Video: A step closer to autonomous shipping

A passenger ferry has been remotely piloted in a successful world-first trial in Finland capital Helsinki’s harbour.

ABB and Helsinki City Transport took the next step in autonomous shipping by proving human oversight of vessels from anywhere is achievable with today’s technologies.

Ice-class passenger ferry Suomenlinna II was put through its paces with ABB successfully enhancing ship operations with technologies already available for nearly any kind of vessel.

“We are excited about the potential impact of this test on the future of the maritime industry,” ABB Industrial Automation division president Peter Terwiesch says.

“Advanced automation solutions from ABB are making the previously impossible possible for a wide range of sectors, including shipping, which is actively searching for technologies that can rapidly deliver more efficiency and better safety.”

Autonomous does not necessarily mean unmanned.

“As vessels become more electric, digital and connected than ever before, ABB is able to equip seafarers with existing solutions that augment their skillsets. In this way, we are enhancing the overall safety of marine operations,” ABB Marine & Ports unit managing director Juha Koskela says.

Suomenlinna II was retrofitted with ABB’s new dynamic positioning system, ABB Ability Marine Pilot Control, and steered from a control centre in Helsinki.

Speaking after the voyage, Captain Heinonen says: “The progress we have made with the remote trial has been remarkable. I believe we are on the right track to exploring further possibilities of this technology as we move forward.”

This breakthrough trial represents a crucial step toward increasing the maritime industry’s acceptance of autonomous operation systems.

Global demand for maritime transport has grown by 30% over the past decade, according to the International Chamber of Shipping data, while nearly 10 billion tonnes of cargo are now transported by sea annually.

Research and development will continue with the ferry and crew.

Suomenlinna II, built in 2004, is fitted with ABB’s icebreaking Azipod electric propulsion system. It was retrofitted with the ABB Ability Marine Pilot Vision situational awareness solution in 2017.

The ferry operates year-round despite harsh winter conditions that affect all other transport modes there.