We’re excited to announce the launch of Aker BP’s new AI Strategy – a major step in our journey to become the industry’s first truly AI-first exploration and production company.

The strategy outlines how we will use AI to accelerate growth, transform how we work, and build a strong, responsible foundation for the future. From unlocking new value and automating routine tasks, to strengthening governance and data security, AI will play a central role in how we operate, innovate, and deliver results across the business.

At the core of the strategy are four areas of guiding principles: investing where AI creates the most value, developing our internal capabilities, scaling on a unified and scalable AI foundation, and ensuring AI is implemented ethically and responsibly.

This is a company-wide strategy that touches every part of our organization

We aspire to lead the energy sector into a data-driven future. AI is a catalyst for this journey – enhancing decision-making, boosting efficiency, and cutting costs across all our business units and assets.

We aim to seamlessly integrate AI applications within our industrial settings and business objectives.

«Let’s lead the future of energy—smarter, faster, and stronger—with AI at the heart of our journey» – says Paula Doyle, Chief Digital Officer.

Höegh Evi and Aker BP have been awarded an Approval in Principle (AiP) from DNV for a next-generation liquefied CO₂ (LCO₂) carrier. The vessel, developed in Norway by Höegh Evi, Aker BP and Moss Maritime, is designed to transport captured CO₂ safely and cost-efficiently from European industrial emitters to offshore sequestration sites on the Norwegian Continental Shelf (NCS).

Pioneering a new class for CO₂ shipping
DNV’s Approval in Principle includes a comprehensive assessment of the vessel’s design, including its onboard CO₂ conditioning module. It is the first to be reviewed under DNV’s new CO₂ RECOND class notation, developed specifically for CO₂ handling and conditioning.

The approval marks a significant step in enabling the Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) value chain and industrial decarbonization in Europe.

“This designation from DNV affirms the strength of our technical solution, which is key to realizing Höegh Evi and Aker BP’s unique CCS offering. Together, we can deliver a cost-efficient path to decarbonization, by connecting large-scale carbon emitters to permanent storage offshore,” said Nils Jakob Hasle, EVP Clean Energy at Höegh Evi.

 “We are excited to leverage Aker BP’s extensive upstream expertise to mature and develop CO₂ storage solutions on the Norwegian Continental Shelf. We appreciate the integrated and collaborative efforts with Höegh Evi in the development of the CCS value chain. This innovative design with designation from DNV is expected to set new benchmarks in safe, cost-efficient, and sustainable large-scale CO₂ transportation and storage,” said Ørjan Jentoft, Asset Manager for CCS at Aker BP.

”DNV is pleased to collaborate with such a strong consortium of partners to help bring this large-scale CCS project closer to realization. This AIP demonstrates how maritime regulations with DNVs new class rules can support the development of safe and cost-efficient solutions for CO2 transportation and offshore injection – an essential step toward building cost-effective CCS value chains,” said Christina Saenz de Santa Maria, COO at DNV Maritime. 

Part of an integrated solution for CO₂ transport and storage 

The next-generation liquefied CO₂ (LCO₂) carrier is a key part of a fully integrated carbon removal option for both large and dispersed EU emitters. By integrating CO₂ conditioning and offloading capabilities directly into the shuttle carriers, the design minimizes complexity, reduces risk of impurity co-mingling and ensures reliable injection into offshore reservoirs. Two approved variants of CO₂ vessels will offer total capacities of up to 50,000 m³ of liquid CO₂. 

Höegh Evi and Aker BP’s CCS solution can be applied for the Aker BP-operated CO₂ storage licenses on the NCS, EXL 005 Poseidon and EXL 011 Atlas. While initially sized to handle up to 10 million tonnes of CO₂ per annum, it may be scaled to accommodate growing market demand.

Aker BP has signed a new sponsorship agreement with the Norwegian Volleyball Federation. The company will be the general sponsor for three more years to ensure the federation’s long-term work with «equal opportunities» in Norwegian volleyball. The agreement strengthens the investment in para volleyball and elite sports for women in volleyball and beach volleyball. 

The agreement is valid from 2026 to 2028 and was signed during the opening of the European Championship in sitting volleyball in Stavanger on Wednesday 21 May. 

«Aker BP has been the general sponsor of the Norwegian volleyball federation for two and a half years, and we are proud that the cooperation has given a significant boost to both sitting volleyball and elite women in beach volleyball. Working for equal opportunities to perform in sports takes time, effort, and significant resources. Aker BP wants to be a predictable partner. We are signing an agreement today that ensures continued and increased focus on this important work in Norwegian volleyball after 2025,» says Lars Høier, SVP Yggdrasil. He signed the agreement on behalf of Aker BP. 

The Work Has Just Begun 

Aker BP and the Norwegian volleyball federation entered into the first three-year agreement at the beginning of 2023. For the first time in history, the volleyball federation then signed a commercial agreement for para-sports. 

«The cooperation has contributed to the establishment of national teams, increased recruitment, and a higher level in sitting volleyball in Norway, as well as the implementation of the first-ever European Championship here in Stavanger. The funds from Aker BP have also given our best female athletes in beach volleyball better opportunities to perform and compete internationally. This is the result of systematic work over several years and external funds that make it possible,» says Secretary General Guro Røen of the volleyball federation. 

«At the same time, our work on equal opportunities has just begun. We depend on solid partners, and it is fantastic that Aker BP is continuing as a partner in our long-term work to ensure that people with disabilities and women have equal opportunities to perform in volleyball,» adds Røen. 

Women to Compete Internationally 

Over 50 percent of the members of the Norwegian volleyball federation are girls and women. The volleyball federation is now developing a new strategy for women in volleyball, where the goal is ensure that more female athletes can compete at elite level, and to revive the national team. 

In beach volleyball, the women’s national team is further strengthened, and the goal is for more teams to compete in international tournaments, and for one team to qualify for the Olympics in Los Angeles in 2028. 

«Aker BP has over time chosen to support organizations that have a clear strategy for ‘One Sport – Equal Opportunities.’ The Norwegian volleyball federation has both that and clear goals for the future. We look forward to cooperation for many years to come, and we are especially pleased that the cooperation now also includes the investment on women in volleyball, in addition to sitting volleyball and beach volleyball,» concludes Lars Høier. 

The men’s national team Mol/Sørum will also be part of the new agreement from 2026. 

Aker BP has entered into a charter contract with Olympic for a Walk-to-Work (W2W) vessel for the Munin licence in the Yggdrasil area. The contract is valid for five years, with options for an additional five years. 

The vessel Olympic Notos will go on contract for Aker BP starting early 2026. It will first be used in the hook-up phase of the Aker BP-operated Fenris platform from the summer of 2026, before going into continuous operations in the Yggdrasil area from the fourth quarter that same year. 

“Through Yggdrasil, Aker BP is setting a new standard with remote-controlled operations, periodically unmanned and unmanned platforms, low offshore activity levels, and new ways of working. Munin, which is an unmanned production platform, is central in this operations strategy. The platform is designed without a helideck, living quarters, and lifeboats, and we will only visit Munin through planned campaigns. Now we have secured a solid W2W vessel that will contribute to the efficient start-up and operation of the platform, says VP Operations Yggdrasil, Kristian Bay Næss. 

Specialized Service Vessel 

Walk-to-Work means that offshore personnel live on the vessel and board the installation to work via a gangway. For unmanned installations, such as Munin and Fenris, the gangway will be connected to the installation as long as personnel are on board the platform. W2W will also function as the primary escape route. 

“W2W is a prerequisite for us to deliver on the operations strategy. It means that we will plan work onshore, so that the time we spend offshore is efficient, says Bay Næss. 

The contract with Olympic is the first Aker BP has entered for a W2W vessel. The company has chosen to go for a specialized service vessel, a so-called CSOV (Commissioning Service Operation Vessel). 

“Olympic has experience from both international and Norwegian oil and gas operations, in addition to Walk-to-Work solutions. The vessel Olympic Notos has good marine properties, operational limits, and will be a good place to live and work from when we are offshore at Munin, says Bay Næss. 

In August last year, Aker BP signed a contract for the delivery of a gangway with the Dutch company SMST. The gangway is designed to meet the specifications for unmanned installations like Munin and Fenris. It will be delivered in early 2026 and be installed on the vessel. Additionally, the W2W vessel can also be used for normally unmanned installations like Hugin B, through a short-term bumper connection to transfer personnel to and from the platforms. 

Aker BP’s Edmary Altamiranda has been named one of Norway’s top tech women in 2025. She has led groundbreaking technological development in underwater wireless communication, digital twins, and field architecture optimization. What truly makes her a role model is her ability to lift the people around her.

Photos: Kilian Munch

When Edmary Altamiranda began her engineering studies at Universidad de Los Andes in Mérida, Venezuela in the 1990s, artificial intelligence was still a niche field in most industries. For Edmary, it was already a natural part of the curriculum and clearly part of the future. AI studies were not just theoretical. From the beginning, she applied technologies like neural networks, fuzzy systems, and evolutionary algorithms to complex processes in the petrochemical industry. This became the foundation for a career defined by innovation, resilience, and the ability to turn research into real-world solutions.

Her academic credentials speak for themselves. She completed practical training, a bachelor’s degree, a master’s degree, and a PhD focused on AI, control, and systems engineering. She achieved all of this while working full-time in a demanding industry, since PhD programs were not publicly funded. Her research was implemented in industry during the process and delivered value from day one.

This drive led her to Universidad de Pamplona in Colombia, where she taught and supervised research in artificial intelligence and control systems. Later, she moved to Sweden for a postdoctoral position at Chalmers University of Technology. Still, her passion remained with the energy sector. When the opportunity arose to work with subsea technology in Norway, she took it.

In the following years, she worked across offshore operations, maintenance, field development, research, and product innovation in the subsea domain. Since 2018, Edmary has led technology development and business transformation at Aker BP. Today, she plays a central role in shaping the next generation of digital and autonomous solutions for the energy industry.

One of her most groundbreaking projects is an underwater acoustic communication protocol, essentially “underwater WiFi,” which enables smart and autonomous operations beneath the surface. This is being developed in collaboration with the Subsea Wireless Group (SWiG) and experts from the United States, Italy, Sweden, and Norway.

She also developed a digital twin framework based on a “System of Systems” approach. This has influenced international standards and has been cited across industries. The framework was also featured in a dedicated chapter in the book Digital Twin Fundamentals and Applications, published in collaboration with the Digital Twin Consortium.

Another major project is a tool for optimizing field architecture using evolutionary algorithms. It began in collaboration with a postdoctoral researcher from SUBPRO SFI and is now being further developed with a Brazilian technology company. The tool is currently in the qualification phase and is on its way to commercialization.

Edmary has contributed several publications related to her ongoing projects to international research communities.

«I love pushing the boundaries of the state of the art, in line with our vision for the future,» she says.

Still, this is not just about technology. It is also about people. What truly sets Edmary apart is how she leads. She builds inclusive and diverse teams, bringing together people from different countries, backgrounds, and disciplines. Her teams include female engineers and suppliers. For Edmary, inclusion is not about checking a box. It is about quality and reliability.

«I always put competence first. Diverse teams deliver better results, and I’ve seen that over and over again,» she says.

Edmary has mentored master’s students, PhD candidates, postdocs, and young engineers throughout her career. Today, she ensures that those she leads work on real-world challenges, contribute to meaningful solutions, and grow as professionals.

Edmary has a clear vision for the future of the energy sector. She envisions a workplace where inclusion is a natural part of how work is done, where mentoring is the norm, and where diversity provides a competitive advantage. This is not just a value statement, but a strategy for innovation.

At Aker BP, she is already helping make this vision a reality, as an engineer, a culture builder, a mentor, and a technology leader.

Throughout her career, across countries, languages, and disciplines, Edmary Altamiranda has challenged expectations and uplifted those around her. She is not only a technological pioneer. She is a model for what strong leadership in technology should look like.

The Skarv Satellite Project (SSP) has signed a new contract to use Floatel Endurance at the Skarv field – this time for a period of six months in 2026. The floatel is expected to return to the Skarv field during spring/early summer next year.

Last year, the increased bed capacity at the field contributed to the project being able to carry out essential modification work and prepare the FPSO for the three subsea developments coordinated through the Skarv Satellite Project. When we get the floatel back in place next year, we ensure the offshore capacity we need to complete the work on the Skarv ship before production from the three fields starts in 2027, says Kristine Bergseth Gunnarshaug, project manager for the Skarv Satellite Project.

Important for Skarv

In addition to ensuring good progress on the satellite project last year, the increased bed capacity made it possible to carry out preventive maintenance on the Skarv ship. The return of the flotel to the field enables the Skarv team to plan for a wider scope of work in addition to activities directly linked to the SSP project.

– The use of flotel at Skarv is an important step for the development of the Skarv area and for the Skarv production ship to produce safely and efficiently for many years to come, says Marte Mogstad, director of Skarv.

The intake of the floatel to Skarv FPSO last year also pushed boundaries in the sense that it had never been done so far north on the shelf before.

Pushing Boundaries

Gunnarshaug emphasizes the good cooperation with Floatel International in regards to the planning and execution of last year’s campaign. Despite occasionally challenging weather and conditions, the floatel stay was very successful, with high activity levels and a total of over 23,000 guest nights during the eight months the floatel was at the field. The busiest period was during the major Turnaround (TAR), which had to be carried out simultaneously with the stop at Kårstø last autumn. During that time, over 37,000 hours of work were performed on Skarv, with a peak of 435 people on board Skarv and the floatel. The experiences from last year provide a good basis for planning activities when the floatel returns to the FPSO next year.

A new round with the floatel at Skarv also involves high activity in the Brønnøysund and Sandnessjøen areas, among other things by using existing infrastructure. This is in line with Aker BP’s strategy that offshore activity should also create positive ripple effects on land.

How can we secure jobs in the oil and gas sector while meeting climate goals?

Recently, Energy minister Terje Aasland (Labour Party / Arbeiderpartiet) and Deputy Leader of the Conservative Party (Høyre), Tina Bru, met to debate the future of Norway’s petroleum industry. The debate, moderated by Sofie Valdersnes from Aker BP, brought together around 300 employees from Aker BP and Aker Solutions in Stavanger.

Karl Johnny Hersvik and Pål Eikeseth on Future Priorities
Aker BP’s CEO, Karl Johnny Hersvik, participated in the debate alongside Pål Eikeseth from Aker Solutions. Hersvik highlighted that increasing exploration and making new discoveries is key to sustaining activity:
– We have technology that allows us to explore more efficiently and cover larger areas faster. By using artificial intelligence (AI), we can make better interpretations and more quickly identify the most promising areas.

Hersvik also emphasized the importance of internal improvement initiatives to maintain competitiveness:
– We must adopt new technology, streamline processes, and shorten the time from discovery to development. AI will not only simplify this process but also reshape the labor market. Some types of jobs will disappear, but at the same time, new opportunities and different roles will emerge.

Proud of our oil industry
During the debate, both Aasland and Bru highlighted the importance of Norway’s petroleum industry, especially in light of the geopolitical situation following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
– We should be proud of our oil industry. What we do is critical to ensuring that European industries are not forced to shut down, said Aasland.

Green technology and collaboration
While exploration and production are vital for the industry’s future, the development of green technology must also be prioritized. Offshore wind, hydrogen, and other green projects were central to the discussion. Bru urged collaboration:
– We must collectively emphasize the importance of green projects. The industry plays a crucial role in communicating this to both politicians and society.

The road ahead
Aker BP and its employees play a vital role in balancing traditional petroleum operations with the development of future solutions. The collaboration between politicians, unions, and the industry provides a strong foundation for continued growth and innovation.