Kongsberg Maritime has launched a new European support centre for its Seaglider autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV).
The new base is in Southampton, on the English south coast.
Kongsberg will also add a Seaglider to its rental pool in Aberdeen.
Seaglider is a buoyancy driven AUV manufactured by Kongsberg in the Unites States.
The product has been designed to accommodate a wide range of oceanographic sensors and its method of propulsion uses very little energy.
Seaglider deployments can last for months, enabling it to traverse thousands of kilometers in a single use.
Kongsberg’s Mark Baldwin, who will be leading the new support centre, said: “We have a large number of Seaglider users in the European region and the new centre will greatly enhance our ability to support them.
“For those customers who do not perform their own routine maintenance, it means they will no longer have to ship vehicles to the United States for service, saving significant time, effort and money.”