ONE SEA – AUTONOMOUS MARITIME ECOSYSTEM GROWS

Finnpilot Pilotage, a company offering piloting services in Finland and Finferries, the market leader in ferry and commuter ferry operations in Finland, join One Sea Ecosystem. Both companies aim to introduce autonomous technologies into their operations. By joining One Sea, they become partners with the forerunners of maritime autonomy. The DIMECC led ecosystem is happy to welcome these new partners with invaluable experience in maritime traffic to the ecosystem.

The Finnish Ministry of Transport and Communications is preparing legislation to enable remote and autonomous piloting of ships in Finland in the future. Finnpilot Pilotage is preparing to answer to that challenge by joining One Sea. The company wants to be internationally recognized for moving pilotage beyond rope ladders to the digital age.

“We are extremely thrilled to have this opportunity to contribute to the maritime future. Finnpilot brings its broad expertise in vessel manoeuvring and fairway navigation to the One Sea project, expertise that no other organization in Finland possesses. We employ 150 professional master mariners, whose competence will benefit the project, thereby furthering the development of an autonomous maritime ecosystem. Finnpilot’s own objective is to work collaboratively with different actors to create a functional electronic pilotage concept”, says Kari Kosonen the CEO of Finnpilot Pilotage Ltd.

Finferries operates in coastal and inland waterways of Finland providing ferry and commuter ferry transportation serving annually 10 million customers and 4 million vehicles. Finferries’ goal is to modernize their fleet. A part of that work is incorporating latest technologies on their newbuildings, as well as their existing fleet. The technologies are expected to increase the safety of the passengers, as well as ensure the best possible services to the customers living in remote locations accessible only by ferries. The focus is also heavily on developing the concept of clean shipping.

“As a modern ferry operator joining the One Sea Ecosystem was the next natural step for Finferries. We were the first to bring an environmentally friendly battery hybrid ferry to Finland and our vessels have also been used as a test environment in the AAWA-project. We are proud to take part in collaborations where cutting-edge technology is utilized to improve the safety and sustainability in maritime operations”, says Mats Rosin, the CEO of Finferries.

Chairman of the One Sea Management Board, Mr. Sauli Eloranta is thrilled about the new ecosystem members. “The new partners bring in a new dimension to the ecosystem, representing business areas that are crucial for the ecosystem. It is vital to have ship owner’s perspective within the ecosystem work and an innovative piloting company to offer inspiring testing possibilities.”

The One Sea ecosystem, founded in 2016, represents exceptionally advanced co-creation where global leaders in their industries work to reach their joint goal of autonomous traffic. The founding partners in the One Sea – Autonomous Maritime Ecosystem are: ABB, Cargotec (MacGregor and Kalmar), Ericsson, Meyer Turku, Rolls-Royce, Tieto and Wärtsilä. The association of Finnish Marine Industries supports the work, and the Finnish funding agency TEKES has invested in the ecosystem. The leader of One Sea is DIMECC.