The advanced and integrated Raymarine technology on the new Dorset Police boat provides the crew with unparalleled levels of situational awareness and operational safety
Dorset Police Marine Section’s impressive new 11m patrol boat, Buccaneer, has been making waves since it was delivered in August. Built by Ribcraft, the renowned British designer and manufacturer of professional-grade Rigid Inflatable Boats (RIBs), the ultramodern RIB has been purpose-built to a very exacting specification. Because of the complexity and potentially hazardous nature of the varied tasks which Buccaneer’s crew will be expected to undertake, the vessel has been extensively fitted out with a suite of Raymarine’s latest electronics for optimal situational awareness.
Detailed navigation
Buccaneer’s helm integration centered around Raymarine’s award-winning Axiom multifunction display system. Two 12” Axiom Pro multifunction displays, a Pro 12 S with single-channel CHIRP sonar and a Pro RVX with RealVision 3D sonar and 1kW CHIRP sonar act as all-in-one sources of detailed navigational data.
A dual-station Raymarine Ray63 VHF marine radio provides Class D Digital Selective Calling (DSC), while a next-generation Raymarine Quantum 2 CHIRP pulse compression radar utilises Doppler collision avoidance technology for enhanced target awareness. Capable of instantly detecting both long and short-range moving radar contacts, the Quantum 2 automatically colour-codes targets so that users can tell at a glance whether the objects are approaching or receding: invaluable for the crew in identifying targets which could pose a danger to them or other vessels in the area.
Underwater situational awareness and is further enhanced with an RV-100 all-in-one transom-mount sonar transducer for the Axiom Pro 12 RVX. For operational safety, the vessel is equipped with a Raymarine AIS700 Class B Automatic Identification System (AIS) transceiver, capable of both receiving other vessels’ AIS position reports and broadcasting the Buccaneer’s current position and navigational status to other AIS-equipped vessels. Day-and-night situational awareness is picture-perfect with FLIR’s M232 pan-and-tilt thermal camera, which employs ClearCruise™ Object Detection technology and will issue audible and visual alerts on the Axiom Pro displays whenever any non-water objects ranging from other boats to obstacles and navigation markers are in the vicinity.
Best integration
“We recommended the Raymarine equipment to Dorset Police because of the FLIR integration,” says Dorian Martin, Ribcraft project manager. “That’s what we do as standard. If a customer requests FLIR, we will suggest that they go with Raymarine because of the seamless integration the products provide the FLIR technology. Raymarine’s latest products are fast, intuitive, and they have quick start-up times. They are also built around touchscreen technology, which our customers really like.”
With the Raymarine navigation system commissioned, Buccaneer is now fully active and patrolling Dorset’s extensive 89-miles of coastal waters, from Lyme Regis to Christchurch Harbour, ensuring the Force Support Group crew can carry out operations safely and confidently.
For further information about Raymarine’s advanced navigation and situational awareness technology, visit www.raymarine.eu
