Maersk Starts Testing Unmanned Containerships "Furtively"

The Maersk Group, who has been accustomed to being the leader in the global shipping industry, begins to carry out "unmanned ships" technology testing on containerships while declaring that it is not optimistic about the prospects of the unmanned ship market. Clearly it won't feel happy if lagging behind in the era of unmanned ship coming soon.

It is the world's first to test AI power awareness technology and situational awareness technology on containerships.

Report shows that the Danish shipping giant Maersk Group recently signed a contract with Boston-based Sea Machines Robotics to install computer vision, laser radar (LIDAR) and perception software on its newly built Winter Palace ice-class container ship. Maersk Group has thus become the world's first one to test artificial intelligence (AI) power awareness technology and situational awareness technology on containerships.

Sea Machines Robotics claimed that it decided to deploy AI to advance maritime situational awareness, improve target recognition and enhance tracking capabilities, which, like the advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) commonly installed on cars, sends pilots alerts of waterway hazards and accidents prevention. Sea Machines Robotics artificial intelligence (AI) power awareness systems and situational awareness systems use sensors to collect environmental information of the vessels to identify and track potential conflicts and display the collected information in the steering room.

Maersk says its purpose is to prove situational awareness technology can eliminate line-of-sight restrictions from the bridge for seafarers and lay a basis for research of automatic collision avoidance systems in the future.

P. Michael A. Rodey, Maersk Group's Senior Innovation Manager, explained that "autonomous driving and unmanned ships are not the ultimate goals of us, and what's most important is the values generated by adoption of new technology in development." "We hope to prove that the technology is able to enhance our safety, efficiency and reliability."

Michael Johnson, founder and CEO of Sea Machines, stated: "We are very proud. The world's largest shipping company has chosen Sea Machines. This cooperation with Maersk marks our first entry into the shipping industry. Our mission is to advance the shipping industry with the 21st century technology. We are very excited to see the growth of the Sea Machines market."

Maersk has started cooperating with Sea Machines to develop unmanned containership three years ago.

Maersk Group repeatedly emphasized that the use of situational awareness technology was not to achieve unmanned technology, however, in fact, the artificial intelligence (AI) power awareness technology and situational awareness technology in the cooperation was exactly the core technology of unmanned ships. Sea Machines Robotics is just an "unmanned ship" company engaged in the research and development of autonomous driving technology in the shipping industry.

It is known that Sea Machines Robotics, a Boston start-up company in the United States, released its maiden product--the Sea Machines 300 in September 2017. This system is designed for ships, and it enables the ship to drive autonomously and to avoid obstacles and other ships on the voyage to destination via using common ship equipment and proprietary algorithms. It is reported that the Sea Machines 300 system can be installed on almost all ships and prevent them from hitting obstacles, avoiding collision accidents at sea.

Last summer, Sea Machines Robotics successfully tested a remote-controlled unmanned ship. It is equipped with sensors and autopilot software and drilled evading sailboats and tankers at Boston Harbor.

It is reported that Maersk Group has been in cooperation with Sea Machines Robotics for three years while Sea Machines then was developing its first autonomous driving system.

It was at that time that Michael Johnson, the founder and CEO of Sea Machines, first revealed that the company had signed a contract with a company. "We will install a world-class unmanned system on a container ship. When it crosses the North Atlantic, people will remotely control it on land." Obviously this company is the Maersk Group.

Sea Machines Robotics stated that they hoped to make the shipping business more efficient and safer via the ship's autonomous driving system. "Our main task is to build a system that can underpin the decisions of commercial ships. The first step is manned ships, and then unmanned ships."

Sources said that Sea Machines expected to open a new era of innovation on commercial shipping, exceeding the development of unmanned cars and trucks.

The Maersk Group has stated a few times that it was not optimistic about the prospects of unmanned ship market, and Soren Skou, CEO of Maersk Group, admitted that "unmanned ships" would not be utilized in ultra-large containerships in the next 20-30 years. However, it does not mean that the Group will not develop "unmanned containerships." In fact, on June 20 last year, Rolls-Royce and Svitzer, a tugboat company of Maersk Group, jointly announced the successful completion of the world's first remote operation on commercial ships in Copenhagen, Denmark.

Maersk Group, the leader of shipping industry, feels pressures to maintain its position. It planed "furtively" to develop unmanned ship while announcing to the public that it was not optimistic about the prospects of unmanned ship market.
From: eworldship.com