Autonomous Ship Expo is dedicated solely to showcasing the latest and next-generation solutions and technologies to enable varying degrees of automation – from anti-collision assistance to fully autonomous operation – across the ship and cargo handling sectors.

A truly global event, with exhibitors and visitors participating from all over the world, Autonomous Ship Expo conveniently brings together the latest autonomous navigation technology and automated onboard systems developers; sensor technology; e-navigation systems; automation software and maritime remote-control technology providers. Plus, leading companies that produce simulation, testing and validation solutions; cybersecurity and remote satellite communications that will help ship designers, fleet owners, naval architects, classification societies, port authorities, shipyards, terminal managers, equipment manufacturers and maritime research organizations prepare for the introduction of autonomous ships and operational challenges.

Autonomous Ship Expo Conference, which will run alongside the expo and will feature leading experts from around the world, who will present the latest technological innovations, case studies and research programs, providing a unique opportunity to exchange ideas and network with this pioneering community of maritime engineers.

Source: SMASH!

GROUND-BREAKING MARINE PERCEPTION SENSOR PROVIDES HIGH-DEFINITION SITUATIONAL AWARENESS TO ELIMINATE AT-SEA COLLISIONS AND ALLISIONS, AND INCREASE OPERATIONAL PERFORMANCE​​​​

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(BOSTON; June 21, 2022) – Sea Machines Robotics, Inc., the leading developer of autonomous command and control and advanced perception systems for the marine industries, today unveiled AI-ris, a new marine computer-vision navigation sensor designed to improve safety and performance while vessels are underway. The company revealed this new technology during Seawork2022, the largest European commercial marine exhibition. Sea Machines’ AI-ris, (Artificial Intelligence Recognition and Identification System) uses digital cameras and AI-processing to detect, track, classify and geolocate objects, vessel traffic and other potential obstacles in the majority of operational conditions, day or night, to equip crew with best-in-class situational awareness. Computer vision helps improve safety for vessels and is also a critical technology for the advancement of autonomous command and control systems.

The need for this technology is clear. Boats and ships operate in the planet’s most dynamic environment and the limitations of conventional navigation sensors leave the bulk of perception work to the human eye and brain for continuous scanning of the waterway. Fatigue, distraction, and confusion can lead to misses and mistakes. The U.S. Coast Guard reported that in 2020, 36 percent of boating accidents were collisions and allisions, with the primary cause being improper lookouts and operator inattention. The commercial marine industry suffers from similar challenges. Sea Machines designed AI-ris to be ever-alert, with the ability to deliver predictable operational results that can improve vessel reliability, as well as eliminate liabilities caused by human error. Now commercially available, this technology can radically improve vessel safety.

“Sea Machines is dedicated to building the future of ocean mobility. We envision a future with fewer accidents at sea. We are revolutionizing marine navigation with data-driven intelligence, autonomy and connectivity,” said CEO Michael G. Johnson, Sea Machines. “AI-ris enables a tremendous performance and safety increase. The superior capabilities of computer vision and AI will ensure a safer, more productive voyage.”

“AI-ris is always scanning for obstacles and can alert the operator of potentially dangerous situations. It also labels objects very small in size, like swimmers, kayakers or animals, to those very large, like another ship,” said CTO Trevor Vieweg, Sea Machines. “With the ability to detect, classify and geolocate such targets via optical sensors, AI-ris augments and surpasses the capabilities of existing marine sensor technologies, like radar and automatic identification system (AIS), enabling greater performance and achieving the highest levels of safety. In the future, this technology may also help responders detect marine oil spills.”

Following two years of design, construction and AI model training, the Mayflower Autonomous Ship (MAS) was officially launched in September 2020. Fast forward to today, MAS completed a historic transatlantic voyage from Plymouth, UK to its North American arrival in Halifax, Nova Scotia on June 5.

With no human captain or onboard crew, MAS is the first self-directed autonomous ship with technology that is scalable and extendible to traverse the Atlantic Ocean.

MAS was designed and built by marine research non-profit ProMare with IBM acting as lead technology and science partner, with IBM automation, AI and edge computing technologies powering the ship’s AI Captain to guide the vessel and make real-time decisions while at sea.

On board the ship, there are six AI-powered cameras, more than 30 sensors and 15 Edge devices, all of which input into actionable recommendations for the AI Captain to interpret and analyze. This makes it possible for the AI Captain to adhere to maritime law while making crucial split-second decisions, like rerouting itself around hazards or marine animals, all without human interaction or intervention.

The AI Captain has learned from data, postulates alternative choices, assesses and optimizes decisions, manages risk, and refines its knowledge through feedback, all while maintaining the highest ethical standards – which is similar to how machine learning is applied across industries like transportation, financial services, and healthcare.

And furthermore, there is a transparent record of the AI Captain’s decision-making process that can help humans understand why the captain made certain decisions, transparency that is all too important in these heavily regulated industries.

Why MAS matters: Harnessing the power of data

The AI Captain is also the crux of why IBM believes that MAS’s experimental voyage will be a catalyst for the advancement of AI and AI-powered automation at the edge in various applications across industry.

For example, leveraging AI to make sense of supply chain and logistics data helps manufacturers and distributors avoid supply chain disruption – taking advantage of localized compute at the edge to improve decision making, lower operating costs, protect personal and private information, and maintain the resilience of the business.

This same technology is widely used across production environments to optimize processes, improve quality, protect workers, and lower the cost of maintaining production equipment.

So, while part of MAS’ mission was oriented around ocean research and discovery to help tackle some of the ocean’s biggest challenges, IBM is also focused on accelerating the application of AI and automation other businesses.

(Bloomberg) —Boeing Co. is expected to deliver Orca –an underwater drone the size of a subway car that’s envisioned to lay mines and perform other missions for the US Navy — as much as three years later than planned.

As the Navy works to incorporate pilotless ships in its future fleet, budget documents show the first of five operational Orca drones may be delivered in September 2023, rather than December 2020, “due to contractor challenges and supplier issues.”

Boeing beat out aerospace rival Lockheed Martin Corp. for the project in February 2019. Boeing’s $274 million fixed-price contract requires the company to absorb overruns above a certain threshold.

“The Navy is working with Boeing to mitigate schedule delays and execute risk reduction” by paying for a prototype that’s being used for testing and training, the service said. The test drone was christened April 28 and began its first in-water testing.

Boeing’s ability to complete work on Pentagon contracts on time and to promised specifications is being scrutinized after the company recorded more than $1.3 billion in charges in the first quarter for cost overruns on fixed-price defense contracts including the new Air Force One, the KC-46 tanker programs and the Navy’s MQ-25 aerial refueling drone.

Boeing has continued investing in futuristic unmanned technologies in the air and sea as it addresses delays and quality lapses in conventional airplane programs like the 777X jetliner, whose market entry has been delayed by five years to 2025.

“Development work comes with uncertainties and variability in terms of cost and time estimates required to develop new, advanced technology,” Boeing said in a statement on the 70-ton Orca’s delay. “We also experienced Covid-related impacts during the stand-up of the new industrial base and supply chain necessary to enter system production” so “delivery of the first operational vehicle, which was slated for the end of 2020, was delayed.”

Asked if Boeing anticipated taking a charge on Orca, the company said “as always, we’ll evaluate the financial position of all our programs during our normal quarterly closing process.”

Boeing has “worked diligently to stand up a new industrial base and supply chain for titanium composites, pressure vessel manufacturing” at efficient production rates and “batteries necessary to enter production” on the Orca system, the Naval Sea Systems Command said in a statement.

The command didn’t address why these production challenges weren’t anticipated before Boeing’s award over Lockheed. Nor did it address what cost growth the delays and production issues have caused.

The hulking underwater drones that Boeing is manufacturing jointly with shipbuilder Huntington Ingalls Industries Inc. build on decades of cutting-edge research into manned and unmanned submarines by Boeing as well as defense programs that it acquired from Rockwell International Inc. in 1996.

The Orca is based on Boeing’s 50-ton Echo Voyager, an experimental drone that was designed to cruise underwater for months at depths of as much as 11,000 feet (3,400 meters) on anti-submarine, mine-sweeping and other missions.

“The one place they’ve had some success organically and through acquisitions is through remotely piloted vehicles and unmanned vehicles,” said Richard Aboulafia, an analyst with AeroDynamic Advisory. “If they can’t do that well either, that’s a problem.

Drone Ambitions

Orca is the largest of several classes of unmanned underwater surface and surface vessels that Navy officials were developing in the Trump administration’s final years in the effort to boost the service’s total inventory from 298 deployable vessels today to as many as 355 by 2030. The Biden administration hasn’t endorsed the Trump number nor proposed a new goal. But the Navy continues to see value in unmanned vessels, as outlined in a March 2021 framework. The service’s shipbuilding plan has budgeted more than $4 billion through 2027 on pilotless systems.

Orca’s technical issues are likely to be repeated as the service pursues unmanned systems, according to Shelby Oakley, a Government Accountability Office acquisition director who has followed the issue. “The Navy is in the beginning phases of developing uncrewed systems and, like all new technical endeavors, is likely to face some challenges,” she said.

“The Navy can improve the development by changing its management approach and better planning its strategy for transitioning its prototyping efforts,” she said. “We are currently in the process of reviewing the challenges facing” the Orca program “and plan to report on the Navy’s path forward this summer.”

Loren Thompson, an analyst for the Lexington Institute, said “the expectation is that Orca will eventually be able to perform mine-laying, mine countermeasures, intelligence-gathering, antisubmarine operations and electronic warfare missions” and maybe even conduct strike operations against surface targets at sea and on land.

Thompson, whose think tank takes contributions from Boeing, said “Orca could be the leading edge of a revolution at sea.”

© 2022 Bloomberg L.P.

The Mayflower Autonomous Ship (MAS) completed an historic transatlantic voyage from Plymouth, UK to its North American arrival in Halifax, Nova Scotia on June 5.

The ship had no human captain or crew onboard and is the first self-directed autonomous ship to traverse the Atlantic Ocean.

Marine research non-profit ProMare along with IBM designed and built the ship. IBM took the role of lead technology and science partner, using their automation, AI and edge computing technologies to power the ship’s Artificial Intelligence (AI) Captain. That technology allowed the AI Caption to “guide the vessel and make real-time decisions while at sea,” IBM says.

Six AI-powered cameras, 30 sensors and 15 Edge devices, gave input which was then turned into actionable recommendations for the AI Captain to interpret and analyze, “making it possible for the AI Captain to adhere to maritime law while making crucial split-second decisions, like rerouting itself around hazards or marine animals, all without human interaction or intervention,”

IBM says.Rob High, IBM Fellow, VP & CTO, Networking & Edge Computing says the Mayflower Autonomous Ship’s challenges – saving time and costs, making trustworthy predictions, and solving complex data problems – are not unique. He stressed that the MAS represents “how technology like AI-powered automation can take intelligent data and make it actionable to make informed business decisions, in any industry.”

A major argument for autonomous vehicles is that they’ll make roads safer by removing human error — by far the dominant cause of traffic accidents — from the equation.

By making ships autonomous, the maritime industry thinks it could make the seas safer, too, while also making shipping cleaner and more efficient. Now, a transoceanic trip powered by AI has brought it one step closer to realizing that vision of the future.

Navigating rough waters

Maritime transport is hugely important to the global economy — more than 80% of international trade (by volume) happens via sea, mainly because it’s more economical than moving goods great distances by land or air.

There are more than 62,000 vessels in the world’s trading fleets, and getting all those ships where they need to be, when they need to be there is a complex undertaking — navigators need to take into account weather conditions, the locations of other ships, port activity, and more when deciding which routes to take and at what speed.

If something disrupts this system, the impact can be huge — when the massive container ship Ever Given got stuck in the Suez Canal for six days in March 2021, it caused months of supply chain issues and cost the maritime industry an estimated $10 billion per day.

Even more devastating than the economic impact, though, is the fact that a person died during the process of freeing the ship.

While incidents that major aren’t common, groundings and collisions between ships or ships and stationary objects, such as oil rigs and bridges, occur regularly — Japan, for example, averages 286 ship collisions annually.

In addition to costing money and, in some cases, human lives, these accidents can also damage the environment — 62% of the oil spills that occurred between 1970 and 2021 were caused by tanker collisions or groundings.

Autonomous ships

As was the case with the Ever Given, the majority of accidents at sea are ultimately blamed on human error, so the maritime industry is now developing ships that can operate with greater levels of autonomy.

These vessels are called “Maritime Autonomous Surface Ships” (MASS), and in June 2019, the International Maritime Organization (IMO) — the UN agency that regulates shipping — approved guidelines for MASS trials.

Three months later, Japanese shipping company NYK Line conducted the world’s first MASS trial following those guidelines, letting an autonomous navigation system control a massive ship during a two-day journey from China to Japan.

“[The system] collected information on environmental conditions around the ship from existing navigational devices, calculated collision risk, automatically determined optimal routes and speeds that were safe and economical, and then automatically navigated the ship,” wrote NYK Line.

Several other MASS trials have taken place since then, and Avikus — a subsidiary of Hyundai Heavy Industries, the world’s largest shipbuilding company — has now conducted the first in which a large ship used an autonomous navigation system on a transoceanic journey.

That ship, the Prism Courage, left a port in the Gulf of Mexico on May 1st, sailed through the Panama Canal, and then arrived at a port in South Korea 33 days later.

The AI’s route choices increased fuel efficiency by 7% and reduced carbon emissions by 5%.

For about half the journey, the ship was controlled by an autonomous navigation system called HiNAS 2.0 — the AI assessed the weather, waves, and the rest of the vessel’s surroundings to determine the ideal route in real-time and then command the ship’s steering systems to follow it.

HiNAS 2.0’s ability to recognize other ships in the Prism Courage’s vicinity during the trip allowed it to avoid collision more than 100 times, according to Avikus. The AI’s route choices also increased fuel efficiency by about 7% and reduced carbon emissions by about 5%

Both the American Bureau of Shipping (ABS) and the Korea Register of Shipping (KR) monitored the Prism Courage’s journey in real-time.

“Avikus’ autonomous navigation technology was greatly helpful in this ocean-crossing test especially for maintaining navigating routes, autonomously changing directions, and avoiding nearby ships,” said Young-hoon Koh, the Prism Courage’s captain.

The bottom line

The IMO rates a MASS’s level of autonomy on a scale, starting with Level 0 (no autonomy) and ending with Level 4 (full autonomy). HiNAS 2.0 is a Level 2 system — that’s equivalent to a self-driving car that still needs a backup driver behind the wheel.

As is the case with autonomous cars, the speed at which the maritime industry authorizes fully autonomous ships (if it does) will depend in large part on how quickly regulators adapt to the tech. The fact that shipping is an international affair complicates that process, since the regulations could change between ports.

Some think it’s more likely that ships will always have someone on board, as that would be easier to get approved than a crewless ship, while still allowing shippers to reap most of the benefits of autonomous navigation tech.

“We may not remove the person from the ship, but we will remove them from the bridge and have them do more high-value work and call the person in when they are needed,” Hendrik Busshoff, product manager for autonomy at maritime tech firm Wärtsilä Voyage, told Wired in 2020.

Avikus hopes to play a major role in getting autonomous navigation systems into ships at sea — it expects the ABS to certify HiNAS 2.0 based on the Prism Courage’s journey and plans to begin commercializing the tech before the end of 2022.

Serial entrepreneur Elon Musk is known for deploying technological developments early, rapidly and independently. His carmaker Tesla rolled out self-driving features for its vehicles in 2015, far ahead of competitors, and his spaceflight company SpaceX debuted an early unmanned vessel – a rocket landing barge with stationkeeping capability – in 2016.
Dubbed “droneships,” these barge conversions have four thrusters, a blast shield to protect components, and a robot to secure landed rocket boosters. They are built to operate without manning during rocket landings.

In 2021, with little fanfare, SpaceX built and deployed a fully autonomous droneship – a converted deck barge dubbed A Shortfall of Gravitas (ex name Marmac 302). The 10,000 dwt, 300-foot barge was converted at Bollinger’s Port Fourchon yard last year and has been in active commercial service since last August. It is the company’s first self-navigating, autonomous vessel, and (unlike its predecessors) it was designed to transit to its operating area without a tow.

After a year of operating the Gravitas, SpaceX has now contracted with ABS to evaluate the remote-control system architecture for one of its three unmanned vessels.

“Through our work on autonomous and remote-control technologies in projects with leading partners all over the world, ABS has been leading the way in supporting its practical application at sea,” said Patrick Ryan, ABS Senior Vice President, Global Engineering and Technology. “We are proud that our capabilities in this area have been recognized by a true pioneer such as SpaceX.”

The project will review the design of one of SpaceX’s unmanned at-sea rocket landing platforms for compliance with the ABS Guide for Autonomous and Remote-Control Functions. ABS will apply a risk-based approach to the evaluation of the vessel’s autonomous functions.

Inspired by a voyage from centuries ago, marine researchers and climate scientists teamed with tech titans like IBM to showcase how crewless vessels can help protect and preserve oceans. The goal of the US$1.3 million Mayflower Autonomous Ship (MAS) project? Spark a new era of ocean research that will help scientists analyze information more efficiently.

“To understand our oceans of the future, we really need to collect as much data as possible—and that’s something that autonomous vessels will really allow us to do,” says Rosie Lickorish, software engineer, IBM, Southampton, United Kingdom.

More than 400 years after pilgrims crossed the Atlantic in the original masted Mayflower to establish a U.S. colony, the MAS team aimed to retrace the route. But this time around, the trip was made in a small vessel powered largely by solar panels and a wind turbine—sans any human crewmembers but loaded with AI and machine learning capabilities.

To create the vessel, nonprofit marine research organization ProMarecollaborated with the University of Plymouth, and IBM providing tech reinforcements, like servers, AI, cloud services and edge computing. The team packed the ship with three research pods and an array of sensors and other gadgets so it could probe issues such as maritime cybersecurity, marine mammals, sea-level mapping and the impact of ocean plastics.

The project also aligns with the United Nations’ Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development, which aims to reverse a decline in ocean health. Along with capturing and analyzing data on things like the ocean’s temperature, salinity, oxygen, pH and pollutants in the water, the team collected underwater audio streams and use video to study the large-scale currents and surface flows of the ocean.

“We wanted to build something that could create information—using edge computing—from vast amounts of data that it gets, send that information back and drive the cost down,” says Brett Phaneuf, project director and ProMare co-founder. “That way we could sort of democratize ocean and climate science, because we can give these tools away for free. And then anybody can build a ship.”

Knowing that threats like storms and connectivity issues could impact any project voyage, Phaneuf made sure the team integrated risk management from the start. “When you deal with the ocean, everything you put in it or on it has a very high likelihood it’s not coming back,” he says.

Project partners identified as many scenarios as possible and then iterated their way to a vessel that was up to the job. For example, Marine AI handled the  design of the software in partnership with IBM and with support from NVIDIA, developing a virtual navigator called A.I. Captain. MSubs used aluminum and composite materials to create a ship that’s lightweight but  can stand up to the ocean’s punishing waves. And Iridium’s satellite communications system helps the vessel stay hyperconnected so it can generate nonstop, real-time data.

The ship’s first mission last year was aborted after three days because of mechanical problems. Unbowed, the team completed several sea trials before achieving its first transatlantic crossing on June 5—a 40-day trip that spanned approximately 3,500 miles (5,633 kilometers).

Through it all, the team’s agility and innovative thinking overcome any waves of disruption. Most notably, when technical problems resurfaced near the end of the ship’s voyage, project leaders changed course. Instead of docking the ship at the planned U.S. port in Massachusetts, the team diverted it to Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada.

Yet the successful crossing was just the start—the team plans to have the ship explore other oceans and coasts as it conducts climate research.

“There’s still things to be discovered,” Phaneuf says. “If we have a zero-risk philosophy as the criteria for doing new things, we are doomed.”

Image credit: IBM