The world's first self-navigating vessel operates on a regular route between Moss and Horten in the Oslo Fjord. The ships are full of Norwegian technology, and could mean the start of a new Norwegian industrial adventure.
Self-driving vessels can lead to major savings for the maritime industry. The ferry company Bastø Fosen, which operates the passenger ferries between Moss and Horten, is now using an emission-free and automated ferry.
The automated technology on board the ferry is a result of the research and innovation project Energy Optimized Concept for fully electric, emission-free and autonomous ferries in integrated transport and energy systems, supported by the Pilot-E funding offer. The Research Council contributed NOK 15.1 million out of a total of NOK 46 million awarded to the project.
The project was led by Kongsberg Maritime AS, and also consisted of Grenland Energy (now Corvus Energy), Fjellstrand shipyard, and the charging company Grønn kontakt (now Mer), while NTNU was a research partner.
Norway is a world leader
"This project collaboration could be the start of a new industry in Norway," says Ann-Magritt Tinlund Ryste, the project leader. "Norway is a world leader in autonomy and battery technology, and through the project we have seen the opportunities for new export goods."
Kongsberg Maritime has been working on autonomous vessels since the 90s, but the ferry project was the starting point for the autonomy initiative on ships. In the project, Kongsberg Maritime developed the technology that allows ships to depart and dock, so that the entire crossing can be made without crew intervention.
"We believe that emission-free and autonomous ferries can be more competitive than traditional ships," she continues. "An automated crossing will save time and make it easier to comply with timetables. Then the crew can be used in other ways, for example to control several ships from land. This will be a global change in the entire logistics chain, both on land and at sea."
New Norwegian exports
Partners were carefully selected to benefit from the expertise Norway has in this field. Fjellstrand shipyard had already launched the all-electric ferry Ampere, but wanted to optimise the hull design to be competitive on even longer crossings. Grenland Energy was a small company, and had some of the world's foremost experts on battery technology. Grønn Kontakt had experience with fast charging of electric cars, and wanted to investigate how they could meet the demand for fast charging on board and on land.
In particular, the development of Grenland Energy testifies to the potential that lay in the project," says Ryste.
The company succeeded in realizing several of its development goals during the project period, and was eventually acquired by Corvus Energy. Grenland had an ambition to make the most energy-dense batteries for maritime use. Now Corvus sells these internationally.
"Corvus develops new technology and sets up new factories. This is a new export commodity that Norway is now a world leader in," says Ryste.
The transport ships that run between Horten and Moss also use the technology developed in the project. The transport ships are owned by Asko, and are the world's first self-driving vessel in normal operation. When these so-called sea drones run on batteries, they can save cargo owners and transport companies time and greenhouse gas emissions, and replace many millions of kilometers of truck transport.
Asko is establishing emission-free shipping of goods from warehouses in Vestby via ports in Moss and Horten and all the way to warehouses in Sande. The transport chain consists of electric trucks that are driven on board the sea drones and autonomy is a key part of the solution. Asko's project Emission-free intermodal logistics chain car-ship-car, was supported by Pilot-E with NOK 54 million in 2018, and has received an additional NOK 119 million from Enova for the development of the sea drones.
Autonomy is here to stay
Norway is still a world leader in autonomy, according to Ryste. The parties to the project were quick to set up a company for the operation of autonomous ships, and the first to receive certification.
"We quickly saw potential in the technology we developed through the Pilot-E project, and wanted to take advantage of the market opportunities," says Ryste. "Today, we have contracts for a handful of specific autonomy projects, and the International Maritime Organization (IMO) is working on new regulations for autonomous ships. They have seen that this is here to stay.
Since the technology is so new and the development is at the forefront of the regulations, it is important that the industry, together with the decision-making authorities, continues the offensive investment and that the Norwegian authorities dare to approve new technology for commercial operation," says Ryste. If this happens, Norway can continue to be the leading country in the new technology.
"Norway is good at restructuring and creative thinking," she says. "We are the drivers of what the market may look like in the future, and we can greatly influence maritime training. We are going to change the traditional way of operating vessels.
Kongsberg Maritime will now continue to work on the commercialisation of the technology, and investigate how they can expand the area of application: control and surveillance from land, modernise the content of education, and the human ability to interact with the technology.
"Here, Norway has a golden opportunity to be in the driver's seat of new technology that cuts emissions and accelerates the green shift," she says.
ABOUT Pilot-E
PILOT-E is a funding offer to Norwegian business and industry, established by the Research Council of Norway, Innovation Norway and Enova. The aim of the scheme is to speed up the development and adoption of completely new products and services in environmentally friendly energy technology to contribute to emission reductions both in Norway and internationally.