Collisions can be reduced using same software implemented by airlines
Last week the MV Stena Immaculate and the MV Solong collided just off Grimbsy, UK, with incidents matching this occurring at a higher frequency, with opinion remaining that human error is the root cause for most incidents.
The aviation industry has seemingly eliminated mid-air collisions by implementing a technology known as Traffic Collision Avoidance System (TCAS) which both alerts pilots to potentially dangerous situations using audio and visual warnings and aids action to evade disaster.
Capt. Jørgen Grindevoll, founder & CEO of maritime technology company SafeNav, poses the question: "So why doesn’t the maritime industry have its own version of TCAS?"
Sensor technology has been the main resolve of safety in the maritime industry, implementing more advanced radars such as AIS, ECDIS, LIDAR, and now implementing high-resolution computer vision or enhanced situational awareness.
Grindevoll said: "These tools are absolutely essential, but they only provide fragmented information. The problem is not the lack of data and target classification – it's the absence of a system that integrates all this information into a single, unified decision-making platform.”
Aircraft differ from most vehicles as they operate in a three-dimensional space, with the ability to ascend or descend to avoid a collision. TCAS is used to provide real-tome instructions. Ships operate in heavily trafficked waters, often poor weather conditions, and have more constrains on manoeuvrability but navigation is solely reliant on an operator's own judgement.
Grindevoll said: "This decision-support gap in navigational safety is exactly what the SafeNav platform is designed to close, some 15 years since the last navigation technology update, that is ECDIS."
SafeNav is an AI powered co-pilot and decision-support system, helping make real-time, actionable decisions on the bridge.
Grindevoll said: "Unlike standalone hardware-dependent solutions, SafeNav is a software module that seamlessly integrates with any existing navigation and situational-awareness systems, meaning shipowners don't need to invest in yet more expensive hardware.”
Benefits of SafeNav include full COLREGS compliance, aggregate and fuse data from across multiple sources in real time, provide explicit course-changing recommendations, and being ahead of the IMO MASS Level 1 regulations set to be released in 2028.
The system is designed to work alongside a human operator, allowing navigators to retain full control whilst being informed on their decisions. SafeNav is in the process of attaining approval in principle from class society DNV.
Grindevoll added: "This is not another autonomous vessel pitch. It’s not about replacing crews – it’s about giving navigators the tools they need to make better, faster decisions by leveraging technology already available, and still keeping the 'human in the loop'."
The European Maritime Safety Administration claims there were 1,000 maritime collisions, contact damages, and groundings in 2024, leading to an average of 2,500 casualties and incidents per year.
