Digital direction of travel

The launch of KM Digital Solutions represents Kongsberg Maritime’s vision of the future – a unified digital portfolio of applications where ship owners, operators and managers can access all their digital tools and performance data securely and seamlessly. 

As the maritime industry races to meet stricter environmental targets and rising efficiency demands, digitalisation has become essential. Yet many ship operators are still navigating a maze of disconnected systems from multiple providers, delivering diverse data streams that make it difficult to see the full operational picture.  
The new Digital Solutions portfolio cuts through that complexity to simplify the digital experience for users, both onboard and onshore, by providing a secure and unified digital ecosystem. 

At the heart of the new application suite lies Kongsberg Maritime’s Performance Solution, which supports every stage of a voyage – from planning and sailing to reporting. The Voyage Planning and Voyage Optimisation modules help ship owners balance safety, estimate time of arrival and fuel efficiency when charting routes. During sailing, Dynamic Trim Optimisation provides automated advice to improve hydrodynamic efficiency, while Hull Performance analytics flag deviations in fuel consumption so corrective measures can be taken.  

After arrival, the solution turns voyage data into clear reports (including mandatory environmental reports such as CII, MRV and EU ETS, amongst others), compares plan versus actual and supports Charter Party follow-up and claims with solid, auditable evidence. A fleet view brings all vessels together for easy benchmarking and to track the impact of company initiatives across the fleet.

Digital Solutions will also help customers move from data collection to operational impact, as Erik explains: “It all begins onboard: an edge computer on the vessel collects, aggregates, compresses and stores data from control systems and sensors. Data is then transferred securely and redundantly to the Cloud, where it is contextualised and organised – ready for the applications to turn data into information.

“In the Performance Portal, users get a fleet-wide dashboard with configurable KPIs, automated alerts and drill-downs to ship, voyage and event level. The Performance Portal closes the loop by tracking before/after impact and turning proven actions into standard procedures and default settings, making improvements repeatable over time.” 

In today’s era of stricter environmental regulation – from FuelEU Maritime to IMO decarbonization rules – data accuracy is paramount as shipping companies are required to track, report and verify emissions and fuel use with precision. Along with data accuracy comes data security, and that’s where Kongsberg Maritime can draw on its best-in-class cybersecurity protocols. The company’s digital applications not only meet IEC 62443 standards and the new IACS UR E27 requirements, but it was among the first organisations to receive special cybersecurity certifications from classification society DNV. 

Erik adds: “Digital creates value only when it understands operations. Kongsberg Maritime’s advantage in this space is ‘domain plus digital’: we instrument and automate complex vessels at scale, so our software reflects real-world constraints – safety, latency, class and life cycle service – and turns insights into reliable outcomes, not just dashboards.  

“With a dual footprint across operational technology (OT) and information technology (IT), we provide end-to-end visibility: from sensor-level data capture and equipment control on board to cloud-based analytics and decision support on shore. This delivers traceable, trusted guidance that enables safer, more efficient and more sustainable operations. Furthermore, we are well positioned for IT/OT convergence, which will translate into more real-time insights and improved decision making.”  

Digital Solutions is designed to continually evolve to provide customers with not only the tools and functionality but also the advice to help them navigate their digital journey, as Erik outlines: “Our strongest differentiator is the experience and advisory behind the software. We’ve worked onboard thousands of vessels across segments, studying real operations, trends and outlier cases. We know how to read data – patterns, trends and exceptions – and convert it into clear operating guidance for bridge, engine room and shore. We co-design KPIs and trials with our customers, benchmark against similar assets, and build operational best practices, then stay engaged to verify outcomes and embed the habits for sustained improvement. 

“Through Digital Solutions, we aim to be our customers’ trusted digitalisation partner – working alongside them to shape and apply digital technology that improves their operations and helps them reach their business ambitions.”