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Morten Ingebretsen, Project Manager at Kongsberg Maritime, leads Work Package 4 of the SEAMLESS project, focused on Activating Autonomous Fleet Operations. WP4 aims to develop modular vessel and operations concepts to simplify the development and approval of autonomous waterborne transport services, making them cost-effective and competitive with traditional operations. Key tasks include designing green autonomous vessel concepts, developing guidance systems compliant with maritime regulations, and simplifying risk-based approval procedures.

So far, WP4 has achieved notable progress, including papers published by partners on zero-emission power configurations and navigation control systems. Collaboration with other work packages has been crucial to align efforts across technical, operational, and logistical domains. Future plans include delivering key milestones in 2025 and preparing for demonstrations in 2026.

Morten highlights the importance of cooperation within the SEAMLESS consortium and the lessons learned about integrating systems to reduce manual operations. He describes SEAMLESS as an ambitious and exciting initiative, driving the development of fully automated waterborne transport systems and advancing the capabilities of Kongsberg Maritime.

Discover more by reading the interview!

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Brief Introduction: 

Can you briefly introduce yourself and your role in the SEAMLESS project? 

My name is Morten Ingebretsen, 56 years old and I live with my wife for more than 30 years in Kongsberg. Our two boys have grown up and left our home and established their own working life. I work as project manager in Kongsberg Maritime, based in Kongsberg, Norway. In Kongsberg Maritime, we are now about 7000 employees based in 34 countries. In Kongsberg Maritime, we do ship design, we equip advanced offshore and research vessels, as well as a wide range of cargo and passenger ships, large fishing and naval vessels, aquaculture, offshore oil and gas vessels, and offshore wind farm vessels. 34000 vessels sailing around the world have equipment and solutions designed and delivered from us. In SEAMLESS, I am heading WP4, a technical work package named Activating Autonomous fleet operations.  

Overview of Work Package: 

Could you provide an overview of your work package’s objectives and its importance within the SEAMLESS project? 

WP4 is a technical work package and the main target is to develop SAEMLESS building block #2: Modular vessel and operations concepts. We have 6 tasks in our WP. Task 4.1 is about development of green concept designs for Autonomous Vessels and headed by Engitec Systems International Limited (ESI). By development of methods and tools for rapid ship and logistic concept evaluations, SEAMLESS aim to reduce general cost and time required for approval of autonomous ships. Task 4.2 is about development of Guidance, Navigation and Control schemes. These shall be compliant to COLREGS and adaptive for both short sea and inland waterway navigation. The task is headed by Technische Universiteit Delft (TUD). Task 4.3 is about simplification of risk-based approval procedures and is headed by Norges Teknisk-naturvitenskaplige Universitet (NTNU). Prescriptive regulations cannot be used in the approval process of autonomous vessels today, through this work SEAMLESS aim to reduce approval processes for autonomous shipping significantly. The remaining three tasks in WP4 is headed by Kongsberg Maritime and is about the Remote Operation Center (ROC), the autonomous vessel itself and the different connectivity systems that connect an autonomous vessel to a ROC. Our aim in SEAMLESS is to develop systems and enable one operator to handle more than one vessel.  

Goals and Targets: 

What are the main goals of your work package? Are there any specific targets or milestones you aimed to achieve? 

Our main technical objective in WP4 is to simplify the development requirements and reduce the investments and safety risks of fully automated waterborne transport services. Development of a fully automated waterborne transport service, for inland waterways, sheltered water shuttles and shortsea shipping have so far proved to be quite time consuming and expensive compared to traditional manned operations. These development and approval activities needs to become significantly more cost effective before we can see fully automated waterborne transport services as competitive to traditional manned operations.  

Key Achievements: 

What are the key achievements of your work package so far?  

So far, ESI has submitted their paper “Preliminary Assessment of Zero-Emission power plant configuration” as part of their task. Both TUD and NTNU have published some of their work on IFAC Conference on Marine Systems, Robotics and Vehicles and the 34th European Safety and Reliability Conference.   

Collaboration: 

How did you collaborate with other work packages? What has been the impact of this collaboration? 

Since WP4 is a technical work package, much of the development results shall be demonstrated in WP at the end of the project. It has been crucial for our WP to understand and participate in WP2 where they “sat the scene” and WP7 where the planning of the demonstrations take place. Further, interface with port operations and WP3 is necessary for us, as well as participation and collaboration with WP5 where they develop ModalNET and the logistic chain.  

Future Plans: 

What are the next steps for your work package? Are there any upcoming activities or developments you’re particularly excited about? 

I expect 2025 to be the SEAMLESS year where we in WP4 will have most efforts and work. We have four formal deliverables, and we have to prepare for the demonstrations that will take place just before Summer 2026.  

Lessons Learned: 

What are some key lessons you’ve learned throughout the process? How might these lessons be applied to future projects or initiatives? 

Cooperation and participation in other work packages and tasks helps us to understand the bigger picture in the entire logistic chain. From a technical perspective, we learn that systems must be able to share information so that the systems can be interfaced or integrated and hence reduce the demand for manned operations. Working together in the SEAMLESS consortium, where we have representatives from both industry and academia, brings different aspects to discussions and is fruitful for solving our common challenges in a fully automated waterborne transport service.  

Final Thoughts: 

Is there anything else you would like to share about your work package or the SEAMLESS project in general? 

Being part of this consortium trying to prepare the ground for fully automated waterborne transport services is very exciting and personally very useful for myself and the development of the autonomous capacities and capabilities that we try to develop in Kongsberg Maritime. The very ambitious goals and targets set in SEAMLESS drives us, the SEAMLESS consortium partners, and others further towards more effective waterborne logistic operations.