Kongsberg Maritime has been contracted to supply waterjet propulsion and control systems for what has been dubbed ‘the world’s most technically advanced and environmentally friendly Search and Rescue vessel’

The SAR vessel with project title “Smart Saver”, being built for Redningsselskapet, Norway’s Sea Rescue Society, has prime focus on innovation of future-oriented solutions within digitalisation and sustainability. A donation from the Tom Wilhelmsen Foundation has funded the project and it is hoped that the build of this first in class vessel will start a new generation of SAR vessels for the future that will help reduce climate pressures with advanced powertrain and onboard technologies.

Bård Eker, Managing Director of the Eker Group, will be responsible for the design and construction of the SAR vessel with project title “Smart Saver” through subsidiaries Eker Design and Hydrolift. The Smart Saver will be manufactured at Hydrolift in Fredrikstad.

The vessel will use a new hull design which will make the maximum benefit of the highly efficient twin Kamewa Steel-series waterjets managed through the latest JCS-E control system. It will also employ semi-autonomous technologies to conserve energy and relieve pressure on the crew.

KONGSBERG’s Kamewa Steel series mixed flow waterjets provide the best pump efficiency on the market offering superior efficiency over the whole speed range matching the increased demand of vessels even below 30 knots. This translates into reduced fuel consumption for a given workload and consequently reduced CO₂emissions.

KM’s JCS-E (Jet Control System Extended) is an advanced and compact control system for operating fast craft main powertrain equipment providing performance optimisation in all circumstances in mission critical operations. The system provides accurate operation combined with advanced options, such as remote access servicing.

JCS-E’s intuitive helm station joystick control and built-in optional functions, such as Auto positioning, Anchor point, Auto heading, Interceptor steering, Trim assist and Park mode, will provide easy and reliable operation and reduce the manual burden on busy search and rescue crews for whom multitasking is a critical part of the job.

Tommi Viiperi, KM’s Sales Director of Kongsberg Maritime, Kamewa Waterjet Propulsion said: “The Smart Saver project is all about selecting the most durable, energy efficient equipment and integrating it all into one vessel to make the most efficient and advanced SAR vessel ever built. We are delighted to be involved, and to have the opportunity of proving, once again, the efficiency of our waterjets and associated systems and that Kongsberg Maritimes’s technologies can help vessels with even the toughest of duties meet the requirements of the energy and technology transition.”