First South Asian autonomous tug retrofit

During the initial phase of the project, the 32m vessel, operated by Keppel Smit Towage, will complete a series of navigational tasks in the Port of Singapore, steered from an onshore control centre. The second phase of the project will see the vessel perform autonomous collision avoidance tasks whilst under remote supervision.

“This project is a key marker on our digital journey as it demonstrates our capabilities as a leader in intelligent shipping technology and proves the success of our Electric. Digital. Connected. vision for the maritime industry,” said Juha Koskela, managing director, ABB Marine & Ports.

“The intent of our technology is not to entirely remove the crew, but rather to relieve the crew from the tasks than can be automated and thus enable them to perform at their best during critical operations.”

The trials aim to demonstrate that digital solutions can increase the safety and efficiency of tug operations. ABB Ability Marine Pilot Vision will provide the sensor fusion to generate a digital situational awareness while ABB Ability Marine Pilot Control will execute the necessary conning commands.

KMDTech will be the system integrator for the autonomous solutions and American Bureau of Shipping will provide the approval in principle for the new features such as remote navigation control and autonomous control system.