NOR Offshore Rental (NOR) has made a further, multi-million pound investment in Sonardyne products for their rental pool as part of their expansion at NOR Ltd, their UK subsidiary office in Aberdeen.

This investment comes as a result of increased demand for NOR’s services and equipment globally. NOR has ambitions to outfit their Aberdeen office with the same services as their headquarters in Norway.

The investment includes stocking their rental pool with additional tooling and survey equipment, including SPRINT-Nav, Compatt 6+ and Fusion 2 systems to support the offshore construction industry.

NOR’s investment includes several Sonardyne Compatt 6+ LBL and USBL transponders. This image shows Compatt 6+ units being manufactured at Sonardyne’s headquarters in Hampshire, UK.

Welcoming the investment, Sonardyne’s Aberdeen Sales Manager. Colin Sutherland commented, “It’s great to see NOR’s confidence in our technology confirmed by this further investment in products for their rental pool. The NOR Ltd. expansion is beneficial for all involved: NOR, their customers, Aberdeen and of course us. We look forward to working with them as they continue to serve the North Sea marine industry.”

With duplicate services in Aberdeen, NOR can increase speed and efficiency when it comes to mobilising their services and equipment from both sides of the North Sea. To accommodate the expansion, NOR LTD will be moving to a new facility which is triple the size of their current location.

“The investment in Sonardyne equipment is a part of our global growth strategy, to meet our customer needs globally. It is a very exciting time for NOR, and we are looking forward to seeing our UK subsidiary in Aberdeen grow to its full potential with the support of valued suppliers such as Sonardyne.” Jostein Jansen, CCO, NOR Offshore Rental.

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Underwater positioning specialist Sonardyne International Ltd. has increased the capabilities of its Fusion 2 software package to enable surveyors and construction personnel to do even more, both on and offshore, with their existing hardware.

This latest release of Fusion 2 unlocks new benefits, including a simplified surface box-in app and the ability to perform wireless structure deflection monitoring, without having to deploy specialist hardware. Additionally, Fusion 2 now includes ‘office’ mode as standard, allowing project teams to plan and fine tune procedures before doing them for real offshore. Multi-user mode now comes as standard when using Sonardyne’s Compatt 6+ transponder arrays, bringing the savings of simultaneous operations to all users. 

Until now, structure deflection monitoring (SDM) – a requirement for most construction campaigns – usually meant having to buy or rent dedicated systems that require lots of cabling. Now, with the Fusion 2 SDM rentable add-on module, subsea construction staff can install their existing Compatt 6+s on each corner of a structure that is to be installed, and a Gyro Compatt 6+ and, supported by their existing ROVNav 6+ remotely operated vehicle (ROV) transceiver, launch straight into wireless structure deflection monitoring. This new capability reduces interfaces, costs and complexity, making operations simpler and faster.

With the new complimentary office mode, users can do more from onshore, including planning for LBL and INS offshore campaigns and running tests such as geodetic checks, through to post-processing of LBL calibrations, reducing offshore workload and risk. The new box-in app makes interfacing with third-party USBL systems, such as HiPAP, for range only box-in operations far simpler and easier – and again is enabled as standard.

With just a single cable connection from the vessel’s USBL system to Fusion 2, operators will be able to run seamless real-time box-in operations. What’s more, Compatt 6+ multi-user functionality is now free to access through every Fusion 2 system, enabling up to five different users at any one time for operations from box-in to ROV tracking, all via a simple Compatt selection interface.

[blockquote author=” Edward Moller, Global Business Manager – Construction Survey, at Sonardyne”]”With each update to Fusion 2, we’re adding new capabilities and increasing the ease and simplification of what are in fact complex survey and construction operations. In the past, for many operations, different systems need to be interfaced, which made operations inefficient, and specific hardware was needed for certain operations. Now, it comes in one package that works with the hardware operators already have in their inventories.[/blockquote]

Fusion 2 Version 2.02 will begin shipping from May 19 and is available as a free of charge remote infield upgrade to existing owners of a Fusion 2 license. Users are advised to email their request to: [email protected]. Pricing details of the SDM add-on module is available by contacting your local sales office.

Australian headquartered subsea services specialist Neptune has become the latest company to adopt Sonardyne International Ltd.’s new, all-in-one acoustic and inertial positioning technology platform to support its offshore survey projects.

The order, made through Sonardyne’s Singapore subsidiary, includes the supply of Fusion 2 software, Compatt 6 seabed transponders and ROVNav 6 LBL (Long BaseLine) vehicle-mounted transceivers. The Compatt 6s and ROVNav 6s will be Sonardyne’s latest ‘plus’ hardware platform (6+), engineered to unlock the full capabilities of Fusion 2.

Built from the ground up, with ease of use and operational efficiency in mind, Fusion 2 software offers a seamless environment in which surveyors can perform all of their LBL, SPRINT INS (inertial navigation system) and sparse (INS-aided) LBL operations. When used alongside 6+ hardware, Fusion 2 offers the ability to simplify complex projects – all with less subsea and topside hardware.

As part of the deal, Neptune is trading-in its inventory of Compatt 5 seabed transponders which, after many years of reliable service, now date back to two generations of Sonardyne LBL subsea hardware. Their 6+ replacements are scheduled to go straight to work supporting Neptune’s upcoming rig positioning and field support campaigns in Asia and Australia.

[blockquote author=”Fournier, General Manager, Neptune”]“Sonardyne came to see us in Perth late last year, as part of their Fusion 2 and 6+ launch tour. The in-water demos they ran were impressive to say the least – particularly the display of combined data telemetry and range updates and real-time INS-aided LBL SLAM (simultaneous localisation and mapping) calibration. This new Sonardyne equipment will continue to allow Neptune to remain at the forefront of technology and demonstrates Neptune’s commitment to supply its clients with the latest subsea technology solutions.” [/blockquote]

Graeme Buchanan, Sales Manager with Sonardyne Asia Pte. in Singapore says, “Markets often need time to understand the reasons behind the introduction a generational change in a technology platform. But in the case of Fusion 2 and 6+, our customers have been very quick to appreciate how the all-in-one approach we’ve taken will transform and simplify their operations.

“Neptune is a long-standing customer of ours and we’re confident they will see the benefits of this purchase from the moment they start using it.”