RRS Sir David Attenborough

Pinpoint supplies a Farsounder-1000 the new $180 million polar research vessel, RRS Sir David Attenborough. Farsounder is a 3D Forward Looking Sonar used to improves navigation safety by detecting underwater or floating hazards ahead of the vessel.

The new, state-of-the-art ship, owned by Natural Environment Research Council (NERC), built by Cammell Laird and operated by British Antarctic Survey will therefore enable scientists to explore and undertake science in new areas of the Antarctic and Arctic seas. The ice class vessel was designed to enable scientists to explore and undertake science in new areas of the Antarctic and Arctic seas. It is one of the most advanced polar research vessels in the world. Following technical sea trials and scientific equipment testing, scientists researching oceans, ice and atmosphere will have access to cutting edge facilities on this floating multidisciplinary research platform. It will as a result transform how ship-borne science is conducted in the Polar Regions.

The commissioning of the RRS Sir David Attenborough is part of a major Government polar infrastructure investment programme designed to keep Britain at the forefront of world-leading research in Antarctica and the Arctic. This £200m commitment represents the UK Government‘s largest investment in polar science since the 1980s.

Farsounder

The FarSounder sonar was chosen to compliment the other navigation and science mission sensors onboard. Farsounder’s primary purpose however is for safe navigation and obstacle avoidance. Onboard the RRS Sir David Attenborough it will be used to detect ice. The sonar is protected during icebreaking operations via a custom hoist.

FarSounder’s navigation systems are the only products capable of generating a true, 3-dimensional image ahead of a vessel at navigationally significant ranges at each ping of the sonar. The Farsounder 1000 will provide a 3-dimensional image ahead of a vessel in real-time. Operational and reliable at navigationally significant ranges up to 1000 metres and speeds up to 25 knots. Icebergs and growlers are very good acoustic targets and are of concern to many yacht and ship operators. A number of the Farsounder Argos series are installed on ice classed hulls specifically for ice detection. They have fast refresh rates and a wide field of view with every single ping which allows users to navigate safely and confidently.

with ice-navigation by providing a 3D image ahead of the vessel.

Last year, FarSounder was integral in the residential ship The World’s groundbreaking excursion that reached the Ross Ice Shelf, the furthest south any vessel has ever sailed.