Kongsberg Maritime is to begin a trial of Eutelsat OneWeb’s low Earth orbit (LEO) satellite internet service on an autonomous barge operation across the Oslo Fjord, according to the company's release.
In a collaborative project with the help of Norwegian telecommunications provider Telenor Maritime, a zero-emission, electric barge, owned and operated by grocery distributor ASKO, will be equipped with Eutelsat OneWeb’s latest Kymeta Peregrine u8 flat panel antenna system for the duration of the trial.
The integration of the Eutelsat OneWeb antenna system on the vessel will enable Kongsberg Maritime to experience LEO connectivity and bandwidth for real-time data transfer, ship-to-shore communication, and remote and autonomous vessel control.
The ASKO barge, which is battery-powered, is one of a pair delivered in 2022. They have been operating extensive trials since then, transporting up to 16 trailers of cargo on each journey across the Oslo Fjord. This innovative operation reduces road travel by two million kilometres and cuts carbon emissions by 5000 tons annually.
During the latest trials, the barge will be remotely controlled from a Remote Operations Centre (ROC), located in the Kongsberg Maritime facility in Horten. The ROC is operated by Massterley, a Kongsberg Maritime and Wilhelmsen joint venture company.
Both of the ASKO vessels, also known as sea drones, have a permanent bridge for manual operation, and can also be controlled from the ROC in Horten. However, once the autonomous concept is proven the bridge will be omitted in future builds.