Cetasol initiates Nordic MiL, a Swedish Energy Agency–funded multi-national project designed to create an open, user-friendly simulation platform for testing tomorrow’s maritime vessels, operations, and energy systems.

Cetasol, the Swedish software company specializing in data-driven maritime technologies, together with other partners, has initiated Nordic MiL, a Model-in-the-Loop (MiL) simulation project funded by the Swedish Energy Agency (Energimyndigheten). Developed together with leading Nordic and international partners—including Erik Thun, Scania, ZEM, Strömma, Njord Survey, PSA Marine, Tuco Marine, RISE, Halmstad University, Furuno Sweden and Quokka—the project will deliver a neutral, model-based simulation platformthat enables maritime stakeholders to evaluate technical, operational, and energy-transition scenarios beforecommitting to investments or major operational changes.

Across the maritime sector, key decisions about vessel operation, vessel selection, driveline configuration, route design, charging and fueling strategies, maintenance planning, and energy-system choices must be made before a vessel enters the new service. These decisions carry substantial financial and operational risk, and today’s operators, municipalities, and policymakers often lack practical tools to understand how different future solutions will behave under real-world conditions.

Nordic MiL addresses this gap by combining validated vessel, driveline, motion, and lifecycle models with realistic Digital Twin model created from the operational data—including AIS, ECDIS, weather archives, and onboard motion and energy measurements. The platform will allow users to simulate complete scenarios covering vessel performance, energy use, emissions, stability and comfort, long-term cost implications, and operational feasibility across various configurations and mission profiles.

The platform supports a broad set of real-world decision cases, such as:

• Vessel Swap: evaluating a completely different vessel type for the same operation
• Driveline Swap: testing electric, hybrid, methanol, hydrogen, or improved diesel alternatives
• Route & Operation Swap: exploring route redesign, speed profiles, or timetable variations
• Hybridization of Auxiliary Systems: assessing electrification of hotel loads or support systems
• Wind Farm Operations: balancing motion behaviour, comfort, and energy efficiency for CTVs
• Infrastructure Planning: evaluating charging windows, grid constraints, and port energy needs
• Lifecycle Analysis: comparing maintenance, performance decline, and cost over time

These capabilities allow maritime stakeholders to evaluate risks and opportunities in a transparent, evidence-based environment—whether planning electrification, acquiring new vessels, designing green corridors, or preparing public procurement.

A central objective of Nordic MiL is accessibility. The platform will include both a free public version and a commercial version, making advanced simulation available not only to technology developers but also to operators, municipalities, ports, policymakers, and researchers—many of whom currently lack tools for comparing alternative technologies and operational strategies.

Cetasol develops intelligent, AI-enhanced solutions that improve vessel performance and support the maritime energy transition. Its flagship product, iHelm, is a proven decision-support system used over 200 vessels worldwide, helping operators reduce fuel use, improve maintenance planning, and meet reporting requirements. Through Nordic MiL, Cetasol extends its digital-twin expertise from real-time optimization into predictive, scenario-based simulation—providing the maritime sector with a safer, more transparent foundation for planning the next generation of operations and energy systems.