Autonomous Ships News

The Maritime Safety Committee met for its 109th session at IMO Headquarters in London from December 2 to 6, 2024. The outcomes include:Amendments to mandatory IGC and IGF Codes adoptedThe Committee adopted amendments to Chapter 16 of the IGC Code, related to the use as fuel of cargoes identified as toxic products, in the context of alternative fuels and new technologies. The amendments are expected to enter into force on July 1, 2026. The Committee adopted amendments to parts A and A-1 of the IGF Code relate to ship design, fire safety, ventilation and other safety issues.

BIMCO’s Documentary Committee has adopted the AUTOSHIPMAN agreement in response to a growing number of remotely controlled ships, primarily for now, in inland waterways and coastal trades.The AUTOSHIPMAN agreement provides a standard contractual foundation for third-party ship managers to deliver services for the operation of remotely controlled or fully autonomous ships.“Currently, remotely controlled ships are operating commercially in several parts of the world. We are seeing growth in this sector with several companies emerging and offering remote control management services to shipowners…

The Indian Register of Shipping (IRS) has collaborated with Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Limited on the demonstration of an autonomous navigation system with dual navigation capabilities.The demonstration took place on the tug MT Andaman.The IRS team led by Mr. R. Srinivas, VP & HOD Electrical & Control System, conducted a thorough review of the autonomy concept, system documentation, software quality documentation and a detailed risk assessment in accordance with IRS Guidelines…

The Maritime Safety Committee (MSC) will meet in person for its 108th session at IMO Headquarters in London from May 15 to 24, 2024. The Committee will address the urgent issue of maritime security in the Red Sea area. Since the hijacking of the MV Galaxy Leader in November 2023, which is still detained, there have been over 40 incidents where ships have been threatened or attacked in the Southern Red Sea and Gulf of Aden. These attacks have targeted seafarers, several of whom have been killed or suffered life-changing injuries.

The IMO Facilitation Committee will meet in person at IMO Headquarters in London for its 48th session (FAL 48) from April 8 to 12 to discuss issues related to autonomous shipping; prevention of illegal wildlife trafficking on ships; digitalization initiatives and the implementation of the Maritime Single Window and Port Community Systems.The Facilitation Committee (FAL) will continue discussions around regulating commercial vessels that can operate independent of human interaction - Maritime Autonomous Surface Ships (MASS).

Avikus, HD Hyundai's autonomous navigation in-house startup, has verified that its autonomous navigation system is capable of reducing fuel use by as much as 15%, which is expected to reduce carbon emissions by 10%.The fuel savings were quantified on a 325,000-ton very large ore carrier (VLOC) operating several times on a 5,800-mile route from Singapore to Brazil using Avikus’ autonomous HiNAS Control system.The verification of this performance was conducted through procedures that were jointly developed by HD Korea Shipbuilding & Offshore Engineering and Avikus…

Researchers from the Korea Maritime & Ocean University have developed a new path-tracking technique for maritime autonomous surface ships (MASS).A multi-national team of researchers, led by Assistant Professor Daejeong Kim, has studied the path-following performance of MASS using a free-running computational fluid dynamics (CFD) model combined with the line-of-sight (LOS) guidance system, at low speeds under adverse weather conditions.MASS need to follow a pre-determined path at sea, considering factors such as obstacles, water depth and ship maneuverability.

The Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) and the International Association of Classification Societies (IACS) have signed a Letter of Intent (LOI) to collaborate on various maritime digitalization and decarbonization initiatives.The LOI was signed by Teo Eng Dih, Chief Executive of MPA, and Nick Brown, Council Chairman of IACS, at the sidelines of the 33rd session of the IMO Assembly in London this week.Under the LOI, both parties will consider the development of technical standards and unified requirements to ensure that new maritime solutions are safely implemented.

Kawasaki Kisen Kaisha (K LINE) and the Nippon Foundation have demonstrated autonomous navigation on a roro for a round-trip route of approximately 1,000 miles (1,600km) between Hitachi Port and Kushiro Port.The 11,413gt Hokuren Maru No. 2 sails the route routinely in service for operator Kawasaki Kinkai Kisen. Three autonomous voyages have been undertaken since October 1, 2023.“We confirmed that recognition, analysis, and decision making by the autonomous navigation system are executed with a high degree of accuracy in coastal navigation,” said K Line in a statement.

South Korea's Samsung Heavy Industries (SHI) and leading classification society DNV have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) at Kormarine, committing to establishing SHI's state-of-the-art Remote Operation Centre (ROC) for real-time monitoring and control of Maritime Autonomous Surface Ships (MASS). The MOU will underpin DNV and Samsung Heavy Industries’ collaboration to drive innovation and redefine the future of marine transportation, DNV said.The joint venture seeks to develop a Remote Operation Center (ROC) for MASS…

DNV has granted a design verification report (DVR) for the AI-based autonomous navigation system "HiNAS Control". This system was a joint project between Avikus, a navigation specialist, and HD Hyundai Heavy Industries. Following the evaluation, the Liberian International Ship and Corporate Registry (LISCR) has also given an Approval in Principle (AiP) for this system. The "HiNAS Control" system employs artificial intelligence (AI) and augmented reality (AR) to integrate data from different navigation tools.

Tel Aviv-based maritime technology company Orca AI is continuing its collaboration with NYK Group subsidiary MTI and partners in the second development stage of the MEGURI2040 project administered by the Nippon Foundation.MTI, alongside sister entity Japan Marine Science Inc, is spearheading the Designing the Future of Fully Autonomous Ships Plus (DFFAS+) consortium comprising 51 Japan-based companies that will work together on the next phase of MEGURI2040.While the OECD projects that maritime trade volumes could triple by 2050, a skilled crew shortage is growing globally.

The design of a pioneering, fully autonomous ship framework has received approval in principle (AIP) from ABS.The fully autonomous ship framework, named APExS-auto (Action Planning and Execution System for full autonomous), was developed by Nippon Yusen Kabushiki Kaisha (NYK), Monohakobi Technology Institute (MTI) and Japan Marine Science Inc. (JMS) as part of the fully autonomous ship program MEGURI 2040.ABS worked with MTI and JMS to review the APExS-auto framework in accordance with the ABS Requirements for Autonomous and Remote-Control Functions.

Samsung Heavy Industries (SHI) has claimed an industry first with the verification of its autonomous navigation technology on a container ship sailing between South Korea and Taiwan.The company installed its remote autonomous navigation system (SAS) and smart ship system (SVESSEL) on a 15,000 TEU class large container ship built at its Geoje shipyard. Fom June 26 to July 1, the vessel departed from Geoje and passed Jeju Island to Taiwan, demonstrating its autonomous navigation technology by operating about 1…

The IMO Maritime Safety Committee (MSC 107) advanced efforts to support maritime autonomous surface ships (MASS) when it met between May 31 and 9 June 9.The Committee made progress on the development of a goal-based instrument regulating the operation of MASS which is expected to be adopted by 2025 after completion of a related regulatory scoping exercise.A MASS Working Group was established to further the work and develop common positions on key matters that will be shared with the Joint MSC/LEG/FAL Working Group on MASS.

Samsung Heavy Industries (SHI) has become the world's first shipyard to receive DNV's D-INF(S) type approval for its SVESSEL BIG data collection system, a core technology for autonomous shipping.SVESSEL BIG is set to become a crucial component of SHI’s digitally enabled vessels. With D-INF(S) type approval, shipowners can be confident that the onboard critical data infrastructure is verified to meet international standards (ISO 19847/19848) for reliable, safe, and efficient information sharing.DNV Group President & CEO Remi Eriksen presented the type approval certificate to Mr Jin Taek Jung…

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's Kongsberg Maritime said Friday it had successfully demonstrated a range of remote and autonomous technologies on a cargo vessel operating off the coast of Norway.The test cruise has been named one of the most complex autonomous journeys at sea so far, Kongsberg Maritime said.The Eidsvaag Pioner is one of the two vessels that are equipped for remote-operated and autonomous transport demonstrations for the AUTOSHIP project, which is part of Horizon 2020, an EU research program.Owned by the Eidsvaag shipping company…

A new report from Lloyd’s Register (LR) and maritime innovation consultancy Thetius advocates investment to improve the understanding of AI at all levels within maritime organisations.With digital solutions presenting challenges due to rapidly evolving technologies, such as AI-driven autonomous systems onboard modern vessels, the report calls for clarity around normal and emergency use cases, pointing to the need for traditional assurance measures to become increasingly integrated.The report…

An autonomous ship initiative by a group of companies in Japan was recognized by Japan’s Cabinet Office at Fifth Japan Open Innovation Prize Ceremony on Wednesday.The companies receiving recognition are NYK and NYK Group companies Japan Marine Science Inc., MTI Co. Ltd., and Kinkai Yusen Kaisha Ltd.The received Japan’s Minister of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism Award at a ceremony hosted by Japan’s Cabinet Office. The four NYK Group companies are participating in…

In the first of its kind for a shipyard, DNV has awarded a Statement of Fact (SoF) to Samsung Heavy Industries (SHI) for applying blockchain technology to its own SAS (Samsung Autonomous Ship) and SVESSEL eLogbook data streams on an operating vessel.The project was accomplished by interfacing SHI’s data stream and eLogbook with the VeChainThor blockchain to demonstrate the technology’s potential for secure data stream applications on ships.The blockchain application for the SHI data stream pertains to Samsung Autonomous Ship’s navigation information…

The UK Royal Navy has awarded a £15.4 million (currently around $18,8 million) contract for a crewless submarine to the Plymouth-based company MSubs. The submarine is expected to be delivered to the Navy in two years. The Navy expects the submarine to further advance the UK’s ability to protect our critical national infrastructure and monitor sub-sea activity."Project Cetus – named after a mythological sea monster – enhances the Royal Navy’s experimentation with autonomous underwater systems.

In an era of great power competition, navies – by virtue of their ability to span the globe and effectively deliver combat power – are likely to be the sine qua non of military power. This leads, naturally, to the tendency to count numbers of ship hulls when comparing the strength of navies. Lost on no one is the fact that the size of China’s Navy now exceeds that of the U.S. Navy, and the gap in ship numbers is growing.During the Cold War, while the quality of their ships might not have been equal to that of the U.S.