Avikus has signed a deal with SK Shipping and Sinokor Merchant Marine to gradually supply Level 2 autonomous navigation solution to 23 ships operated by the shippers.
The deep learning-based HiNAS 2.0 system enables ships a vessel to respond to unexpected situations on its own, by controlling speed, avoiding collisions and minimizing fuel consumption.
There are four levels in autonomous navigation technologies approved by the IMO. In the Level 2 technology, crew need to be on board to intervene in case of an emergency situation.
A Level 3 vessel does not require crew members and the remote-control system is available in case of an emergency, while at Level 4, a ship’s automated features can navigate under any conditions.
In June, Avikus carried out the world’s first transoceanic voyage of an LNG ship with the Level 2 technology. The 180,000-cubic-meter LNG carrier sailed half of nearly 20,000 kilometers of the monthlong voyage from Freeport on the southern coast of the Gulf of Mexico to the Boryeong LNG Terminal in South Korea using Avikus’ HiNAS 2.0 system.
However, to place the Level 3 and Level 4 ships in the market, there must be a revision to current maritime laws, which ban the operation of unmanned ships due to security reasons.
Congratulations for the important effort you’re providing in the MASS’s level raising.
MASS=2 is still compliant for the actual IMO’s rules and regulations and your HiNAS 2.0 system seems to be the most effective nowadays on the market.