HFC Forum 2026: Human Factors in Maritime Operations
21. okt. 2026
For two days in October, Ålesund was the meeting place for human factors in advanced maritime operations. The Human Factors in Control Forum (HFC Forum) brought together industry, authorities and researchers on 20–21 October, and GCE Blue Maritime Cluster kicked things off with a dedicated prelude event through MIDAS Academy.
Walk-to-Work operations on the Norwegian continental shelf and alarm management in control rooms were among the topics that drew the most engagement. For both topics, the understanding of human factors will play a vital role in the time to come.
A prelude through MIDAS Academy
Ahead of the forum itself, we organised an open prelude event together with HFC Forum at the Norwegian Maritime Competence Centre (NMK) on Tuesday 20 October. The prelude, with close to 60 participants, was part of MIDAS Academy program, the joint learning platform we have developed in the MIDAS project – “Humans in Future Ocean Space Operations”.
MIDAS Academy covers everything from larger workshops to courses and dedicated education programmes in maritime autonomy and automation. The aim is to make new research accessible to those who will design, operate and regulate the ships and ocean space operations of the future.
The talks were based on chapters from the book Safety by Design: Human-Centered Approaches to AI, Automation, and Remote Operations, launched this summer:
Erik Veitch (NTNU): Introduction to human-centred design
Frøy Birte Bjørneseth (Kongsberg Maritime and NTNU): Designing for the night watch – human factors on modern bridges
Jooyoung Park (NTNU): Meaningful human control in remotely operated ferries
Jon Bernhard Høstmark (Kongsberg Discovery): Developing a remote operations centre (ROC) for autonomous ships
Sondre Øie (DNV): Safety-critical task analysis in automation and remote operations
Salman Nazir (USN): Training and performance assessment under digitalisation
The common thread was that the more automated and remotely operated our vessels become, the more important it is to design systems around the people who monitor them and step in when needed.
Walk-to-Work: gangways could change the shelf
Tuesday had a strong focus on Walk-to-Work (W2W). Equinor presented its use of Service Operation Vessels (SOVs) across three core activities: Transfers to wellhead platforms, Wind turbines and offshore supply duties. The operations run in the season from 1 April to 30 September.
Equinor highlighted clear operational benefits of using Service Operation Vessels (SOVs) with gangways:
An SOV can provide additional personnel to manned installations where a flotel is not economically viable
A smaller supplement of personnel from an SOV evens out activity levels and reduces the need for helicopter transport
SOVs make it possible to carry out tasks that cannot be realised today
The footprint is much smaller than a flotel – better for safety, the environment and operational efficiency
The challenge is regulation. W2W to manned installations is currently not permitted on manned assets on the Norwegian continental shelf, and Equinor wants a regulatory change to allow it. The Norwegian Ocean Industry Authority (Havtil) is preparing a proposed amendment to Section 4 of the Framework Regulations, scheduled for public consultation on 15 November 2026. If adopted, demand for SOVs in the North Sea will increase considerably – an opportunity for shipyards, equipment suppliers and shipowners in the cluster.
Norwind and DNV looked at the safety aspects of gangway solutions. They stressed that the industry must come together to standardise the safety-related elements of these operations, such as safety marking and alarm management.
The cluster’s own gangway suppliers, Ulmatec Handling and Seaonics, also shared their experience from developing and operating gangway systems.
Alarm management: the control room needs standards
Alarm management was also a key theme on day two. The Norwegian Maritime Authority and Safetech addressed the lack of standards for engine control rooms on board.
The Viking Sky incident in 2019 and the subsequent report from the Norwegian Safety Investigation Authority showed that current regulations and standards for alarm management were a contributing factor. In the wake of this, Norway has started a process in IMO to improve the regulatory framework.
Technology alone will not solve the problem. Alarm systems must be designed so that operators get the right information at the right time, also when a situation becomes critical. There is a clear link to the W2W discussion the day before: whether on the gangway or in the engine control room, the industry is calling for common standards.
Site visits with a focus on remote control centers
The forum concluded with site visits to OSC, Effee and NTNU Fjordlab. Participants saw first-hand how simulation, training and testing of new technology are carried out here in the region.
A big thank you to HFC Forum for an excellent collaboration, and to all speakers and participants who made these two days in Ålesund so rewarding. To learn more about upcoming courses and workshops, follow MIDAS Academy.
Contact: Knut Tore Aurdal, Head of Projects, GCE Blue Maritime Cluster – knut.tore.aurdal@bluemaritimecluster.no
