial measurement unit (IMU) technology in our SPRINT systems is critical, as it significantly impacts […]

Our summer had a boost of fresh ideas and enthusiasm this year with the arrival of five new engineering interns. The eclectic mix of PhD, degree and A-level students joined us at our Blackbushe headquarters in July. They worked alongside our staff for eight weeks, developing tools, methods and instruments for use in marine science […]

Supporting education and academia plays an important part in our business at Sonardyne. In this first blog of our series exploring how we do this, we look at how our technology is being used to research environmental monitoring techniques for offshore renewable energy. But first, a bit more about our involvement with education. At a […]

In our previous navigation series blog, we talked about the value of a tightly calibrated hybrid navigation system. In this blog we focus on the Doppler Velocity Log (DVL), why aperture size is important, and the crucial role it plays in the hybrid navigation system. Subsea autonomy relies on selecting the best performing instruments in […]

Back in 2021, we set ourselves the target of making Sonardyne carbon neutral by the end of 2025, covering all direct and indirect emissions including those associated with manufacturing as well as supply chain activities from all our UK sites and operations. There is no better time than now to update you on some of […]

Uncrewed surface vehicles are fast becoming a powerful tool in offshore operations across the defence, energy and science sectors. Marine Robotics Business Development Manager Aidan Thorn explains how using our Ranger 2 family of USBL transceivers with your uncrewed surface vehicles (USVs) enables truly remote operations when tracking, positioning and communicating with unmanned underwater vehicles […]

In this first blog of our navigation series, we focus on our product calibration and why it’s so important for your operations. In marine robotic operations, reliable and accurate navigation ensures reliable and accurate data collection. Therefore, it’s important the sensors providing navigation inputs to the marine robot are performing optimally each time they are […]

Over the coming weeks, our Marine Robotics and Offshore Renewable Energy Business Development Managers Aidan Thorn and Mike Ellis will be delivering a series of blogs and a white paper on the use of marine robotics for planning, monitoring, communications and positioning in offshore wind farms. To begin the series, we look at how robotics […]

Our company was founded 52 years ago on the need for improved location of divers and subsea equipment for safety purposes. This remains at the core of what we do today. Here, the three essential elements of surface and diver interaction are covered in a series of blogs by retired Royal Navy Commander Justin Hains […]

Monitoring and inspection are now a growing part of the offshore wind farm life cycle. Can we do it more efficiently, using CTV down-time to deploy robotics? Mike Ellis and Aidan Thorn take a look. A lot of the focus on offshore wind has been about building the next, bigger, deeper wind farms. Rightly so. […]

Brazil’s offshore is riding on a high that looks set to continue for some years to come. It can be a demanding place to work, but rewarding if you can meet those demands. Andre Moura, Sonardyne’s Head of Sales – South America, looks at how C-Innovation are doing just that and the role our USBL […]

Locating, surveying and then raising the iconic wreck of Henry VIII’s flagship, the Mary Rose, has gone down in UK maritime history. Forty years since it was raised from the seabed, Nigel Kelland, reflects on how Sonardyne played a key role in this fascinating piece of history – a role which continues, even today. Today, […]

The Sonardyne Asia team has news: we’re investing in new premises in Singapore! Jose Puig, our head of sales for Asia, explains why, when and how there’s a lot to be excited about across the wider region. Six months ago, I moved into my new role as head of sales here in Asia and I’m […]

Bottom pressure recorders (BPR) have long provided scientists with critical data about the ocean. But until now, their ability to gather data has been time-limited and hampered the ability to look at large and long-scale trends. Our Fetch AZA is now set to change the game by providing the capability to measure bottom pressure more […]

Few would disagree that we need to learn more about our ocean. It’s one of the goals of the UN Ocean Decade. Whether it’s to understand more about how it impacts the earth’s climate, how we’re impacting marine ecosystems, as a resource for energy and food production or to inform maritime security, we have a […]

Recent years have seen a significant uptake in remote operations. We think this trend will continue. With our Remote Offshore Access Module (ROAM) and increasing access to communications when a sea, from low earth orbit satellite constellations to cellular networks, your opportunities are wide open. Senior surveyor Cieran Ryan explains. Over the last two years, […]

As the world’s smallest hybrid underwater vehicle navigator, SPRINT-Nav Mini is bringing a new level of performance to man-portable AUV/UUVs, ROVs and even hybrid surface and subsea vehicles. Marine Robotics Business Development Manager Aidan Thorn explains how you can unlock more automation and ocean data with less when you add our ROV navigation capability – […]

Moving offshore wind turbines into deeper waters will tap vast new areas of potential wind energy. But moving dynamic systems into an even more dynamic environment comes with its challenges, not least when it comes to dynamic cable monitoring, protection and management. If there’s one thing we’ve learned from the past three decades of building […]

Managing the increasingly diverse array of assets in the underwater battlespace can be complex. It doesn’t have to be. Tom Rooney, technical sales manager, explains how you can track, command, control and communicate with your underwater assets – diver, UUV, AUV or persistent seabed sensor – with our USV or vessel of opportunity ready Mini-Ranger […]

It’s been brought to our attention that people think that Fusion 2 has taken away the need for a surveyor’s skills for long baseline (LBL) operations. Seeing it in action, maybe you could be forgiven for thinking that. The screen tells you what you need to know, and you don’t need to read raw comms […]

So you’ve now met our new business development managers for offshore renewables, Mike Ellis, and marine robotics, Aidan Thorn. Now it’s time to meet our third new BDM, Michelle Barnett. Michelle’s moved over from doctoral research into ocean biochemistry to help oceanographers across the globe gain more insight, in whatever discipline they’re in. As a […]

Author: Chris Hammersley – Applications Project Manager Why is BlueComm blue? The general rule of thumb is whatever colour the water appears, that is the colour which will be least absorbed. Blue in clean water is the least absorbed electromagnetic wavelength, making it the obvious colour the lights in BlueComm should be using. But what […]

Last week we introduced Mike Ellis, our (re)new(able) guy! Now it’s time to introduce the second of our recent new starters, Aidan Thorn. If you’re in marine robotics, you’ve probably already come across him. He’s joined us to help us further support the global energy transition, ocean science and defence through advanced underwater robotics as […]

Author: Chris Hammersley – Applications Project Manager Water is an incredibly hard medium to communicate through. In air, we are all used to having almost unlimited data in our pockets and being able to stream the latest YouTube cat video at a moment’s notice. However, go just a few metres underwater and all that stops. […]

We’ve had some new starters in our business development team here at Sonardyne over the past couple of months. They’ve joined to help us further support the global energy transition, to further ocean science and support advanced underwater robotics. We thought it was time we introduce them. First up is Mike Ellis, our new Business […]

Our latest and smallest Ultra-Short BaseLine system Micro-Ranger 2 is an ideal one-box solution for use from any waterside location or vessel, including RHIBs and small survey vessels. Specialist marine archaeology company MSDS Marine has been testing the new portable system out on one of its latest projects; diving operations on the Northumberland. On December […]

Starting out with a new concept and building a highly capable survey-grade autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) could be a daunting task. How about targeting a launch date within two years? Quincy, Massachusetts, based underwater robotics innovator Dive Technologies has done just that. Founded in 2018, Dive Technologies has now produced a vehicle that’s not only […]

Coronavirus might have put a major limit on many global travel plans over the last year, but it’s not abated a hunger for larger and expedition style superyachts, adventure and travel to more remote locations. The desire for large and explorer class superyachts is a trend that has been growing for some time. Today there […]

The world’s population continues to grow. We’re consuming more, using more energy, depleting more of the planet’s resources. Balancing these needs is a massive challenge. It means changing how we live and work. At Sonardyne, we’re dedicated to supporting you, our customers, across the energy spectrum in addressing this challenge; from how we operate as […]

The 21st century battlespace is complex. It’s multi-domain, it’s multi-threat and it’s not always obvious open, armed conflict. The underwater battlespace embodies all of these challenges to an increasingly significant degree. It’s a space that’s pivotal to protecting critical national infrastructure and safeguarding maritime trade. But it’s also a challenging place to operate, whether that’s […]

2021 is the start of the UN’s Ocean Decade. It couldn’t come sooner, says Head of Science, Geraint West. We have a ‘once in a lifetime’ opportunity to improve our understanding of the oceans and ensure that their future management benefits humanity. We asked Geraint why – but also how and what his key takeaways […]

Across a diverse range of marine applications sensors need to be deployed for long periods of time, on the seabed and in the water column. Today’s challenge is getting the data from them in a timely way. Traditional methods of recovering logged data from long-endurance sensors involve using crewed vessels and/or surface buoys. These have […]

We’re looking back on 2020 – and what a year it’s been. Due to the Covid crisis, remote support has become a key way we have been able to continue to serve you, our customers, to keep your operations on track. But it’s not all been about what we can do remotely – our engineers […]

As an engineering company, we like numbers – very precise numbers in fact. While those numbers normally relate to water depth, range, frequency or days of vessel time saved using our equipment, etc., we’re currently getting to grips with some new numbers relating to our energy use and carbon footprint. At the beginning of this […]

Authors: Luke Richardson, Sales and Marketing Manager at 2G Robotics, and Edd Moller, Global Business Manager Construction Survey at Sonardyne We’ve recently built a new deep-rated laser scanning skid specifically for generating extremely detailed volumetric point cloud models to complete repeatable survey work in the deep ocean. It is a great product that is capable […]

Author: Stephen Auld, Global Business Manager, Subsea Asset Monitoring In my last blog, the first in a three-part series, I looked at how our 6G enabled SMART and AMT acoustic hardware can provide the information you need to understand both high and low frequency movement of your subsea assets’ integrity and fatigue life. These sensors […]

In his second blog on measuring the restless earth, Geraint West, Global Business Manager for Ocean Science, explained how Sonardyne technology is being used to measure underwater landslides down the sides of Mount Etna. In this, his third blog, in a three-part series, he explains how an emerging technique called GPS-Acoustic (GPS-A) is having a […]

To do real-time SLAM, a new set of algorithms was developed using raw ranges from Compatt 6+ transponders in the SPRINT INS, which is in turn managed by Fusion 2, all in real-time. All you need is a ROVNav 6+ on your ROV, a SPRINT-Nav (or SPRINT INS and a DVL), and one Compatt 6+ […]

In his first blog on monitoring the restless earth, Geraint West, Global Business Manager for Ocean Science, explained how scientists are able to measure underwater ‘avalanches’, or oceanic turbidity currents using our Autonomous Monitoring Transponders (AMTs). In this second blog, of a three-part series, he explains how the same versatile instruments are being used to […]

On land, rapid events like landslides and earthquakes are easily measured with satellite imagery, while precise measurement of much slower tectonic plate movements using space geodesy techniques have become routine. Unfortunately, neither of these techniques work underwater, which has meant that such measurements have stopped at the waterline – until now. In a three-part blog, […]

A pioneering marine research expedition into one of the most bio-diverse regions on the planet will start in the Indian Ocean later this month. Using a highly advanced manned submersible, the mission will explore the ‘Midnight Zone’; a region between 1,000-4,000 m deep beneath the waves. At this depth, there is no light. That means […]

Stephen Auld – Global Business Manager – Subsea Asset Monitoring As I discussed in my previous blog, while operators do take care to prevent leaks from occurring, they can and do happen. When they do, they reach the public domain with the understandable and expected negative response and the resulting financial consequences on the companies […]

Our SPRINT-Nav hybrid navigation instrument is helping to drive a growing move towards the use of resident ROV systems. We visited Norway-based IKM Subsea to find out more. IKM Subsea has been taking a step-wise approach to resident subsea systems. After building its first all-electric remote operated vehicles (ROVs) in 2015, the company has gone […]

Author: Duncan Rigg, Vessel Systems – Technical Lead Have you ever considered how the quality of the equipment you attach your transceiver to affects your transceiver’s performance? We have, which is why over the last 25 years we have been developing and perfecting our own deployment machines to suit most vessel types. These have been designed […]

A new generation of long range, long endurance autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs) able to travel from port to port is emerging – with the support of Sonardyne acoustic and optical systems. Ioseba Tena, Global Business Manager for Defence and Robotics, takes a look at one. The concept of a long range autonomous or unmanned underwater […]

BP’s first foray into unmanned over-the-horizon operations, using Sonardyne technology and an unmanned surface vessel (USV), is helping it gather strategic data. It’s also a key step towards a more marine autonomous systems led future. Craig Allinson, Survey and Positioning Lead at BP North Sea, explains. Throughout the life of a field, reservoir management strategies […]

Intruder detection sonar (IDS) are a key tool in maritime security operations, even in peacetime. But, while you hope that you will never hear it sounding the alarm that you have an intruder, putting it to the test – during peaceful exercises – does offer comfort that it will perform when you need it. That’s […]

By Steve Fairhead, Manufacturing apprenticeship programme lead We value vocational skills and training – they under-pin everything we do. So we’re hugely proud of one of our apprentices, Tom Andrews, who is set to fly all the way to Kazan, Russia, this summer to represent not just Sonardyne, but the UK in the WorldSkills finals. […]

Author: Graham Brown, Deputy Managing Director, Sonardyne The recent surge of successful attacks on vessels transiting the Strait of Hormuz and the Gulf of Oman once again highlights the relative ease with which vessels at sea can be targeted. As political tensions in the region continue to escalate, owners and operators of oil and LNG […]

We’re a long-term corporate patron of leading UK-based charity the Shark Trust, supporting its work globally to preserve the world’s shark populations. Ahead of World Oceans Day on Saturday, we invited the Shark Trust Managing Director Paul Cox to tell us – and you – about some of the issues the charity is addressing.   […]

Author: Ioseba Tena – Global Business Manager – Marine Robotic Systems Autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs), subsea robotics and remote operated vehicles (ROVs) will come under the spotlight in Aberdeen tomorrow for Subsea UK’s Underwater Vehicles Conference (UVC). This is an industry that has experienced a painful downturn, one which has also encouraged innovators to seek […]

Author: Nick Swift, Business Manager, Maritime Security There are more unmanned and autonomous underwater vehicles commercially available today than there has ever been. They offer huge benefits to marine operations, such as reducing manning and increasing safety and efficiency, in markets from oil and gas and ocean science to hydrographic survey and the military. In the […]

Author: Elaine Maslin, Senior Content Writer and Editor There’s nothing like starting a new job at the deep end and at Sonardyne that’s quite literally what happened for me. With my feet barely through the door, I travelled with the team from company headquarters in Blackbushe, Hampshire, down to Plymouth, to join our latest Marine […]

Vancouver-based Cellula Robotics Ltd has successfully demonstrated the capabilities of its Imotus-1 hovering autonomous underwater vehicle (HAUV) for inspection and data acquisition missions in confined environments. During a week of testing at a pool facility, Imotus-1 navigated using proprietary Simultaneous Localization and Mapping (SLAM) algorithms to hold station, waypoint track and manoeuvre around obstacles. An […]

Author: Edmund Ceurstemont, USBL technical authority   In July last year I reported on the trials we performed off California (Part 1) to demonstrate the impressive tracking performance of our Lower Medium Frequency (LMF) Ranger 2 Ultra-Short BaseLine (USBL) system. In November we journeyed to the Spanish island of Tenerife – this time to characterise […]

Author – Jose Puig – Regional Sales Manager – Asia  Surprisingly, it was a mild weekend in early March that welcomed the student teams participating in annual Singapore AUV Challenge (SAUVC), organized by the IEEE OES Singapore with support of the National University of Singapore and Singapore Polytechnic. The arena for the fifth running of the […]

Limited by space, layout or weight? Don’t worry; our most popular navigation, tracking and modem products are now available in OEM form meaning you can package them in any way that best suits you. Lodestar AHRS OEM/ SPRINT INS OEM (obsolete) Our 3rd generation Lodestar and SPRINT mechanics addressed many users’ needs for a smaller […]

Author: Ioseba Tena – Global Business Manager – Marine Robotic Systems I keep telling everyone that’ll listen that now is a great time to be working with ocean robots. And, judging by OI 2018, it will only keep getting better. It’s not any one type of ocean robot that’s doing well, it’s all of them. Spurred […]

If you have been reading these blogs you’ll know by now that Autonomous Underwater Vehicles (AUVs) have come of age. They are able to gather hydrographic and oceanographic data at unmatched resolution with great stability and can be programmed to do so at the sweet spot for the sensors that they carry. For the most […]

Why is Solstice different from other side scan sonars? Solstice is a Multi Aperture Sonar (MAS) which functions like a top performing traditional side-scan sonar but it is processed very differently. In this approach, the multi-beam input from 32 elements is dynamically focused to extend the focus along the whole length of the swath. By […]

Author – James Barnett. INS System Engineer When our engineers came to select the ring laser gyros (RLGs) and accelerometers for our hybrid acoustic inertial navigation product family, inertial sensor manufacturer Honeywell was at the top of the list. Each SPRINT uses three Honeywell GG1320AN digital RLGs and three QFLEX accelerometers. Honeywell began production of […]

Terrestrial mapping was revolutionised by aerial LiDAR. Using high-accuracy, post-processed GNSS-aided inertial navigation for geo-referencing sensor frame point measurements into ‘real world’ coordinates has enabled reliable mapping of large areas to high accuracy extremely quickly and cost effectively. Our SPRINT-Mapper technology now provides users with a similar subsea capability and set of advantages. Simon Waterfield, […]

Author: Malik Chibah – Engineering Manager We hosted a live, in-water demonstration of our new SPRINT-Nav, acoustically aided inertial navigation system (AAINS), at our Plymouth trials facility, UK. We wanted to put our new technology through its paces, to really demonstrate why SPRINT-Nav will be the new industry leader in subsea vehicle hybrid navigation. Our SPRINT-Nav combines […]

Author: Ioseba Tena – Global Business Manager – Marine Robotic Systems Why do I need to use an AUV? Why are we putting so much effort into these systems? How are they adding value to our everyday operations? Those of us involved in the marine robotics industry face these questions every day, even though it’s been […]

Author: Edmund Ceurstemont, USBL technical authority We’re regularly asked “can you provide a tracking system capable of tracking beyond 7 km slant range” or “can you provide a system to track to full ocean depths”? I have been working with underwater tracking systems for over 10 years now, and it’s not an easy task to […]

Since 1993, we’ve worked with seabed-to-surface engineering, construction and services contractor, Subsea 7, supplying them with acoustic monitoring and positioning technology to support the tow-out and installation of prefabricated pipelines for the North Sea. The start of this year was no different and in the last few weeks, one 3.8 kilometre bundle for a field […]

In 2007, a unique chapter in Sonardyne’s history began to be written – a chapter that would span the next 10 years and lead to the development of a completely autonomous and long endurance seafloor monitoring capability. Shaun Dunn, Global Business Manager, and Tom Bennetts, Project Manager at Sonardyne look back at a unique subsea […]

Blog written by: Ioseba Tena, Global Business Manager – Marine Robotic Systems, Sonardyne International Ltd. The performance of marine robotic systems is directly linked to how well they are able to sense their environment and process the sensed data. Can they find their way? Can they make sense of their surrounding? It’s all down to […]

Blog written by: Ioseba Tena, Global Business Manager – Marine Robotic Systems, Sonardyne International Ltd. Walking around Ocean Business 2017 in Southampton a couple of weeks ago was fun. All the usual Autonomous Underwater Vehicle (AUVs) providers were in attendance boasting, rightfully, about the growth in the sector. I was also glad to see, alongside the established […]

Blog written by: Ioseba Tena, Global Business Manager – Marine Robotic Systems, Sonardyne International Ltd. Google cars, Amazon drones, Uber self-driving taxis, pilot-less trains. Proof, if needed, that the age of the robot is finally upon us. They may not look human; they may not be sitting next to us, but given the staggering advancements […]