DNV joins Norwegian autonomous navigation project

DNV has joined a Norwegian maritime project that seeks to improve and assess the safety and efficiency of autonomous navigation systems.

Other partners on the Safe Maritime Autonomous Technology (SAFEMATE) project include Kongsberg Maritime, Kongsberg Seatex, ferry operator Basto Fosen, and the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU).

As part of the project, trials will be conducted on an array of new autonomous navigation systems fitted on Basto VI, an operational ferry owned by Basto Fosen. One such system is Kongsberg Maritime’s proprietary bridge control system, which is capable of warning of dangerous situations such as imminent collisions and advise on a preferred deviation manoeuvre.

The SAFEMATE project will focus on routing and collision avoidance to create a system that is able to detect threats and obstacles in the marine environment, interpret this information, and communicate a solution to an on-board operator. The system will be tested though the use of simulators and with human operators in the loop and then will be deployed in full-scale trials on Basto VI.

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