Finland plots autonomous future for shipping

The initiative will be jointly funded by Finnish state innovation agency Tekes and commercial partners brought together by DIMECC, another Finnish organisation described as an ecosystem manager and co-creation platform. The largest stakeholders include Cargotec, Ericsson, Meyer Turku, Rolls-Royce, Tieto, and Wärtsilä. It will coordinate industry, research, classification and regulatory bodies to create a common roadmap for developing autonomous vessels and associated products and services by 2025.

Harri Kulmala, CEO, DIMECC, told The Motorship that the specific elements of the project have yet to be defined. He noted that the initiative could be seen as a natural continuation of several other projects in the field, notably: the Rolls-Royce led Advanced Autonomous Waterborne Applications initiative; Rolls-Royce’s work on future shore control centres under DIMECC’s UXUS (User Experience) framework; and another DIMECC-coordinated project, named ‘Über of the Seas’, that investigated how to use digital technologies to enhance marine logistics efficiency in Finland.

Kumala said: “Most of the partners that we have here are long-term co-creators in DIMECC programs. For eight years we have gathered the best and most enthusiastic people and organisations to effective and efficient co-creation, which produces faster time to market than the traditional bilateral or do-it-yourself method.”

Piia Moilanen, programme manager, Tekes, added: “We are especially enthusiastic about colliding our world class ICT start-up scene with strong maritime players. New networks will boost exchanging ideas and create pioneering community for intelligent shipping.”