Orca AI, a computer vision startup that has developed an automated situational awareness platform for safe maritime navigation, has partnered with Maran Tankers Management (MTM) to equip the latter’s tankers with its AI technology and thus enable crews to make the right decisions to avoid collisions.

Nearly 4,000 maritime accidents occur each year mostly due to human error, a number of which are partly caused by a lack of situational awareness in congested shipping areas and insufficient data on potential incidents.

ORCA AI

Orca AI, an Israeli startup, founded in April 2018 by naval technology experts Yarden Gross and Dor Raviv, a former computer vision expert in the Israeli Navy, develops intelligent navigation solutions, aimed at ensuring the safety of waterways and deep waters, removing human-caused errors from the equation.

The AI-based ship tracking system relies on the use of high-resolution thermal cameras, sensors, and machine learning and computer vision algorithms. Data from ships at sea, such as their depth in the water, wind direction and strength, position, sailing speed are analyzed in real time, crews are alerted in case of dangerous navigation.

Dor Raviv explains:

“A ship used to transmit GPS data and that’s it, but today every ship has broadband satellite communication and a connection to the cloud. That’s what pushed Orca forward, because with that data, ships can be managed remotely. A ship is no longer an island floating from place to place. Technology has made ships smarter and improved their operation, efficiency and safety, moving them toward autonomy.”

In addition, the platform gives managers a better understanding of their fleet’s safety performance and identifies areas for further improvement.

Mark Pearson, managing director of Maran Tankers Management (MTM), states:

“Shipping crude oil is a very complex business. Our safety-focused approach, as well as our openness to technological innovation, drives us to constantly look for cutting-edge solutions to reduce safety risks. With Orca AI, MTM fleet crews now have additional highly advanced navigation equipment to use that enables real-time, data-driven decisions.”

Yarden Gross, CEO and co-founder of Orca AI, meanwhile, states:

“We are delighted that an industry leader such as Maran Tankers Management (MTM) has chosen Orca AI to further improve the safety of its fleet. Greek shipping has always been a cornerstone of global shipping and today it is at the forefront of adopting new cutting-edge technologies. We are delighted to support Maran Tankers Management (MTM) as they continue to lead the way at sea.”

A successful trial

The trial, conducted in early June by the 749-gross-ton freighter Suzaku, lasted 40 hours, with full autonomy activated at 99 percent of the trip time.

The vessel was powered by Orca AI’s marine collision avoidance system in partnership with Designing the Future of Full Autonomous Ships (DFFAS) and the Nippon Foundation.

During the trial, the vessel automatically performed 107 collision avoidance maneuvers during the outbound voyage alone. According to the consortium’s program manager, the system avoided a total of 400 to 500 vessels. The voyage, which started from Tokyo Bay – one of the world’s most congested routes – and ended at the port of Tsumatsusaka in Ise Bay, was a success.

Orca AI’s algorithms were trained on a year’s worth of data collected from the ship Suzaku to identify targets along the complex Japanese coastline. Information from the cameras was transmitted to the fleet’s operations center in Tokyo, hundreds of miles away.

Yarden Gross said at the time:

“We are honored to collaborate with the NYK Group-led DFFAS consortium to drive automation and autonomous capabilities for commercial vessels in some of the world’s most congested waters. The world’s first autonomous commercial voyage is an important milestone in this journey and we expect to see major shipping companies implement advanced artificial intelligence and computer vision technologies to materialize the vision of autonomous navigation.”

Translated from Maran Tankers Management (MTM) va utiliser la plateforme d’évitement de collision d’Orca AI