Russian developer of autonomous navigation system, Kronstadt Technologies, has signed two agreements with domestic owners, Morspetsservice and MT-Group, on equipping modern cargo-and-passenger ships with appropriate equipment. The agreements define the projects and names of the first twenty vessels, the schedule of their equipment, the location of onshore monitoring and control centres for autonomous vessels
On December 7, in Moscow, Kronshtadt Technologies JSC and the Sakhalin shipping company Morspetsservice signed an agreement on equipping a series of 10 cargo-passenger vessels of the Sakhalin multipurpose high-speed catamaran and Sakhalinets multipurpose high-speed catamaran designed for providing sea freight and passenger traffic in the Far East, including the Sakhalin region.
In accordance with the signed agreement for the first vessel of the series, MSS Pioneer a Sakhalin class vessel the equipment will be installed by summer 2021. It includes an autonomous navigation system that demonstrates the ship’s position in real time and the target situation in the navigation area. If there is a navigational hazard, the system suggests that a divergence manoeuvre be adopted; a survey-search system that searches for and identifies objects.
All information coming from these systems will be displayed and available to the operator in real time, which will allow tracking not only the position of the vessel, but also the condition of cargo or passengers on board during the voyage. Ships with the system will be classed by RINA (Italy).
Andrey Pangin, founder of Morspetsservice commented, “Our Far East is the most ‘maritime’ region of the country. Seas, straits, islands, ports, shipping, fishing and so on. Its economic activity and the level of its socio-economic development are largely associated with maritime activities. The world leaders in the development of the maritime industry are the closest neighbours – South Korea, China, Japan, whose long-term experience clearly shows how important systematic sea freight and passenger traffic is in the sea and coastal areas.
The development by the Morspetsservice of the projects of the vessels is a practical step towards restoring logistic relationships within the Far Eastern region. The beginning of the work of such vessels – already now – is a necessity,”
A similar agreement was signed on December 8 in St. Petersburg between Kronstadt Technologies and the shipping company SeaEnergy on equipping 10 more dry cargo vessels. SeaEnergy, a member of the MT-Group Group, plans to equip a series of 10 dry cargo vessels of the U-Type project which began operating this year in the waters of the Black, Azov and Mediterranean seas with autonomous navigation systems.
Abdul Mekhtiyev, founder and CEO of the Marine Technique group of companies said, “The U-Type is an innovative multipurpose vessel of the Volgo-Don-Max class for sea and river-sea transportation, ideal for both project and general cargo, as well as for any bulk”. In accordance with the signed agreement, Kronstadt Technologies must equip the lead vessel of the U-Type project, the motor ship Camilla, by December 31, 2021.
Andrey Rodionov, General Director of Kronstadt Technologies JSC, commented on the signing of the agreements, “In November, we presented our unmanned navigation project at the ASI Forum, and it received a positive response from President Putin. Today we sign the first commercial contracts for the supply of equipment for unmanned navigation, which confirms that the industry is already ready for change and is looking for opportunities in practice”.
