It was celebration all round on March 16th as two Kongsberg Maritime business units received prestigious Awards for Design Excellence from the Norwegian Design Council during its annual Design Day, which took place in Oslo, Norway.
Kongsberg Seatex was given an Award for Design Excellence in the Industrial Design Category for its eBird seismic streamer control system whilst Kongsberg Maritime Simulation received the Award for Design Excellence in the Interactive Design category for its new Offshore Vessel Simulator Instructor System.
Both awards reflect Kongsberg Maritime's commitment to meeting the safety and operational efficiency needs of the oil & gas industry, as exploration & production takes place in deeper waters, much further from land.
eBird Seismic Streamer Control System
Kongsberg Seatex's eBird is a novel bird concept for lateral, vertical and roll streamer control in marine seismic acquisition that enables fault tolerant and efficient multi streamer steering by employing a wide range of innovative and patented technological solutions.
"Our in-house designers and engineers worked with a team from Inventas in Trondheim to develop eBird in response to requests from the industry for enhanced seismic streamer control. They succeeded in this goal and to be recognised by the industry through the system’s growing acceptance. The Norwegian Design Council Award for industrial design excellence is a strong acknowledgement and a great inspiration for future innovation and development endeavours" commented Gard Ueland, President Kongsberg Seatex AS.
Offshore Vessel Simulator Instructor System
Collaboration was also important in Kongsberg Maritime Simulation's win in the Interactive Design category, as the KONGSBERG Offshore Vessel Simulator Instructor System was developed in conjunction with Norwegian design company Halogen in order to meet the oil & gas industry's demand for simulator training to raise skills and reduce risk during demanding operations. The awards jury had the following to say about the system:
"This PC application is used to prepare, implement and evaluate computer-simulated exercises for maritime offshore operations. Simulation exercises like these require a lot of the instructor. Large quantities of information have to be displayed at once, and extensive changes must be made quickly. A new tool with industry-leading usability was required.
"The KONGSBERG training simulator creates a realistic training environment where maritime personnel can practice demanding offshore tasks. A good tool is needed to plan training events, adjust them along the way and review the events retrospectively. Instructors' needs have been the focus of the development project.
"The tool is designed around real training; it is easy to construct the main scenarios and straightforward to add a wealth of detail. The user interface utilises the familiar Windows screen components as well as customised features. The frame itself is muted and draws attention to the training content, which can be extremely complicated if required. To train crew and officers, instructors need an expert tool that renders the situation at sea realistically. This domain is extremely complex. KONGSBERG has taken up the challenge and has built a clear, powerful tool for offshore simulation."
Kongsberg Maritime Product Manager for the Offshore Vessel Simulator, Geir Lilje adds: "We are honoured to have won this prestigious award. The new Instructor System offers a broad range of functionalities and a user interface that is unique in the simulator world. The award reflects our commitment to modern design and innovation, whilst recognising the improved possibility for users to create and assess advanced exercises on demanding operations at sea."
The Award for Design Excellence is a leading award for design in Norway and is given to both manufacturers and designers that have cooperated on the development of new products.