Wilhelmsen Ship Management takes the lead on autonomous shipping
Wilhelmsen Ship Management (WSM) has entered into two agreements that it claims will set the tone for the operational and regulatory framework in autonomous shipping. The first agreement focuses on the development of a safety management system while the second agreement is for the development of future competence.
The safety management system agreement was entered into with class society DNV GL and the Norwegian Maritime Authority (NMA) whereby the parties will collaborate to support WSM’s ambition to develop an efficient safety management system (SMS) for operating autonomous, remotely controlled and remotely supported vessels. The competence agreement with DNV GL and the University of South-Eastern Norway (USN) was entered to develop competence solutions required in a shore control center to manage and operate autonomous, remotely controlled and remotely supported vessels.
Schou, the head of WSM for the past 10 years, has been one of the most vocal advocates in the shipmanagement community of embracing technology.
“Shipmanagers are expected to be at the forefront of the digitalisation wave,” Schou said in an interview carried on this site earlier this year. “There is no turning back to the past where being manual and analog is acceptable.”