Maersk will cooperate with Boston-based Sea Machines Robotics to try a situational awareness technology onboard one of Maersk’s new-build Winter Palace ice-class containerships.
This is the first time Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) and perception software will be used onboard a container vessel to upgrade transit operations.
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The technology uses artificial intelligence (AI) to improve at-sea situational awareness, object identification and tracking capabilities. With this collaboration Maersk aims to provide a technology that can help seafarers, remove sight restriction from the bridge, and provide the infrastructure for a future autonomous collision avoidance system.
P. Michael A. Rodey, senior innovation manager, A.P. Moller-Maersk, noted:
For this containership situational awareness program, we aim to prove the technology increases our safety, efficiency, and reliability. Autonomous vessels are not an end goal for Maersk nor is unmanned vessels, what is more of interest is the technology along the journey and the value it brings.
