Converted fishery patroller now a testbed for digital advances
The R&D vessel AHTI, a former fishery patroller, is to serve as a bridge to the highly automated, connected, situationally aware and data-enabled future of the maritime industry
Source: Wärtsilä
Wärtsilä Voyage chose the SMM event in Hamburg last week for the launch of its AHTI innovation vessel. A converted German Government fishery patroller, the vessel is now packed with latest technologies both from Wärtsilä Voyage and its partners and will provide a research and development testbed for further digital innovation in the future.
Trials will now be undertaken in changeable real-life conditions, the company explained, which can be difficult and costly to recreate in a laboratory environment. The floating R&D facility will also save the time and money associated with real-life tests and should provide useful results on a lower risk and cost basis.
The vessel will also provide a resource where customers and technology partners can collaborate, Wärtsilä Voyage said.
The vessel’s bridge has been upgraded recently with various products from Wärtsilä Voyage’s own portfolio including NACOS Platinum, SPECS, and RS24. Soon, SceneScan, SmartMove, Remote Control and Satellite Connectivity will be installed on board. Partner technologies include products from Oscar and Drynet.
Wärtsilä Voyage president, Sean Fernback, said: "AHTI provides a powerful tool for testing the capabilities and benefits of a tech-enabled vessel and provides us with an environment in which we can see the future, today, on our terms. With AHTI, we look forward to working more closely with our customers and technology parrtners, as well as regulators, to shape the future of maritime, enabling us to move forward as an industry at pace."
