Kongsberg Discovery and MacArtney Underwater Technology have signed a strategic Memorandum of Understandingcreating a new level of turnkey capability in towed underwater sensing solutions. The agreement will see all Kongsberg Discovery’s innovative systems integrated onto MacArtney’s remotely operated towed vehicle  platforms, bringing two technology leaders together in one offer for defence, energy and ocean science users worldwide.

Best of both worlds

The agreement, signed today at Kongsberg Discovery’s facility in Horten, Norway, was lauded as “a natural partnership”.

Kongsberg Discovery is a world leader in high-performance underwater positioning and navigation systems, multibeam -and scientific echosounders and synthetic aperture sonars, with solutions which are de-facto standard tools for all high-end survey work.

MacArtney, meanwhile, has built a reputation as a pioneer in towing platforms, cables and subsea communication systems. Its market proven Focus series is renowned for hydrodynamic stability, payload flexibility and the ability to operate multiple instruments simultaneously at various depths and speeds.

Transformational benefits 

Speaking of the agreement, Helge Uhlen, Vice President, OT Sales, Kongsberg Discovery, says: “This partnership represents an important step toward delivering comprehensive solutions to our customers. By combining all our sonars, underwater positioning and navigation systems from Kongsberg Discovery with MacArtney’s platforms, we can now offer a unique blend of technology and flexibility”

Uhlen notes applications include, but are not limited to, seafloor mapping, pipeline and cable inspection, wide-area search tasks, mine-countermeasures, and more. The flexibility of the solution allows for operations in either shallow coastal areas, or at depths down to 1,000 metres, depending on the specific platform.

Meeting demand

Bjarke T. Ovesen, Sales Director – Naval, MacArtney, described the partnership as a natural evolution of a long-standing collaboration between the companies. And a natural choice for customers with demanding operations.

“We look forward to working with Kongsberg Discovery to integrate their advanced sonars into our systems. This will provide our customers with significant added value in terms of precision and reliability and ensure they have the tools to succeed” Ovesen comments.