New AUV is christened
On Thursday 4 June, the university gathered colleagues, partners and guests onboard the RV Kronprins Haakon in Bergen harbour for the official naming of the new AUV Hugin Superior, Unn6000. The occasion marked an important addition to the NORMAR research infrastructure and a further step forward for UiB’s deep-sea exploration efforts.
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The AUV was christened by UiB Rector Margareth Hagen. It takes its name from Unn, one of Ægir’s daughters in Norse mythology, with the Old Norse name Unnr meaning “wave” or “sea.”
The event programme included talks and guided tours led by Rolf Birger Pedersen, Maja Lian Jæger and Håvard Stubseid who have led the acquisition and testing of the AUV, as well as speeches from the captain of the Kronprins Haakon and State Secretary Snorre Erichsen Skjevrak from the Ministry of Energy. Those attending were also introduced to the broader suite of cutting-edge infrastructure onboard the ice-breaker, including the upgrades to the ROV Ægir6000 and the USV PASO.
The acquisition of the AUV opens up significant new opportunities for deep-sea research. While other operations, such as those carried out with Ægir6000, are controlled from the ship, Unn6000 is capable of autonomous seafloor surveys. It is equipped with synthetic aperture sonar and multibeam echo sounder systems for high-resolution seafloor imaging and micro-bathymetry, together with a range of geophysical and environmental sensors.
Following Thursday's ceremony, several researchers from CDeepSea embarked on a month-long research cruise to the Norwegian-Greeland Sea during which Unn6000 will be deployed to collect research data.
The purchase was made possible through a grant to UiB/GEO from the Ministry of Energy via Sokkeldirektoratet (external link). The AUV was manufactured by Kongsberg Discovery (external link).