Arctia Meritaito, a subsidiary of Arctia, has been awarded by the Norwegian Mapping Authority a contract in the Mareano program of 2024 for hydrographic seabed surveying of ca. 1,900 km2.

“The Norwegian Mapping Authority, Hydrographic Service (NHS) is pleased to award one of this year's contracts to Arctia Meritaito. The MAREANO program maps depth and topography, sediment composition, biotopes and habitats in Norwegian Waters. Arctia Meritaito is going to survey with [a] multibeam echosounder and sub bottom profiler in potential offshore wind area Sørvest F in the North Sea. The Norwegian Government has an ambition to develop Offshore Wind to increase access to renewable energy. NHS are looking forward to work together again after good collaboration in earlier years,” says NHS.

Arctia is participating in the Mareano program for the third time. “The Norwegian Mapping Authority quality requirements are one the highest in the world and being awarded another contract is a demonstration of trust in Finnish expertise in this field. Each year of collaboration also presents a great opportunity to develop this expertise in an international environment,” adds Lauri Pöyhönen, SVP of Arctia’s Marine Survey Services.

The surveys will be conducted by the multipurpose research vessel Pohjanmeri. Departure to the Norwegian waters is expected as soon as ice has cleared, and the ship will return to Finland near the end of the summer.