PACC Offshore Services Holdings (POSH) has completed sea trials of autonomous vessel technology on a harbour tug in Singapore

POSH conducted these tests in partnership with ST Engineering in Singapore waters using its ship-handling tug POSH Harvest.

They tested autonomous navigation, remote control and other technologies during Smart Maritime Autonomous Vessel (SMAV) project tests in April 2020.

The trials were conducted in various scenarios and speeds up to 8.5 knots, while the tug was in autonomous waypoint navigation mode.

POSH converted its harbour tug into an autonomous vessel incorporating key features such as hazard detection and collision avoidance and NERVA ship management systems.

Collision prevention and autonomous waypoint navigation use artificial intelligence algorithms for detecting hazards and changing routes accordingly.

The collision prevention algorithm works in accordance with IMO’s international collision avoidance regulations (COLREGS), particularly in overtaking, head-on and route crossing.

POSH also installed a remote centralised control and health monitoring systems on POSH Harvest and maintenance capabilities such as condition-based maintenance, predictive diagnostics and prognostics on critical shipboard systems using the NERVA Sensemaking system.

Before the sea trials, testing of the autonomous vessel technology and simulations were performed onshore. These simulated scenarios were repeated with varying parameters including stringent simulated tuning trials to match the vessel characteristics.

SMAV project teams will continue developing and testing autonomous vessel technology during 2020.

ST Engineering vice president for marine technologies and solutions Ng Tee Guan expects systems tested during SMAV and further sea trials will be implemented on different types of vessel.

“As the maritime industry moves towards leveraging technology to develop autonomous vessels and enhance operations in a safer, faster and more cost-effective manner, autonomous ship technology can be implemented in many other vessel types, he said.