“We believe that the software validation carried out by SINTEF Ocean in its laboratory facilities provides customers with a level of assurance that competitors are unable to offer,” says Sigve Søråsen, Managing Director of SINTEF Ocean Software.
“I am excited to help to exploit this potential in the market through a dedicated software company closely connected to the research environment.”
Still close to the research communities
SIMA is known for being practical and flexible. And not least, it is based on robust physics models from SINTEF and NTNU. These have largely been validated through model tests conducted in the unique hydrodynamic laboratories operated by SINTEF Ocean.
The close link between the research communities and SIMA will continue and will remain a driver for further development. SINTEF Ocean will therefore also be able to offer project collaboration to customers who wish to make use of this expertise.
"Here at SINTEF Ocean, we are convinced that model testing will remain crucial to development for decades to come. Norwegian authorities have made the same assessment, and in 2021, the Norwegian Parliament decided that the state will invest in the Norwegian Ocean Technology Centre. This means that laboratories worth more than NOK 11 billion will be built here in Trondheim. It is a huge vote of confidence in us, and it is a commitment. We are therefore working purposefully to ensure that this investment will yield benefits to industry, the state, and society that far exceed the costs," says CEO at SINTEF Ocean, Vegar Johansen.
"This also entails a commitment to continue developing important software that is useful for industry. And for SIMA, it means that the investment in new laboratories can be an opportunity for further differentiation in the global market—if we seize the opportunity now. It is our clear intention to ensure that SIMA over time can benefit from the major investment being made in the new centre."
The option to include more of SINTEF’s marine software tools within the company will be considered in the future.
The company is wholly owned by SINTEF Ocean AS and will initially consist of employees from the research and development environment surrounding SIMA.
About SIMA
SIMA is a workbench for the simulation and analysis of marine operations and floating systems. It supports the user throughout the entire process, from planning to the analysis of results.
Applications include offshore structures such as floating wind, oil and gas, aquaculture, lifting operations and composite structures. The models can integrate both hydrodynamics and structural analyses together with DNV’s Sesam suite.
Particularly important in Nordic conditions is that SIMA supports ISO 19901 7 and DNV GL standards.
Visually, it offers 2D and 3D graphics, as well as batch processing that enables integration with external tools such as Python.
SIMA is currently sold through DNV, and this will continue. The difference is that a dedicated company will now be responsible for progress and further development – still in close collaboration with DNV.
