Kongsberg Discovery and MacArtney Underwater Technology have signed a strategic Memorandum of Understanding aimed at creating a combined turnkey offering in the fast-growing market for towed underwater sensing systems.
The agreement, concluded on Monday at Kongsberg Discovery’s facility in Horten, Norway, will see the Norwegian group’s suite of positioning, navigation and sonar systems integrated with MacArtney’s remotely operated towed vehicle platforms. The companies said the partnership would give defence, energy and ocean-science clients access to a single, integrated package rather than piecemeal components.
Executives from both companies described the deal as a natural extension of earlier collaboration. Kongsberg Discovery supplies multibeam and scientific echosounders, synthetic aperture sonars and high-performance navigation systems that are widely used in advanced seabed-survey operations. MacArtney’s Focus series of towed vehicles is known for hydrodynamic stability, flexible payload options and the ability to operate multiple instruments simultaneously at different depths and speeds.
Helge Uhlen, Vice President for OT Sales at Kongsberg Discovery, said the agreement marked “an important step toward delivering comprehensive solutions”. Integrating the groups’ respective technologies, he added, would allow operators to undertake tasks ranging from seafloor mapping and pipeline inspection to wide-area search operations and mine-countermeasures. Depending on the platform, missions can be carried out in shallow waters or at depths of up to 1,000 metres.
Bjarke T. Ovesen, MacArtney’s Sales Director for Naval, said the partnership reflected growing customer demand for precision, reliability and simplified system integration. “Working with Kongsberg Discovery to combine their advanced sonars with our towing platforms provides clear added value for users with demanding operational profiles,” he said.
Kongsberg Discovery, part of the Norwegian technology group Kongsberg Gruppen ASA, develops acoustic systems for seabed mapping and ocean exploration. MacArtney, headquartered in Denmark, specialises in subsea connectivity, towing systems and communication technologies for scientific, commercial and naval operators.
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