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8 Platform one December/January 2017 | Unmanned Systems Technology Kongsberg Maritime, of Norway, and UK- based Automated Ships are to develop a large unmanned ship for offshore commercial operations (writes Rory Jackson). Expected to measure 35 x 10.5 m, the Hrönn will be one of the largest purely unmanned civilian ships built so far, with regulations being the major restriction on vessels of this size. The project management and integration will be handled by Automated Ships, using Kongsberg for the vessel’s design, construction and operation. That includes all the systems for dynamic navigation, localisation, satellite and position reference, marine automation and communications, as well as cameras for daylight and IR vision. Testing will take place at an automated shipping test bed in the Trondheim fjord in Norway, the first of its kind specifically for USV trials, which was set up in September 2016. An onshore control centre will use Kongsberg’s vessel control technology, including the K-Pos dynamic positioning system, K-Chief automation systems and K-Bridge electronic chart display and information system. Initial operations as well as certification of the Hrönn by DNV GL will be conducted through remote piloting. “The vessel will be fully automated but not autonomous; it will require a ‘man in the loop’, meaning constant monitoring and command input where needed,” said Brett Phaneuf, managing director of Automated Ships. However, the ship’s integrated dynamic positioning system will enable autonomous elements in station-keeping and navigation from the outset, and work has started on the software, firmware and hardware to gradually develop an increasing degree of autonomy as the ship’s development programme progresses. The Hrönn’s developers are examining research programmes and existing algorithms for autonomous operations under current regulations, with a focus on autonomy for aiding the operator in perceiving and avoiding threats, enacting safety measures in the event of a communications failure, and to enable the control team to monitor and ‘operate’ numerous ships simultaneously in diverse locations. Unmanned ship on horizon USVs The Hrönn will be one of the largest civilian vessels designed not to have a crew The vessel will be fully automated but not autonomous; it will require monitoring and command input where needed