Kongsberg Listen makes its commercial debut with DOF
Kongsberg Discovery has secured the inaugural commercial order for its newly launched Kongsberg Listen electromagnetic sensing solution, marking an early milestone for the technology's market entry. DOF, a leading provider of integrated subsea and marine services to the global offshore energy sector, has selected the passive system as part of an integrated sensor payload aboard a new HUGIN autonomous underwater vehicle. The agreement was announced at Oceanology International in London.
With a depth rating of 3,000 metres, DOF’s latest HUGIN can be employed under a long-term contract with Brazil’s leading oil and gas operator, supporting deepwater survey and inspection activities across offshore fields in Brazil. Alongside Kongsberg Listen, its payload includes the EM2042 multibeam echosounder and the HISAS1032 synthetic aperture sonar.
The power of sensor integration
The integrated system can conduct high-resolution seabed mapping, pipeline and subsea infrastructure inspections, as well as detailed environmental assessments. This deployment reinforces HUGIN’s strategic role in enabling safe and efficient execution of large-scale offshore developments.
The HUGIN family is widely recognized as the most commercially successful AUV platform available today, offering high manoeuvrability, long endurance and exceptional stability for precision subsea surveys. Designed to gather data from multiple sensors simultaneously, HUGIN provides operators with comprehensive geophysical datasets from a single mission, reducing operational complexity while maximising survey efficiency.
Kongsberg Listen introduces a new dimension to that capability. The electromagnetic sensing system provides valuable insight into subsea environments where acoustic methods alone may not deliver the full picture, supporting applications such as pipeline inspection with cathodic protection evaluation, marine mineral exploration and buried cable positioning.
Kongsberg says that HUGIN has built its reputation over decades as the benchmark for autonomous subsea survey capability, and that combining it with Kongsberg Listen alongside proven technologies such as the EM2042 multibeam and HISAS synthetic aperture sonar delivers a truly integrated sensor package – giving operators such as DOF deeper insight into complex underwater environments.
Actionable survey information
Kongsberg Listen was launched to the market this year, following on from Kongsberg Discovery’s acquisition and further development of Argeo’s electromagnetic sensing technology. The platform agnostic system incorporates new hardware and an enhanced software environment designed to streamline data processing and visualisation, enabling users to move efficiently from raw measurements to actionable survey information. For energy operators, this capability adds significant value when inspecting or mapping subsea infrastructure, supporting improved understanding of asset conditions and surrounding geological features.
Commenting on the new agreement, Fabio Nobrega, regional survey manager, DOF, says: “The acquisition of the new HUGIN 3000 represents an important step in expanding DOF’s autonomous capabilities in Brazil. The combination of the new Kongsberg Listen solution with all the other sensors strengthens our ability to perform survey operations with greater precision, efficiency and safety. This investment reinforces DOF’s commitment to applying cutting-edge technology to support our clients and to further advance the use of AUV solutions in Brazilian waters.”
