A vessel shuttling cargo across the Oslo fjord for grocery chain Asko is set to trial satellite connectivity as it takes a step towards autonomous and unmanned service.
The vessel is one of a pair ordered by Asko at India’s Cochin shipyard and delivered in 2022. They shuttle about 15 trailers per voyage across the fjord, a journey that cuts out hundreds of kilometres of road transport around the Fjord’s coast.
The vessels are being managed by Massterly, a joint venture between Kongsberg and Wilhelmsen.
The concept is to eventually move them to autonomous and unmanned operations, using Massterly’s remote operations centre in Horten on the west coast of the fjord.
The satellite trials will see Kongsberg, Telenor Maritime and Eutelsat OneWeb install the antennas needed to connect the battery-powered vessel to the centre and run autonomous trials.
The satellite connectivity will increase the ability to have real-time ship-to-shore data transfer and communication, according to the companies.
Kongsberg Maritime vice president Pal Andre Eriksen said remote control and autonomous system projects like this prove that the technologies apply to different ship types, both in coastal waters and in open seas.
Kongsberg is also highly involved in the operations of the 120-teu Yara Birkeland (built 2020), a container ship on the Norwegian coastline that heavily touted and promoted the advantages of autonomous and unmanned systems.
“Seamless connectivity remains one of the key challenges for remote and autonomous operations, particularly in the open oceans,” Eriksen said.
“Overcoming the challenges of global connectivity and available bandwidth will unlock great potential for the deployment of such technologies in future.”
