Phoenix International holds the US Navy's five year Undersea Operations contract to maintain and operate all of the SUPSALV assets needed to search, locate, and recover objects in water depths to 6,000m. Phoenix is responsible for maintaining the equipment in Ready for Issue (RFI) status on an around-the-clock basis and sustaining the capability to mobilise and operate the systems anywhere in the world.

After receiving Navy approval, Phoenix engineers are also responsible for repair, modification, and upgrade to these systems.

CURV III is a 6,000m depth rated ROV, designed to meet SUPSALV's needs for very deep-water recovery. It will be positioned using a Fusion 'Big Head' transceiver and transponders rated to 6,000m.

Deep Drone isa 2,200m depth rated ROV that will be operated in conjunction with a Sonardyne Fusion 'Standard Head' transceiver and two 4,000m rated transponders.

Both ROV systems are designed to be air transportable on military cargo aircraft and to operate from vessels of opportunity.

Phoenix has been involved with numerous international search and recovery operations on behalf its military and commercial clients demonstrating ROV-based recovery techniques on such deep water projects as INS DAKAR, Japanese H-II missile, and a host of foreign and military accident investigations.

In addition to high accuracy acoustic positioning, the Navy's Fusion systems purchased by Phoenix will offer greater operational flexibility in search and recovery operations.

This is achieved through the elimination of the separate on-board acoustic hardware traditionally needed for different subsea positioning and navigation activities. With Fusion, the same vessel hardware can be used to undertake a relatively simple towfish tracking project one day and a complex debris survey the next.

Sonardyne Fusion USBL systems are manufactured at the company's headquarters in Yateley, UK.

MJ Information No: 19420