WASSP multibeam sonar solutions find favour on superyacht tenders

WASSP, the New Zealand-based manufacturer of multibeam sonar technology and part of the Furuno group, marks 20 years this year since the launch of its first multibeam system at SMM in Hamburg in September 2006. The original idea of bringing affordable, wide-swath multibeam imaging to commercial fishing vessels has evolved into a technology used in expeditions and research, hydrographic surveying, and defence and energy markets worldwide.

The company is now finding favour in the superyacht sector as a complete seabed mapping solution for tenders working in tandem with superyacht motherships, according to Cameron Hirst, marketing manager at WASSP.

“With regard to superyachts, currently our sales of the W-Series are still increasing as it becomes better known as a ‘tender maps ahead of mothership’ option, which gives the flexibility superyachts like,” Hirst says. “We are now having more installations with a unit on the tender and another one on the mothership, as a kind of complete mapping solution.”

^{A mapping image produced by WASSP sonar - image courtesy WASSP}

“When we launched at SMM in 2006, multibeam was largely the preserve of large survey vessels and research institutions,” says Hirst. “Our goal was to put that same level of insight – a real-time, wide picture of the seabed and water column – into the hands of everyday operators. Twenty years on, WASSP systems are working on vessels in over 40 countries, and that founding mission hasn’t changed: better decisions through better visibility.”

WASSP has expanded its range to three product lines, with multiple feature licences, and created a global dealer network. The technology supports operations ranging from single-vessel inshore fishers to wreck hunters and undersea volcano surveyors.

Today, as part of the Furuno group, one of the most established names in marine electronics, WASSP continues to develop its multibeam platform for a widening range of applications, from commercial fishing to survey, defence and offshore energy.

WASSP managing director Gareth Hodson is bullish on the future and the growth opportunities: “The next chapter is about extending our visibility into new markets and new missions.”