Last winter, the regional west coast paper Sunnmørsposten reported the following: “On Sunday night, the Eidsdal to Linge ferry was called into service as an ambulance, causing crossings to be cancelled on Monday morning”.
Just one week later, the same paper published an article about the car ferry MF Aukra, which makes the crossing between Brattvåg and Dryna. “Due to rest period requirements for available crew members, departures on Wednesday evening will be carried out using a passenger vessel only”.
We could go on.
Major problem for coastal ferry services
There are many examples, and they all tell the same story. Shortfalls in crew numbers and regulations governing rest periods make non-scheduled extra crossings problematic. This results in many cancelled crossings, causing major irritation to travellers along the Norwegian coast.
If no-one comes up with an innovative solution to these two interrelated problems, crew shortages will continue to remain the ferry operators’ Achilles heel. But how many crew does a ferry really need? And are there new technologies that can close the gaps caused by crew shortages?
Spotlight on evacuation regulations
The paradox is that a number of automation technologies have already been developed in the fields of vessel navigation and manoeuvring.
The operator Fjord1 recently won a bid to run the Lavik to Oppedal service across Sognefjorden and will be putting four new zero-emission ferries into service starting in 2026. The contract also includes the phasing-in of automated systems starting in 2027.
So much automation technology is now available that if navigation and manoeuvring were all that a crew had to take care of, crew numbers could be reduced on Norwegian coastal ferries tomorrow.
The obstacle to all this lies in current regulations and requirements linked to the evacuation of passengers in emergency situations.
Smart technology should be assessed
At present, the evacuation of car ferries and other vessels carrying passengers is based on the crew assisting the passengers and operating rescue equipment. But what if smart technologies could be used to offer guidance and help for self-help to passengers during emergencies?
Would the coastal ferries then have the same crewing requirements as they do today?
Together with technologists from Norwegian suppliers, we at SINTEF have recently been drawing attention to potential safety systems of this type as part of a research project called AutoSafe, funded by the Research Council of Norway.
Control centres onshore?
Here are some of the initiatives that we have been looking into in connection with car ferries:
- Advanced development of detectors. In collaboration with the company Autronica Fire & Security, which for 60 years has been a supplier of systems for the detection and combating of fires, we have demonstrated that systems of this kind can do more than simply notify of unwanted incidents. Depending on their location on a vessel, sensors are able to count the number of passengers occupying pre-defined zones on board. They can also be used to transmit automated light and audio signals to passengers, showing them where they should go and how they should conduct themselves in an emergency situation.
- Establishment of onshore control centres From onshore, an ‘extra captain’ can be involved to relieve the crew and assist with advice and guidance, while at the same time offering reassuring messages to the passengers. This will help to ensure that operations are carried out safely, both under normal operations and in emergency situations.
- Development of life rafts that can be boarded and released more simply than is currently the case. The company Viking Norsafe has been the project’s industrial partner on this issue and has investigated the possibility of enabling passengers to operate emergency exits in the same way as on aircraft. In this way, passengers can serve as an additional resource for the crew.
- Use of advanced drones by the fire and rescue services. For example, the emergency service Trøndelag brann og redning has equipped its new fire and rescue vessel with a workstation for a drone operator. This may offer opportunities for drones to be sent on ahead to vessels in difficulties and provide rescue crews with a situational understanding that will enable the best possible intervention when they finally arrive at the scene.
Autonomous ‘short crossing’ vessels.
We have also been looking into a related issue. In particular, how to cross of short stretches of water in urban areas using small, autonomous passenger ferries, ultimately without the need of life rafts.
As part of the AutoSafe project, vessel designers Multi Maritime have been leading the development of outlines for the design and construction of ‘unsinkable vessels’ that will never require life rafts.
We presented these outlines in the form of conceptual proposals for new hull designs and effective techniques for the containment of vessel fires. In other words, systems that will get a vessel to the nearest mooring, regardless of the type of incident, with its passengers safe and sound. After all, for ferries of this type, the distance to shore is never very far.
Highlighting a paradox
Much of our work has been carried out with the aim of highlighting the paradox that regardless of any evidence presented to show that such systems will work, they will always come up against prevailing Norwegian safety certification regulations.
Our conclusion is that innovation on issues of safety is essential when it comes to offshore passenger transport along the Norwegian coast. If we continue to allow outdated mindsets to prevail, the regularity of future ferry services will be threatened.
We will also lose the chance to enjoy the public transport benefits offered by autonomous ‘short crossing’ ferries.
This feature article first appeared in the financial daily Dagens Næringsliv on Friday 28 July 2024.
