Kongsberg Maritime Wins Wisting FPSO Safety and Automation FEED

By Olivia Hart

A 30-year anticipated operating life anchors Equinor’s Wisting field in the Barents Sea, where Kongsberg Maritime has secured initial safety and automation work for a planned floating production, storage and offloading (FPSO) vessel.

Kongsberg Maritime announced the contract on November 6. Its first phase covers front-end engineering and design (FEED), the early technical work that develops and matures a project concept before execution.

The company will work alongside Equinor and other project suppliers. Wisting lies approximately 300 kilometres north of the Norwegian mainland.

Kongsberg Maritime described Wisting as one of the largest undeveloped oil discoveries on the Norwegian Continental Shelf. The announcement did not provide a production rate, development cost or startup date.

What does the contract cover?

The initial Kongsberg Maritime scope covers FEED for the FPSO’s Safety and Automation System. The work will develop and mature technical solutions intended to support a safe, efficient and sanctionable development concept.

A sanctionable concept is eligible for the formal decision required before execution. The November 6 announcement cited no such decision.

If Wisting moves into execution, Kongsberg Maritime’s conditional scope broadens to include:

• Process control.
• Safety systems.
• Digital infrastructure.
• Cyber security.

The conditional package also covers related technology, services and solutions for the vessel. The early award therefore gives Kongsberg a defined role if the wider development proceeds, instead of committing the company to full vessel systems delivery now.

Kongsberg said it will draw on experience from offshore energy projects. That experience includes digital technologies and engineering tools used to support project execution and operational performance.

Takeaway: The firm holds early engineering work now, while the larger systems package remains conditional.

How far has Wisting progressed?

The announcement places Wisting at the FEED stage for the vessel’s safety and automation design. Although the contract marks another development step, it does not confirm execution for the broader technology package or cite a final investment decision.

That distinction matters because Kongsberg’s initial commitment is limited to concept and design development. The later scope would become active only if the overall project progresses beyond the initial engineering phase.

The announcement names Equinor as Kongsberg’s customer and technology partner. Other project suppliers will also work with Kongsberg during FEED as it develops the safety and automation concept within the wider FPSO design.

Kongsberg did not disclose the contract value for either the FEED work or the conditional execution package. It also gave no schedule for technical completion or field startup.

Takeaway: Wisting has advanced through a new engineering contract, but the release does not establish full execution readiness.

What does early involvement mean for Kongsberg?

Kongsberg Maritime said the early role will let it contribute engineering expertise to the FPSO concept. The stated focus covers digitalisation, operational efficiency and safety.

Lisa Edvardsen Haugan, Kongsberg Maritime’s president and CEO, said: “The Wisting development represents an important addition to Kongsberg Maritime’s growing portfolio of advanced offshore energy projects.”

She added: “Equinor has been a valued customer and technology partner for many years, consistently challenging the industry to deliver safer, smarter and more sustainable solutions.”

Haugan’s comments frame the award as both a portfolio addition and evidence of a long-standing customer and technology relationship, although neither statement provides contract value or delivery timing.

The early involvement also positions Kongsberg to shape the safety and automation concept before the wider systems role begins. Whether that early engineering role becomes a larger equipment and services role depends on the field’s progress through execution.

Takeaway: Kongsberg expects early design influence to support later systems work, if the field advances.

What should readers watch?

The next material milestone is a move from concept-stage FEED into project execution, which would determine whether Kongsberg converts its conditional safety and automation scope into a full technology award.

The announcement gives no production capacity, cost estimate, sanction date or startup schedule for the vessel or field. The distinction between FEED and execution therefore carries more weight than the announcement’s wider systems description.

A subsequent update should identify the sanctioned development scope, the execution structure and the date for vessel startup or first production. The current contract announcement set none of those milestones.

Takeaway: The next material milestone is project execution, not additional concept engineering.