Remota AS, the joint venture between DeepOcean, Solstad Offshore, and Østensjø Group has signed a letter of intent (LOI) with Hyke (Hydrolift Smart City Ferries) to develop remote operations capabilities for Hyke’s ferries.
Under the LOI, Remota will support Hyke in the development of the remote operations capability of its electric and autonomous water shuttles. The LOI includes provisions for control technology and the interface between Hyke’s water shuttles and Remota’s Remote Operations Centers that will support and enable autonomous operations.
Autonomous vessel control technology
“Hyke is on a mission to revolutionise urban mobility for good through new and better waterways,” says Bjørn Utgård, CEO of Hyke, adding “Hyke’s autonomous vessel control technology is already improving operations with functions like auto-crossing, auto-docking, and situational awareness. Collaborating with Remota helps us accelerate the transition to higher levels of autonomous operations.”
About Hyke ferries
Hyke offers a complete solution, including electric water shuttles, automatic docking, and charging jetties
Building on 35 years of product innovation and performance boat manufacturing at Eker Group, Hyke is setting the new standard for urban waterborne mobility.
Hyke offers a complete solution, including electric water shuttles, automatic docking and charging jetties, autonomous navigation technology, and vessel operator applications.
Hyke ferry system
Hyke’s solution was recognised in Time Magazine’s 'Best Inventions of 2022', and has been selected by the French Government to operate four of its vessels on a new route on the Seine during the 2024 Paris Olympics.
The Hyke ferry system is filled with intelligent features to simplify fleet management. Every Hyke ferry features proprietary autonomous vessel control technology. This enables operators to improve safety through the auto-docking function supported by sensor packs, reduce costs of operation, and optimise vessel deployment to increase efficiency.
Remote operations for maritime operations
“Hyke’s business proposition is an ideal fit for what we are aiming to achieve with Remota, so we look forward to collaborating to realise both autonomous and remote operations for ferry crossings and achieve substantial cost and environmental savings by doing so,” says Sveinung Soma, CEO of Remota.
Remota was established in 2022 by the Norwegian maritime and offshore industry powerhouses DeepOcean, Solstad Offshore and Østensjø Group. The three companies joined forces to fast-track the adoption of remotely managed services in order to drive down operating costs and emissions for the marine and offshore industries.
Advanced onshore ROCs
ROCs operate remotely operated vehicles and underwater drones for the subsea oil and gas industry
Remota owns and operates advanced onshore Remote Operations Centers (ROCs), which are key to unlocking huge emission reductions and cost savings from the marine and offshore industries.
Currently, the ROCs operate remotely operated vehicles (ROVs) and underwater drones for the subsea oil and gas industry.
Remote management
However, Remota’s intention has always been to expand its service offering to other industries including offering remote operations and semi-autonomous maritime services to existing vessels.
“The collaboration with Hyke will allow us to develop a world-leading remote offering for maritime operations too. This will open up a huge global ferry market for Remota,” adds Sveinung Soma.
First operations in Haugesund and Fredrikstad
The first Hyke water shuttles will be commissioned in Norway in 2023, starting out in Fredrikstad and Haugesund, in 2023.
The LOI between Hyke and Remota will enable remote operations for Hyke water shuttles from Remota’s Remote Operations Center (ROC) in Haugesund.
New rapid river crossing
The Fredrikstad project will allow Hyke and Remota to demonstrate the integration
In Fredrikstad, Hyke has a close collaboration with the Municipality, which already operates 8 traditional urban ferries, transporting more than 1.5 million passengers per year. Here, Hyke’s water shuttle will be used to create a new rapid river crossing.
The Fredrikstad project will allow Hyke and Remota to demonstrate the integration of autonomous operations into traditional ferry networks.
New urban mobility service
In Haugesund, Hyke and Remota are collaborating with the Municipality, Karmsund Havn, and the University of Western Norway to pilot fully autonomous operations while establishing a completely new urban mobility service.
This new service will reduce travel time, congestion, and emissions in Haugesund and confirm Norway’s position as an industry leader. The Haugesund project has received NOK 11 million from the regional Ulla-Førre fund and will be led by Haugesund Municipality.
“Remota’s three founding companies are all based in the Haugalandet region. While the commercial rationale for supporting the Hyke project is rock solid, the fact that this will take place in Haugesund is an added bonus,” concludes Sveinung Soma.