VARD and NORCE Establish Strategic Research Partnership for Maritime Innovation

VARD has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Norwegian research institute NORCE to collaborate on maritime research and innovation. The partnership will focus on ship design, construction, maintenance, drone technology, remote control solutions for vessels, zero-emission energy technologies, AI, and cybersecurity.

VARD's integration with the Fincantieri group will support these initiatives. In the Ocean Charger project, NORCE has analyzed charging concepts for offshore vessels, aiding VARD in developing electrified operations.

The new PRESIFUEL project aims to enhance fuel measurement systems on VARD's vessels for real-time fuel consumption insights. Additionally, VARD is involved in the NORCE-led Horizon Europe project MARINER, set to start in 2026, which will test 1 MW PEM fuel cells for zero-emission shipping.