Leading Taiwanese offshore geophysical and geotechnical investigation company PDE Offshore Corporation have upgraded their underwater acoustic positioning system onboard MV Geo Energy to Sonardyne’s Ranger 2 USBL system.

This will further enhance their capability in the exploration of offshore renewable energy (ORE) in Taiwan. Their new geotechnical vessel Geo Power, also equipped with Ranger 2 USBL system is now under conversion work and will join the fleet in mid-2024 which will provide both seabed and downhole cone penetration testing services.

PDE Offshore have been conducting geotechnical and soil investigation in the shallow waters of the Taiwanese Strait since 2017 as the country looks to replace its coal-based energy with cleaner, sustainable alternatives such as offshore wind farms.

Working with most of the world’s leading ORE developers, PDE Offshore wanted to increase their capability. This required a trusted and proven USBL positioning system for their Geo Technical vessel to work in greater water depths and challenging water conditions as their operations expanded.

Having already successfully used Sonardyne’s Mini Ranger 2 for several years, investing in the full Ranger 2 system was a logical choice to provide the reliable dynamic positioning references essential for their operations, whilst also giving the capability for operating in greater depths and more challenging conditions.

Incorporating over 30 years of USBL knowledge, Sonardyne’s Ranger 2 system is anything but standard. It can be used to track anything, in any depth, from any vessel. Track a subsea asset, position or communicate with an underwater vehicle, dynamically position your vessel – or do all of this simultaneously. It can be used for both survey and construction phases of ORE and supports complex tracking scenarios such as structures and vehicles with multiple transponders and multiple remote offsets.

Huang Hsin-chih, President of PDE Offshore, says, “We have been working with Sonardyne since 2017 using their Mini Ranger 2 system. The system is proven, reliable and our engineers are familiar with its operation. It was a simple and logical choice to go ahead and upgrade to the Ranger 2 system to improve our capability to take on greater projects in the region.”

Dan Tan, Regional Sales Manager for Sonardyne in Singapore, says, “Taiwan’s ambitions of becoming a green island means it is fast becoming a leading player offshore wind in Asia Pacific. We’re pleased to be a part this energy transition through PDE Offshore’s continued confidence and investment in our products. We look forward to supporting them in their future operations.”