TIM eMagazine Vol.3 Issue 1
With a combined 360 years of experience,
Massterly will benefit from KONGSBERG`s
unique technological expertise and solutions,
and Wilhelmsen’s world-leading experience in
logistics and ship management operations.
Norway’s position as a leading maritime
nation also creates opportunities in the
development of next-generation maritime
personnel.
“Autonomy and remote operations are an
important development for the maritime
industry and Norway’s lead has been made
possible as a result of close cooperation
between the Norwegian maritime cluster and
the Norwegian authorities,” says Geir Håøy,
President and CEO of KONGSBERG.
“In recent years there has been rapid
development driven by a significant increase in
demand from customers worldwide, from the
traditional maritime industry and others. When
autonomous ships soon are a reality, Massterly
As a demonstration of technology, Mr.
Røe Isaksen was given the opportunity
to remotely operate two autonomous
vessels at test-site Trondheimsfjorden.
will be crucial for digitalising the infrastructure and
operations,” Håøy says.
“Strengthen Norway’s position”
The joint venture between Wilhelmsen and
KONGSBERG was presented at a press conference.
Mr. Røe Isaksen firmly believe that autonomous
shipping is going to strengthen Norway’s position as a
maritime superpower.
“It means that we are taking a further step in order to
maintain our position as one of the leading maritime
powers in the world. It is due to the fact that we are
early developers of technology, we are early users of
technology. The partnership today between Wilhelmsen
and KONGSBERG is a good illustration of that. This is the
future of our maritime industries and we are making a
step towards it today,” says Mr. Røe Isaksen, Minister of
Trade and Industry.
Yara Birkeland first up
A key milestone in Norway’s maritime autonomy story
was the announcement of “Yara Birkeland” in May 2017.
It will be the world’s first fully-electric container vessel and will be
completely autonomous by 2020, sailing between Yara’s Norwegian
production facilities at Herøya and the ports of Brevik and Larvik. Massterly
can deliver and operate autonomous vessels such as Yara Birkeland.
“Currently, we are at the very beginning of this development, but we
see and believe that there will be a significant market for these types of
services in the near future. At first, short sea shipping will use autonomous
ships,”says Wilhelmsen and continues.
“This also implies increased competitiveness to move transport from
road to sea. The gains are increased efficiency and reduction of emissions.
For Norway as a maritime nation, this will be an important contribution to
reach the UN sustainable development goals.”
https://kongsberg.com/
The new joint venture company will be based at offices in Lysaker, Norway,
and be fully operational from August 2018. For more information, please
visit: www.massterly.com
Related Stories:
A milestone for autonomous shipping
Autonomous ocean exploration
Autonomous ocean exploration
63