Infrastructure for remote experimentation in the Trondheim fjord

NTNU's Applied Underwater Robotics Lab (AU-RLab) has been developing a full-scale subsea testing and validation facility in the Trondheim fjord since 2017. These activities are the result of NTNU's long-term collaboration with Equinor that is related to the development of a test and validation site for underwater technology, including the autonomous/resident vehicles. Infrastructure has been further developed in the scope of Subsea node of the OceanLab project. This paper describes OceanLab infrastructure, docking station, instrumentation and subsea assets, and modes of remote access to the infrastructure. Different use-cases such as: docking, remote experimentation, subsea residency and testing and validation of Underwater Intervention Drones are briefly elaborated. The paper also presents work that has been done in the OceanLab within the various EU Horizon projects. The aim of developing OceanLab infrastructure is to contribute to the development of new technology for observing the ocean, both for academia and industry; and to be part of the overall measurement system in the Trondheim fjord, allowing better understanding of the interplay in the sea.