ABS, Polaris Shipping, HD Hyundai Heavy Industries (HHI) and autonomous navigation solutions provider AVIKUS have signed a four-party Concept Study Agreement for the implementation of a Conditional Unmanned Bridge.
Under the agreement, the parties will jointly develop an autonomous navigation concept enabling unmanned bridge operation during deep-sea voyages, when defined conditions are met, on one of Polaris Shipping's 325K Very Large Ore Carriers (VLOCs).
The concept is not a fully unmanned operation across the entire voyage. Rather, it is a phased autonomous navigation concept under which the bridge is left unmanned only under specific low-risk conditions, such as open-ocean passage. In line with the development of the IMO Maritime Autonomous Surface Ships (MASS) Code, the concept is widely regarded across the industry as the most realistic form of autonomous shipping to be deployed in the near term.
Patrick Ryan, ABS Senior Vice President and Chief Technology Officer, said: “The technical complexity of the concept lies not in any single system, but in the interactions between autonomous navigation, vessel design and the conditions during unmanned bridge periods. ABS will apply a structured safety evaluation, drawing on hazard identification, functional safety analysis, and alignment with the IMO MASS Code, to get a clear, evidence-based picture of the unmanned bridge concept.”
DoHoon Kim, COO of Polaris Shipping said: “The 325K VLOC, with its high proportion of open-ocean voyages, is a suitable target for the unmanned bridge concept," adding, "We plan to use real operational data to quantitatively define the boundary between human and automated operations."
Sangsik Yoon, Senior Vice President of HHI said: “Implementing an unmanned bridge requires an integrated review across overall vessel systems. Through this agreement, we will work to establish the vessel design direction that reflects autonomous navigation concepts.”
Jaeho Kang, Co-CEO of AVIKUS, said: “The unmanned bridge concept is expected to be the first form of autonomous shipping to enter the market under the IMO MASS Code framework,” adding, “The operational concept and technical requirements drawn from this study will be reflected in the further development of our autonomous navigation system.”
Under the agreement, Polaris Shipping will review the operational profile of its 325K VLOC fleet and derive quantitative parameters grounded in real crew operations, including human response times. AVIKUS will define the operational concept of the autonomous navigation system required for an unmanned bridge, together with the corresponding technical requirements. HHI will identify vessel design modifications based on the resulting concept and conduct a review of the associated design drawings. ABS will independently review the concept from a safety and regulatory perspective, identify gaps against current regulations and standards, and consolidate the findings.
The four parties will then refine the concept through iterative review from safety, design and operational perspectives to address the identified gaps. The final outcomes will be compiled in the form of a Technical Publication, and the identified technology gaps will be reflected in each party's autonomous navigation system and ship design roadmaps.
Through this concept study, the four parties intend to build the technical and operational readiness for an unmanned bridge, which is expected to be the first autonomous shipping concept to reach commercial deployment.
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