CUBEDIN A/S is a joint venture between Systematic and Odense Maritime Technology (OMT) aimed at creating multi-purpose vessels (MPVs) for the global market: flexible, modular naval vessels that can be transformed from environmental protection craft to mine-sweepers in no time at all. In future, it will be possible to configure ships in a matter of hours, and thus transform an inspection ship into a patrol vessel, or a mine-sweeper into an environmental protection craft. At least if you ask the newly established company CUBEDIN A/S, which is a joint venture between two Danish companies, Systematic A/S and Odense Maritime Technology (OMT).
Both companies have made their name on the global market, in Systematic’s case within software development while OMT specialises in ship design. These competencies have now been brought together in CUBEDIN A/S, and will help to create the naval vessels of the future in the form of modular and flexible ships. OMT, whose roots stretch back to A.P. Moller – Maersk and Odense Shipyard, is delivering expertise within modern ship design, while the second half of the maritime partnership is the software company Systematic, which is behind IT solutions that are used worldwide within defence, health, the police and wind turbine operations.
Together, the two companies have created a concept for building a brand new type of modular, flexible naval vessel. In a nutshell, the ships are designed and built to accommodate different modules – the so-called ‘cubes’ – which are delivered by the Danish company SH Defence. The cubes are containers which can accommodate different loads, and which can quickly be loaded/unloaded depending on the ship’s forthcoming missions. The loads can come from a wide range of suppliers, just as long as they fit within the cube.
“Ships that are currently in service are not designed with flexibility in mind. They are usually created for a specific purpose and for a particular type of task. Using the CUBEDIN technology, shipbuilders can deliver modular vessels which, in the space of a few hours, can be adapted for different missions simply by replacing the modules. This is not just practical and flexible – it’s also far cheaper, because mission-specific ships are expensive to procure and maintain,” the newly appointed CEO at CUBEDIN A/S Danny Ingemann says.
The modules for the ships can be supplied by many different companies, and the new joint venture has already caught the attention of the maritime industry. At the world naval defence exhibition Euronaval in Paris in October 2022, CUBEDIN A/S signed, for example, a partnership agreement with the French technology giant Thales which, like several other companies around the world, has expressed a desire to deliver content for the cubes on the ships. As part of the new joint venture, OMT is delivering flexible ship design, while Systematic is responsible for developing and supplying the software which integrates the various modules that transform the vessel for the relevant mission.
CUBEDIN A/S is a ground-breaking new initiative within ship design, modular technology and software. The company was established in 2022 as a joint venture between two enterprises. The first, Odense Marine Technology (OMT), designs container ships and frigates, and is an offshoot of A.P. Moller – Maersk. The second is Systematic A/S, which is behind some of the world’s leading software solutions for the defence, health and utility sectors. Together, they have developed a concept for the maritime industry which makes the process of ship design and shipbuilding faster and more cost-efficient, and which results in modern, adaptable and multi-purpose vessels.