The Ocean Tracking Network (OTN) has upgraded its remotely operated vehicle to a 1000-metre rated Saab Seaeye Falcon DR.
The Falcon ROV was chosen in a competitive bid process.
Greater depth capability of the Falcon DR extends the potential for maintenance and recovery of lost tracking equipment, lends itself to oceanographic and biological surveying, and expands opportunities for OTN’s research into deep-water habitats.
“The Falcon is compact, easily mobilized and versatile, making it attractive to potential partners who are keen to share the vehicle for joint venture research, monitoring and recovery projects, ” said OTN executive director, Dr. Fred Whoriskey .
The ROV will provide new insights on aquatic animals by offering a new, safer, and less intrusive way to study them underwater.
OTN’s Falcon comes with an ultra-short baseline acoustic tracking system, a Tritech multi-beam sonar, a Kongsberg high definition video camera and an associated lighting system, making it a highly versatile platform for the maintenance and recovery of OTN infrastructure equipment and providing high quality video for scientific and communications purposes.
OTN has more than 2,000 acoustic tracking stations deployed across five oceans, spanning seven continents, and in freshwater systems that serve as highways to the ocean for species that migrate between fresh and salt waters.