New Deep-Sea AUV

The University of Bergen (UiB) has signed a contract with Kongsberg Discovery to acquire a HUGIN Superior deep-sea AUV.

The purchase is part of the Norwegian government’s increased effort to explore the deep-sea areas of the Norwegian Continental Shelf.

The funding comes from the Norwegian Offshore Directorate.

Technology important to advance knowledge

The signing ceremony took place at the University Museum’s deep-sea exhibition.

The Minister of Research and Higher Education, Sigrun Aasland, Rector Margareth Hagen, representatives from the Norwegian Petroleum Directorate, and a group from Kongsberg Discovery were given a guided tour led by Professor Rolf Birger Pedersen.

The University of Bergen has been pioneering deep-sea research for decades.

Pedersen presented the first Hugin AUV ever produced and explained how technology development has increased the knowledge about the deep-sea.

Rector Margareth Hagen highlighted the University of Bergen’s long-standing commitment to deep-sea research.

She appreciated that the that the government recognizes the value of investing in advanced infrastructure for deep-sea research.

Collaboration creates synergies

The importance of close collaboration between academia, public management and industry was highlighted by several of the speakers.

Minister Aasland highlighted how close collaboration creates synergies and generates new knowledge.

– It is incredibly exciting to see how we can combine long-standing research traditions with the advanced technology developed by Kongsberg. We have allocated NOK 70 million to purchase the Hugin Superior, and I can’t think of a better institution to take care of it than the University of Bergen, said Aasland.

Aasland emphasized how knowledge development helps address the challenges and opportunities Norway is facing.

This is essential if we are to succeed in transforming the Norwegian economy and ensuring continued value creation and welfare in the future.

Following up on the parliament notice

Investment in a new deep-sea AUV was one of the key recommendation to the Norwegian government in our report “Seabed minerals – Test infrastructure” that was handed over to the Norwegian Ministry of Energy in 2023.

Last year the Research Council of Norway awarded funding for upgrading the national deep-sea ROV.

– It is great to see the ministry following up the parliamentary notice for seabed minerals with concrete actions and investments into important research infrastructure, says Jon Hellevang, R&D Manager at GCE Ocean Technology.

In parallel we see more funding for mapping cruises and the first targeted call for joint knowledge building projects, all being important to build knowledge and explore new possibilities.

(Information source for this article: UiB).