Autonomy and decision support
Mission-oriented research programme
Autonomy and decisions support can make the ships and its operation cleaner, safer and smarter. Autonomous shipping, automating manoeuvres, and supporting the crew with correct information at the correct time can unlock these advantages. MARIN is actively involved in advancing automation and decision support in the maritime industry to achieve higher levels of autonomy in shipping.
SMART SHIPPING
Full autonomy in operations may not always be necessary for the best result. Our approach focuses on automating that, which actually improves the overall performance.
This means that it is also of the utmost importance to consider the interaction with human operators, existing processes, regulatory framework, and industry acceptance alongside technological advancements.
MARIN’s knowledge, tools, simulators, model-testing and full-scale measurement capabilities, enable us to support the maritime industry in these challenges.
This means that it is also of the utmost importance to consider the interaction with human operators, existing processes, regulatory framework, and industry acceptance alongside technological advancements.
MARIN’s knowledge, tools, simulators, model-testing and full-scale measurement capabilities, enable us to support the maritime industry in these challenges.
Contact
Willemijn Pauw
Senior Project Manager
Digital Twinning, Automation & Control
This programme develops knowledge and techniques required to automate maritime operations or parts thereof, and to assist the crew in their daily operation. An adequate description of the current state of the vessel and an awareness of its surroundings are key components in this.
Digital Twinning, Automation & Control
This programme develops knowledge and techniques required to automate maritime operations or parts thereof, and to assist the crew in their daily operation. An adequate description of the current state of the vessel and an awareness of its surroundings are key components in this.
Operational Performance
This applied programme explores and demonstrates methods to qualify and quantify the effect of innovative autonomy and decision support solutions on the efficiency and safety of the operation, and on the working condition of the crew.
Operational Performance
This applied programme explores and demonstrates methods to qualify and quantify the effect of innovative autonomy and decision support solutions on the efficiency and safety of the operation, and on the working condition of the crew.
Offshore Operational Advice System
The Offshore Operational Advice System JIP aims to improve the efficiency of offshore wind farm installation and maintenance vessels, by using data and giving upfront advice on the planning and execution of the operation. An onboard forecasting app presents the vessel response based on weather and wave forecasts to support the crew in selecting the best heading and optimize the planning. MARIN acted as an integrator in this project, and involved the users in the complete design-cycle to improve the acceptance.
Autonomous docking with feeder vessel
In the EU-project Moses MARIN developed an innovative feeder vessel, and demonstrated sailing a round-trip in our basins. The round-trip consist of several phases starting from undocking from a quay, and safely return to the same quay. Attention was spend on how such an operation could be split into re-usable tasks, combine them together, and tightly control the approach to the quay in which the course and surge speed decreased quickly.
The MS Auris in Rotterdam harbour
MARIN’s RHIB is has been equipped with an extensive sensor suite. Furthermore, we adapted the drive train such that we could take control of the outboard motor. We demonstrated the technology sailing autonomously in Rotterdam's harbour. This platform is used as development vessel for autonomous technology and as target to safety test collision avoidance from third-party vessels.
Launch and Recovery with the mAUV
The mAUV is a fully actuated autonomous underwater vessel. In our launch & recovery test we demonstrate launching and recovering the mAUV from a cage using relative optical navigation. Attention was given to sensor fusion between relative navigation and the inertial sensors in absence of absolute navigation. Currently, research has started on expanding the launch & recovery capabilities with presence of waves and current.
Publications
Paper
Ship course-keeping in waves using sample-efficient reinforcement learning
1 Feb 2025
Maintaining a steady course in waves is important for ships for various reasons such as safety, fuel efficiency, and comfort. This has commonly been ...
Paper
Quay-to-quay mission with autonomous docking: a model-scale experimental validation
23 May 2024
Transport of cargo by short-sea shipping is at the forefront of the European Union’s transportation policy. It has the promise to alleviate ...
Paper
Autonomous docking of a feeder vessel
14 Nov 2023
Autonomous sailing is seen as one of the possible solutions to cope with the decrease in qualified personnel, to minimise the risk to humans and ...