Gebr. Friedrich Schiffswerft launches an autonomous research boat. The Deutsche Yachten member is gearing up for the shipping of the future.
As leading shipbuilding company in Kiel, Gebr. Friedrich Schiffswerft has responded to the growing demand for digital integration of ship ship systems. As shipyard boss Katrin Birr explained at the christening of the the launch of the autonomous test vehicle WAVELAB, Gebr. Schiffswerft is now offering digital integration of ship systems.
“Through the connection with our electrical company Gebr. Friedrich Elektrotechnik in Wellsee ensures that we can offer ship repair and the integration of all the ships’ IT and sensor technology from a single source,” Birr said. “This is something we prepared for at an early stage and are proud to to be able to offer our customers everything from a single source.”
The Gebr. Friedrich shipyard has evolved from a conventional repair company to a specialist in shipbuilding with alternative propulsion systems and autonomous driving. The WAVELAB, which is part of the CAPTN initiative under the leadership of the research and development center of the Kiel University of Applied Sciences, is an example of the company’s future-oriented orientation of the company.
The WAVELAB is a research platform in the form of an approximately 20-meter-long and eight meter wide catamaran made of aluminum. It is powered by two 50-kilowatt electric motors powered by batteries. The research catamaran will use the latest energy sources, such as purely energy sources, such as purely electric propulsion via batteries and fuel cells as well as autonomous navigation on the Kiel Fjord.
The Gebr. Friedrich Schiffswerft has also invested in software and hardware development and hardware development to develop future-proof, integrative specifications for the maintenance and and repair of ships that can handle the necessary volumes of data from a wide range of from a wide variety of sources and purposes.
With the completion of the new hybrid pier at the Friedrichsort site last year, the Friedrichsort site last year, the company is in a position to operate ships with alternative fuels and even future energy sources, as well as to maintain their digital digital systems. With the state-of-the-art hybrid pier, ships can be supplied with alternative fuels such as LNG, methanol and hydrogen.
Claus-Ehlert Meyer, managing director of Deutsche Yachten, comments: “The Gebr. Friedrich Schiffswerft, with its expertise in the fields of shipbuilding, alternative propulsion systems and autonomous driving, Gebr. challenges of the digital future of shipping. The market has responded positively to the company’s forward-looking orientation and has Friedrich Schiffswerft is well on the way to becoming a key player in the digital integration of ship in the digital integration of ship systems.”
