Abu-Dhabi based TES Survey Equipment Services LLC is to become the first company in the Middle East to rent the 6G underwater acoustic positioning technology from Sonardyne International Ltd.

The order for multiple Mini-Ranger 2 Ultra-Short BaseLine (USBL) systems and Wideband Sub-Mini 6 Plus (WSM 6+) transponders will be added to TES’ existing hire pool of Sonardyne equipment.

When it was introduced in April, Mini-Ranger 2 became Sonardyne’s smallest and lightest 6G (sixth generation) underwater target tracking system. It boasts an operating range of 2,000 metres and is optimised to track 10 underwater targets in shallow water and at high elevations.

The decision to add Sonardyne’s WSM 6+ to its rental pool was also a considered one for TES. WSM 6+ supports two-way Wideband and Wideband 2 signal protocols for very fast position updates, the company wrote.

Susan Murray, Managing Director at TES said, “Utilisation rates for our stock of 6G equipment are consistently high, so the decision to invest further was a straightforward one. We see the introduction of Mini-Ranger 2 as particularly significant for our business as it bridges the gap between low cost, low performance USBLs and complex, deep water systems. We’re not expecting it to be sitting on our shelves for very long.”

Commenting for Sonardyne, Graeme Buchanan, Sales Manager in Singapore said, “TES has claimed a significant first by being the first rental company to order both Mini-Ranger 2 and WSM 6+. Reducing risk and saving time is on everyone’s minds at the moment so in the months ahead, we’re looking forward to seeing how our new 6G products are helping the industry to achieve these goals.”