Anschütz advances with autonomous navigation
The MV Wavelab has become a familiar sight on the Kiel Fjord by now. The research catamaran of the CAPTN initiative is out on the water every week, collecting data, training AI-based algorithms or testing new functions, sensors or systems. One of the current development priorities is the development of assistance systems for navigation.
Autonomous navigation with the CAPTN Initiative
Aboard the Wavelab is a fully equipped Anschütz Integrated Navigation System (INS) which collects, analyses and evaluates all sensor data and alarms on board and distributes them consistently to recipients. In addition to navigation systems and sensors, the system also integrates optical sensors.
The INS provides a consistent picture of the maritime environment, the current navigation situation and potential risks. It monitors and actively manages security, redundancies and configurations, as well as the status of the overall system. The system allows the exchange of data with a shore-based Remote Operating Centre (ROC), including information on routes, obstacles and targets, to enable remote monitoring and autonomous navigation trials.
The ROC is located on the Anschütz premises. It is equipped with a complete navigation system and several displays showing live images from cameras on board the Wavelab. The ROC also contains a complete digital twin of all the data that the INS of the Wavelab is transmitting from the various existing and experimental sensors and systems on board.
“Anschütz's INS is proving itself as the basis for a consistent, secure system and common maritime picture for monitoring and controlling autonomous ships”, said Daniel Sommerstedt, Head of Research Projects at Anschütz. “With track and speed control, we can already keep a ship safely on a planned route, and we can also use our radar to automatically track other vessels and detect when they’re about to collide. In our current research phase, we are gradually extending these capabilities, for example by analysing data from other sensors or developing innovative assistance systems that simplify the assessment of complex maritime situations and make navigation safer.”
Current research focus: Assistance systems and system architecture
A prerequisite for any kind of autonomous shipping and, therefore, for autonomous coastal ferries, is an understanding of a working and stable system architecture. Consequently, one of the goals of the current research is to define a robust and secure system architecture for navigation and communication. This also refers to the data exchange between the ROC and the ship under different conditions and loads which provides all the important data and functions for safe operation. Test runs with changing equipment and under different conditions, such as the recent Kiel Week with many sailing ships on the water and a high load on the communication networks, are particularly helpful.
Among other things, the quality of the continuous real-time data exchange in the test field and the system's behaviour in the event of a communication failure are tested. The integration of additional sensors is also being tested, such as camera systems with AI-supported object recognition and classification or devices for bearing and distance measurement. The aim is to enrich the maritime situation picture with additional, valuable information and to enable other new functions that relieve operators in navigation and ship management and contribute to safe decision-making.
“We collect extensive data here every week and, above all, gain experience with our systems, be it in the interaction between the ship and the remote operating centre or in the evaluation of new information or functions with the help of experienced navigators”, said Sommerstedt.
The development and evaluation of approved assistance systems and the further automation of the navigation system offer numerous advantages for shipowners. On the path to autonomous shipping, navigation assistance systems can help to compensate for crew shortages on board. They can also relieve the burden on the navigator by providing relevant decision support in critical situations by helping them to identify a situation more quickly and reducing human error.
Anschütz's research is currently focusing on a support function for collision risk assessment on the foundation of a role- and model-based approach and in accordance with IMO Collision Regulations (ColReg). The aim of such an assistance system is to reproduce the behaviour expected by the navigator. The system should be able to adapt to different types and sizes of ships and to the safety requirements of shipping companies.
A function is being tested as an overlay of radar and ECDIS that continuously analyses available own-ship data, tracks and information from the maritime situation picture and automatically assesses possible targets in accordance with ColReg. If a critical approach is detected, the user is alerted and given a recommendation as to whether the course can be maintained or whether an evasive manoeuvre is required. At the same time, a possible alternative course is calculated and displayed on the screen for selection. The design of the user interface is currently being discussed and optimised with navigators. It may also be possible to automate this process in the long term.
CAPTN initiative: Autonomous, low-emission ferries in Kiel
“As an established manufacturer of navigation and bridge systems, we want to bring carefully tested, approved and commercially viable products and system solutions, such as assistance systems, to the market as quickly as possible”, said Sommerstedt. “With the CAPTN initiative, we have created an excellent testing ground for maritime innovations in the field of autonomous navigation.”
The maritime test area created by the CAPTN initiative is both ideal and unique for testing autonomous navigation. On the one hand, the Kiel Fjord is a busy sea area with many targets, providing opportunities for intensive testing under real-life conditions and for collecting a large amount of data. On the other hand, the Kiel Naval Arsenal is a controlled area where pre-testing of automated manoeuvres and autonomous driving can be carried out safely. In order to move from testing to approved use, Anschütz is already in discussions with the German authorities and notified bodies.
CAPTN’s vision is to develop autonomous, safe and sustainable public transport systems, with the goal being to connect the eastern and western shores of the Kiel Fjord with autonomous, low-emission passenger ferries. Local companies and universities are developing and researching the necessary technologies in a series of individual projects funded by the German Federal Ministry of Digitalisation and Transport.
The CAPTN Fjord Area I research project has built the Wavelab research catamaran, the largest autonomous shipping research vessel in Germany. In the Fjord 5G research project, the project partners installed an extremely powerful infrastructure for maritime data communication based on a 5G mobile network and a high-performance Wi-Fi 6 network on the Kiel Fjord. The next phase, CAPTN Fjord Area II, is already underway. It will enable extensive research and development work regarding autonomous shipping on the Kiel Fjord in the long term. Further research projects are currently being planned.
The project partners include Anschütz GmbH, Addix GmbH, Kiel University (CAU), Kiel University of Applied Sciences, R&D Centre Kiel University of Applied Sciences GmbH, Port of Kiel GmbH & Co. KG as well as the local ferry operator SFK (Kiel Tug and Ferry Company), AVL Deutschland GmbH, HH Vision, the nucleus (WiZe) Kiel GmbH and the City of Kiel. Associated partner is WTD 71 with the Naval Arsenal.