Sea Machines, MARAD Partner to Demonstrate Autonomous Technology on Spill-Response Vessel
BOSTON — Boston-based
Sea Machines Robotics has entered into a cooperative agreement with the U.S. Department
of Transportation’s Maritime Administration (MARAD) to demonstrate the ability
of Sea Machines’ autonomous technology in increasing the safety, response time
and productivity of marine oil-spill response operations, the company said July
24.
To make the
on-water exercises possible, Sea Machines will install its SM300
autonomous-command system aboard a skimming vessel owned by Marine Spill
Response Corp. (MSRC) and will train MSRC personnel to operate the system.
Then, on Aug. 21, Sea Machines and MSRC will execute simulated oil-spill
recovery exercises in the harbor of Portland, Maine, before an audience of
government, naval, international, environmental and industry partners.
The response
skimming vessel is manufactured by Kvichak Marine Industries of Seattle and is
equipped with a MARCO filter belt skimmer to recover oil from the surface of
the water. This vessel typically operates in coastal or near-shore areas. Once
installed, the SM300 will give the MSRC vessel these new capabilities:
• Remote autonomous control from an
onshore location or secondary vessel
• ENC-based mission planning
• Autonomous waypoint tracking
• Autonomous grid line tracking
• Collaborative autonomy for multivessel
operations
• Wireless remote payload control to
deploy onboard boom and other response equipment
• Obstacle detection and collision
avoidance
“The ability to use autonomous technology … furthers our mission of response preparedness.”
John Swift, vice president of MSRC
Additionally,
Sea Machines enables minimally manned and unmanned autonomous operations. Such
configurations allow operators to respond to spill events 24 hours a day, seven
days a week depending on recovery conditions, even when crews are unavailable
or restricted. These configurations also reduce or eliminate exposure of
crewmembers to toxic fumes and other safety hazards.
“Autonomous technology has the power to not only help prevent vessel accidents that can lead to spills but can also facilitate better preparedness [and] aid in safer, efficient and effective clean-up,” said Michael G. Johnson, CEO of Sea Machines. “We look forward to working closely with MARAD and MSRC in these industry-modernizing exercises.”
“Our No. 1 priority is the safety of our personnel at MSRC,” said John Swift, vice president of MSRC. “The ability to use autonomous technology — allowing response operations to continue in an environment where their safety may be at risk — furthers our mission of response preparedness.”