A Cerberus unit will be accommodated in a specially designed moonpool built into the hull of the private yacht and is expected to go into service early next year. Cerberus is able to detect and locate swimmers and divers at ranges exceeding 800m, providing operators with sufficient time to whether the sighting represents a threat and decide upon an appropriate response.

The sale follows the first successful deployment of Cerberus in a non-military environment. Cerberus formed part of the measures to protect the America’s Cup races at the Spanish Port of Valencia during ranking races this summer. Two sonar units were deployed under a leasing arrangement.

Two unauthorised divers were detected during this deployment, although it transpired that they posed no security threat. The two Cerberus units ere positioned in such a way to detect any divers or swimmers approaching the entrance to the Port of Valencia, and also inside the inner harbour basin.

Cerberus was specifically designed and developed over the past four years to address growing concerns about underwater security threats. The system can be deployed as a single unit to provide 360^o cover for ship protection by being slung from the side of the vessel or built into its hull. Alternatively, a number of units can be attached to the seabed in a cordon to provide harbour security and channel protection. Deployed in this manner, the detection range is extended to 1km and beyond.

The main technical challenge in safeguarding ships and harbours from such threats has been the difficulty in locating a human diver because of the lack of a strong sonar target return. Extremely limited underwater visibility greatly reduces the effect of underwater surveillance techniques relying on cameras operating in the visible band. Cerberus’ detection capability represents a significant step forward in tackling this challenge.

Cerberus also provides an inbuilt target classification response enabling operators to decide on an appropriate response to a situation. The sonar returns provided by the target when using Cerberus are interpreted by the sophisticated tracking system to make basic decisions on the nature of the approaching target. The system will distinguish between schools of fish and ships’ wakes, divers on open circuit breathing apparatus and stealth divers on rebreathers. Even tidal flotsam and jetsam can be separated from the target field, helping to reduce false alarms.

MJ Information No: 22403