Huntington Ingalls Industries’ technical solutions division has announced the successful integration of its advanced autonomy solutions with Sea Machines Robotics’ SM300 autonomy product. The integration of these autonomous capabilities supports complex mission planning and collaboration between unmanned systems.

The demonstration, which took place late last year in the Chesapeake Bay off the coast of Virginia Beach, Va., involved overlaying HII’s collaborative autonomy and mission planning behaviors with the Sea Machines SM300 system on an unmanned surface vessel (USV).

“This represents an important milestone in our continued autonomy development,” Duane Fotheringham, president of Technical Solutions’ Unmanned Systems business group, said in a prepared statement. “The integration was seamless and illustrates the immense potential for our open architecture autonomy to work collaboratively with other autonomous systems.”

Sea Machines’ SM300 system can be outfitted to ocean-capable vessels to enable remotely commanded USV operations or can work alongside an onboard crew to elevate the capability, precision and endurance of a mission-driven vessel. During the demonstration, HII’s autonomy managed mission delegation and enabled collaborative autonomy with other unmanned systems while providing the SM300 system information to manage the USV heading and speed.

“Sea Machines’ products are developed to integrate readily with the wide range of vessel types. Our goal is to fit seamlessly into a vessel’s command and control stack which in some cases will include information and control systems from other autonomy systems either above or below our technology,” said Michael G. Johnson, CEO of Sea Machines. “We are encouraged by the rapid progress demonstrated by the HII team as they integrate their technology with our product to elevate the capability of their customers.”

The open architecture and modularity of HII’s autonomy make it a flexible, scalable option for customers seeking to enhance their current autonomy platform with additional advanced capabilities. HII’s collaborative autonomy enables complex mission delegation to multiple unmanned assets that all share situational awareness. Together, HII and Sea Machines will offer varying levels of autonomy complexity for different operations.

In July 2020, HII announced a minority share investment in Boston-based Sea Machines as part of its expansion into the unmanned systems. This investment complemented other company investments in autonomy, artificial intelligence and machine learning, cyber, C5ISR, and advanced modeling and simulation to support a more integrated, connected force. In May of 2021, the SM300 was integrated on an HII test platform.

Since then, HII has further developed and refined its own autonomy solutions, including collaborative autonomy, advanced health monitoring, and sensor fusion and perception, which have been fielded on 23 vessel types for more than 6,000 hours.

Source: workboat

We are sure you must have heard about container ships, and have surely seen a shipping container once in your life, irrespective of your age, gender, nationality, occupation, or whatever be the case.

In this article, we wish to take you deeper into the world of container ships, and let you know about it’s fascinating history, the types of container ships, it’s working, the design of container ships, and the future of container shipping.

Before going any further, we must first know about what exactly is a container ship:

What Are Container Ships?

As the name indicates, a ship structured specially to hold cargo in a container (containerized cargo) is called a container ship. Transportation of cargo in special containers is known as containerization. Container ships are responsible for the transportation of heavy containers in a large number. Some of the biggest container ships these days can ship approximately 24,000 containers in a single go!

Container ships are used for the transportation of non-bulk cargoes, making it possible to transfer big and gigantic quantities of goods from one place to another. The introduction of container ships have rightly changed the face of global trade forever.

Currently, there are more than 17 million shipping containers in circulation globally, with more than 5 million active shipping containers. Additionally, 90% of the world’s cargo is transported with the help of container ships. Every shipping container which is manufactured and transported around the world is of a standard size of 20 foot or 40 foot respectively, which is why the capacity of container ships is measured in TEUs or FEUs, which stands for ‘Twenty-foot Equivalent Unit’ and ‘Forty-foot Equivalent Unit’ respectively. This standardization exists to facilitate transfer the containers, which are shipped by container ships easily at anywhere around the world with various modes of transport, with trucks and trains being the most common transfer method available.

Source: thehaulagenews

LONDON, Jan. 06, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — According to The Business Research Company’s research report on the autonomous marine vehicles market, the use of artificial intelligence (AI) is gaining popularity. Artificial intelligence is intelligence demonstrated by machines, which makes them think independently and take decisions themselves. AI is used in both manned and unmanned marine vehicles market to enhance the safety and control of vessels. AI technology helps automate and optimize speed, immediate-course, and whole-voyage-routing for fuel-efficiency; ultimately, cost-saving for vessel owners and fleet managers. It also helps provide real-time weather, current data, an automatic identification system (AIS), and sensor data paired with computer vision and modeling that helps set direction decisions and may help recognize whether to avoid or pursue any obstacle in the underwater environment. For instance, Marine AI Ltd, a UK-based company who create artificial intelligence to enhance maritime capabilities, offers AI products such as ‘Guardian System’ that makes use of AI technology while ensuring regulatory compliance, paired with advanced lidar sensors from partners Ouster.

Source: woodlandreport

Videosoft’s adaptive low bandwidth video streaming technology has been selected and installed on the Mayflower Autonomous Ship (MAS) to help relay high-quality footage of the ship’s various missions back to humans on land.

On its maiden voyage this spring, MAS will trace the route of the famous 1620 Mayflower, sailing from Plymouth, UK, to Plymouth, MA, only this time there will be no human captain or crew on board as the 15m, lightweight, hybrid-electric powered trimaran crosses the Atlantic.

Videosoft’s technology will help capture footage from six cameras on board the Mayflower whilst at sea

Using satellite connectivity and compression technologies, footage will be transmitted back to AI developers and research scientists providing real-time feedback and visuals during the mission. It will also be used to provide the media and public with updates about interesting events that occur during the ship’s ocean adventures.

“The ability to receive live video feed from the ship using minimal communication bandwidth is a game changer for us,” said Don Scott, Chief Technology Officer of the Mayflower Autonomous Ship. “Videosoft provides real-time telepresence allowing us to reliably monitor the live situation and give us confidence in the vehicle’s operation at sea. It has already been an invaluable tool during sea trials and we look forward to having the live feed during the voyage itself.”

Source: cyprusshippingnews

Norwegian shipowner Grieg Star and G2 Ocean its joint venture subsidiary with Gerabulk have announced they have joined forces with other partners to research the feasibility of safe autonomous deep-sea ships.

Autonomous ships have been a much-discussed idea for years. Developers have made several tests, but the technology is still young. Together with 20 other partners, Grieg Star and G2 Ocean have supported the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) in setting up a research centre dedicated to safe autonomous ships. On 12 June, The Research Council of Norway awarded more than NOK 20mn to the project.

The goal of SFI Autoship is to ensure that Norwegian players take a leading and leading role in this development, especially concerning technology, business models and security. To achieve this, the centre brings together over 20 partners from the Norwegian maritime cluster, including end-users, product and service providers, research institutes, universities and authorities. The centre’s funding is over 200 million Norwegian kroner over eight years.

SFI Autoship will develop new knowledge, methods, tools, prototypes, technology and candidates for the Norwegian maritime industry. Its goal is to be a world-leading centre for research and innovation on autonomous ships, with a particular focus on safe and secure solutions.

Grieg Star will, together with G2 Ocean, contribute on two defined studies providing ship development and management expertise.

• Deep-sea bulk cargo transport
  • Automated navigation (ocean crossing)​
• Improved and automated cargo-handling/crane operations​
• Automated engine control room

• Short sea and coastal cargo transport ​​
  • Unmanned vessel design and operations, including auto-docking and auto-mooring​
• Improved logistics, including port and hinterland​
• Onshore control centre and communication ship-shore​

Source: shipinsight

DP World reports that its CARGOES TOS+ cloud-based Terminal Operating System (TOS), part of its in-house Zodiac software platform, has completed its ‘go-live’ at the Commercial Port of Luanda, Angola.

CARGOES TOS+ is an integrated platform for terminal IT and operational systems, providing users with real-time information on vessel, gate, and yard movements. The software project began following the signing of a 20-year concession agreement between the Angolan government and DP World in January 2021.

The cloud-based system was deployed in just two months, forming part of a wider range of investments from DP World into upgrades at the Port of Luanda and other locations in Africa.

“Our mission is to find solutions to solve challenges for our customers and partners. And we are focused on making a positive economic and societal impact through the delivery of our technology and digital solutions,” said COO for Logistics and Technology at DP World, Mike Bhaskaran.

“Luanda is a great example of how DP World is enabling smarter trade for emerging economies to compete on a global stage.”

The application in use at DP World Luanda has now been implemented at 87 sites globally, including DP World Limassol, Cyprus, where the Zodiac cloud-Based TOS is used for General Cargo, the company says.

Source: smartmaritimenetwork

The “Mayflower 400” — the world’s first intelligent ship — bobs gently in a light swell as it stops its engines in Plymouth Sound, off England’s southwest coast, before self-activating a hydrophone designed to listen to whales.

The 50-foot (15-metre) trimaran, which weighs nine tonnes and navigates with complete autonomy, is preparing for a transatlantic voyage.

On its journey the vessel, covered in solar panels, will study marine pollution and analyse plastic in the water, as well as track aquatic mammals.

Eighty percent of the underwater world remains unexplored.

Brett Phaneuf, co-founder of the charity ProMare and the mastermind behind the Mayflower project, said the ocean exerts “the most powerful force” on the global climate.

Rosie Lickorish, a specialist in emerging technologies at IBM, one of the partners on the project, said the unmanned craft provided an advantage in the “unforgiving environment”.

“Having a ship without people on board allows scientists to expand the area they can observe,” she told AFP.

A variety of technology and service providers have contributed to the project with hundreds of individuals involved from nations including India, Switzerland and the United States, said Phaneuf.

The project would have cost 10 times the roughly $1 million (820,000 euros) invested by ProMare without the “global effort,” he added.

– Smart captain –

The non-profit venture will offer the data gathered by the project free of charge. The information could be of particular use to the future of commercial shipping.

The autonomous ship is scheduled to embark on May 15 if weather is favourable and permission is granted by British authorities.

The journey to Plymouth, Massachusetts — the same voyage made by pilgrims on the original “Mayflower” in 1620 as they sought a new life in America — will take three weeks.

While the Mayflower 400 voyage has been delayed because of the pandemic, Phaneuf said at least no one will fall ill on the trip.

“No one will get bored or tired or sick on this one. So it can take as long as it likes to do science,” he said from the British port.

Sitting alongside him were three computer technicians checking the equipment remotely.

Meirwen Jenking-Rees, a 21-year-old student engineer, checked the ship’s engines before it headed out for a sea trial.

Construction of the trimaran, which is automated from the robotic rudder that steers it to the diesel generator that supplements its solar power, took a year.

Developing its “smart captain”, the onboard artificial intelligence, took even longer as the computer has had to learn how to identify maritime obstacles by analysing thousands of photographs.

– Lack of regulations –

The “Mayflower 400” also had to be taught how to avoid collisions and first went to sea for “supervised learning”.

Robotics and software engineer Ollie Thompson said that by running a “number of scenarios” the ship can learn “what are good actions, bad actions, so safe and unsafe”.

So if it makes a mistake, the boat can correct itself “and then learn itself,” he added.

The automated vessel uses its “eyes” and “ears” — a sophisticated system of six cameras and radar — to continue learning on its own.

Because of a lack of regulations around unmanned sailing, the Mayflower 400 is yet to be tested in rough seas or storms, a situation Jenking-Rees described as a “worst case scenario”.

In simulated settings, however, the robotic craft has faced 50-metre waves.

Lickorish explained that the boat’s artificial intelligence will be pivotal in conducting scientific experiments.

“It was trained with hundreds of hours of audio data,” she said, “to detect the presence of marine mammals, recognise the marine mammals, and actually tell us something about population distributions out in the open ocean”.

Analysing the chemical composition of the water, measuring sea levels and collecting samples of microplastics are the ship’s other missions.

While the ship is totally autonomous, the team will monitor the ship 24 hours a day from England, ready to intervene remotely in case of danger.

Source: france24

The maritime research vessel Mayflower Autonomous Ship is a first-of its-kind autonomous ship — and IBM technology played a central role in bringing it to life. On its inaugural journey, the ship will commemorate the original Mayflower by following its transatlantic route. But this modern Mayflower will gather critical ocean data on the impact of climate change and pollution so that marine researchers can better understand and protect our oceans — now and into the future.

IBM engineered the crewless ship with three layers of technology: sensory inputs, real-time machine learning and analytics, and a decision engine. IBM experts used petabytes of data to train machine learning models and wrote rules-based decisioning for the decision engine, enabling the ship to react to an often-treacherous ocean environment — with zero human intervention. It adheres to maritime law while making crucial split-second decisions. It reroutes itself around harsh weather environments. It collects and analyzes massive amounts of ocean data. And it does it all 24/7.

By extending the ship’s groundbreaking intelligent automation, operational decision-making, edge computing and AI-powered remote monitoring technologies across industries, we can pave the way for the next generation of innovation, efficiency, safety and cost-savings in your business.

Source: ibm

NSSLGlobal will now provide, install and service DDK’s GNSS Precise Point Positioning (PPP) solution which enhances the ability of NSSLGlobal’s customers to precisely locate and track their assets. DDK’s independent GNSS technology is provided exclusively through Iridium’s global satellite constellation, and creates a robust, resilient and completely independent GNSS solution that has an enhanced accuracy of less than 5cm, compared to the standard GPS accuracy of 10m.

Kevin Gaffney, DDK Positioning CEO based in Aberdeen, said: “This partnership is a fantastic fit for DDK Positioning. We are now in a place to provide our clients with our precise positioning solutions globally and we are delighted to formalise our working relationship with NSSLGLobal with the signing of this new strategic alliance. To continue the journey with such a strong and well-respected company such as NSSLGLobal, and with their reach in the market, makes great sense and we are looking forward to the journey that we will have together.”

Paul Rutherford, service director, NSSLGlobal, commented: “DDK Positioning is leading the field in advanced GNSS positioning. We’re pleased to partner with such an innovative company and to be able to add this technology offering on top of the already extensive navigation and communication portfolio we offer our customers. The system will provide greater location accuracy, along with the ability to help detect and mitigate spoofing,”

Source: thedigitalship

Source: thecowboychannel