Whether pleasure yachts or deep-sea cargo ships, AI-assisted navigation aids and autonomy are helping captains sail off into the sunset or simply moor without a scratch in port.
At the CES technology show in Las Vegas, boat manufacturers are focusing heavily on technologies and artificial intelligence that make it easier for both weekend yachtsmen and experienced sailors to head out to sea.
“Wind on the water, currents, sometimes waves, the boat doesn’t stay in place, you always have to compensate,” said Johan Anden, president of the marine business at Swedish company Volvo Penta.
For more than ten years, the company’s boats have helped sailors maneuver using a simple joystick that positions the vessel or throws it sharply to the right or left.
Volvo Penta unveiled a prototype in 2018 that was able to dock a boat by itself, but customers weren’t ready to park their vessels at the click of a button, Andon said.
Instead, the company developed a docking assistance system “that gives the captain a certain level of control” when maneuvering the boat, a moment “that is one of the most stressful in sailing.”
In general, he said, the idea is to improve “safety, comfort, comfort” and ultimately make boating more accessible.
A boat prototype from American company Brunswick offers optimal speed to enter a port, avoid collisions and find available places to dock a boat and operate without human intervention.
Another software program offered by Hyundai’s Avikus can help maximize enjoyment at sea.
An arrangement will ensure that the boat is ideally placed for sunbathing or finding the perfect spot to enjoy the sunset and arriving in time to see it.
According to company executive Carl Johansen, the goal is to provide fuel economy, safety and “peace of mind.”
‘Reduce staff’
For merchant mariners, autonomous shipping is in the testing phase.
In Norway, an autonomous electric cargo ship has been transporting fertilizer from the factory to the port since last year, with the aim of reducing truck traffic.
While in Japan, an automated full-size ferry has been operating between the two islands since last year, although it is still crewed.
If the reality of ships remains entirely elusive without human sailors, many navigation tools can provide valuable assistance in calculating the best course in ports or weather conditions.
Computer-guided travel “provides much more reliable transportation,” said John Cross of Memorial University in Canada.
HD Hyundai, which unveiled a project to collect and analyze shipping data at CES, said its software will slow down a ship’s speed if the destination port is congested, thereby reducing fuel consumption. The consumption will decrease.
Autonomous tools can also be useful in aiding maintenance by monitoring the condition of engines or propellers.
John Cross said that in the long term, companies aim to “reduce the number of staff members”. They may see it as a way to save money, but also to reduce risks as accidents on board still happen frequently.
It is also a way to deal with the aging of professional seafarers and difficulties in recruiting.
Rudi Negenborn of Delft University in the Netherlands said the progress of work on autonomous navigation has been helped by the recent decision of the International Maritime Organization (IMO) to work on setting rules.
Driving autonomous boats in international waters is still prohibited and new regulations are not expected before 2028.
Technologies also need to be improved to increase safety, reduce energy consumption and determine which sensors are best and what to do if they fail, Neganborn said.
In any case, “there’s always going to be a human somewhere,” he said. Be it a sailor following a computer on board a ship or a supervisor managing several boats on land.
