Tag: autonomous ships

During his presentation at the SAFETY4SEA Cyprus conference, Sotiris Kambanellas, President, YoungShip Cyprus presented key issues with regards to crewing in the 21st century, considering how new technologies are impacting the global shipping industry.  In a constantly evolving world, even a more “traditional” industry like shipping is already changing.

Finnish Shipowners’ Association will cooperate with One Sea ecosystem to create better conditions for significantly a more energy-efficient and safer shipping, and to promote autonomous shipping. Digitalization and automation will revolutionize shipping, and FSA want to be a pioneer in this development.

During the Singapore Maritime Technology Conference, the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore has signed five Memorandums of Understanding and two Agreements with local and international partners. These agreements aim to enhance Singapore's connectivity, maritime R&D capabilities and innovation culture. 

The Maritime Port Authority of Singapore signed a MoU with Keppel Offshore & Marine and the Technology Centre for Offshore and Marine, Singapore, to jointly develop autonomous vessels for a variety of operations, including channeling, berthing, mooring and towing operations.

UK-based autonomous systems provider ASV Global is leading a new £1.2 million research project in partnership with compatriot BMT to enhance safety and reliability of autonomous navigation, through the use of deep learning machine vision systems trained with simulated and real-world data.

Peel Ports Group and ASV joined forces to develop the use of autonomous vessel technology in UK ports operations. The partnership is expected to encourage shared learning and address the challenges relating to using autonomous vessels, as well as to explore possibilities for collaborative development projects.

Terms ‘remote-controlled’, ‘unmanned’, ‘automated’ and ‘autonomous’ have all been used when describing the new technology, but they all mean very different things. It is very possible that, in the future, vessels could be remote-controlled but still retain some onboard manning. Or perhaps they will be traditionally manned, where autonomous systems are used as a decision support tool.

Norwegian companies Wilhelmsen and Kongsberg are cooperating and have created an autonomous shipping joint venture, called "Massterly". The new company will offer services for autonomous ships, including design and development, control systems, logistics services and vessel operations. The new company will start operations from August 2018.

On the sidelines of CMA’s Shipping 2018 earlier in March, Ms. Mayte Medina of USCG said increasing efficiency and reducing cost, increasing environmental concerns and safety are all drivers in the industry’s advancement towards autonomous shipping. As such, IMO must ensure the future regulatory regime is fair and consistent.

The UK Department of Transport informed that innovative technology such as autonomous ships and digital ports will be on the agenda with the appointment of a group of experts to help advise on the future of maritime. Transport Secretary Chris Grayling announced the appointment of the team, as well as a call for evidence on Maritime 2050, to give opportunities to young people who want to work in the maritime sector.