At Navigation Solutions Europe BV, we recently had the exciting opportunity to participate in a unique on-water demonstration, combining advanced sonar technology with a touch of Dutch maritime history. Together with our valued partners and key customers, we boarded a vessel from Deep BV to witness the capabilities of the Voxometer XL, delivered by R3Vox, in action. The demonstration took place in a off-shore testing site provided by SeaSec in the Netherlands.
The Voxometer XL attached to the frame of the boat
Returning back from the testing site, the boat sailed over the wreck of the MS Adder at the bottom of the sea. The MS Adder was a Dutch Royal Navy Ram Monitor that tragically sank in 1882 off the coast of Scheveningen. Lying at a depth of around 20 meters, the wreck is a well-known and fascinating part of the Netherlands’ naval heritage, making it an ideal site for demonstrating high-resolution sonar imaging and survey capabilities.
MS Adder at sea
The event began with an insightful presentation by Cris Sabo from R3Vox, who provided an in-depth explanation of the operation using the Voxometer XL. notably, this was the very first demonstration of this model in the world. Following the presentation, the system was deployed on the Deep BV vessel, using sonar technology to locate and visualize the wreck of the MS Adder on the seabed of the North Sea.
The collected data was processed and visualized using BeamWorX’s hydrographic software. The image above shows the detailed sonar results of the MS Adder wreck site. On the left, the bathymetric chart displays depth contours around the wreck, clearly outlining the vessel’s structure on the seabed at approximately 20 meters depth. On the right, a 3D view reveals the impressive detail captured by the Voxometer XL, with the ship’s hull, deck features, and surrounding seabed rendered in vivid color according to depth. This high-resolution visualization demonstrates the precision and clarity achievable when combining R3Vox sensor technology with BeamWorX processing tools.
This demonstration not only showcased the powerful performance of the Voxometer XL but also highlighted the strong collaboration between leading innovators in the hydrographic industry: R3Vox, SeaSec, Deep BV, BeamWorX, and Navigation Solutions. Together, we are proud to be advancing the tools and technologies that help explore and understand our underwater world.
