Automated navigation tool collaboration

The companies began their collaboration back in late 2020 with a six-month pilot to trial navigation software on board a gas tanker.

Collisions or grounding as a result of navigational error is one of the highest risks to shipping and Shell says it has long recognised the need for better tools to help support officers of the watch.

“There has been a hiatus in novel navigational technologies since ECDIS, and serious navigation incidents are still happening,” said Saurabh Kumar, project engineer at Shell Shipping & Maritime.

“Our aim has been to come to a deep understanding of how AI technologies can support better decision-making alongside existing systems,” he added.

In 2019 Shell began looking for technology for oceangoing vessels and settled on Orca AI’s automated watchkeeper. The system combines thermal cameras, low-light cameras and sensor data to create an image of surrounding waters in real -time, identifying potential hazards.

In November 2020 the two embarked on a six-month pilot on board a large LNG carrier which provided ‘significant insights’. “The analysis clearly demonstrated the capabilities of our platform to improve safety,” said Orca AI’s co-founder and chief technology officer, Dor Raviv.

The partnership has now matured into a testbed for the wider application of AI and machine learning with Shell supporting Orca AI in creating a product suitable for any segment.

The companies are also focusing on operational optimisation and aim to eventually integrate the tool into the propulsion system.

“The intention now is to develop a full-scale autonomous navigation platform that can provide real-time recommendations for collision avoidance and shore-based monitoring and take shipping operations efficiency to a whole new level,” concluded Raviv.