Strategic partnership for development of smart ships

 The new partnership, they say, will combine and integrate the two companies’ unique expertise to make such vessels a commercial reality.
Rolls-Royce, headquartered in London, says it is pioneering the development of remote-controlled and autonomous ships and believes a remote-controlled ship will be in commercial use by the end of the decade. The company is applying technology, skills and experience from across its businesses to this development.
VTT has deep knowledge of ship simulation and extensive expertise in the development and management of safety-critical and complex systems in demanding environments such as nuclear safety. It combines physical tests, such as model and tank testing, with digital technologies, such as data analytics and computer visualisation. It will also use field research to incorporate human factors into safe ship design. As a result of working with the Finnish telecommunications sector, VTT has extensive experience in working with 5G mobile phone technology and Wi-Fi mesh networks. VTT has the first 5G test network in Finland.  
Rolls-Royce says that working with VTT will allow it to assess the performance of remote and autonomous designs through the use of both traditional model tank tests and digital simulation, allowing the company to develop functional, safe and reliable prototypes.
“Remotely operated ships are a key development project for Rolls-Royce Marine, and VTT is a reliable and innovative partner for the development of a smart ship concept," said Karno Tenovuo, Rolls-Royce’s vice president for ship intelligence. "This collaboration is a natural continuation of the earlier User Experience and Usability in Complex Systems (UXUS) project, where we developed totally new bridge and remote control systems for shipping.”  
Erja Turunen, executive vice president at VTT, commented: “Rolls-Royce is a pioneer in remotely controlled and autonomous shipping. Our collaboration strengthens the way we can integrate and leverage VTT’s expertise in simulation and safety validation, including the industrial Internet of Things, to develop new products, and in the future enable us to develop new solutions for new areas of application as well.”