Whale watching and hard work.

That pretty much describes the great variety of experiences for Florian Schäfer and Friederike Forsthöfel Norheim on the tall ship Statsraad Lehmkuhl. 

A unique adventure sailing in the Arctic Ocean

Florian Schäfer and Friederike Forsthöfel Norheim participated in an internal competition to take part in the One Ocean Expedition and were handpicked by a jury to get this opportunity. The One Ocean Expedition is a global project with one clear purpose: to create attention and share knowledge about the ocean's crucial role for a sustainable future from a global perspective.

  • Text:Kongsberg Discovery

    Photo:Florian Schäfer

Started with a rough sea

After leaving Tromsø, a city about 300 kilometres (190 mi) north of the Arctic Circle, the 111-year-old ship hit rough seas. 

“The two of us were lucky and did not feel any seasick at all. But the first couple of days were quite chaotic, with about 130 crew members with different skills as sailors. The situation got set after a few days, and everyone got used to life onboard, Florian says.

Some new crewmembers were not that prepared for the cold weather at sea.

“When entering the ship in only a pair of jeans, it soon became too cold. Luckily, they got to borrow proper clothing from the crew,” he says.

Diverse crew onboard

The leg from Tromsø to Reykjavik was chartered by the European Space Agency (ESA). They had invited students and scientists from all over the world to take part in this expedition. The aim was to inspire the next generation of scientists to be aware of the importance of ocean science.

“It was great to meet so many different people. The atmosphere onboard was special, and although the life onboard was intense, it was an amazing experience. I am so happy that I had the opportunity to experience this, Friederike says.

They will stay in touch with their new friends in the time to come.

“We have a WhatsApp group and will stay connected - we share something special,” they say.

Great bonus with technical experience

It was not required to have any technical skills whatsoever when participating in the internal competition. However, it turned out to be of great value that Friedrieke has great connections within the service organisations and that Florian is a service engineer.

“After some days, we were known as the married couple. We acted as a team and went from assignment to the next and tried to solve as many as possible,” she says.

Florian is mainly doing service onboard fishing vessels, so he has experience in fixing a lot of technical issues. However, it is quite different on a tall ship.

“We were popular among the crew, and although we were not able to solve every issue, we did try,” Florian says. 

“I see great value that our own employees get to take part in this important expedition. Making contacts with other large and important professional environments and then sharing the knowledge with the rest of the organisation helps us to make the right choices for the future."

Halvard Sagdahl, EVP Customer Services, Kongsberg Discovery

Need to understand more about the Ocean

Executive Vice President Halvard Sagdahl is pleased that our two sailors had a great experience on the voyage from Tromsø to Reykjavik. “I see great value that our own employees get to take part in this important expedition. Making contacts with other large and important professional environments and then sharing the knowledge with the rest of the organisation helps us to make the right choices for the future."

"The ocean is important to us; all our technologies, products, and systems operate in the ocean. However, the impact that the health of the ocean has on life on the planet is essential. There is still a great need for more data and knowledge,” Sagdahl says.

On its way to Nice

The One Ocean Expedition is now on its way to Nice. Here, the ship will be part of the United Nations Ocean Conference. The ship started the expedition in Bergen in April and will visit 27 ports across three continents, including a historic transit of the Northwest Passage.

Equipped with a wide range of high-tech equipment

KONGSBERG supports The One Ocean Expedition by equipping the ship with a variety of technical products. We support this expedition, which is a global initiative with one clear purpose: to create attention and share knowledge about the ocean’s crucial role for a sustainable future from a global perspective.

Equipment from KONGSBERG includes:

  • ADCPs to measure ocean currents
  • Echo sounders to study marine life and the seafloor
  • Hydrophones are used to listen to underwater noise and monitor marine mammals like whales
  • Navigation systems to ensure safe and accurate sailing
  • Blue Insight, our digital platform for collecting and analysing large amounts of ocean data

Beautiful scenery, from an amazing ship