Kongsberg Discovery has secured the first commercial order for its Kongsberg Listen electromagnetic sensing solution, with subsea services provider DOF selecting the technology for deployment on a HUGIN autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV).
The new HUGIN vehicle, rated for operations at depths of up to 3,000 meters, will operate under a long-term contract with Brazil’s leading oil and gas operator to support deepwater survey and inspection work across offshore fields in Brazil.
The AUV will carry an integrated payload including the Kongsberg Listen electromagnetic sensing system, the EM2042 multibeam echosounder and the HISAS1032 synthetic aperture sonar.
The combined system is designed to perform high-resolution seabed mapping, pipeline and subsea infrastructure inspections and environmental surveys.
Kongsberg Listen is a passive electromagnetic sensing technology that complements acoustic survey tools by providing additional insight into subsea environments. Applications include pipeline inspection with cathodic protection evaluation, marine mineral exploration and buried cable positioning.
The HUGIN platform is designed to collect data from multiple sensors simultaneously, enabling operators to gather geophysical datasets from a single survey mission.
Kongsberg Listen was launched earlier this year following Kongsberg Discovery’s acquisition and further development of electromagnetic sensing technology originally developed by Argeo.
“HUGIN has built its reputation over decades as the benchmark for autonomous subsea survey capability. By combining it with Kongsberg Listen, alongside proven technologies such as the EM2042 multibeam and HISAS synthetic aperture sonar, we are delivering a truly integrated sensor package that gives ambitious operators such as DOF deeper insight into complex underwater environments,” said Atle Gran, Senior Sales Manager, Kongsberg Discovery.
“The acquisition of the new HUGIN 3000 represents an important step in expanding DOF’s autonomous capabilities in Brazil. The combination of the new Kongsberg Listen solution with all the other sensors strengthens our ability to perform survey operations with greater precision, efficiency, and safety,” added Fabio Nobrega, Regional Survey Manager, DOF.