Clear-Com's Gen-IC Virtual Intercom Helps Deep BV Maritime Surveys

ALAMEDA, USA – February 25, 2025 – Clear-Com® is pleased to announce its collaboration with Deep BV, a pioneering survey company specializing in hydrography, marine geophysics, unexploded ordnance (UXO) surveys, and precise marine positioning. Deep has chosen Arcadia® Central Station and Gen-IC® virtual intercom systems to enhance their operational efficiency and communication capabilities in the maritime sector. 

Deep BV operates primarily in nearshore areas, conducting essential investigations for offshore wind farms and detecting unexploded ordnance on the seabed. Taco Jillings, a representative of Deep BV, explains, "Our unique device, the Iron Lady, tows through the water with magnetometers to detect even the smallest traces of ordnance just above the seabed." 

As part of their commitment to sustainability and addressing the growing labor shortage in the maritime sector, Deep BV began transitioning to light-crew surveys in 2023, which use fewer crew members onboard, smaller vessels, and reduced CO2 emissions. This shift required a communication system that could support remote operations from their Amsterdam headquarters. 

Jillings continues, "Initially, we relied on phone calls or WhatsApp, which were cumbersome. We needed a system that would enable seamless, open communication between our engineers in the office and the surveyors at sea. It was imperative that we could integrate onboard communication into our system." 

Having used Clear-Com's Encore analog partyline system for over ten years, Deep BV was already familiar with Clear-Com's reliability. Seeking a modern solution, they turned to Arcadia and Gen-IC for their new system.  "Clear-Com is highly reliable, easy to use, and has an excellent reputation in our industry," says Jillings. "It was clear early on that this was the system we wanted." 

Clear-Com specialist Frans van Houten of Ampco Flashlight Sales conducted an extensive demonstration for Deep BV, providing a hands-on understanding of how the system would work in real-time. This demonstration led to the purchase and installation of the Clear-Com system on their research vessel, Breaker. 

The Breaker, a converted former naval ship, is now a 24-hour multifunctional research vessel. It is equipped with Arcadia Central Station,  HelixNet®, FreeSpeak® II beltpacks, and LQ® Series IP Interfaces, allowing for communication with headquarters. By adding Gen-IC, the communication system can be expanded to enable connections with multiple ships in the future. 

Gen-IC offers a cloud-based, virtual intercom system with licenses for various applications, allowing communication across computers, mobile devices, and Clear-Com hardware. The system provides up to 24 channels and 64 virtual clients, facilitating global communication via mobile internet, including 4G and 5G or satellite connections, including Starlink. 

With Clear-Com’s solutions, Deep BV now has minimal crew members onboard for surveys, as support engineers can remotely assist from the office, ensuring data quality and system functionality. This helps reduce costs, improve operational efficiency, and benefit the environment through the use of smaller vessels. 

Frans van Houten reflects positively on the project, stating, "Deep BV had a clear vision of what they wanted, which allowed me to focus on delivering a tailored solution. The headquarters is near my home, so I simply rode my bike over to deliver the demo. It was a fun experience for me, a home game."