Artemis AUV Continues Deepest Bluefin Search
Phoenix International (Phoenix, USA) personnel working aboard Australian Defence Vessel (ADV) Ocean Shield recently completed the latest phase of search operations for MH370. ADV Ocean Shield returned to port on 5 May 2014 to re-supply before continuing the search for the missing aircraft. The search is being conducted using the company’s AUV Artemis working at water depths up to 5,005 metres of seawater, the deepest depth ever achieved by a Bluefin 21 AUV.
During this phase of the search operation Artemis recorded over 240 hours of in-water time and surveyed well over 500 square kilometres (nearly 200 square miles) of the bottom-collecting sidescan sonar data. Phoenix is part of a multinational team from 26 countries assisting in the search for the lost aircraft. Phoenix is supporting the U.S. Navy’s participation in this effort under its multi-year Undersea Operations contract with the Naval Sea Systems Command’s Office of the Supervisor of Salvage and Diving.
