Products & services

Aboa Mare invests in an advanced engine room simulator delivered by Kongsberg Maritime

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Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä

Category: Products & services Products & services

Published: 30 September 2025 30 September 2025

Aboa Mare strengthens its position as a leading maritime training provider, by investing in a state-of-the-art K-Sim Engine Full Mission and Desktop Simulator system from Kongsberg Maritime.

The delivery is set to be completed in the first quarter of 2026 and will include some of the most advanced simulator models available, comprising both conventional and next-generation propulsion technologies, such as hybrid, battery, dual-fuel, LNG and methanol-fuelled engines. This guarantees that Aboa Mare’s students and professional seafarers will receive practical training that aligns with the global maritime industry’s green transition.

Supporting the green transition in maritime training

This delivery represents one of the most modern simulator systems ever installed in Finland and demonstrates Aboa Mare’s commitment to supporting maritime education as the industry undergoes a fundamental shift toward sustainability.

“We are committed to delivering high-quality training that reflects the latest developments in maritime operations,” says Thomas Lundberg, Simulator Manager, Aboa Mare. “The collaboration with Kongsberg enables us to provide realistic and future-oriented learning environments. By integrating the latest propulsion technologies into our training, we are ensuring that our students and customers are well prepared to contribute to the industry’s green transition.

“The maritime sector is moving rapidly toward greener operations, and training plays a critical role in ensuring this transition is both safe and effective,” says Are Føllesdal Tjønn, Managing Director, Maritime Simulation, Kongsberg Maritime. “With the advanced K-Sim Engine simulator platform, Aboa Mare will be able to provide future mariners with the knowledge and experience they need to operate next-generation vessels using hybrid, dual-fuel, and methanol technologies. We are proud to partner with Aboa Mare in this important step toward building a more sustainable maritime future.”

The K-Sim Engine simulator system is fully compliant with STCW requirements and DNV standard ST-0033 and will be delivered with DNV Class A & C certification, ensuring the highest levels of quality and realism in maritime training. The simulator will be the first at Aboa Mare with DNV classification, providing a trusted guarantee of quality and reliability for customers and students.

The partnership between Kongsberg Maritime and Aboa Mare highlights a shared commitment to innovation, sustainability, and excellence in maritime education and training.

Makinen to deliver interiors for Antarctica21’s new expedition vessel Magellan Discoverer

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Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä

Category: Products & services Products & services

Published: 17 September 2025 17 September 2025

Makinen has signed a contract with Asenav shipyard in Valdivia, Chile, to deliver the interiors of Magellan Discoverer, a new expedition vessel for Antarctica21. Magellan Discoverer will join Antarctica21’s fleet of boutique expedition vessels that explore Antarctica, South Georgia, the Falkland Islands, and Patagonia.

The Makinen scope covers all fixed furniture in passenger cabins and public spaces, as well as curtains and decorative lighting throughout the vessel. Installation is scheduled for spring 2026 in Valdivia. The interiors are designed by Tomas Tillberg Design, a long-time partner of Makinen in expedition vessel projects.

This project follows the delivery of seven Infinity-class vessels for SunStone Ships, where Makinen executed full turnkey interiors. That experience provides a strong foundation for Magellan Discoverer and continues to strengthen our role in expedition newbuilds.

YSA Design celebrates four decades of cruise ship design

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Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä

Category: Products & services Products & services

Published: 24 September 2025 24 September 2025

YSA Design, whose ship interiors and exteriors design creativity has helped to define guest experiences in the modern cruise era, is celebrating its 40th anniversary.

At a special gathering marking the occasion at its Oslo headquarters on 25th September, the company is bringing together past and present colleagues, customers, shipyards and other industry partners to celebrate its achievements over four decades of design excellence.

YSA Design has been at the heart of multiple award-winning ships, with its work featuring across vessels built for Costa Cruises, Holland America Line, Hurtigruten, MSC Cruises, Norwegian Cruise Line, Regent Seven Seas Cruises, SeaDream, Viking Ocean Cruises, Virgin Voyages and more. It has worked with Disney Cruise Line since the group entered the sector in 1993.

“We continue to innovate, by designing for custom-built vacations that serve luxury, wellness, individuality and adventure to match the creative vision of our clients’ brands,” says Anne Mari Gullikstad, CEO, YSA Design. “To attract the best next generation talent, we also invest in cutting edge design tools. Doing so enhances efficiency and transparency for customers and yards.”

Formally established in 1985 by partners Petter Yran and Bjørn Storbraaten, the company restructured as YSA Design in 2016 after a management buy-in, with Gullikstad working alongside fellow board members Einar Jungård, Jan Krefting, Trond Sigurdsen and Tov Arne Svalestuen.

Krefting, now Chair of YSA Design, joined in 1987 and has worked on high profile design projects through the cruise sector’s transformation into a market worth hundreds of billions of dollars.

“We’ve seen it change from a business where we were the first people the owner called and the job was agreed on a handshake into an industry involving multiple stakeholders and a complex regulatory framework, where every minute is budgeted for,” he says. “We are always evolving but remain anchored in decades of industry experience, developing everything from the GA onwards to balance the best in aesthetic form with effective function.”

With a 30-strong team made up of individuals from 13 nationalities, Gullikstad says multicultural dialogues are one driver for fresh thinking at YSA Design. “The team’s diversity offers a unique breeding ground for originality, and also provides the basis for the recommendations YSA Design makes on sustainable materials to protect our planet’s resources,” she says.

Krefting adds: “Reaching our 40-year milestone is a fitting moment for YSA Design to celebrate, both its resilience in an industry that faced the challenges of 9/11 and COVID, and the creativity, knowledge, and open and honest collaboration that kept our cruise clients coming back for more.”

Bureau Veritas launches OptiCARBON to optimize fleet energy, fuel and compliance costs

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Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä

Category: Products & services Products & services

Published: 17 September 2025 17 September 2025

Bureau Veritas Marine & Offshore (BV), a world leader in testing, inspection, and certification, together with its technical advisory arm Bureau Veritas Solutions Marine & Offshore (BVS), has launched OptiCARBON, a SaaS platform which represents an all-in-one solution capable of optimizing and predicting energy, fuel, and compliance costs across an entire fleet.

OptiCARBON utilizes BV’s highly accurate digital vessel models to simulate various operational, regulatory, and financial scenarios tailored to the user's requirements. OptiCARBON's advanced modeling capabilities enable users to explore multiple decarbonization pathways, assessing emissions reduction alongside cost and compliance impacts. The platform’s comprehensive forecasting and scenario planning tools allow users to measure and compare the impact of their operational strategy over time.

The platform is modular, scalable and customizable to different fleet sizes and vessel types. OptiCARBON is designed to support dynamic, long-term decarbonization strategies that evolve alongside new technologies and regulations. While initially developed to meet the specific needs of ferries, cruise ships and RoRo vessels, its future-proofed framework allows for rapid expansion to other vessel segments.

OptiCARBON has already been deployed with Brittany Ferries, where it delivers highly accurate mapping and compliance simulations, while facilitating the company’s EU-ETS requirements. The results demonstrate that combining data-driven forecasting with BVS’ specialized maritime consulting expertise can serve as the cornerstone of a company’s long-term strategic planning.

Matthieu de Tugny, Executive Vice President, Industrials and Commodities, BV, said: “The maritime industry is under mounting pressure to decarbonize. With the EU ETS, FuelEU Maritime, and the likely introduction of the IMO’s Net-Zero Framework, it’s not just compliance costs that are rising but also operational complexity and uncertainty.”

Flavia Caldi Rezende, Vice President, BV Solutions Marine & Offshore, said “With OptiCARBON, we’re making dynamic, forward-looking planning accessible to more stakeholders. Our goal is to empower stakeholders to reduce costs, avoid penalties, and develop tailored pathways to net zero – backed by unparalleled regulatory insight and maritime expertise.”