Kongsberg, MacArtney Partner on New ROTV System for Subsea Pipeline Inspections

Kongsberg Discovery and MacArtney Underwater Technology have signed a partnership to integrate Kongsberg’s sonar and navigation systems onto MacArtney’s ROTV platforms, creating a turnkey subsea solution for pipeline inspection, cable surveys, and ocean research.

Horten, Norway (P&GJ) — Kongsberg Discovery and MacArtney Underwater Technology have signed a strategic Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to jointly develop a turnkey towed underwater vehicle system for subsea surveying and inspection.

Under the agreement, Kongsberg Discovery’s suite of sonars, positioning and navigation systems will be integrated onto MacArtney’s remotely operated towed vehicle (ROTV) platforms, creating a single-source solution for defense, energy, and ocean research users.

The companies said the collaboration will combine Kongsberg’s high-performance underwater sensing technologies—including synthetic aperture sonar, multibeam echosounders, and navigation tools—with MacArtney’s proven towing platforms and subsea communication systems.

“This partnership represents an important step toward delivering comprehensive solutions to our customers,” said Helge Uhlen, Vice President of OT Sales at Kongsberg Discovery. “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.”

Applications for the integrated ROTV system include seafloor mapping, pipeline and cable inspection, mine-countermeasure operations, and wide-area search tasks. The platform can be deployed in both shallow and deepwater environments, operating at depths up to 1,000 meters depending on configuration.

Bjarke T. Ovesen, Sales Director – Naval at MacArtney, said the partnership builds on years of collaboration between the two companies. “We look forward to working with Kongsberg Discovery to integrate their advanced sonars into our systems,” Ovesen said. “This will provide our customers with significant added value in terms of precision and reliability and ensure they have the tools to succeed.”

Both companies described the new agreement as a “natural partnership” that aligns with growing demand for high-accuracy subsea inspection tools in the offshore energy and infrastructure sectors.