Fincantieri subsidiary VARD has secured a contract for designing and constructing eight Marine Robotic vessels for Ocean Infinity, a marine robotics company.

In partnership with Ocean Infinity, VARD has designed a multi-purpose platform, named VARD 9 60 design, which will allow onshore remote control, light crewed or uncrewed operations.

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The 78m-long vessels will feature advanced technologies such as fuel cells to reduce environmental impact.

These ships will be the first of their kind to be prepared for a green ammonia fuel system, VARD claimed.

To allow secure remote operations and cyber communications, the subsidiary Vard Electro has further developed its SeaQ Power Management System and SeaQ Integrated Automation System together with the class society.

Various contractors and suppliers in the Norwegian Maritime Cluster will be part of this project.

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The eight vessels, expected to be delivered from mid-2022 to 2023, will be constructed at VARD’s shipyard Vard Vung Tau in Vietnam.

VARD CEO Alberto Maestrini said: “We are honoured to be chosen as Ocean Infinity’s partner in this project. Together we take a huge leap forward into a new segment of the maritime industry by developing and providing vessels prepared for the future, according to our strategy researching increasingly innovative and sustainable solutions.”

The series of eight vessels will bolster Ocean Infinity’s newly launched Armada fleet, which includes autonomous underwater vehicles and remotely operated surface vessels.

The new multi-role vessels will support Ocean Infinity’s operations worldwide from its control centres.

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