Part 1 Of Our AI Intergration In Shipping Mini Series

Artificial intelligence has been talked about within the media for quite some years now. However, only within the last 12 months has this technology become available to the general public such as:

•   Integration into the devices that they use on an everyday basis such as phones and tablets.

Artificial intelligence in the maritime sector has been very very slow to implement and there are some good reasons for this:

Regulatory Hurdles

Legal frameworks for autonomous vessels and AI applications are still developing. Indeed, the MCA currently only legislate for autonomous vessels which are less than 24 m in length. The ability for the international community to react to autonomous legislation and a legislative framework which incorporates AI may be challenging.

The main reason for this is that  various member states will:

• have differing budgets
• differing affordability

Therefore, when it comes to implementing AI integration in shipping the purchasing the necessary hardware and software is a factor. Both the hardware ad software are critical on-board ships and the shore to enable artificial intelligence to operate efficiently.

Data Integration

Legacy systems in shipping need modernisation for AI compatibility. Interestingly, the Maritime industry has huge amounts of data available because records on maritime events have been kept for hundreds of years, digitalisation of this data will take many years. Allowing AI to understand the data by having it in the correct format is a challenge to many industries, but in particular a challenge to the maritime industry. This is because records that have been kept are mainly handwritten, and only recently have started to be done in digital format.

A good example of this is the keeping of records on the bridge, namely the bridge logbook or navigation logbook. This has traditionally been handwritten for a long time. However, recently tablets have been used to record significant navigation events. Whilst this data is available, it’s generally in a format that may not be understood by an AI system. As data is one of the main components of artificial intelligence, getting hold of maritime data and converting it into a format that AI can understand, will take time.

AI integration in Shipping – Cost

High initial investments deter small operators. One of the unique characteristics of shipping is the ship. Owners can vary from huge corporations down to very small single Shipowners. Whilst huge shipping lines may be able to absorb the high cost of the integrating AI into on-board operations. Small-scale shipowners may find this outlay unpalatable, and therefore, in order for the standards to be adopted. Internationally flag states must take into account the needs of the smaller ship owners and the fact that they may not initially be able to comply.

However, with the above having been said, artificial intelligence will not stay away from shipping for ever. Recent developments in computers, quantum computing and mobile data connections have enabled high powered computers ashore to do:

• The grunt work that the AI requires.
• Transmitting the results direct to the ship for integration into the ship systems.

Recent additions to global mobile networks, allowing high-speed data to be received all over the world have enabled companies to provide their vessels with the data required in order to facilitate AI computations on board.