Autonomous Solutions News

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…

Kongsberg Maritime said Friday it had completed a live trial of autonomous shipping technology in Bornem, Belgium, demonstrating the company's progress in fully autonomous systems.The test vessel, Zulu 4, an inland waterway barge owned by Blue Line Logistics NV, is equipped for remote-operated and autonomous transport demonstrations for the AUTOSHIP project, which is part of Horizon 2020, an EU research program.As part of the test, Zulu 4 maneuvered and navigated on unrestricted waterways, and it demonstrated berthing and unberthing capability.

Norway-based Zinus announced it has secured a contract to supply shore power technology and autonomous solutions for Canada's Seaspan Ferries. Seaspan Ferries serves the Vancouver Island supply chain and with a commercial ferry service. The contract includes the supply of three Zinus Autonomous Solution units, consisting of three ZPP700 Automatic Telescopic Charging Towers and three SWC100 Autonomous Onboard Receiver systems. These advanced technologies will enable quick and autonomous…

Yinson GreenTech (YTG), a green tech investment branch of the Malaysian FPSO giant Yinson, has announced its strategic investment in a Norwegian startup specializing in autonomous solutions for the maritime industry called Zeabuz."The investment provides the foundation for YGT to work closely with Zeabuz in the development of autonomous solutions for YGT’s future fleet of electric vesselsm," Yinson said, without sharing info on the size of the investment.Eirik Barclay, Chief Executive Officer of YGT…

ABB said Monday its digital technologies have enabled the harbor tug Maju 510 to become the first vessel in the world to receive Autonomous and Remote-Control Navigation Notation from ABS classification society, and first Singapore-flagged vessel to receive the Smart (Autonomous) Notation from MPA. The notations acknowledge the breakthrough performance of the tug, demonstrating autonomous collision avoidance capabilities in trials conducted at Raffles Reserved Anchorage, off Singapore Island…

Singapore's Keppel Offshore & Marine said Thursday it had completed work on the Maju 510 tug, its first autonomous vessel project."Capable of autonomous vessel navigation as well as collision detection and avoidance (CDCA), the Maju 510 tug, owned and operated by Keppel Smit Towage, is the first vessel in the world to receive the Autonomous Notation from ABS classification society," Keppel O&M said.According to Keppel O&M, the tug is the first in South Asia that can be remotely operated by joystick control.

Norway-based Zinus, a supplier of shore power products and autonomous solutions for ports and vessels, has secured a contract with Penguin Shipyard International in Singapore for the delivery of a fully automatic charging solution to three electric passenger catamarans Penguin is building for Shell.Zinus' autonomous charging solution will enable fully electric and sustainable sea transportation for workers going to and from Shell Energy and Chemicals Park in Singapore.Zinus’ scope includes three charging towers for installation on land…

Marine robotics company Ocean Infinity announced it has acquired Red Rock, a technology company with solutions that will enable autonomous port operations, an enabler for future uncrewed shipping.Red Rock is developing digital and autonomous solutions in an effort to revolutionize lifting and handling both onshore and offshore.The acquisition will combine Ocean Infinity’s ‘Armada’ robotic vessels and low emission operations with Red Rock’s ability to develop hardware and software solutions for remote and autonomous handling.

A tugboat in the busy Port of Singapore has become the first in South Asia to operate under remote joystick control, in a trial demonstrating the increased safety and efficiency of operations utilizing advanced digital solutions already available today.The harbor tug was controlled from a shore command center located at the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore’s Maritime Innovation Lab in April 2021.The 32-meter harbor tugboat Maju 510, which is owned and operated by Keppel O&M’s joint-venture company Keppel Smit Towage…

Finnish marine equipment and technology company Wärtsilä said on Thursday it is working to develop an autonomous, emissions-free intra-port, inter-terminal container shuttle that would help address the emerging capacity bottleneck for internal container transportation.The project is part of an international alliance headed by the Port of Rotterdam Authority, which has this month been awarded nearly €25 million in EU funding to implement projects aimed at sustainable and smart port logistics.

When will the first fully digitized, autonomous and environmentally friendly ship be ready to sail? The answer is uncertain but the Danish Maritime Authority’s ShippingLab project aims to have most of the technical and managerial challenges solved in as little as two years from now. Tom Mulligan reports.Denmark’s ShippingLab project is a three-year initiative that commenced its work in March 2019 with the aim of developing the first fully commercially operational, fully digital, autonomous and environmentally friendly ship.

Integrated marine and subsea solutions provider Unique Group has announced the acquisition of the Australian-company Western Advance’s Marine Division.The provider of services and solutions for the offshore, subsea and life support industries also announced the appointment of Chris Forde as its new regional vice-president.Western Advance’s integration with Unique Group ties in with the Group’s strategy to enhance its portfolio of autonomous solutions for marine, offshore and subsea industry operations in the region.Harry Gandhi, chief executive officer at Unique Group, said: “Over the years, Unique Group has built a strong presence in APAC offering survey equipment, buoyancy and ballast, diving and life support and on-site engineering products and services to our customers.

ABB signs a landmark contract with Singaporean shipyard Keppel Offshore & Marine to enable autonomous tug operation in 2020.ABB, in collaboration with Keppel O&M’s technology arm, Keppel Marine and Deepwater Technology (KMDTech), will jointly develop the technology for autonomous vessels and retrofit a 32-meter harbor tugboat with leading-edge digital solutions, enabling autonomous vessel operations in the Port of Singapore at the end of 2020. Upon project completion, the vessel is anticipated to be South Asia’s first autonomous tug.During the initial phase of the project…

ONE SEA, an industry alliance bringing together leading exponents of autonomous ship technology, has made a significant addition to its growing membership, after signing up Awake.AI - a company led by an experienced team of maritime digital innovators.Awake.AI is aiming to create a new platform and ML models (Machine learning) based on transparent data sharing to break down the barriers between ships, ports and other actors in the maritime logistics chain. The ‘virtual infrastructure’ will be vital if ports are to handle autonomous ships successfully from pre-arrival…

Your marine pilot of the future, here today.At this year’s SMM trade event in Hamburg, Germany, industrial digital technology specialist ABB introduced what could be the future of dynamic positioning, not just for traditional DP users, but also for the full spectrum of navigation tasks. ABB Ability Marine Pilot Control is a next-generation dynamic positioning (DP) system that simplifies ship maneuvering with an intuitive touch screen-based user interface and enables safer, more efficient ship operations.With its user-centric design, ABB Ability Marine Pilot Control reduces the workload on automating navigational tasks and allows bridge officers to focus holistically on the overall control and positioning of the ship.

The CMA CGM Group will support the financial and industrial development of Notilo Plus, a Marseilles-based start-up specialized in autonomous underwater solutions, in order to help them launch their industrialization.Notilo Plus develops autonomous underwater dronesFounded in 2016 and based in Marseilles and Lyon, Notilo Plus develops autonomous underwater systems featuring artificial intelligence and data enhancement capabilities. It develops “made in France” autonomous solutions targeting the fields of maritime transportation, leisure and infrastructure.Last December, Rodolphe Saadé, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the CMA CGM Group, presented the Jacques Saadé Award to Notilo Plus on the occasion of the Trophées de l’Economie 2018.

The near-shore and inland workboat fleet is at the leading edge for autonomous vessel developmentWhile the advent of autonomous workboats are not exactly mainstream, you better believe that in the not-too-distant future they will be a reality on waterways in and around the U.S. Today there remain more questions than answers, particularly on the legal, logistics and insurance side of the coin. But the technology is evolving at record pace, providing many in the industry with mixed emotions. Excitement. Controversy. Curiosity. Skepticism. These are just a few of thoughts, and emotions that arise to any mention of the topic of autonomous vessels.It’s happening now.

The ferry and logistics company DFDS has entered into a collaboration with Volvo Trucks concerning their electric, connected and autonomous vehicle Vera.The Danish international shipping and logistics company said in a press release that the aim is to develop and test an integrated solution for transporting goods from a logistics centre to a port terminal in Gothenburg, Sweden, using Vera.The collaboration will implement Vera in a real application, enabling a connected system for a continuous flow of goods, from a DFDS logistics centre to an APM terminal in the port, for distribution across the world.In 2018, Volvo Trucks presented its first electric, connected and autonomous solution, designed for repetitive assignments in logistics centres, factories and ports.

Singapore yard Keppel Offshore & Marine (Keppel O&M) said that its wholly-owned subsidiary Keppel Singmarine will develop an autonomous tug that will be operated by Keppel Smit Towage.The tug is expected to be one of Singapore’s first autonomous vessels when the project is completed in 4Q 2020.To develop the autonomous tug, Keppel O&M has secured a grant of up to S$2 million from the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) under its Maritime Innovation and Technology Fund (MINT FUND).This follows the Memorandum of Understanding signed by Keppel O&M, MPA and the Technology Centre for Offshore and Marine, Singapore (TCOMS) in April 2018 to jointly develop autonomous vessels for a variety of applications including undertaking harbour operations such as channelling…

Ice-class passenger ferry Suomenlinna II was remotely piloted through test area near Helsinki harbor, proving that human oversight of vessels from anywhere is achievable with today’s technologies.With this historic trial in the Finnish capital’s port last week, ABB and Helsinki City Transport took the next step in autonomous shipping. In the remote trial, the world’s first for an existing passenger ferry, ABB successfully tested the enhancement of ship operations with technologies…

Thomas Chance founded C & C Technologies in his home in 1992. Today C & C is a global oil field surveying and mapping company with more than 550 employees in ten offices worldwide. C & C was the first company in the world to offer autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) survey services to the oil industry and remains a world leader in the field. In April of 2015, he sold C & C Technologies to Oceaneering International. Complementing the autonomous underwater vehicle business, Mr. Chance started Autonomous Surface Vehicles, Ltd., or ASV, in 2010. ASV has 140 employees, four offices across the globe and has built more than 100 state-of-the-art unmanned boats for the defense and commercial sectors.

Choosing the ‘top stories of 2018’ was, this year, a difficult task. Many compelling story threads played out, dramatically impacting the North American waterfront, and in particular, the workboat sector – each in their own unique way. Read on to find out how and why.Autonomous Vessels: Ready or Not, Here They ComeFuturistic, remote-controlled autonomous marine vehicles aren’t coming. They are here. As the pace of change quickens, autonomous vessels are already providing service and value on the water. Out ahead of the rulemaking process, autonomous technology providers already churn out not just prototypes and designs, but also countless workboats, many already in service.

Orca AI launched to prevent maritime collisions by providing AI-backed navigational solutions for the shipping industry, backed by a $2.6 million seed round led by MizMaa Ventures and including funding from Ray Carriers and The Dock.Collisions and other maritime incidents have been on the rise for the past several years, jumping from 2,000 in 2011 to an estimated 4,000 in 2017. The vast majority of maritime collisions occur in congested waterways, often in areas near ports or in narrow waterways. Current navigation tools are less effective in these situations and rely on the crew’s judgment to navigate safely, providing room for human error which is the cause of more than 75% of collisions.Orca AI’s system is designed for crowded waterways and the harshest, lowest visibility, scenarios.