ABB marks "significant milestone" on the path to autonomous shipping

Swedish-Swiss tech giant ABB, together with Singaporean shipyard Keppel Offshore & Marine (O&M) has successfully carried out South Asia's first remote joystick control of a tugboat at the Port of Singapore.

The Port is currently one of the busiest ports in the world, catering for more than 130,000 vessels annually, and represents one of the toughest challenges facing the implementation of smart ports and a major milestone for the automation and safety of digitalized tug operations.

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Harbour tugs are essential in adding larger ships in docking and undocking from the marina, particularly in the limited space environments presented by busy ports.

Currently, they are piloted by humans on deck, but ABB hopes the future could lay within operating them from the shore, to minimise the potential human cost of operating such vessels.

The trial of remotely operating the harbour tug from a shore command centre located at the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore’s Maritime Innovation Lab was successfully performed in April 2021.

ABB developed a platform specifically for the process utilising sensor fusion technology - data derived from disparate sources to reduce uncertainty when performing a manoeuvre - from the onboard systems, which allow the operator to have information present and a greater field of view when controlling the vessel than would traditionally be available at the helm of a ship.

The technology was retrofitted on the 32m harbour tugboat Maju 510.

Juha Koskela, the president of ABB Marine & Ports described the event as "another significant milestone" towards autonomous shipping.

His hopes for the future indicate the technology could be used to relieve crewmembers of tasks that can be easily automated, leaving them free to perform other tasks or to enhance their working during critical periods.

"This trial also confirms the possibility for application of remote and autonomous technology to other vessel types," he added.

Tug operations, where a tugboat manoeuvres other vessels by pushing or towing them, often in crowded harbours, can be extremely demanding, requiring the full attention of the crew.

Additionally, tugs often have to complete lengthy and monotonous transit legs to get to their place of operation. Performing the transit autonomously and under remote supervision would enable the onboard crew to rest and be alert when they are needed in the actual work of the tug while station keeping with remote assistance can also provide opportunities for onboard crew to rest rather than performing routine tasks that can be better managed via automation.

Tan Leong Peng, the managing director for new builds at Keppel O&M, said that remote control navigation is an important feature of autonomous vessels owing to its status as a safeguarding technique that can be "especially useful" in certain complicated scenarios.

He added: "By 2030, Keppel hopes to harness advanced technologies for growth by utilising best-in-class systems and customisable autonomous technologies."

ABB has a history of delivering on autonomous shipping, carrying out trials on the first remotely-operated passenger ferry in Helsinki back in 2018.

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Moving into autonomous tugs comes as part of the Ports of Singapore's roadmap for the future, which charts out key technological developments for its maritime industry.

The project's second phase is scheduled for later in the year, which will see the vessel perform autonomous collision avoidance tasks while under remote supervision.

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