Massterly is a joint venture between Kongsberg Maritime and Wilhelmsen; a unique partnership between a leading technology provider and an innovative shipping group. Together we will take autonomous shipping from research to reality.
We offer services for the customers’ entire value chain for autonomous ships; from vessel design and approval from relevant authorities, to control systems, logistics services, vessel operations, insurance and possible assistance on financing.
By leveraging our two owners strong organizations we offer the skills, resources and experience needed to provide a full-service offering.
Our Mission
The aim for Massterly is to enable a shift in transport from road to sea; through cost-effective, safe and environmentally friendly logistics.
Short-sea shipping is today competing with cheap, but polluting trucks that are stuck in traffic. Autonomy reduces operating expenses and opens up a new market for the maritime industry.
““30% of all cargo that is transported by roads over 300 km is to be transported by waterways & rail within 2030, and 50% by 2050””
Why autonomy?
For short sea shipping, the major cost drivers are crew and manual port handling. These costs can be significantly reduced by introducing autonomy.
Fully autonomous vessels can be built with lower investment cost as there is no need for crew accommodation, crew safety equipment, air condition, sanitary systems or bridge.
Both fully autonomous and automated vessels offer lower operational cost as crew on board may be reduced or fully replaced by crew on shore which is supporting several vessels.
Autonomous ships provide significant safety benefits, as 75% of maritime accidents are caused by human error with the leading cause being fatigue and attention deficit.
If there is no crew on board, autonomous vessels can more easily use slow speed and save fuel.
Autonomous vessels will primarily be maintained when in port. Hence the vessel is designed with a minimum of rotating parts and her propulsion is likely to be battery driven or driven by gas/fuel cells. This means that autonomous vessels will have zero or low emissions to air and sea.
What about deep sea shipping?
As of today, fully autonomous and unmanned vessels are mainly suited for short sea shipping and predictable routes, but there are great advantages of automation and digitization also for the sailing fleet and for deep sea shipping.
Technology, data and shore-side support can be used to reduce operating expenses for the ocean-going fleet. We call this “Next Generation Shipping”. Fuel cost, crew cost and maintenance cost can be reduced by thinking differently about what tasks are performed on board and what can be done autonomously or remote.
Please contact us if you are a ship owner or ship operator who want to explore the possibilities of remote support and assistance for tasks that are today performed on board. The goal can be to save cost, enhance safety, increase flexibility or to reduce the administrative burden. Through a shore-based support center you could get the benefits of economies of scale, access to specialist competence and higher transparency of your fleet’s performance.