Sonardyne receives first order for mini subsea navigator

Acteon’s marine technology specialist Seatronics has placed the first-ever order for Sonardyne’s recently launched SPRINT-Nav Mini Navigator.

Seatronics made the purchase of what is said to be the world’s smallest hybrid acoustic-inertial navigation instrument for its Valor remotely operated vehicle (ROV).

According to the company, equipping Valor with the new technology further differentiates it from similar-sized platforms, providing a more flexible, configurable inspection platform that can undertake a variety of tasks that would typically be associated with much larger ROV systems.

“Specifying payload sensors for a vehicle like VALOR often requires a trade-off between accuracy, performance, price and ownership. SPRINT-Nav Mini offers both the survey positional accuracy our clients are looking for, and a small form factor that we can fit and put straight to work,” said Derek Donaldson, Seatronics’ group managing director.

“Another key reason for investing in SPRINT-Nav Mini is our ongoing relationship with Sonardyne. We knew that we would be fully supported in our concept to push the boundaries of remote operations from a small ROV solution by the Sonardyne team. This is critical when adopting new technology for a new platform.” 

SPRINT-Nav Mini combines an INS, AHRS, pressure sensor and DVL in a single subsea housing depth rated to 300 meters or 4,000 meters and weighs 3.6 kilos in air.

The new Navigator variant extends the capability of the Guidance model, introduced in 2020, by calculating and providing the position of a remote, autonomous or piloted underwater vehicle, or uncrewed surface vehicle, in addition to its velocity, depth and attitude, Sonardyne said.