Following recent coverage of Kongsberg Maritime’s current products and systems for sustainable yachting, the company’s ongoing investment in research and development focuses on a number of innovations that could be advantageous for future superyachts. According to Oskar Levander, senior vice president of Business Concepts at Kongsberg Maritime, there are two major emerging technology trends in the maritime industry: digitalisation and environmental concerns.

Levander explains, “In terms of digitalization, the key is to connect the vessel in an entirely new way and enable new ways of operating, managing, and designing it.” “The situational awareness technology that we’re developing, for instance, presents us with intriguing opportunities. By integrating cameras, radars, sonars, and lidar that can detect what is around the vessel, the system could create a more realistic 3D environment for the commander to experience what is occurring.

In addition to being advantageous for the yacht’s navigation, a situational awareness system would allow owners and guests to experience the yacht in an entirely new manner by allowing them to see below the water’s surface. If the technology becomes sufficiently reliable, Levander believes it has the potential to obviate the need for a bridge in the traditional location, thereby creating intriguing yacht design possibilities.

The environment is the second trend for prospective innovations at Kongsberg Maritime. According to Levander, one of the greatest challenges we face today is reducing greenhouse gas emissions to combat climate change. “Many yacht owners are very keen to be able to minimise their carbon footprint and, for them, there are a range of different technologies out there that could improve efficiency or even enable zero emissions.”