The strength of simplicity

From its launch in June 2023, Kongsberg Maritime’s new K-Chief marine automation system has now been commissioned in 40 vessels with a further 400 systems already ordered for the construction of new ships.

That number is growing as more shipowners and operators are appreciating the benefits of a vessel control platform that integrates all of Kongsberg Maritime’s equipment to provide easier, more efficient and safer operations on board their vessels.

K-Chief is a popular and proven marine automation system, and this latest version builds on the success of the K-Chief 600 and K-Chief 700, plus the ACON control system, which is the culmination of more than 50 years of the company’s pioneering work in making safe, reliable and user-friendly automation systems for the maritime sector.

As a result of this latest development, the new K-Chief integrates advanced functionalities into one system for better resource management and includes a new improved user interface and enhanced cybersecurity capabilities.

“However, with the increasing adoption of different fuel sources on newer vessels, such as engines capable of running on both diesel and LNG, and different sources of power to manage, such as the introduction of batteries and fuel cell generators, we could see there was a need for a single automated vessel control platform that could handle these more advanced functions on board. We have brought the simplicity and user interface from the merchant market and combined it with the adaptability and flexibility from the offshore sector to provide one automated system that is suitable for all ship types.

Integrating multiple systems through the new K-Chief will help give shipowners and operators a greater overview of the operation of their ship systems and help to reduce costs, improve the efficiency of their onboard equipment and reduce the likelihood of human errors, improving safety.

The existing installations of K-Chief 500/600 and K-Chief 700, including ACON/UMAS legacy systems – which are currently used on 14,000 vessels worldwide – will continue to be supported. However, the new K-Chief comes with added benefits, particularly when it is integrated with Kongsberg Maritime’s K-IMS information management system, which enables access to data on board and on shore.

Espen says: “We have worked very closely with our K-IMS team to integrate its system with K-Chief so that it not only gives value to the customer but also to Kongsberg Maritime in terms of providing remote support, malware protection and data export capabilities. It will also increase our overview of the installations so we can monitor where we can develop and enhance the system in the future.”

A major focus in the design of the new K-Chief system has been cybersecurity, particularly as the International Association of Classification Societies (IACS) published Unified Requirements (URs) for cybersecurity which are mandatory for classed ships and offshore installations, and which came into force on 1 July 2024.

Espen adds: “The system complies with the requirements of IMO [International Maritime Organization], local maritime authorities and IACS, and is the first commercial control system for vessels that has cybersecurity approval from nine major classification societies.

“K-Chief’s success is the result of the dedication of our automation and system specialists from our many locations across the world, all working together to provide a single system for our customers. This collaboration will continue to further enhance K-Chief in the future so that we can provide ship owners and operators with a more complete overview of all the systems they are using, helping to simplify operations for their crew, making their jobs more efficient, easier and safer.”