Rotterdam is a frontrunner in adapting autonomous shipping

“The systems for autonomous sailing can help humans by providing rich information that helps improve their perception and situational awareness,” the assistant professor explains. “Sensors can measure the engine performance, speed, current in the water, wind and the drifting influence of wind on the vessel and distance to other vessels or object like a lock in the waterway. All this information is needed for the system that autonomously controls a vessel, and is also available for a human captain who controls the ship.”

Dr. Reppa is the Principal Investigator of the research group Safe-NET that is working on the development of safe, resilient and modular systems that make it possible for ships to navigate autonomously. A ship with no people on board (highest level of autonomy) would be the ultimate proof of concept.

Situational Awareness

The university research group Safe-NET consists of seven academics. “We are developing algorithms that take all the circumstances and realities of a ship into account and that can decide based on all factors including course and speed at any moment,” Reppa says. “This is complex because of the many factors that need to be taken into account for safe and efficient navigation of a ship.”

Natural circumstances at sea can be quite harsh with wind and waves slamming into the hull and diverting the vessel from its course, so more power is needed to provide thrust to keep the ship going in the right direction. On inland waters, other vessels on the waterways and the water depth are an extra factor to take into account. The distance to locks, harbours and estimated time of arrival while having to fit in the flow of other traffic on the water make autonomous ships into complex machines, requiring a lot of sensors and information to be able to make the right decisions.

Multi-disciplinary

“If all this information is ready available and the ship is connected to the systems of the lock master and the harbour logistics, big benefits in efficiency can be achieved,” the researcher is convinced. “Ships that are going in the same direction can set the time of arrival at a lock so they can adjust speed and save fuel to be at the lock and announce their time of arrival to have no waiting time. This happens with human crew, but it can be automated. An algorithm can have such efficiency measures as a standard operation mode, potentially saving fuel while arriving just in time. Our research, collecting all the required information, includes regulatory demands, navigational requirements, practical situations on board, weather data and more. It is a multi-facet project.”

Redundancy

One of the requirements for safety aboard is to have redundancy of critical systems. For specific maritime operations, this would also require having two independently functioning control systems. “Redundancy for sensors can also be required by having two systems that gather data in a different way,” Reppa explains. “For instance with a humidity sensor. The main physical sensor will detect the level of humidity in the atmosphere. But the level of humidity can also be inferred by a virtual sensor that uses temperature measurements and mathematical models. So a second instrument to make the humidity sensor redundant, can be a thermometer that sends a signal to the humidity display. Without having to install two identical physical systems on board, redundancy can be achieved by using analytical models describing systems behaviour.”

Diversity in maritime careers

“When shipping, inland or at sea, will become an automated and technologically advanced industry, this also attracts attention from young people who will aspire a career in the maritime industry. Captains can navigate their ships remotely, as human supervision is still required in the near future. The captain can be a woman or a person with disabilities, which is rare or impossible in current maritime operations.”

Shore-based operators

One specific challenge is to create an environment for the remote operator of a vessel that realistically presents the situation on board. “There is a lot of research activity to create virtual realities that provide a realistic image of the circumstances on board. Of course, operating a ship from an office ashore will never be the same as actually being on that ship, but we think it is important for the shore-based operator to have an experience that is as realistic as possible.”

ResearchLab Autonomous Shipping and living labs

Today, Safe-NET is working on ResearchLab Autonomous Shipping and in national and international projects with living labs, i.e. modern vessels that have been equipped with autonomous navigation systems to collect as much data as possible and refine the algorithms for future better versions of the autonomous vessel control systems.

Note that the Port of Rotterdam is an active partner in providing the information and collecting data, and creating case studies.

Why Rotterdam?

Not only the Port of Rotterdam Authority is actively collaborating in these projects. Rotterdam is more than just a location, it’s an innovation ecosystem. The strong collaboration between academia, port authorities, companies, trade associations, industry leaders, tech start-ups and start-up accelerators creates ideal conditions for real-world testing and implementation. From research labs to living labs, and from ideation to execution, the greater Rotterdam region offers the space, expertise and connections to accelerate the future of autonomous and sustainable shipping, and find a job or hire colleagues in those sectors.

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