Maintenance-free solutions providing highly accurate input to autopilot systems on any type of ship or high-speed craft, replacing conventional gyrocompasses and increasing navigational performance and safety while reducing wear and tear on steering gear.
Maintenance-free
The Kongsberg Motion Gyro Compass (MGC) stands out as a maintenance-free and IMO type-approved gyrocompass enabling superior navigation for all types of vessels.
Combining three Kongsberg MRUs (accelerometers) and three ring laser gyros (RLGs), the benefit of using a MGC in navigation systems lies in its ability to provide accurate and reliable heading information calculated internally from roll, pitch and heave measurements. Ships can thus compensate for their own movements regardless of orientation or environmental factors such as rough seas. This accuracy is crucial for safe and efficient navigation, particularly in challenging conditions such as congested waterways or during complex manoeuvres.
This is in contrast to conventional compasses, which can be subject to magnetic or electromagnetic interference especially the further north or south the vessel. The MGC's superior north-seeking capability also makes it excellent for polar expeditions ships and will likely become increasingly important for merchant vessels in future as the northeast and northwest passages become increasingly ice-free and open for shipping.
Wide range of models
The MGC is available in five different models, with the MGC R1 commonly used in bridge navigation systems. It seamlessly integrates into Kongsberg's own systems, streamlining installation and operation, minimizing compatibility issues in retrofits and optimizing performance.
The MGC also benefits from having no rotational or mechanical wear-out parts, compact size, light weight and low power consumption. Neither is maintenance or recalibration required within 10 years as per Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS) requirements.
MGC data can moreover be integrated into the roll compensation (fin) stability system on cruise ships, while it can also facilitate motion compensation on high-speed craft while reducing rudder system usage and fuel consumption in autopilot mode.
Moreover, position and heading data from the MGC in GNSS-assisted Inertial Navigation mode can be shared across multiple onboard applications such as motion compensation during dynamic positioning (DP) operations, multibeam echo sounder (MBES) deployment, active heave compensation (AHC) for onboard cranes, and stabilisation of camera data for enhanced situational awareness.
Kongsberg Discovery has a wide selection of products and solutions that are either fully based on or that utilizes inertial technology in some way.
