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Inmarsat, MTI and RINA Join Autonomous Shipping Alliance

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Published Jun 5, 2019 7:57 AM by The Maritime Executive

Three leading organizations have joined One Sea, the industry alliance bringing together leading exponents of autonomous ship technology. 

Global satellite group Inmarsat and NYK Group research subsidiary Monohakobi Technology Institute (MTI) have joined One Sea as full members, while the Royal Institution of Naval Architects (RINA) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding to become a One Sea associate member.

One Sea members ABB, Kongsberg Maritime and Wärtsilä ran separate autonomous ship trials off the Finnish and Norwegian coasts at the end of 2018. Finnish regulators have authorized One Sea to oversee future trials in Jaakonmeri off western Finland - the first dedicated test zone worldwide.

Members have complete freedom to innovate and develop their own cost-efficient autonomous ship solutions inside an alliance which is nonetheless committed to harmonizing technical standards. 

NYK and its Group companies MTI Co., Ltd. and Japan Marine Science Inc. have already been working with nautical instrument manufacturers to develop highly automated ship navigation technologies, with a tugboat test for NYK company Wing Maritime Service Corporation scheduled for H2 2019. The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism envisages autonomous ships operating in Japan by 2025. One Sea has also set 2025 as its target for an autonomous shipping infrastructure, including a full set of safety rules and technology standards.

Inmarsat VP Business Development, Stefano Poli, commented: “Inmarsat is joining One Sea in recognition of the special value it sees in initiatives that adopt a targeted and goal-based approach to autonomous shipping and its beneficial technologies. One Sea is emerging as a strong voice on interoperability and standards that the wider industry is listening to. As Inmarsat continues to roll out the high-speed maritime broadband service that will enable and protect shipping’s digital future, it is critical we support the alliances enabling integration.”

Established in 2016, One Sea members include: ABB, Cargotec, Ericsson, Inmarsat, Kongsberg Maritime, MTI, Tieto, Wärtsilä and Finnpilot Pilotage. Other partners include RINA, Finnish Marine Industries, Shipbrokers Finland, Finnish Port Association and Finnish Shipowners’ Association. Financing is provided by participating companies and Business Finland. One Sea is led by DIMECC.