Cargo Crosses Busy Waters – Without Human Intervention!

A commercial cargo ship made an autonomous trip – a world premiere – across the crowded waters of Tokyo Bay, in Japan, thanks to software whose sole purpose is to improve the safety and navigation in busy maritime areas.

“The world’s first commercial autonomous voyage is a significant milestone in this journey, and we expect to see big shipping companies implementing advanced AI and computer vision technologies to materialize the autonomous shipping vision,” says Yarden Gross, co-founder and CEO of Orca AI, developer of safety software platforms designed for cargo ships.

Equipped with Orca AI’s safety navigation system, the 749 gross-ton vessel Suzaka sailed for 40 hours across 790 km and made 107 collision avoidance maneuvers autonomously, avoiding between 400 and 500 collisions. The technology works as a “human watchkeeper’ by providing real-time detection, tracking, classification, and range estimation thanks to 18 onboard cameras offering a 360° view around the clock.