High-speed connectivity for autonomous barge

Kongsberg Maritime is to test Eutelsat OneWeb’s low earth orbit (LEO) satellite on an autonomous barge,  owned and operated by Norway’s largest grocery distributor, ASKO, on a service across the Oslo Fjord.

The zero-emission electric barge is to be fitted with Eutelsat OneWeb’s latest Kymeta Peregrine u8 flat panel antenna system in the project that will also involve Norwegian telecoms company, Telenor Maritime. The barge will be controlled remotely from a Remote Operations Centre (ROC) in Horten operated by Massterly, a Kongsberg Maritime and Wilhelmsen joint venture. Integration of the system on the vessel will enable Kongsberg to test LEO connectivity and bandwidth for real-time data transfer, ship-to-shore communication, and remote and autonomous vessel control.

The battery-powered ASKO barge is one of two that were delivered in 2022. Since then, they have undergone extensive trials in the transport of as many as 16 trailers with up to 29 tonnes of cargo capacity across the Fjord. The autonomous voyage saves two million kilometres of road trips and 5,000 tonnes of emissions a year.

Kongsberg Maritime’s senior vice president, Remote & Autonomous solutions, Pål André Eriksen, commented: “Through the successful demonstrations of our remote and autonomous technologies on several groundbreaking pilot projects, including the ASKO barges, Kongsberg Maritime has already proved that remote and autonomous technologies are applicable to different vessel types. Seamless connectivity remains one of the key challenges for remote and autonomous operations, particularly in the open oceans.”  

Alexandra Kenworthy, director Maritime & Energy, Eutelsat OneWeb, said: “Our work with Telenor Maritime and Kongsberg Maritime plays a key role in demonstrating the new, enhanced, and secure capabilities that high-speed LEO connectivity brings to maritime operators all over the world.”

Telenor Maritime’s CTIO, Knut Fjellheim, said: “This project is incredibly important for the future of autonomous vessels, not only in local fjords and rivers, but also in open ocean waters ... With OneWeb's LEO coverage and our advanced connectivity platform, we're on the cusp of achieving 100% uptime for ship connectivity.”