KONGSBERG has supplied a broad ocean science and navigation technology package for RV Anna Weber-van Bosse, the new 80-metre research vessel owned and operated by the Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research, according to KONGSBERG.
The vessel, christened on the island of Texel in early March after sea trials at Vigo on 6 February, has been fitted with HiPAP acoustic positioning systems, EM304 and EM2040 multibeam echosounders, TOPAS sub-bottom profiling technology, echosounders for water column observation and Seapath inertial navigation systems.
The package is designed to give scientists high-resolution data and operational stability for research into climate change, ocean circulation, marine biodiversity and other ocean processes.
RV Anna Weber-van Bosse can accommodate up to 30 scientists in a floating laboratory designed for work from tropical seas to the edges of Arctic ice. It is equipped with sensors, underwater robotics capability and real-time data connections to support observation and analysis of ocean processes.
“RV Anna Weber-van Bosse marks a step-change in the ability of NIOZ to undertake research that pushes the envelope of ocean understanding,” said Stene Førsund, VP Sales, Discovery division, KONGSBERG. Førsund said the systems would support “mapping the deep seafloor” and “analysing geological structures beneath it”, while allowing multiple high-quality data sets to be collected at the same time.
Gert-Jan Reichart, department head Oceaanonderzoek at NIOZ, said the vessel had arrived at a critical moment for ocean research. “Our precious ocean environments are undergoing unparalleled changes and there is a pressing need to investigate and truly understand those developments. This vessel provides the platform to do just that,” he said.
RV Anna Weber-van Bosse is named after marine biologist Anna Weber-van Bosse (1852–1942) and has been built to replace the Dutch research ship RV Pelagia. NIOZ is marking its 150th year of operations in 2026.
KONGSBERG is a Norwegian-headquartered technology company whose Discovery division supplies systems for ocean mapping, positioning, navigation and acoustic sensing.
The Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research is a Dutch marine research institute and the owner and operator of RV Anna Weber-van Bosse.