4000-Meter Manned Submersible for Titanic Survey Expedition Equipped with iXblue’s Inertial Navigation Systems and USBL Subsea Positioning Solution

OceanGate, Inc., a provider of manned submersible services, and iXblue, a global company that provides innovative solutions for navigation, positioning and underwater imaging, are combining forces to conduct the first manned submersible expedition to the wreck of the RMS Titanic since 2005. iXblue’s Phins 6000 inertial navigation system and Posidonia USBL positioning system will both be used for the accurate and reliable navigation and positioning of OceanGate’s Titan, the newest addition to the company’s fleet of deep sea manned submersibles and the first privately-owned manned submersible capable of reaching Titanic depths.

“Our submersible pilots have relied on Phins from iXblue on our fleet of manned submersibles for several years,” said Stockton Rush, OceanGate CEO and Chief Pilot. “With iXblue our pilot can safely navigate around shipwrecks because we know almost exactly where we are. Plus, the location is sent to the surface, so the operations crew can track our location in real time. The accuracy of the location data also allows the dive team to better track the areas of the dive site that have already been scanned or filmed, eliminating redundant scans and reducing the risk of missing key images of the wreck.”

iXblue’s unique strap-down Fiber-Optic Gyroscope (FOG) technology, Phins 6000 subsea Inertial Navigation System (INS) provides accurate position, heading, attitude, speed and depth information as the manned submersible captures laser data and the first ever 4K images of the RMS Titanic shipwreck and debris fields. Its high-accuracy inertial measurement unit is coupled with an embedded digital signal processor that runs an advanced Kalman filter for optimum positioning of the subsea vehicle.

Increased positioning precision of Titan on the shipwreck site will be provided by Posidonia, iXblue’s long range and high accuracy USBL system that is operated from the surface ship and will be calibrated thanks to a Phins surface INS. Designed to track subsea vehicles to depths of 6,000 meters at ranges reaching over 10,000 meters, Posidonia uses advanced acoustic modulation, as well as digital signal processing technology and operates in the low frequency band for deep sea tracking operations. To communicate with Posidonia during each dive, Titan is equipped with iXblue’s MT8 compact low-frequency transponder.

“Everyone at iXblue is very excited to be part of the Titanic Survey Expedition.” States Marine Slingue, Sales Director at iXblue. “We are thankful for the renewed trust OceanGate puts in us after a first partnership back in 2016 for the survey of the iconic wreck of Andrea Doria. It is a real vote of confidence for our products to be chosen again -- especially to explore and help survey the world’s most famous shipwreck. We are proud to be helping OceanGate explore, record and understand the undersea world at such great depths.”

About iXblue
iXblue is a global leader in the design and manufacturing of innovative solutions devoted to navigation, positioning and underwater imaging, shipbuilding, as well as photonics. Using its unique in-house technology, the company offers turnkey solutions to its Civil and Defense customers to carry out their sea, land and space operations with optimum efficiency and reliability. Employing a workforce of 600 people worldwide, iXblue conducts its business with over 35 countries.

About OceanGate
OceanGate Inc. is a privately held company based in Everett, Washington. Founded in 2009, the company provides manned submersible services for industry, research, and exploration. OceanGate 5-man submersibles provide deep sea access for underwater site survey and inspection, scientific research and data collection, technology testing, and film production. Cyclops 1 is rated to a maximum depth of 500 meters (1640 feet). Titan is designed to reach a maximum depth of 4000 meters (13,124 feet)

About the Titanic Survey Expedition
OceanGate Expeditions will conduct a series of week-long manned submersible survey missions to the wreck of the RMS Titanic beginning in 2018. This longitudinal survey to collect images, video, laser scans and sonar data will provide an objective basis to assess the decay of the wreck over time and help document and preserve its submerged history. Expeditions will be conducted with great respect for those who lost their lives in the tragic sinking of the Titanic and rigorously observe the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Guidelines for Research, Exploration and Salvage of RMS Titanic and UNESCO guidelines for the preservation of underwater world heritage sites. www.titanicsurveyexpedition.com


Location: North Atlantic Ocean