Russian shipyard SNSZ took delivery of the second underwater inspection system, according to ECA Group’s officials.
On July 25, the ECA Group announces the delivery of the second underwater inspection system to the Sredne-Nevski Shipyard (SNSZ) for a new generation of ships.
This Unmanned Survey and Identification System is composed of the Multi-Mission Unmanned Surface Vehicle (USV) INSPECTOR MK2 fitted with Interferometric Side Scan Sonar (ISSS) on its rotary bow mast and on the aft deck the TOWSCA a Towed Side Scan Sonar (TSSS) and its Launch and Recovery System (LARS). The ISSS provides 3D data (imagery and bathymetry) of the seafloor, wreck and obstructions in very shallow water while the TSSS can be used from 10 to 100m with the capability of following the seabed with great accuracy thanks to a bottom tracker follower design coupled with the winch of the LARS.
The two sonars of the USV are capable to transmit their data real time to the control station which will be embarked, according to the type of missions, in a dedicated 20’ container or directly onboard the mother ship.
The mother ship as well as the INSPECTOR MK2 are also fitted with the SEASCAN, a dedicated Remotely Operated Vehicle for underwater relocation and identification. Fitted with a scanning sonar and 3 video cameras, this self-powered ROV provides the operator with high resolution images of contacts. Thanks to its optical fiber, this ROV can operate in strong current and in a range of 1500m ahead of the ship which deploys it (USV or mothership).
The integration of the first system delivered end of 2016 is on-going. Preliminary sea trials which took place mid June 2017, have shown the wide potentialities of the USV and its payloads to achieve the performances of the ship.
With the fruitful collaboration of its local partner, the shipyard team, the crew and other specialized companies, ECA Group’s Command Control (C2) as well as the data processing software solutions Triton are under integration on board the first ship. This integration should be completed in the next few weeks.