Kongsberg Maritime has entered into an agreement to supply the Norwegian Institute of Marine Research (IMR) with four autonomous vessels.
The scope of the supply includes two unmanned surface vehicles (USVs) and two autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs) to be used for monitoring and management of marine environments and resources. The AUVs are scheduled for delivery this year while the USVs will follow in the late summer or early autumn of 2022.
The AUVs will be depth-rated to 1,500 metres and will be equipped with a powerful payload for environmental monitoring and seabed mapping. The USVs will be equipped with a full wideband echosounder.
Control and navigation of both AUVs and the USVs can be handled just by a single interface. The comprehensive overview provided by this fleet management capability will enable interoperability between all assets and will reduce in-mission complexity.
The four autonomous vessels will be fitted with Kongsberg's new cloud-based ecosystem designed to facilitate remote instrument operation, data visualisation, and smart management of oceanographic and meteorological data.