Control Center News

Electronic Fuel Management Systems (EFMS) company Fueltrax reports it has opened a Vessel Operations Center in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.This is Fueltrax’s second such center and the first outside of the company’s headquarters in the U.S. It provides closer-to-region coverage for Asia-Pacific customers.Ruben DeLeon, Fueltrax’s Vice President of Product Support, drew on his seven-year tenure at NASA's Mission Control Center in driving the establishment of the Kuala Lumpur facility.As DeLeon explains…

Massterly has opened its new Remote Operation Center (ROC) in Horten, Norway as the company transitions from the testing phase to fully-fledged autonomous vessel operational capabilities."The opening of the ROC is a milestone in Massterly's history and represents a big step forward for autonomous shipping," said Tom Eystø, General Manager of Massterly, a jointly owned venture between Kongsberg Maritime and the Wilhelmsen Group formed in 2018. "With the support of our owners, including our partners ASKO…

INEOS Forties Pipeline System (FPS) has selected Liebherr for the supply of a new Ram Luffing (RL) series offshore crane for its Unity Platform in the UK North Sea.After more than 30 years of service, the currently installed RL crane on the Unity Platform has run its course, and will be replaced by Liebherr’s RL 650 technology.The RL 650 crane, said to be particularly suitable for a Not Permanently Attended Installation (NPAI), will fulfil all material handling for the offshore platform…

The Port of Seattle is installing a third shore power system at Pier 66, making it the world’s first port with three systems for cruise ships.The port receives over 200 cruise vessels in a typical season between April and October, and adding a third shore power system is a major component of the port’s Waterfront Clean Energy Strategy.The new shore power connection is expected to be fully operational by the 2024 Alaska cruise season.The contract for the shore power system components was awarded in November 2022 to Watts Marine.

Hyundai Merchant Marine (HMM) has reduced carbon emissions to less than half of 2010 levels.According to HMM, the CO2 emissions generated when transporting 1TEU of container for 1 kilometer decreased from 68.7g in 2010 to 29.05g in 2021, representing a reduction of 57.7% over the last decade.This has been achieved amid a more than two-fold increase in fleet capacity, from 337,407 TEU to 755,209 TEU, over the same period.HMM attributes its success to its efforts to constantly upgrade its fleet with energy-efficient mega-vessels.

Mobile Cable Positioning Devices can quickly accommodate vessels of many sizes and shapes, making shore power available almost immediately, a boon to the industry’s ambitious decarbonization goalsOne of the keys to reaching Cruise Lines International Association’s (CLIA) target of net-zero carbon cruising globally by 2050 is switching from diesel burning engines to shoreside electricity while in port. Although the technology can significantly reduce emissions to address climate change and improve air quality…

A PSA Marine harbor pilot died after falling from a vessel off Singapore's Southern Islands, the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) said.MPA said its Marine Safety Control Center received notification at about 2:50 a.m. on February 11 that a pilot had fallen overboard while disembarking from a tugboat to board a PSA Marine launch boat. The pilot was said to be wearing a lifejacket at the time of the incident.Search and rescue operations commenced immediately, with MPA…

Thunderbird 3 named as latest vessel in growing fleet as remote operating control center in Delft begins operations.As hull biofouling and its role in invasive species transfer and carbon emissions due to increased fuel use continue to attract the attention of the IMO and national regulators, Netherlands-based Fleet Cleaner has added to its armory with the introduction of a third specialist hull cleaning vessel. In addition, the company has unveiled a new remotely controlled operation service for its growing fleet of vessels and ROV cleaning craft.Thunderbird 3…

Kongsberg Maritime on Wednesday announced it has signed a contract with Holland Shipyards Group to provide electrification and control systems with automated functionalities for up to four new all-electric ferries for the Swedish Transport Administration, with two firm for delivery and an option for two more.Kongsberg Maritime said it has been tapped to provide the ferries’ electrical systems, as well as a control system suite, including energy management, navigation, an all-new…

Holland Shipyards Group said it signed a contract with the Swedish Transport Administration (Trafikverket Sweden) for the delivery of up to four autonomous all-electric ferries. The vessels, which will be built for the agency's ferries unit Trafikverket Färjerederiet, will sail according to autonomy level 2, and will be controlled from the remote control center based in Stockholm.The signed contract includes the delivery of two ferries with four automooring facilities and two charging stations, a simulator facility and a remote control center.

The city of Haifa is set to become an increasingly significant east Mediterranean shipping hub, with Chinese and Indian firms buying into its ports as Israel normalizes ties with its Gulf Arab neighbors under a U.S. diplomatic push.Earlier this month, as U.S. President Joe Biden visited the Middle East, India's largest port developer Adani Ports and Israeli minority partner Gadot agreed to buy Haifa Port for 4.1 billion shekels ($1.18 billion).Its founder, Asia's richest man Gautam Adani…

As the move toward advanced remote and autonomous operation of vessels proceeds at speed, Vard Electro introduced SeaQ Remote to facilitate a new generation of larger robotic vessels.The new product, which will see its debut delivery on a total of 14 newbuild marine robotic vessels contracted with shipbuilder VARD, is designed to unify the SeaQ suite of automation systems into a single user interface with the full range of remote functionality from shore.“We are now investing heavily in autonomous technology and digitalization…

A group of companies working in the offshore energy industry are teaming up in an effort to fast-track the journey toward remotely managed services, including onshore remote operations centers and unmanned surface vehicles (USV).Solstad Offshore, DeepOcean Group and Østensjø Group have established and will share 33.33% stakes in two joint ventures (JV). One of them, Remota AS, will own and operate advanced onshore remote operations centers, while the other, USV AS, will develop…

U.S.-based seabed survey and ocean exploration firm Ocean Infinity has hired VARD to design and build a new series of six multi-purpose offshore vessels that will all be operated from shore and will eventually run on green ammonia.This order of six, 85-metre, optionally crewed robotic vessels will take Ocean Infinity’s remote vessel fleet to 23 vessels, which the company says is the largest in the world. To remind, Ocean Infinity in early 2020 said it would launch a new marine technology and data company Armada…

Classification society Indian Register of Shipping (IRClass) has published Guidelines on Remotely Operated Vessels and Autonomous Surface Vessels, providing a broad framework and philosophy for stakeholders involved in design, construction and testing of such vessels with varying levels of autonomy.These Guidelines cover design philosophy, risk assessment, system requirements including cyber resilience, network architecture, data and software assurance. A separate chapter focuses…

Classification society DNV has introduced the shipping industry’s first competence standard for vessel remote control center operators (RCCO). The standard is supported by a new recommended practice that offers a certification scheme for RCCOs. Together, they provide a framework for training, assessing, and certifying personnel working in remote-control centers that support or manage operations at sea. Intelligent software systems and enhanced ship-to-shore-connectivity have laid the groundwork for the growth of remote solutions and autonomy in shipping.

U.S. Coast Guard licensed officers in Boston are commanding an autonomous workboat on a voyage around Denmark.The American Maritime Officers (AMO) trade union has entered into a labor agreement with autonomous command and control systems developer Sea Machines Robotics for the project, which will see AMO-represented merchant mariners support Sea Machines’ first-of-its-kind 1,000 NM autonomous journey.The voyage, which Sea Machines is calling "The Machine Odyssey", aims to prove the world’s waterways are primed and ready for long-range autonomous vessel operations…

Classification society ABS has awarded Approval in Principle (AIP) to technology in an autonomous tug project from ST Engineering, POSH, and M1 Limited.The Smart Maritime Autonomous Vessel (SMAV) project saw successful sea trials carried out in 2020 and has now received ABS AIP for its autonomous navigation and collision detection and collision avoidance (CDCA) technology.The POSH Harvest harbor tug was retrofitted with autonomous navigation and CDCA functions. These functions…

The Port of Long Beach announced it has completed a new container terminal, which it ranks as one of the world's most technologically advanced cargo facilitiesThe Long Beach Container Terminal at Middle Harbor is equipped with nearly all electric and zero-emissions equipment designed to improve cargo flow and dramatically enhance air quality amid an era of significant growth at the nation’s second-busiest seaport.“As the world’s first all-electric, zero-emission mega terminal…

The British Royal Navy said it has taken delivery of its third and final autonomous minehunting boat.RNMB Hebe, named after the ancient Greek goddess of youth, joins sister vessels Harrier and Hazard as part of the Royal Navy’s crewless minehunting program Project Wilton. Together, the three vessels are key components in the future of minehunting operations for the navy. The boats are capable of working in different configurations – manually, remotely or autonomously – to detect…

Intellian has opened its new Research and Development Center in Pyeongtaek, South Korea, a new home for the engineering team with the latest product and quality verification facilities, helping to accelerate product development. In particular, antennas using emerging phased array technology will benefit from a new compact test range to assist with development and testing.The expansion also allows production to be significantly increased in the existing Innovation Center, meeting…

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) is evaluating remote operation of locks within the U.S. inland waterways system. Timetables are hazy, but the Corps plans to include remote operations capabilities during rehabilitations or new construction, in the work planned, for example, in the Upper Ohio Navigation Project, part of the USACE’s Pittsburgh District.In fact, the first install project is being readied at Lock & Dam 4 on the Monongahela River. L&D 4 is also known as Charleroi Locks and Dam because it’s at Charleroi, Pa, at river mile 41.5, between Pittsburgh and Fairmont, W.Va.

Back in 2017, Ocean Infinity made a novel move; deploying six autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs), instead of just one, from a single vessel, vastly increasing the ground that could be covered in a single survey. Now the firm is taking the use of remote, robotic systems a significant step further.Back in 2017, Ocean Infinity made a novel move; deploying six autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs), instead of just one, from a single vessel, vastly increasing the ground that could be covered in a single survey.