Furuno USA has been awarded a $10 million multiyear U.S. Coast Guard contract to supply all of the Doppler speed logs for their Doppler Speed Refreshment Project.
The five-year contract calls for Furuno’s DS60 Doppler speed log (DSL) to be installed on over 200 vessels, ranging from 87' Marine Protector-class patrol boats to the 418' national security cutters (NSC), the largest class of vessel in the Coast Guard.
The U.S. government required a DSL that would interface with existing shipboard equipment, while retaining the functional characteristics and performance of the original systems being replaced. They found precisely what they needed in the Furuno DS60, a precision 3-axis Doppler sonar that offers real-time information for safe berthing and docking maneuvers. The DS60’s bright, 8" color LCD display offers three display modes: 3-axis speed, berthing, and a detailed navigation data display, capable of showing information in both graphic and alphanumeric formats.
The DS60 offers measurement capability at dead slow speed that is vital for precise docking. It features a single, compact, high-frequency transducer that is capable of measuring ship’s longitudinal and transverse speed relative to ground or water, as well as water speed and direction beneath the hull.
The Coast Guard has placed initial orders and first-in-class vessel installations will begin by early 2018.
