The Norwegian Defence Research Establishment (FFI) is a research institute directly subordinate to the Ministry of Defence. FFI in Horten is home to one of the country's leading expertise environments within maritime technology. Here, 60 researchers and engineers work to develop solutions that will help make the armed forces as future-oriented and efficient as possible.

One of the most exciting projects FFI is working on is the autonomous vessel Odin. The vessel is fully loaded with smart technology from FFI that allows it to carry out operations on its own.

AUTONOMOUS CLEARANCE

Today, the Navy uses large manned vessels for mine clearance, and ships and crews sail into mined waters in order to clear them. With the development of Odin, such operations will become much safer to carry out in future. Odin will be launched from a mother ship and will operate forward inside the mine-prone area.

“One of the advantages of using unmanned boats like Odin for clearing sea mines is that Navy personnel can be kept outside mined areas. This makes mine clearance much safer for the sailors,” says Morten Nakjem, research manager for maritime mine warfare at FFI.

ALWAYS ON THE WATER

From its base in Horten, FFI mainly works on maritime projects for the Navy, and proximity to the sea is particularly important for the institute.

– The sea is our most important laboratory. We are constantly out on the fjord testing all the technology we develop. The fact that we are located here in Horten, with immediate proximity to the Oslo Fjord, is crucial to us,” Nakjem explains.

COLLABORATION WITH OTHER LOCAL COMPANIES

FFI also collaborates well with other local businesses in the development of new and ground-breaking technology.

“We work closely with Kongsberg Maritime, which is also located in Horten, and have entered into a technology agreement with the company so that we make our technology available to them. This allows them to use our technology in their products, contributing, among other things, to the development of the autonomous submarine Hugin,” Nakjem explains.

POTENTIAL CIVILIAN USE

Autonomous vessels are very much on the up-and-up. Nakjem explains that the technology FFI is developing has great potential not only for the Navy, but within civilian shipping too.

“Where the civilian sector is concerned, imagination is the only limit. We’re already seeing prototypes being developed – both small autonomous ferries and large autonomous cargo ships – that use the same type of technology. In the future, we will see more autonomous vessels in many areas of maritime transport,” says Nakjem.