The Norwegian ocean science solutions provider Kongsberg Discovery, which specialises in the development of underwater robotics and sensor technology, has garnered a very positive market response to its new EM 2042 MBES first launched at the FEMME conference in Edinburgh, UK, in September 2023.
Thanks to its lightweight, robust construction and ease of installation, the EM 2042 enables optimal seabed data gathering in remote, challenging environments. Purpose-designed to support the sustainable management, monitoring and development of the ocean space, its unique flexibility extends operational weather windows while delivering high quality data for customers seeking to understand, protect and utilise the ocean floor.
As an important addition to Kongsberg’s MBES product family, the EM 2042 is designed to simplify the complex challenges customers face in sustainable infrastructure development, including offshore wind parks and subsea cables.
Mapping the seafloor, especially in remote areas, must often be carried out in touch weather conditions with narrow operational windows where it can be difficult to acquire clean, accurate data on first runs. There is also the ever-present risk of damage to expensive equipment and optimal configuration of equipment.
“Being 60 per cent lighter than its EM 2040 predecessor, the EM 2042 is engineered to ensure easy configuration and deployment on a range of vessel sizes, including unmanned surface vehicles (USVs), as well as easier handling in adverse conditions, with less power consumption,” said EVP of Kongsberg Discovery, Stene Førsund. “We’re already getting great feedback from customers.”
The unit is easily mounted within a vessel hull or over the side, with a customised mount from Kongsberg Discovery, needing only one cable connecting it to the topside. It has also been carefully designed to reduce repair time and costs should any damage be sustained during survey operations.
“We have been using the EM 2042 echo sounder since January 2024,” Anders Wikmar, Survey and Technical Manager at Gothenburg, Sweden-based offshore survey experts Clinton Marine, commented. “The size and weight of the entire system allows us to use the EM 2042 across our entire fleet, including small platforms such as work boats and USVs. Streamlining to a single supplier for echo sounders and positioning enable us to take advantage of the inherent synergies.”
The EM 2042 really stands in delivering market-leading ‘clean’ data acquisition, with high data density and resolution thanks to a new level of beam steering. This is a key enabler for safer, smarter decision making and competitive advantage for demanding customers.
The EM 2042 also offers embedded, export licence-free Kongsberg Seapath™ motion sensor technology, true multifrequency backscatter and true real-time stabilisation of all axes.
“We really appreciate the simplicity of the complete set-up, with the mini-MRU [motion reference unit] mounted and pre-aligned inside the sonar head and the tight integration with Seapath,” added Wikmar.
“We greatly value the close cooperation with Kongsberg Discovery working on this new generation of echo sounders and look forward to the exciting set of features such as quad-swath and predictive pitch. This will allow us to push the boundaries in survey delivery, so the future is bright.”
