Singaporean shipbuilder Keppel Offshore & Marine has kicked off development of its first autonomous vessel: a harbor tug to be operated by Keppel Smit Towage at the Port of Singapore. The tug is expected to be one of Singapore's first autonomous vessels when the project is completed in 4Q 2020. The vessel is being developed by Keppel Singmarine Pte Ltd (Keppel … [Read more...]
Business of Shipping: Risks and Challenges of Autonomous Shipping
The Business of Shipping is new column from Ira Breskin, senior lecturer at SUNY Maritime College in the Bronx, NY and author of The Business of Shipping (9th edition), North America’s most comprehensive industry-focused book explaining and analyzing marine transportation and related industries, both domestic and international. By Ira Breskin - Uptake of fully … [Read more...]
Sea Machines Raises $10 Million to Further Advance Autonomous Tech in Shipping
Boston-based Sea Machines Robotics has closed a $10 million Series A investment which will help the company further develop autonomous technology for use aboard ships.. The investment marks one of the largest venture rounds for a marine- and maritime-focused technology company and brings the total capital Sea Machines has raised to $12.5M. Sea Machines will use the funds … [Read more...]
Fully-Autonomous Ferry Demonstrated in Northern Europe
The autonomous operation of the ferry Falco comes after another ferry, named Folgefonn, was successfully tested in Norway. Rolls-Royce and Finnish state-owned ferry operator Finferries have successfully demonstrated what they claim to be world’s first fully autonomous ferry on a short route near Turku, Finland. During the trials, the Finferries ferry Falco used … [Read more...]
Visiting Three Ports, Ferry Successfully Completes Fully Autonomous Test in Norway
Finnish technology group Wärtsilä says it has successfully tested the fully autonomous operation of a ferry on a route in Norway in what is believed to be the first ever attempt at fully automated dock-to-dock operation for a vessel of this size. The test of Wärtsilä's autonomous shipping technology was conducted utilizing the 85-meter ferry Folgefonn and in the presence of … [Read more...]