Tuesday 28 February was the official launch and Name ceremony of Kongsberg Maritime’s new research vessel, Sølvkrona. During the event, Project Manager , Øyvind Tellefsen presented the construction project from start to finish.

The new vessel is ideal for AUV operations and Pre-installation and testing of acoustic sensor systems. Sølvkrona is already equipped with HiPAP 502 for underwater positioning and communication, a Seapath 330 position and orientation system and Maritime Broadband Radio (MBR).  

“In September 2014, a ‘Boat Group’ composed of representatives from several Divisions in KM was initiated. It has been a fantastic project to be the leader of. It has been easy to collaborate across the divisions and we are satisfied with the end result,” said project manager Øyvind Tellefsen.

The Harbor Master from Horten; Bente Levin received the honor of being appointed Godmotherof the new vessel. She christened Sølvkrona with locally brewed beer.

“Kongsberg Maritime contributes to a positive working relationship with the local community including the municipality, businesses and schools. It is an important relationship for development in Horten. Horten Port Authority is proud to be part of the cooperation and I thank you again for the honor of being made Godmother,” said Horten’s Harbor Master, Bente Levin.

“A primary purpose of Sølvkrona is managing growth in delivery volume for autonomous underwater vehicles. Sølvkrona and Simrad Echo are vital resources throughout KONGSBERG and will be important for further development of marine robotics, networked maritime operations (remote operations) and autonomy, comments Bjorn Jalving EVP Subsea Division in Kongsberg Maritime.

“These areas are all dependent on KONGSBERG communication solutions below and above water. Over time, we envision equipping our vessels with more and more KONGSBERG equipment, so that in practice they become a common test platform”, says Jalving.