New Sonar Equipment for World Class Subsea Training Provider

23 February 2010

The Underwater Centre in Fort William has underlined its reputation as a world renowned provider of realistic subsea training after receiving market leading sonar equipment from innovative underwater technology company, Tritech International Limited.

Tritech, specialists in the design and manufacture of a range of acoustic and sonar technology, has provided the equipment to the Centre as this will allow ROV students to train and become familiar with industry standard equipment.

During a recent visit to the deep-water training site, Tritech presented The Underwater Centre with a Super SeaPrince DST sonar; Tritech's survey, observation and light class Remotely Operated Vehicle (ROV) sonar and a Seanet SCU (Surface Control Unit) Processor. The Super SeaPrince sonar will be fitted to one of the Centre's Seaeye Falcon ROV Class II vehicles.

This equipment will further strengthen the wide range of industry specific technology used by the Centre – this includes purpose built control cabins, Launch and Recovery Systems (LARS) and electronics and engineering workshops. There are also three barges to support a variety of diving disciplines including closed bell, wet bell and diving.

ROV students at the Centre will use the new sonar and SCU to develop their flying skills in the open water conditions of Loch Linnhe .

Paul Bury, Head of ROV Operations and Training at The Underwater Centre, said the generous donation from Tritech will be a great resource and learning tool for the students.

“Having delivered ROV courses to students for over ten years, we know the training we provide equips them for a successful career in the ROV industry.

“Our reputation as a world class subsea training facility is based on a number of factors - our location and natural facilities, our expert tuition and our industry standard equipment.

“This donation from Tritech is a fantastic addition to the Centre and will allow us to continue to train the very best ROV pilots and technicians."

Malcolm Johnston, Sales & Marketing Manager, Tritech, commented:

“Providing The Underwater Centre with this equipment has ensured that students new to the industry have experience using industry standard sonar and subsea equipment as part of their training. The Underwater Centre is one of the world's leading providers of subsea training and we recognise the importance of supporting the facility as they train the next generation of ROV pilots.”

The Underwater Centre also provides extensive facilities for seatrials where Tritech has recently trialled the very latest in its subsea technologies, including the newest edition to the SeaKing range; due for launch mid-2010.

This article was updated 26 Feb 2010.