Sperry Marine has introduced a new high resolution radar system called SeaGuard, developed to assist in navigational awareness for operators of very large cruise ships.
Originally designed as a naval surveillance radar capable of identifying small targets in water, SeaGuard uses a solid state transceiver which can scan for targets across six different frequencies.
Substituting the conventional magnetron receiver with a solid state transceiver delivers improved ‘clutter’ correction and much better performance, the company says, especially in bad weather.
SeaGuard can also provide additional support to navigators when manoeuvring in congested ports and harbours, and assist with search and rescue in the event of a casualty involving passengers or crew.
“As cruise ships continue to grow in size and passenger numbers increase, so do the navigational risks they encounter, and operators are more concerned with minimising the risks of collision,” says Pascal Göllnitz, Associate Product Manager, Northrop Grumman Sperry Marine.
“It’s also a regrettable fact that cruise ships can be involved in searching for people lost overboard. It is no exaggeration to say that being able to quickly identify and retrieve people from the water can be a life saver.”
SeaGuard is intended as an auxiliary system for use in specific operational conditions, with a display and menu structure very similar to Sperry Marine’s navigation radar and ECDIS platforms.
“While a conventional navigation radar typically shows large targets, SeaGuard is designed to focus on and distinguish small targets in the water that a navigator normally wouldn’t choose to see,” adds Mr Göllnitz.
“Because the system generates high resolution clusters in smaller cells, SeaGuard also provides more accurate video response and a more detailed picture, depending on the targets prioritised by the user.”
Installation of Seaguard requires just a single connection between transceiver and display, and configuration via a dedicated screen or an auxiliary unit.
