ScanReach has been awarded NOK18.5 million (approx. US$1.95 million) in new financing by Innovation Norway to fund a series of development projects to apply its shipboard wireless connectivity technology within the maritime and offshore industries.
The funding is expected to cover up to 60% of total contract costs for five pilot projects, which cover personnel protection for the offshore wind industry, retrofitting of ships for real time monitoring of fuel consumption, a retrofit system for environmental monitoring of hazardous areas on board vessels, wireless sensors for automatic Man Over Board (MOB) and fall detection, and personnel protection for the oil and gas industry.
Partners on the projects, which will start this year and run until 2022, will include Olympic Shipping, REM Offshore, Havila Shipping, Peak Group, Dess Aquaculture Shipping and Awilco Drilling.
“ScanReach has spent the last five years developing a unique technology for onboard wireless digital communication through steel. Applying this technology will be a key driver for digitalisation and optimisation of the global maritime industry, while creating enormous opportunities for value creation in the Norwegian maritime industry,” said John Roger Nesje, ScanReach CEO.
“We are pleased for the opportunity to help our project partners meet ever-increasing demands for safety and efficiency in their daily operations. The support from Innovation Norway confirms the validity of our solutions in this effort. We believe 2020 will be a milestone in the digitalisation of the maritime industry.”