Sperry Marine debuts high-resolution radar for cruise ships

Sperry Marine has released a new high-resolution radar system named SeaGuard, which provides enhanced situational awareness for operators of large cruise ships in congested waters and emergency situations.

Initially designed as a naval surveillance radar, SeaGuard differs from conventional radar by providing high-resolution images in a solid-state transceiver which can scan for targets almost simultaneously across six different frequencies. This improves ‘clutter correction’ and performance in bad weather.

SeaGuard is intended to be used as an auxiliary system in specific operational conditions, such as in congested waters or during search and rescue operations.

“As cruise ships continue to grow in size and passenger numbers increase, so do the navigational risks they encounter and operators are more concerned with minimising the risks of collision,” said Pascal Göllnitz, associate product manager at Northrop Grumman Sperry Marine. “While a conventional navigation radar typically shows large targets, SeaGuard is designed to focus on and distinguish small targets in the water that a navigator normally wouldn’t choose to see. Because the system generates high resolution clusters in smaller cells, SeaGuard also provides more accurate video response and a more detailed picture, depending on the targets prioritised by the user.”