On the 30th April 2021, the italian press agency ADNKRONOS interviewed Mr Enrico Sassi, Lighthouse Chief Commercial Officer (CCO). The purpose was to discuss about Lighthouse recent acquisition of the new HUGIN AUV 4500+ or, as it was renamed by the author, “the underwater drone”.
The article is rich and draws the attention mainly on the huge potential of the revolutionary system designed and produced by Kongsberg and, more specifically, it focuses on two aspects: its state-of-the-art set of equipment and its ability to investigate the bottom of the oceans to the utmost depths.
As regard to the equipment, Mr Sassi explained that it consists of a full set of sensors for the acquisition of environmental data in addition to a full geophysical spread: part of the vehicle’s payload comprises a camera and laser camera that permits the acquisition of very high resolution images, while further processing allows the 3D photogrammetric reconstructions of objects detected on the seabed.
He also explained that “4500+” stays for the maximum depth of 4500 m that can be reached by the AUV in a fully autonomous navigation.
Our CCO then specified that the HUGIN AUV will provide truly accurate geophysical data to our customers, especially in the Oil&Gas, Renewables, Sub-marine Pipelines and Power Cables, and Deep-sea Mining markets, while allowing also for archaeological studies and discoveries.
The article ends with Mr Sassi stating that this brand new technology will enable Lighthouse to perform surveys at very high resolution and at high speed at the same time, this being a remarkable aspect of the system especially when compared to the conventional equipment that have been used up to now.
Deploying it on the various ongoing projects it has, Lighthouse is already making the most of its new HUGIN AUV 4500+ for the most important resource it has: its customers.