Hefring Marine Review: Smarter speed decisions, safer crews

Hefring Marine is built around a very specific reality on fast workboats and demanding routes: crew safety and fuel efficiency are heavily influenced by how the vessel is actually behaving in the moment. Their IMAS system focuses on real-time vessel behavior, impacts, and operating context, aiming to help operators make better speed and handling decisions while giving shore teams a clearer performance picture across the fleet.

Hefring Marine • Reykjavík office
Grandagarður 16,
101 Reykjavík, Iceland
Operators benefit by:
Hefring Marine focuses on real-time, behavior-aware guidance and fleet analytics, built for fast craft and demanding routes where comfort, safety, and operating cost are driven by how the vessel runs in actual conditions.
  • Giving the helm a live “safe and efficient speed” reference: Instead of relying only on instinct in changing sea states, operators can use guidance that reflects vessel behavior and current conditions to choose speed and handling with more consistency.
  • Reducing hard impacts and whole-body vibration exposure: On high-speed vessels, repeated impacts can drive crew fatigue, discomfort, and wear. A system that tracks motion and impacts can help crews avoid the worst operating bands on a given route.
  • Making comfort an operational metric, not a vibe: When “comfort speed” is defined and tracked, shore teams can compare trips and crews using a shared baseline and identify recurring rough segments or operating patterns that need attention.
  • Lowering fuel exposure through better speed discipline: Small, repeated speed choices add up. Guidance that nudges crews away from inefficient regimes can support fuel reduction goals without requiring hardware changes to the vessel.
  • Creating fleet-level evidence for training and standardization: The data trail helps shorten the learning curve for less experienced operators by turning good practice into something repeatable, measurable, and coachable across the fleet.
  • Supporting maintenance planning with behavior data: When impacts and operating profile are tracked, it can be easier to connect wear and tear to how the vessel is being run, which helps target fixes and reduce preventable degradation.
  • Moving guidance into existing bridge workflows: Integration into commonly used displays reduces friction and keeps decision support close to the point of control, rather than as an after-the-fact reporting layer.
Notes: Results depend on vessel type, route profile, sea states, and how crews use the guidance. Validate assumptions with a short trial on one vessel and one route before scaling.
Notable mentions and external references
Independent coverage touching integration, bridge access, and the whole-body vibration problem IMAS is built around.
  • IMAS now available on Raymarine LightHouse OS Raymarine newsroom 29 Jan 2026
    Raymarine product news on IMAS becoming an approved integration for LightHouse OS, enabling helm access via Axiom displays. Open Raymarine release.
  • Trade recap of the LightHouse OS integration Marine Industry News 30 Jan 2026
    Industry coverage summarizing what the integration means for bridge workflow and access to IMAS functions. Open Marine Industry News.
  • Helm tools brought into Raymarine environment The Digital Ship
    Coverage describing IMAS as a helm-accessible assistant that continuously analyses vessel performance and conditions to support safer and more efficient operation. Open The Digital Ship.
  • Whole-body vibration framing and the safety problem statement MarineLink 20 May 2025
    Maritime media coverage positioning IMAS as a response to whole-body vibration and impact exposure at sea. Open MarineLink.
  • Fuel efficiency angle through real-time operational guidance Ocean News 31 Oct 2024
    Third-party write-up focusing on fuel efficiency outcomes tied to real-time data and decision support. Open Ocean News.
  • Broader feature coverage of IMAS as a safety and guidance system Ocean Science & Technology
    Feature describing IMAS as a guidance solution that monitors vessel performance and provides operational recommendations to improve safety and efficiency. Open feature.
This list is illustrative, not exhaustive. It is meant to provide quick context from independent and industry sources beyond vendor materials.
Fuel + impact exposure screener
Quick planning math to size potential upside from tighter speed discipline and reduced “hard impact” exposure on fast craft routes. Screening only.
Adjust inputs to estimate annual fuel savings and reduced impact-exposure hours.
How to use this:
• Start conservative (1 to 3% fuel change, 5 to 15% impact exposure change).
• Run a short trial on one route and compare before/after by vessel and watch team.
• Treat “impact exposure hours” as a proxy for rough running time, not a medical measure.

Hefring Marine fits best when you operate fast craft where sea state variability is routine and the cost of rough running shows up in crew fatigue, comfort complaints, incidents, and maintenance. A practical way to evaluate is to pick one vessel and one high-frequency route, define a baseline for speed, impacts, and fuel, then run a short trial where crews use the guidance consistently. If variability tightens and rough segments become predictable and coachable, it is usually a sign the system will scale.

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