UK-based marine technology and subsea services provider Ashtead Technology has developed new subsea navigation technology, expanding its equipment rental pool.

Known as iXblue RAMSES, the new subsea navigation technology is designed to provide faster, more accurate results of subsea structures in harsh environments.

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The new acoustic synthetic baseline positioning tool has self-contained computing capability for performing real-time underwater navigation.

"This investment underlines our commitment to the subsea market, by offering the latest, most efficient technologies available."

When coupled with iXBlue inertial navigation system (INS), it provides extreme precision in most of the challenging seas of the world.

Ashtead Technology CEO Allan Pirie said: “Our existing pool of inertial navigation systems has proven to be extremely popular with our customers and we have enhanced our rental fleet to meet their growing demands.

“This investment underlines our commitment to the subsea market, by offering the latest, most efficient technologies available and will see our clients experience a more cost-effective, reliable solution for ROV and AUV navigation, offshore support, metrology, and demanding subsea applications across the UK and beyond.”

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iXblue RAMSES does not require multiple transponders or umbilicals to track the position of subsea structures, allowing immediate and simplified mobilisation.

The company said that by using the new system, an ROV can place a single beacon on the sea floor and achieve positioning precision.

The system also enables operational flexibility, cuts costs and improves operational efficiency and acoustic accuracy.

Apart from offering navigation, positioning, and mapping solutions at sea and on land, iXblue RAMSES can communicate with a range of third party transponders.

It also features a sparse-array positioning system and better interoperability.

Image: Ashtead Technology’s new subsea navigation system. Photo: courtesy of Ashtead Technology.

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