Norwegian Subsea

Motion Reference Units designed for your needs

An MRU, or Motion Reference Unit, is a device used to measure and record the movements of a vessel or object in all six degrees of freedom: roll, pitch, yaw, surge, sway, and heave.

MRUs are key components in control and monitoring of helidecks, offshore gangways, cranes, winches, sonars, ships, buoys, and many other applications.

Find out how it works

a motion reference unit with allt six degrees of freedom shown

Tested and Validated in Real Sea Conditions

Many suppliers tend to present test data solely for simple regular motions observed in laboratory conditions. At sea, vessels experience irregular and coupled motions.

While most sensors perform well in sine wave motion, only a select few excel in irregular sea conditions.

Our MRUs stand out as they consistently deliver exceptional performance across all conditions.

Our advantages

High Accuracy

Market leading accuracy in real sea conditions.

Affordable

High performance in all conditions at affordable prices set the Norwegian Subsea MRUs apart from the competition.

Easy to use

Our small and lightweight MRUs, with flexible cable options, are easy to install with the MRU configurator for effortless integration.

Our products

Norwegian Subsea produces industry-leading MRUs for marine, subsea and wind energy applications. Our MRUs are robust and affordable, and offer high-accuracy performance, along with a plug-and-play interface.

Explore our products

Use cases for our MRU solutions

Our MRUs are versatile and well-suited for a wide range of applications and usage scenarios.

Motion monitoring

Safe landing of helicopters, ship and cargo stability, monitoring of ships, risers, or wind turbines. Motion measurements can be used in real-time to monitor safe operating conditions, as an input to a digital twin model or as an input to AI algorithms. In all these circumstances, reliable and accurate motion data is paramount.

Motion control

By actively compensating for heave motion, marine MRUs enable improved stability, control, and operational efficiency for offshore operations such as crane operations, subsea installations, and other tasks that require precise positioning and motion control in challenging sea conditions.

Instrument compensation

By accounting for factors such as sensor misalignments, offsets, and drift, instrument compensation enhances the precision of marine MRUs in capturing and analyzing vessel motions, enabling more accurate data for a range of marine applications including navigation, research, and structural monitoring.

Trusted by industry leaders

Applications

Norwegian Subsea MRUs can be used in a variety of marine, subsea and wind energy applications.

Discover applications

example applications of norwegian subsea products

Latest case studies

Marine operations

Canadian shipwreck hunters unlock new levels of multibeam performance with Norwegian Subsea MRU

Motion Reference Units (MRUs) are crucial in bathymetric survey technology, providing precise motion compensation data to ensure reliable and accurate seafloor mapping.

MRU Marine Marine operations

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Miros

Miros-Group reduces wave radar maintenance and lifetime costs using Norwegian Subsea MRUs

Motion Reference Units (MRUs) are crucial in wave radar technology, providing precise measurements of platform motion to accurately separate true wave patterns from a vessel's movements, therefore ensuring reliable data for maritime operations.

MRU Compact MRUs for Offshore Vessels(+2)

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Wavefoil

Wavefoil Ship Motion Monitoring

The NORSUB MRU 6000 Marine is installed onboard the passenger ferry M/F Teistin to monitor the effect of a wavefoil on ship motions. The wavefoil is a retractable bow foil that reduces vessel pitch motion and fuel consumption.

MRU Marine MRUs for Offshore Vessels(+1)

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Latest news

Two men in suits stood on an exhibition booth with blue walls

Marine operations

Connecting with the Chinese Maritime Sector at Marintec 2025

Norwegian Subsea has returned from a successful trip to Shanghai, where our compact Motion Reference Units (MRUs) drew strong interest from across the Chinese maritime supply chain during the Marintec China 2025 exhibition. As one of the world’s leading maritime events, Marintec provided an ideal platform to engage with shipbuilders, integrators and equipment manufacturers in a region where innovation and scale go hand in hand.

MRU Marine MRUs for Shipping(+1)

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Marine operations

MRUs for vessel performance optimisation in focus at Europort 2025

Next week, the maritime world gathers in Rotterdam for Europort 2025, one of the largest international meeting points for shipbuilders, technology providers and operators. With a strong focus on innovation and sustainability, the exhibition is an important platform for discussing how the industry can meet future demands through smarter, greener solutions.

MRU Marine MRUs for Shipping

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A graphical venn diagram showing the relationship between data, ML and digital twins

Marine operations

Research Project to Test Value of MRU Data for Vessel Performance and Carbon Reduction

Green AI for Sustainable Shipping (GASS), funded by The Green Platform Initiative, is a research project led by NAVTOR alongside project partners Grieg Star, Maritime CleanTech, Scandinavian Reach Technologies (ScanReach), Simula Research Laboratory, SinOceanic Shipping, and Sustainable Energy/SIVA, with support from the Norwegian Research Council, Innovation Norway, and SIVA.

MRU Marine MRUs for Shipping

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