Kongsberg Maritime, Solstad, Østensjø, DeepOcean and Remota are jointly investigating the potential for remote dynamic positioning (DP) operations in the offshore sector.
The pilot project, announced at the Nor-Shipping exhibition in Oslo, will start later this year on the Solstad offshore vessel Normand Sentinel.
The partnership believes the technology could lead to better operational flexibility as well as smarter and more sustainable operations. Though enabling DP operations to be performed from shore, this could help attract a wider range of potential operators.
For the pilot, the shore-based DP operator will work from a remote operations center (ROC) operated by Remota, assisted by connectivity and cybersecurity infrastructure.
The first phase of the pilot will involve both the Normand Sentinel and Østensjø’s Edda Freya. Both will carry full DP teams to ensure safety and provide comparative data.
In addition, the project will assess the viability of remote DP2 operations and potentially devise a more flexible model for future operations.
Remota CEO Sveinung Soma said partnering with the four other companies in the venture would put his company in a position to offer DP from its ROCs to the wider DP market.
“Our customers will benefit from lower operating costs and higher crew utilization and flexibility,” he added.
