The maritime training vessel MS Gann is to roll out a new equipment and simulation package from Kongsberg Maritime, with the aim of reducing the vessel’s emissions and improving its education options on board.
The contract, worth NOK 41.2 million (US$4.8 million), is part of an extensive refit that will include Kongsberg’s SAVe Energy battery system and hybrid shaft generators, in addition to power management, propulsion control and monitoring systems.
MS Gann – which ran passenger services along the Norwegian coast as the Hurtigruten ship MS Narvik before conversion in 2007 – is operated as an upper secondary independent school, backed up by a facility on shore. The school annually educates 135 students in maritime-focused courses including Engineering and Industrial Production and Electrical Engineering, as well as delivering competence-based and statutory courses for the maritime industry.
Students live and eat on board the ship, allowing training to be delivered in a real-world maritime environment. During summer periods MS Gann offers cruises in Norway and Northern Europe.
Under the terms of the new deal the vessel will now implement Vessel Performance, Kongsberg Maritime’s digital performance monitoring system, which continually assesses input from a range of sensors to support efficient operations, helping to pinpoint potential sources of equipment failure early to facilitate preventive maintenance and minimise down time.
“We look forward to this upgrade, which will help keep our educational offerings future-orientated. The vocational subjects are important for Norway, so this project is one of our contributions to ensuring relevant, digital maritime competence for the future. In addition, it provides clear environmental benefits for the operation of our ship,” said Ingveig Vold, head of the school.
