What will the ship of the future look like? According to proponents of the vision behind autonomous shipping, It will be unmanned, run by artificial intelligence. Learn more about this exciting topic in this video. For the video please visit https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L3HQC9B2OO8&list=PLVce3C5Hi9BBfabvhEzYQTQDYEg2vtuxH&index=20 This slideshare has been produced by the Tesseract Academy (http://tesseract.academy), a company that educates decision makers in deep technical topics such as data science, analytics, machine learning and blockchain. If you are interested in data science and related topics, make sure to also visit The Data Scientist: http://thedatascientist.com.

1. Autonomous shipping
SHIPPING IN THE ERA OF ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE

2. Part A: What is the autonomous ship?
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3. A vision of the future
We saw about
◦ Automation
◦ Optimization
◦ Prediction
What if all of these come together under a single vision for shipping?
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4. Definition
According to Waterborne TP an autonomous ship is described as:
“Next generation modular control systems and communications technology will enable wireless
monitoring and control functions both on and off board. These will include advanced decision
support systems to provide a capability to operate ships remotely under semi or fully
autonomous control.”
Source: http://www.unmanned-ship.org/munin/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/MUNIN-
WS@SMM-140909-2-Waterbourne-TP-OJR.pdf
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5. The vision
The autonomous ship is a vision of the future supported by many, including Rolls Royce, which
estimates that the first autonomous ships will be rolled out by 2030.
The European commission believes the autonomous ship is going to be a key factor in further
growth in the maritime economy.
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6. Types of autonomy
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7. Related topics
Technical
◦ Autonomous navigation technology
◦ Automated onboard systems
◦ E-navigation
◦ Automation software
◦ Maritime remote control technology
Human factors
◦ Regulation
◦ Adaptation of the workforce
◦ Piracy
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8. Economic benefits
More efficient use of space in ship design.
More efficient use of crew and their skills.
More efficient use of fuel.
Reduced likelihood of human error
“According to a report published by the Munich-based insurance company Allianz in 2012,
between 75 and 96 percent of marine accidents are a result of human error, often a result of
fatigue”
Source: https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/abstract/document/7833502
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9. Part B: Current Research
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10. Collision avoidance
Fundamental problem in autonomous shipping
Two ways to solve it:
◦ Classical techniques (mathematical models, etc.)
◦ Soft-computing (aka data science) techniques (neural networks, fuzzy logic, etc.)
Source: Statheros, T., Howells, G., & Maier, K. (2008). Autonomous Ship Collision Avoidance Navigation Concepts, Technologies
and Techniques. Journal of Navigation, 61(1), 129-142. doi:10.1017/S037346330700447X
https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/journal-of-navigation/article/autonomous-ship-collision-avoidance-navigation-
concepts-technologies-and-techniques/3F3ED13DEFF7B84B5B0A758BEBF47ADD
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11. Collision avoidance
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12. Collision avoidance
Johansen and Perez recommend the accompaniment by an unmanned aerial surveillance system
(UASS)
Compliant with: Convention on the International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea
(COLREGS).
Source: https://eprints.qut.edu.au/95755/1/autoship_final.pdf
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14. Automated inspection
“Inspection of ship hulls and marine structures using autonomous underwater vehicles has
emerged as a unique and challenging application of robotics”
Two classes:
◦ open, forward parts of a typical monohull: visual and acoustic features
◦ complex areas around the shafting, propellers and rudders: large scale planning routines so as to
achieve full imaging coverage
Source: Hover, F. S., Eustice, R. M., Kim, A., Englot, B., Johannsson, H., Kaess, M., & Leonard, J. J. (2012). Advanced perception,
navigation and planning for autonomous in-water ship hull inspection. The International Journal of Robotics Research, 31(12),
1445–1464. doi:10.1177/0278364912461059, https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/0278364912461059
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15. Navigation and planning
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16. Issues and challenges
Legal regulation
◦ Right now, it is unclear whether autonomous ships are premitted, how they could be insured and who is
responsible in case of an accident
Standards
◦ Autonomous ships would benefit from standards around data sharing and communication, which are
now non-existent
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17. Future developments
Advances in AI
◦ Further advances in deep learning
◦ General AI
Blockchain
◦ Facilitate exchange of data
◦ Help compliance with regulation
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18. Learn more
Tesseract Academy
◦ http://tesseract.academy
◦ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L3HQC9B2OO8&list=PLVce3C5Hi9BBfabvhEzYQTQDYEg2vtuxH&ind
ex=20
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◦ Personal blog
◦ Covers data science, analytics, blockchain, tokenomics and many more subjects
◦ http://thedatascientist.com

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