Wärtsilä in successful drone ship test

Finnish technology company Wärtsilä said in a press release on Friday that it had successfully tested its first remotely controlled platform supply vessel, the Highland Chieftain.

The test is part of a global drive toward smart shipping that would allow oil and gas companies to further reduce their costs and environmental impact and to increase safety, company officials said in a statement.

“One of the first and most critical hurdles to overcome along the path to the enablement of intelligent shipping is to develop efficient and reliable remote control and monitoring capabilities, taking factors such as bandwidth limitations and cyber security into consideration,” Andrea Morgante, head of digital at Wärtsilä Marine Solutions, said. “This test provides a clear indication that we are well on the way to achieving this.”

The test was carried out on August 21 in the North Sea over a satellite link from the company’s offices in San Diego, California, the news release added.