Norwegian firm to supply ROVs to Royal Netherlands Navy

Norwegian unmanned systems specialist Blueye Robotics, together with partner RVI Tools, has secured an international contract to supply underwater remotely operated vehicles (ROVs) to the Netherlands Royal Navy.

The ROV systems will be delivered with advanced capabilities tailored for military engineers and mine countermeasures (MCM) teams, following a competitive tender process involving multiple international providers.

The ROVs will be used in a range of applications including diving operations; surface swimmer and small boat operations such as reconnaissance and riverine tactical insertion; military engineer reconnaissance such as surveys of waterways and infrastructure; harbour protection; MCM; and search and rescue/recovery.

Blueye said the ROVs to be supplied to the Royal Netherlands Navy will be of modular construction and will be able to carry a variety of sensors and payloads such as sonars, positioning systems, and intervention tools, thus providing high versatility in both military and civilian use cases.

In addition to supplying the hardware, Blueye and RVI Tools will provide on-site training and access a comprehensive online support platform with technical articles and training videos.