Autonomous and Remote Navigation. About us
Who we are
We are a group of technological companies, research centers and universities working on maritime high technologies under the umbrella of MARINET. Collaborating with leading Russian shipping companies, we have launched the world’s largest and most ambitious autonomous navigation trial project.
The a‑Navigation project is an excellent example of collaboration by a number of teams working in navigation, artificial intelligence, machine vision, telecommunications, IT and maritime legislation. I’m proud of the key role that Sitronics KT plays in integrating and leading development by these teams.
What we do
The goal of our project is to ensure technical and legal conditions for the wide MASS (maritime autonomous surface ships) operation by any shipping company from 2021. To meet this aim, we develop legislation and technical solution, and try them in real conditions of regular shipping operation.
I strongly believe that new technologies are driven by consumers rather than scientific labs or technology companies. We must create accessible opportunities for every shipping company to try and to implement a universal autonomous navigation solution, such as a-Nav, to facilitate the adoption of this technology.
What is our vision
We see 3 steps in our roadmap for MASS development, namely: Coexistence, Transition and Prominence. Our current approach is based on the principle of Complete Functional Equivalence which implies the strict fulfillment in automatic and remote mode of those functions that are now prescribed to be performed by a human on board as per current global safety regulations.
We have chosen not to wait for future robotic ships or new a‑Navigation conventions to begin our work as, with CFE we can adapt a‑Navigation to the international law as is. This guarantees that MASS, when coexisting and interacting with traditional ships, remain guided by and performing well-known mandatory functions.
What we achived
Our proposed legal approach has convinced the Russian Maritime Administration of its efficacy such that from 2021, any shipping company under the Russian flag will be able to use MASS in its regular operation. Since 2019 we have been developing MASS national legislation and technical solutions that enable any vessel to be upgraded to an autonomous one. This includes the development of new unique systems like Autonomous Navigation System or Optical Surveillance and Analysis System which are now available. We continue to envision and develop further technologies towards our aims.
Even the best technical solutions may not work without an adequate legal environment. Hundreds of years the maritime law has been being developed within a paradigm of crew on board. This will shift as we implement autonomous vessels - with few or no crew members - operating and interacting with traditional ships safely.