Wilhelmsen and Kongsberg establish Massterly, the 'world's first autonomous shipping company'

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Wilhelmsen, which is a global maritime industry group, and Kongsberg have announced the establishment of the “world's first autonomous shipping company,” Massterly.

Wilhelmsen and Kongsberg say that by joining forces to establish Massterly, they are taking the next step in autonomous shipping by offering a “complete value chain for autonomous ships, from design and development, to control systems, logistics services and vessel operations.”

The companies say that Massterly will benefit from the combined 360 years of experience between them, as Kongsberg brings its “unique technological expertise and solutions” to the table, while Wilhelmsen brings its “world-leading experience in logistics and ship management operations” to the table.

“Through the creation of the new company named Massterly, we take the next step on this journey by establishing infrastructure and services to design and operate vessels, as well as advanced logistics solutions associated with maritime autonomous operations,” says Thomas Wilhelmsen, Wilhelmsen group CEO.

“Massterly will reduce costs at all levels and be applicable to all companies that have a transport need.”

To monitor and operate autonomous ships in Norway and internationally, land-based control centers will be established.

In addition, Wilhelmsen and Kongsberg say that opportunities in the development of next-generation maritime personnel will be created, thanks to “Norway’s position as a leading maritime nation.”

“Autonomy and remote operations are an important development for the maritime industry and Norway’s lead has been made possible as a result of close cooperation between the Norwegian maritime cluster and the Norwegian authorities,” comments Geir Håøy, President and CEO of Kongsberg.

“In recent years there has been rapid development driven by a significant increase in demand from customers worldwide, from the traditional maritime industry and others. When autonomous ships soon are a reality, Massterly will be crucial for digitalizing the infrastructure and operations.”

An important milestone in “Norway’s maritime autonomy story” came in May 2017, when “Yara Birkeland” was announced. Anticipated to be the world’s first fully-electric container vessel, Yara Birkeland, which is expected to be completely autonomous by 2020, will sail between Yara's Norwegian production facilities at Herøya and the ports of Brevik and Larvik.

​Autonomous vessels such as Yara Birkeland can be delivered, and operated, by Massterly, according to Wilhelmsen and Kongsberg.

“Currently, we are at the very beginning of this development, but we see and believe that there will be a significant market for these types of services in the near future,” Wilhelmsen says.

“At first, short sea shipping will use autonomous ships. This also implies increased competitiveness to move transport from road to sea. The gains are increased efficiency and reduction of emissions. For Norway as a maritime nation, this will be an important contribution to reach the UN sustainable development goals.”

Massterly will be based at offices in Lysaker, Norway, and the company is expected to be fully operational starting in August 2018.