From Concept to Ship of the Year

What came first – the customer or the ship?

It is an age-old question in ship design. In the case of Rem Pioneer, the answer is unusually clear.

The concept came first.

Before Rem Offshore signed the contract for the vessel, Skipsteknisk had already spent quite a long time in developing a new offshore vessel concept. The designers had worked with several shipowners and end users, including DeepOcean, trying to understand what a modern vessel for subsea and offshore operations should actually look like.

"We had already been working on the design for a couple of years," says Bjørn-Oscar Kløvning, SVP Sales – Offshore Energy Designs at Skipsteknisk.

"We had worked with different shipowners and with end users. The idea was to understand what was practically possible and what the vessel really needed to do."

Then Rem Offshore entered the picture.

The shipowner brought its own operational experience, but there was another aspect that proved particularly important: the environment.

The offshore industry was increasingly looking towards alternative fuels, and Skipsteknisk had already been investigating several possibilities. After considering what was technologically and practically achievable, the designers settled on methanol – and more specifically green methanol – as the most realistic solution.

"Many people are choosing to make their vessels fuel-ready. They are preparing for the future. Rem chose to take the full step."

That decision would become one of the defining characteristics of Rem Pioneer.

Taking the full step

Methanol was not chosen simply because it was fashionable.

For Skipsteknisk, it offered a combination of availability, existing handling experience, regulatory familiarity and technological maturity that made it a realistic choice for a commercial offshore vessel.

"Metanol is available, at least to some extent. The industry is familiar with handling it, there are regulations in place, and the technology is available. So we landed on that and proposed it to Rem."

The easier option would have been to prepare the vessel for a future conversion.

Rem Offshore decided to do more.

Kløvning describes the decision as courageous, although he does not believe it represents a major technical risk.

"You can always sail on MGO. The technical risk is not really the issue. The challenge is that there is an additional cost attached to the solution, and someone has to be willing to carry that cost."

That is precisely what makes Rem's decision unusual.

"The vast majority don't take that step. Rem did, and they deserve a lot of credit for that."

For the designer, it was particularly satisfying to be part of the process.

"We are very pleased that we were able to be part of this journey."

Designing around experience

Once Rem Offshore became involved, the project entered a new phase.

Skipsteknisk had a concept. Rem had years of experience operating offshore vessels.

The challenge was to combine the two.

"We knew how the vessel should be and what it should do. Rem agreed with the overall concept, but they also had their own experience and experienced people."

Those people worked closely with Skipsteknisk's engineers and designers.

It was not simply a matter of presenting a finished design and asking the customer to approve it. The two organisations went through the vessel together, identifying details that might otherwise have been overlooked.

"It was a very close and very good collaboration. They were able to bring their experience from similar vessels into a completely new vessel."

For Kløvning, this is one of the most important differences between a genuinely developed vessel and one built more closely to a generic specification.

"You probably won't get all those details if you build more to a specification. The ship may still work perfectly well, but when you have the opportunity to sit down with the people who are actually going to use it, you take it one step further."

That final step is often where the difference lies.

A winch in the right place.

A better working arrangement on deck.

A control station positioned according to how the crew actually works.

A sightline that makes an operation easier.

None of these details necessarily make a difference on a specification sheet. Together, they can make a significant difference to the people who spend months and years working aboard the vessel.

Many hours behind the design

A ship may appear on paper as a collection of drawings and specifications. In reality, a project such as Rem Pioneer represents tens of thousands of hours of engineering work.

The number of people involved changes throughout the design process.

During the early concept phase, the core team may consist of only four or five people, covering areas such as hydrodynamics, general design and electrical engineering.

As the project moves into detailed design, the team grows considerably.

"For a vessel like this, we are talking about at least 25,000 hours for us," Kløvning says.

Skipsteknisk's office in Turkey was also part of the process. 

The majority of the work, however, remains centred in Norway.

And the design team's involvement does not end when the drawings are handed over to the yard.

The design continues at the shipyard

Ship design does not stop when construction begins.

In many respects, that is when the theoretical design meets reality.

Skipsteknisk works closely with the yard throughout the construction process, including Myklebust Verft and the yard responsible for building the hull in Vietnam, Song Cam.

"During that period, we use a very large number of hours. We work closely with the yard as the vessel is developed in detail."

Even after delivery, the relationship continues.

A vessel will inevitably generate new knowledge once it enters operation. Something may need to be moved. A working arrangement may prove less than ideal. A system may be improved.

"Things will always change because you discover that something on deck should have been different."

The designer is then in a particularly strong position to make those changes.

"We have the drawing package, so we are well placed to make adjustments and upgrades. We try to stay close to the vessel and understand how things work."

That feedback is valuable not only for the shipowner but for the designer's next project.

"Something may have been possible to do differently. You don't always discover that until the vessel is in operation. We need to capture that experience and bring it into the next vessel."

Seeing the vessel in three dimensions

There is another benefit to the close geographical relationship between the companies involved. Myklebust Verft is only around an hour and a half from Skipsteknisk's office. The shipowner is also nearby. Compared with travelling to a shipyard in China or elsewhere in Asia, the difference is substantial.

"It makes things much easier. More people from our office can go out and see what is happening."

For an engineer who spends much of the working day looking at a computer screen, stepping aboard a real vessel can be surprisingly powerful.

"You can see things much more easily. You suddenly realise that perhaps you should have done something differently, or that something should have been placed somewhere else."

Even with modern 3D modelling, reality provides a different perspective.

Kløvning recalls how the scale of equipment can be difficult to appreciate on a screen.

"A thruster three metres in diameter looks very different when you see it physically installed. You get a completely different relationship with the dimensions."

That experience is invaluable.

"You are always surprised when you go out there. You think: 'Oh, is that how it actually turned out?'"

New technology, new questions

Rem Pioneer is built around established offshore principles, but it also incorporates technology that is changing the way vessels are designed and operated.

The methanol propulsion system is one example. The electrical architecture is another.

Kløvning points to the increasing use of DC-based systems as one of the most interesting developments in offshore vessel design.

"Most of the offshore vessels we design today have these kinds of systems."

Variable-speed generation allows the power plant to operate according to actual demand. Peak shaving and spinning reserves can further optimize the system.

The result is that modern vessels can achieve the same operational capability with significantly less installed power than previous generations.

"Perhaps 20 to 30 per cent less power than we used to install," Kløvning estimates.

Part of the explanation is that the vessels themselves have changed.

"Previously, vessels were expected to go very fast. You designed them for 15 or 16 knots. Today, the question is often: how slowly can you operate?"

Typical offshore operations may require only 10–12 knots.

The same applies to station keeping. Instead of designing every part of the vessel around highly extreme theoretical scenarios, designers can increasingly focus on realistic operational requirements.

The result is a more efficient vessel.

"And that is obviously linked to the environment as well. We are trying to reduce consumption."

Making methanol work in practice

Although Skipsteknisk does not manufacture the methanol equipment itself, the design team has to integrate the system into the vessel.

That creates new engineering challenges.

Methanol has different characteristics from conventional marine diesel, and the regulatory framework imposes additional requirements.

"The regulations provide the framework. But you still have to work out how to implement them in practice and make the system user-friendly for the people who are going to operate it for the next 25 years."

The fuel system involves high-pressure equipment, double piping and other safety measures. For an engineer, that is exactly the kind of challenge that makes a project interesting.

"Copying what we have already done is usually straightforward. When something new comes along, that is when engineering becomes really interesting."

The same philosophy applies to the collaboration with specialist suppliers. Skipsteknisk defines the systems and their overall arrangement. Specialist contractors then develop and install the detailed solutions.

The work continues through construction. Modern 3D modelling makes this considerably easier. Pipe systems can be coordinated in a common digital environment, allowing potential clashes to be identified before they become physical problems.

"It is much easier today. Twenty years ago, we were doing much more of this in 2D."

Virtual reality before reality

Three-dimensional modelling has also opened the door to virtual reality.

Skipsteknisk can create digital models that allow designers and users to explore spaces before they exist physically. The technology can be used to assess the bridge, deck areas and accommodation.

"Even if you don't use VR all the time, the 3D models allow you to see what the operator will actually see from the bridge."

A crane may obstruct the view. A chair may be positioned awkwardly. A piece of equipment may make access difficult. These are exactly the kinds of problems that are cheap to solve in a digital model and expensive to solve after construction.

"It is enormously cheaper to move something in the design phase than after it has been welded together."

And then there is AI

Artificial intelligence is the next technology beginning to make its presence felt in the design office. Skipsteknisk has started experimenting with AI, including relatively simple software tools for searching regulations and handling information.

The company is still at an early stage.

"We haven't come very far yet," Kløvning says.

But he is under no illusion about the speed of development.

"If you fall asleep in class when it comes to AI, I think you will quickly be left behind."

At the same time, he does not believe AI will simply replace the engineer.

"I don't think we will get to the point where you press a button and get a finished vessel."

Instead, AI will become another tool.

Human judgement, he believes, will remain essential.

"You cannot use it uncritically."

That is already evident in everyday applications. AI can produce an email in seconds that might previously have taken half a day to formulate. But someone still has to decide whether it is correct.

The same will apply to ship design.

"I think it will become a tool that helps us."

The Norwegian advantage

For all the technological change taking place in the industry, Kløvning believes one of Norway's greatest competitive advantages remains decidedly human.

The maritime cluster in Møre & Romsdal. Shipowners. Shipyards. Design companies. Equipment manufacturers. Specialist suppliers.

All concentrated within a relatively small geographical area.

"It is a fantastic advantage that we have, and perhaps we need to be more conscious of it."

"If we need to understand a particular piece of equipment, there is nobody who knows that equipment better than the company that develops it."

That knowledge can then be incorporated into the vessel.

And it is not limited to Norwegian customers.

The expertise developed in Norway is increasingly being exported around the world.

Why do foreign shipowners still choose Norway?

The answer is not cost. Norway is not a low-cost shipbuilding nation.

Yet international shipowners continue to choose Norwegian designers and, in some cases, Norwegian yards.

Kløvning believes the answer lies in the track record.

"The vessels that are out there are the best proof of the knowledge we have in Norway."

The North Sea has been an exceptionally demanding operating environment. Norwegian designers, yards and suppliers have spent decades developing vessels for it.

Those vessels became references. And references became exports. The geopolitical situation is now adding another factor.

Some international owners are increasingly reluctant to build in China, even though Chinese yards can offer lower prices.

Norway, by comparison, is stable, politically predictable and associated with quality.

"We work with foreign shipowners who do not want to build in China. Norway is a neutral and peaceful country, and it is seen as safe and reliable."

Japanese shipowners are one example. Some are deliberately looking towards Europe and Norway when selecting where to build. That is not simply a matter of price.

"It is also about quality and trust."

Made in Norway

Is it time to bring back the old "Made in Norway" label?

Kløvning sees no reason why not.

"We have a very good foundation. We are a stable country. We have good quality. We have many excellent equipment suppliers exporting to the rest of the world. We have nothing to be ashamed of."

The challenge is to maintain that position. And that means maintaining the knowledge and pride that have helped build it.

Kløvning talks about seeing shipyard workers point to a vessel and say that they helped build it.

That feeling matters.

"When you are travelling abroad and see a vessel you have helped build, there is a certain pride in that."

He believes the industry must protect that pride even as an increasingly international workforce becomes part of Norwegian shipbuilding.

"It is important to feel proud of what you are doing. That is an important factor in doing a good job."

Fifty years – and looking ahead

For Skipsteknisk, Rem Pioneer arrives at a significant moment.

The company is celebrating its 50th anniversary, and the vessel has been named Ship of the Year. The award is an acknowledgement not only of the finished vessel, but of the many companies and people behind it.

For Kløvning, the local character of the project makes it particularly special.

The shipowner, designer, yard and many of the suppliers are all closely connected to the Norwegian maritime cluster, and the cluster in Møre & Romsdal.

"It is great that we can achieve something like this locally."

He has seen the industry go through several cycles during his career.

There have been periods when Norwegian shipbuilding appeared to have little future. Yet the industry has repeatedly reinvented itself.

"The obituary for Norwegian shipbuilding has been written several times during my 30 years in the industry."

It has always proved premature. The reason, he believes, is the willingness to innovate and to build new technology on top of accumulated experience. That is what makes him optimistic about the future.

"I am not afraid of the future."

There is, however, one thing he knows the industry cannot afford to do.

Stand still.

The technology will continue to develop. AI will change the design office. New fuels will change propulsion. Digitalisation will change the way ships are built. And customers will continue to demand more capable, efficient and flexible vessels.

"We have to keep up with it."

For Rem Pioneer, that philosophy is already visible.

The vessel began as an idea before it had a customer. It was shaped by operators, engineers and suppliers, refined through 3D modelling and virtual reality, equipped with new propulsion technology and built around the experience of a maritime industry that has spent decades learning how to operate in some of the world's most demanding waters.

It is, in many ways, a distinctly Norwegian story.

Not because every component was made in Norway.

Not because Norway is the cheapest place to build a ship.

But because the vessel represents something that is much harder to copy: the ability to bring together a shipowner, designer, yard and supplier network and turn decades of experience into something new.

That, ultimately, may be the most important lesson from Rem Pioneer.

The ship may have started with a blank sheet of paper.

But it was built on fifty years of experience.