Kongsberg Maritime Establishes Autonomous Shipping Test-Bed

By Mike Ball / 07 Dec 2017

Smart Sourcing for Unmanned Systems

Discover cutting-edge solutions from leading global suppliers
SUPPLIER SPOTLIGHT
Follow UST

Kongsberg Maritime Autonomous Shipping Test-Bed

Kongsberg Maritime has announced that it has opened an official autonomous shipping test-bed in Horten, on the coast of Norway. Established to support the growth in development of new solutions for autonomous maritime operations, the new area is open to both Norwegian and international organisations, and is designed to be a convenient, safe, non-congested space to trial new technology and vessels.

The area is specially designated for autonomous trials by the Norwegian Maritime Administration and the Norwegian Coastal Administration. Maritime autonomy pioneer Kongsberg has worked closely with the town of Horten, DNV GL, FFI (Norwegian Defence Research Establishment) and the University College of South East Norway, to establish the new test-bed, which is situated adjacent to Kongsberg Maritime’s Horten facility.

Building on Norway’s position within the burgeoning autonomous shipping segment, the test-bed is the third of its kind in the country and only the fourth such approved area in the world. Its introduction follows the opening of the world’s first autonomous shipping test-bed in September 2016, which was supported by Kongsberg and located on the Trondheimsfjord in Norway.

The test-beds in Trondheim and Horten are an important resource for Kongsberg’s on-going development of technology for ground-breaking projects such as the YARA Birkeland all electric, autonomous container ship, the Hrönn, autonomous offshore support vessel and marine robotics technology. These and other autonomous vessel projects are set to transform many aspects of shipping and offshore operations, by introducing safer, more environmentally friendly and cost-effective modes of transport and working at sea.

Kongsberg’s use of the fjord at Horten for safe autonomous vessel testing during 2017 has been integral to the area receiving its official status as a test-bed. In August, Kongsberg and FFI demonstrated high-speed autonomous obstacle avoidance using the ODIN Unmanned Surface Vehicle (USV) fitted with the cutting-edge K-Mate autonomy controller solution. In November, the GEBCO-NF Alumni Team’s entry to the $7 Million Shell Ocean Discovery XPRIZE underwent Technology Readiness Tests in the area. The team’s unique SEA-KIT USV/AUV concept uses the K-Mate solution for surface navigation and tracking of a Kongsberg HUGIN AUV.

“With critical developments in maritime autonomy technology and software taking place at Kongsberg Maritime in Horten, the location of the new test-bed will support a number of ground-breaking technology projects,” said Egil Haugsdal, President, Kongsberg Maritime. “The move towards greater autonomy at sea has the potential to transform maritime operations and while the technology has now been proven, we look towards the regulations. Establishment of these test-beds are an important step, as it shows close co-operation between the people making the technology and vessels and the organisations developing the rules that will allow them to operate.”

Posted by Mike Ball Mike Ball is our resident technical editor here at Unmanned Systems Technology. Combining his passion for teaching, advanced engineering and all things unmanned, Mike keeps a watchful eye over everything related to the unmanned technical sector. With over 10 years’ experience in the unmanned field and a degree in engineering, Mike’s been heading up our technical team here for the last 8 years. Connect & Contact

Latest Articles

Cellen Expands UAV Mission Capabilities with Hydrogen Fuel Cell Technology

Cellen outlines how its H2‑6 hydrogen-powered drone delivers long-endurance flight and zero-emission performance, overcoming battery limitations and enabling reliable, low-impact operations in sensitive or remote environments

Jul 15, 2025
Tulip Tech Extends Autonomous Drone Missions with Lithium Metal Technology

Tulip Tech and Tective have partnered to extend the ReFly drone’s range and endurance using advanced Lithium Metal battery technology

Jul 15, 2025
UAV Navigation to Supply Flight Control System for Fixed-Wing UAV Platform

UAV Navigation collaborates with SE Aviation to provide the DRIADE UAV with a VECTOR-600 flight control system enabling autonomous reconnaissance and wildfire response missions

Jul 15, 2025
AlarisPro Empowers UAS Operators to Meet Federal Mandates with Safety & Compliance Tools

AlarisPro describes how their Fleet Management Platform is positioned to help UAS operators prepare for BVLOS certifications under the new Executive Order

Jul 15, 2025
Police Department Utilizes Drones to Map Crash & Crime Scenes

Discover how Windham Police use drones and Blue Marble Geographics’ GIS tools to enhance crash investigations, speed up processing, and improve scene accuracy

Jul 15, 2025
SPECTRUM300 Mission-Ready Imaging for Small UAV Platforms

Explore Blitz Technology SPECTRUM300, a 330g dual-sensor gimbal delivering full HD EO and thermal imaging, built for lightweight UAVs and demanding ISR missions

Jul 15, 2025

Featured Content

SBG Systems Evaluates INS Performance in GNSS-Denied Marine Applications

SBG Systems evaluates the performance of its INS solutions in GNSS-denied marine environments, comparing system accuracy with and without DVL and warm-up support

Jul 14, 2025
USAF Uses Inertial Labs Drone Lidar for Tree Obstruction Survey

The US Air Force successfully used Inertial Labs drone Lidar and cloud software to quickly map tree obstructions at Joint Base Lewis-McChord (JBLM), improving airfield safety

Jul 11, 2025
New UAV to Combine Solar Hydrogen & Battery Power for Extended Flight

XSun and H3 Dynamics are developing the first UAV powered by solar, hydrogen, and batteries, aiming to deliver zero-emission, long-endurance unmanned flight

Jul 07, 2025
Advancing Unmanned Systems Through Strategic Collaboration UST works with major OEMs to foster collaboration and increase engagement with SMEs, to accelerate innovation and drive unmanned systems capabilities forward.