The world’s first autonomous, fully-automated, offshore vessel is to be prototyped.
Hrönn is an unmanned light-duty, offshore utility ship servicing the offshore energy, scientific and fish-farming industries.
It can also be utilised as a ROV and AUV support ship and standby vessel, able to provide firefighting support to an offshore platform working in cooperation with manned vessels.
Automated Ships Ltd has progressed the original catamaran design of Hrönn since the project launch on 1st November 2016, opting for a monohulled vessel of steel construction, to provide more payload capacity and greater flexibility in the diverse range of operations.
French firm Bourbon has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Automated Ships Ltd (ASL) to develop the prototype.
The scheme will be in collaboration with primary technology partner, Kongsberg.
Bourbon is to provide “detailed input” to the development and design of the Hrönn project.
In the second phase of the project, Bourbon and ASL will join forces to search the subsidies to finance the effective construction of the prototype.
Hrönn’s sea trials will take place in Norway’s officially designated automated vessel test bed in the Trondheim fjord.
Trials will be conducted under the auspices of DNV GL and the Norwegian Maritime Authority (NMA). The Hrönn will ultimately be classed and flagged, respectively.
Gael Bodénès, chief operating officer, Bourbon Corporation, said: “In this era of digitalization of industrial services, we are pleased to join this forward-looking project thus demonstrating the positioning of Bourbon as a world reference in terms of operational excellence and customer experience.”
Brett Phaneuf, chief executive of Automated Ships Ltd, added: “Bourbon is a world leading marine services company and we are confident that alongside Kongsberg as technology lead, they will provide a valuable contribution to the design and operation of Hrönn.
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