Fugro Selected for USV Seabed Mapping Initiative in Norway
Fugro has been awarded a contract by the Norwegian Hydrographic Service (NHS) to support the 2025 MAREANO seabed mapping program. For the first time in its history, MAREANO will use uncrewed surface vessel (USV) technology to acquire the data, with Fugro deploying its new 18 m Blue Eclipse® USV for the initiative.
This approach aims to advance the move towards lower carbon emissions in seabed mapping while ensuring high-quality data acquisition for the responsible management and preservation of Norway’s marine resources.
The Blue Eclipse®, the largest USV in Fugro’s fleet, will survey over 675 km² region in the North Sea, with water depths ranging from 90 to 250 meters. Equipped with advanced high-resolution, high-density multibeam echo sounders and sub-bottom data acquisition systems, the USV will gather comprehensive datasets, including bathymetry, water column data, acoustic backscatter data, and sub-bottom profiler data to understand the seabed’s topography and geology.
A key advantage of using the Blue Eclipse® is its significantly reduced fuel consumption--up to 90 % less than traditional survey vessels. Controlled remotely from Fugro’s remote operations center in Aberdeen, the USV’s long endurance and real-time data transfer capabilities will ensure efficient operations and reduce potential delays in the challenging North Sea environment, factors crucial for the success of the MAREANO program.
Fugro has a well-established history of supporting the MAREANO program since 2006, having acquired over 147,000 km² of data to date.