The One Ocean sustainability project, which aims to unite the people of the world in building and exchanging new knowledge for a sustainable ocean, launched on Thursday 20^th August at a prestigious event attended by Norwegian Prime Minister Erna Solberg and other dignitaries, both political and maritime.

One Ocean recognises that Norway, as a seafaring nation with long traditions and history, is well placed to use its knowledge and resources to create sustainable, global solutions. Part of the UN Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development, a key component of the One Ocean project is a 19-month circumnavigation by the tall ship Statsraad Lehmkuhl, with the aim of obtaining and exchanging new knowledge about the ocean. This will contribute to fulfilling the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals, with a particular focus on SDG 4 (Quality Education), SDG 13 (Climate Action), SDG 14 (Life Below Water), and SDG 17 (Partnerships for the Goals).

Through cooperation with scientists, leaders and young people around the world, One Ocean aims to help to build a sustainable maritime future. This pairs perfectly with Kongsberg Maritime’s commitment to sustainable maritime operations, and KONGSBERG is proud to support One Ocean through its long-standing sponsorship of Statsraad Lehmkuhl. “The excellent cooperation we have had with KONGSBERG has been crucial to Statsraad Lehmkuhl now being the greenest sailing ship in its class,” said Haakon Vatle, General Manager, Statsraad Lehmkuhl Foundation. “We look forward to implementing further sustainable technologies on board, in collaboration with Kongsberg Maritime.”

Kongsberg Maritime’s relationship with Statsraad Lehmkuhl stretches back to 1981, when the vessel was fitted with a Bergen KRM-6 engine. Since then, KONGSBERG has supported the tall ship with propulsion and power equipment – including a 370kWh SAVe Energy battery bank installed in 2019 – and, most recently, with its market-leading digitalisation solutions. Statsraad Lehmkuhl now uses Vessel Insight for energy management and fuel consumption optimisation, the KOGNIFAI communication platform, and a full K-Nav navigation suite with radar, AIS and ECDIS. These latest deliveries, which have a market value of around NOK 2.6 million, bring the vessel’s systems right up to date and further improve the sustainability of its operation.

Egil Haugsdal, President, Kongsberg Maritime, said: “We are proud of our long-standing relationship with Statsraad Lehmkuhl, and that our technologies will be assisting the vessel to operate safely and sustainably on this incredible voyage, as well as in navigating in some of the most challenging waters on the planet. Norway is at the forefront of the struggle to preserve our maritime environment, and Kongsberg Maritime is delighted to support One Ocean in this exciting and vital conservation project.”

Statsraad Lehmkuhl – which was built in 1914 – is scheduled to set sail from Bergen in 2021 and will call at 30 ports worldwide. The route has been designed to take advantage of established favourable winds, enabling as much sailing as possible and assuming a low average speed in the interests of sustainability. During the cruise, the crew of Statsraad Lehmkuhl will collaborate with the Institute of Marine Research and with universities in hydrographic activities and the search for sustainable solutions.