Autonomous shipping covers many aspects of shipping’s new technological landscape – everything from systems to aid decision making, control speed and direction, through to remote controlled operation, and fully unmanned vessels. This evolution is still in its early stages, however, making close collaboration between stakeholders essential to realizing the potential gains in safety, efficiency, and sustainability.
Knut Ørbeck-Nilssen, CEO DNV Maritime said: "As the maritime industry becomes more technologically advanced, DNV is committed to collaborating with industry leaders to enhance the efficiency and safety of shipping. In the absence of a regulatory scheme for the industry, we are developing guidelines and class notations that have been designed to evolve with the rapid advancements in autonomous technologies."
At SMM Trade Fair this week, Ocean Infinity was awarded a Statement of Compliance for its remotely supported vessel operations. Receiving this approval establishes Ocean Infinity’s vessel concept as the first fleet to reach the required standard of technology and operations for large vessels, and permits the beginning of onshoring marine related tasks and activities.
During day two of SMM, Avikus, HD Hyundai’s ship autonomous navigation subsidiary, and DNV celebrated the start of the test phase for the HiNAS decision support system. HiNAS assists navigators by enabling ships to avoid collisions while maintaining optimal routes and speeds. After receiving a DNV design verification report(DVR) in September 2023, the new testing phase plays an important role in the Type Approval process for the HiNAS decision support system.
Dohyeong Lim, CEO of Avikus, said: “We are excited to be working towards the first Type Approval for autonomous navigation solutions under DNV’s regulations, a leading maritime classification society. As this is a world-first initiative, we are navigating unexpected challenges, but our close collaboration is establishing verification standards and methodologies. This milestone is significant for both DNV, which is at the forefront of setting international standards for Maritime Autonomous Surface Ships(MASS), and Avikus, which is advancing and commercializing autonomous navigation technology. Avikus will continue to support DNV’s efforts and collaborate across various areas to further develop and approve this technology.”
Another project sees Reach Subsea, working with DNV on the testing of the “Reach Remote”, their DNV classed 24m unmanned survey vessel, which is designed to be operated remotely from its deployment. While the vessel is currently remotely operated from a mothership, Reach is working towards certification that will enable full autonomy in the future. At SMM, the parties celebrated the ongoing cooperation and reflected on the potential of the uncrewed operations to revolutionize offshore subsea operations.