Mbari Chooses Sonardyne Fusion for ROV Fleet
The Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute (MBARI) has purchased two Sonardyne Fusion USBL (Ultra-Short BaseLine) acoustic tracking systems to provide high accuracy subsea positioning for the its two deepwater ROVs; Ventana and Tiburon.
The California-based organisation is a leading research centre on the west coast of the United States and will be installing the new Fusion USBL systems aboard its vessels; R/V Western Flyer and R/V Point Lobos. The R/V Point Lobos is the support vessel for the Ventana ROV, and works offshore for day trips on an average of four days per week. The R/V Western Flyer is the support vessel for the Tiburon ROV which is primarily used for extended science missions exploring the deep canyons surrounding Monterey Bay.
The Fusion USBLs purchased by MBARI will provide high accuracy acoustic positioning, in conjunction with greater flexibility in day-to-day operations. This is achieved through the elimination of the separate on-board acoustic hardware traditionally needed for different subsea positioning and navigation activities. With Fusion, the same vessel equipment can be used to undertake a long-range towfish tracking project one day and a deepwater site survey the next. This ‘one-box’ approach generates substantial cost savings through improved product utilisation and reduced operational overheads and is believed to have been a major factor behind MBARI’s decision to purchase Fusion.
The equipment being delivered to MBARI includes two Data Fusion Engines, Super Sub-Mini transponders rated to 4,000 metres and ‘Big Head’ and ‘Standard Head’ transceivers which will provide optimum performance for shallow and deepwater operations. Because Fusion is designed to accommodate any future product enhancements through firmware or software upgrades users like MBARI gain the reassurance that their investment is protected for many years to come.
