In September 2016, MARSS announced the award of a significant contract for the design and supply of MARSS’ proprietary maritime security system, NiDAR™ to protect a fleet of Offshore Patrol Vessels.

A key requirement of the security brief was underwater perimeter surveillance for which MARSS once again partnered with Ocean Marine Systems to develop a bespoke, through-hull, sonar deployment system. Working with a reduced space envelope MARSS and OMS had to design a bespoke system that met all of the system requirements with a minimal footprint.

The subsequent patented design deploys and retracts a Sonar through the keel enabling the vessel to monitor its underwater surroundings and alert the crew to any person or vehicle entering the vicinity of the vessel. Controlled and monitored by the MARSS NiDAR™ system, activation and retraction commands are made from a dedicated touchscreen controller or automatic activation by the ships sensors, i.e. Speed over ground exceeding the safe operating limits.

MARSS are pleased to announce that in February 2016 MARSS and Ocean Marine Systems successfully completed the Factory Acceptance Tests (FAT) of system No. 2 following on from the delivery of system No.1 at the end of 2016, marking another key milestone in the delivery of this multihull contract.

“We are delighted to be working with OMS again following the success of our first collaboration installed on a 100m superyacht last year. This is a significant contract delivered over several years and it is imperative that we work with experienced partners to deliver the highest quality innovation, design and support to our client.” Rob Balloch, SVP of Sales, MARSS.

“This has been a really interesting project to be involved with,” comments Adam Nice, Technical Designer at Ocean Marine Systems. “We design and develop bespoke solutions for all our clients and this project has been no exception. Every detail has been thought through to ensure the unit is as compact and maintenance free as possible.”

The multihull contract will include the design, integration, delivery, installation and commissioning of the patented NiDAR™ 360˚ surface and underwater anti intruder security system through to 2023