Shepherding the Fleet: Chief‑to‑Shore project enters a new phase

ROC Technician Kennet Vestly overseeing three vessels simultanously.
Captain Ted Fredheim and Navigator Jannicke Wilskow from the bridge of ASKO Therese.

The Chief‑to‑Shore (C2S) project has taken a major step forward as our Remote Operations Centre (ROC) successfully began supervising three vessels simultaneously for the first time.

Project coordinator Frikk Sandvik, says the journey has been more transformative than expected.

"I thought this would be all about technology," he explains. "But the real work is changing mindsets, procedures, and how sea and shore teams trust each other."

Since launching in November 2024, the project has progressed through key milestones:

- July 2025: approval for shore‑based operation of one vessel

- October 2025: expansion to two vessels per operator

- February 2026: internal testing completed and a three‑vessel trial commenced

On the first operational day with three vessels, ROC technician Kenneth Vestly took the cheir in the operations centre, coordinating closely with the bridge team aboard Yara Birkeland and Asko vessels Marit and Therese. Onboard Therese, the remaining bridge team Ted and Jannicke was following the project, ensuring seamless communication and situational awareness.

"It felt almost like standing on the bridge — just from a comfier chair and better coffee" - Kenneth says. "Good tools help, but it’s the dialogue with the crew that makes it work. Otherwise it would be quite lonely here"

On the bridge, there is noticeable better space, with one person moved to shore, but Ted and Jannicke are looking forward to the mergin the team again, on shore.

The ROC mirrors onboard environments with alarms, camera feeds, and GA drawings, layered with new UX‑driven visualizations. The result is a control room that bridges traditional seamanship with next‑generation digital operations.

As the C2S project advances, the focus shifts toward smarter oversight tools; working closely with the technology provider Kongsberg Maritime to find correct abstraction levels, aggregate data in easily understandable vessel dashboards, low‑attention ‘traffic light’ systems, and full fleet‑level monitoring.

This new phase marks a defining moment — proving that engineering expertise can remain deeply connected to the vessel, even from shore.

Project coordinator Frikk Sandvik is pleased with the progress, but emphases there is still progress to be made.